For: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Reviewed on: Xbox 360
At first, I had a problem with this game, and I didn't know what it was. The game wasn't pushed exceptionally hard, and I thought this was weird. Deus Ex on the PC was a huge thing, and many of my friends were looking forward to it. So I checked it out.
When the game started, I was welcomed by a decent opening movie, and refreshing visuals. The game then snapped into a melee of sub-par character models and a very pointy-chinned protagonist. Being a belated fan of the original, I was happy that the game was a prequel, meaning nobody should be too lost. You don't need to play Deus Ex or Invisible War to completely understand the plot, although it helps.
The first thing you'll notice are the cyberpunk backdrops and the Bear Grylls-inspired color scheme, which is comforting at first, but you're scrambling to find a place that doesn't look like your trapped in a honeycomb all the time. It's kind of an eyesore. Adam Jensen is not entirely a likable character, but his trench-coat, face-infused sunglasses, and his brand-spanking new cybernetics lend to shaping his character. He's not strong to begin with. At all. This isn't an easy game, only a few bullets will kill poor Adam, and it's up to you to shape his new found abilities and get to the bottom of the matter.
Upgrade your abilities, and you can take down two people at a time for half the energy
WHAT I LIKED:
I liked how the game doesn't force you to either stick to stealth or guns-a-blazing. The initial mission will ask you if you want to go in silent, or loud, and really will let you see which one is a better fit for you. I personally found that the loud route was nice, but the down side is there isn't a lot of ammo to support your Rambo ways. There's a few guns to play around with, but you may find yourself relying on takedowns more than bullets.
Another thing are the takedowns. You have the choice of knocking them out or just straight killing them. This takes a lot of energy out of you, so you can't just take everyone out, it takes strategy.
The checkpoint system is nice enough that if you forget to save or just die from a stupid mistake, you don't have to regain a lot of ground. Saving before big hacks is key, as sometimes you'll use a bug to aid you, get locked out and lose it. The game is nice in this way, but throws you twists later on that might be balancing your choices.
Side-missions are not only a fun break from the hustle and bustle of main missions, as well as the nice credit and XP boost.
Cover is important, but you can end this fight a few different ways. Stealth, take out the mech with an EMP grenade, or run like hell and hope for the best.
Stealth is key, and it's hella fun. Although it eats energy, sneaking past someone and then stabbing them in the back is one of the most satisfying things in the game.
LIMB stores allow you to buy Praxis, the currency for enhancing your abilities, but supplies are limited, as well as expensive.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
The number one problem I had was the upgrading of your abilities. As you kill, hack, complete missions, and everything else, you earn XP, and at level up, you get a point to pick an ability to rank up. Problem is at the start of the game, it's hard to completely understand what you want to do. And if you spend it, and it doesn't quite work, you're stuck with it. There's so much to upgrade, such as helping with hacking, extending health, avoiding dying from falls, stealth and stealth help, and a bunch of other things, which really makes things hard in the long run, especially if you're facing a big boss and you should've picked better stealth than that ability that lets you see your cooldown clock.
Aside from the graphical colors and weird, boring character models, the story starts off slow, builds up and then falls flat at the end, even with numorous endings to collect.
I found that even with 5 energy bars, I was running out of energy a lot, and the game isn't as charitable with energy bars as I'd like them to be.
Guns don't feel right. Can't put my finger on it, but it almost feels like the devs were trying to say that they didn't really want you to spray and pray. It's a stealth game at it's core, but if you give people the option, at least make the gunplay feel somewhat real. Instead it felt a little stoic and not as fluid as some big gun-nut games out there. Eidos and Square-Enix aren't known for big FPS', so it might be why, but I was hoping for the guns to fit in the game as much as sneaking did.
Although you probably won't upgrade all augments, there are plenty to choose from. You might have to have a couple of playthroughs to see what feels right for you.
Towns are alive, but it's easy to get lost in the terrain. There's not much to do, besides, people say the same things, and no reason to fraternize with the locals, other than find side-missions.
BOTTOM LINE:
It's a hard one to call, but in the end, it's a rent for sure. I don't know I would buy this unless you're a completionist. It's a fun game, that has challenges at times, but it's marred by weak gunplay, boring towns, and a god-awful color scheme. If you're a fan of Deus Ex, you owe it to yourself to see how it all started, but if this is your first time, rent it so you can see what's going on, but in the end, pick up the original. It's so much better.
WHAT SYSTEM SHOULD I GET IT ON:
I recommend the PC version. It looks a little better than the consoles.
FINAL SCORE:
81/100 (percent)
