This time, the player is Alex Jenson, a man who finds himself gradually "augmenting" himself with more and more advanced abilities while pursing leads in a web of murder and corporate warfare. The setting is a distopian near future where society is gradually fraying as people either embrace or resist the new possibility of bio-mechanical enhancements. As is key to the genre, Alex rapidly learns that there are no innocent parties and no one can be completely trusted.
This is a compelling setting and an excellent plot. It is well realized through great voice acting and solid pacing.
The game mechanics give the player a variety of ways to interact with the environment. Sneaking around via hacked computers or helpful air vents permits the player to learn more about the goings on by reading email or other documents. There's an excellent persuasion mechanic which plays out during verbal confrontations and is much more integrated and functional than the similar methods in LA Noire. When all else fails, combat is well supported but is challenging enough to be used a last resort in most situations. Each of these areas can be deepened by investing in augments which provide new or improved options. However, in the end, none of the mechanics function precisely as well as one might hope and occasionally dip into frustrating territory (particularly 'boss' battles or early stealth/hacking where few augments are available). A hybird approach is usually the best path to a smooth game experience.
There's also a number of interesting side quests throughout the game, which help expand the world and are well written. My only regret was that there wasn't more of such content or it wasn't more blended into the background of each location Alex visits. I found that most of content was presented directly to the player - there was little need for going off the path or talking to unnamed NPCs. As mentioned above, there's are usually a choice of sneaky or strong arm ways of getting something done, but it often seemed like these options were a little too apparent. There was always a vent or a sewer leading to where I needed to go, an never one that didn't lead to something useful. There's always a huge number of PDAs lying around with important passwords on them and guards endlessly walk in easily predicted patterns. It seemed as though the world just needed more 'noise' to make finding the right path feel more like a discovery than an inevitability.
This quibble aside, Deus Ex Human Revolution is a very entertaining game and well worth the asking price. Strongly recommended.
J
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