I am loathe to use phrases like “my generation” and “defining classics” since I’m frankly not that old (Maggie came to power, Sony released the Walkman and 3 Mile Island caused a scare).
However, when reviewing computer gaming history I think it’s fair to say people of my age do recall certain events or games that give us an almost collective consciousness. The first time you inserted that cartridge into your SNES to play Street Fighter, rather then paying 50p in some grotty arcade that your parents didn’t approve of. If you were lucky enough, the first time you got your Amiga 500 (an actual computer?!) with, wait for it, 500kb of RAM. Installing Doom for the first time from an old floppy your friend lent you and wondering if it’s as good as everyone made out. The first time you rolled that silly looking Dwarf in Warcraft for an MMO.
And in the midst of all that a little game was released in 2000 called Deus Ex.
Simply put, Deus Ex at one point, was my favourite game of all time (yes Warcraft did usurp it as did the original Operation Flashpoint) but it still ranks in my top 5. It took two genres, FPS and RPG and combined them with a futuristic world where you didn’t simply follow the corridors around until you met a boss or battle weird looking elves in a clichéd Tolkein-esque environment. Its plot was so involving and incredibly well thought out, the ability to complete each level two or three different ways (how did you deal with those Bots in Vandenberg; go toe to toe with them, stealth around or send them against each other?) and the character development choices and engine were second to none for its time. Some of my favourite gaming memories lie within this game, from playing it back in 2000 right up to last year.
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| I've come to fix your hole |
As a result, when someone somewhere linked up a teaser trailer to Deus Ex 3 I had two conflicting emotions run through my chest: fear and hope. Fear that they would simply butcher another sequel and finally kill off the franchise and hope that they would emulate the original and return to its roots.
I’m happy to say hope triumphed. Deus Ex 3 was released in 2011 as a successor prequel to Deus Ex.
It takes place some years before the DX1 setting, dealing with the beginning of widespread human augmentation and how the games different factions and main character deal with this. It is a little slow in my opinion and there is one fairly glaring omission towards the end but overall it holds up solidly enough. I’m not going to give an in depth plot summary, since I never agree with reviews that spend the first page detailing a plot that in abstraction makes little sense and can spoil elements of the game. If you like the series as much as me playing through it and experiencing it first hand will be a reward in itself.
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| Charming flat. Good south facing view and plenty of Neon |
So let’s start with the basics: GFX, sound and engine.
The graphics in DX3 are very good. They aren’t the best out there but they most certainly get the job done. Where it excels is in some of the lighting and bloom effects, each city feels real, there are glowing neon signs, soft sun beams across floors and dark alleys with lit windows (check out the vista from your apartment window, really excellent). Draw distance on some levels is great, it really gives an epic feel to the levels.
DX1s music was genuinely iconic. Anyone who played it will still remember the intro music and certain key levels. DX3 plays a nice homage to it in this sense. I don’t think its as good overall but it certainly keeps the mood and fits with the overall games tone. I don’t think there are as many tracks as the original however. The sound effects again are solid, cant say they are spectacular but they do invigorate certain levels (Detroit/Hengsha). You can hear police sirens in the distance, people chatting and your footsteps on those ladder rungs.
The engine is decent, its definitely slick and moves well. However, I did notice several clipping issues from around walls and boxes etc. A clear ironsite on an enemy head does not always hit. It isn’t a major deal but it’s a flaw and one which shouldn’t be in a big production game. The switch to 3rd person view on ladders is quite annoying too I felt and unnecessary. Having said that they are minor flaws, overall it’s a good engine allowing you to navigate through vents, up ladders, under walls, jump well and pick up and throw certain objects around. I cant recall ever getting stuck or having a polygon fall away from a wall or noclip into a box. Thats a bonus in today's bug ridden game releases.
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| Mrs Robinson, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you? |
Level design was always going to be an important factor in DX3 since the series predicated itself on the hack/stealth/attack formula. If level design was poor then this triad would inevitably fail. DX3s levels are well designed but there are not enough of them. You essentially have only 4 city locations (and one end level) and one of those – Montreal is too short. I was very disappointed to find around two thirds of the way in you get sent back to both Detroit and Hengsha again. Nothing has changed since your last visit and only two new map areas open up (Detroit conference center and Hengsha port). For me this was the games biggest flaw.
The original had at least 8 distinct and varied areas/locations. Whilst the DX3 maps are bigger and much more detailed one cant help but feel cheated. Even though DX3s maps are large there isn’t a huge amount to do in them. Interactivity is somewhat lacking, even in basic apartment rooms, you can turn on the TV/hack the computer or run the tap. That’s about it. Medical clinics are similar, as are warehouse and facility rooms. Whilst the detail in each is incredible, I think a better balance should have been struck, more levels and locations with less detail would not have detracted from the game, since once you have seen one apartment or server room you have seen them all.
In addition some of the areas within levels do feel a touch contrived, almost blatantly highlighting the fact that there’s a vent to the next room, a computer to hack the security terminal, a roof to climb onto or a supply of ammo for a firefight. It certainly isn’t present in all levels, some more then others but I couldn’t help notice it.
Was the original the same? Probably but it felt less contrived.
Having said all that as mentioned before some of the levels and scenes are really beautiful and you will remember them a long time (the elevator in Sarif HQ, the Hengsha port facility and the final level reception vista).
As mentioned the gameplay triad of hack/stealth/attack returns from the series and I have to say it is thoroughly enjoyable. There is a new close combat kill move, where a 3rd person camera kicks in and you can take down one or multiple enemies with some fairly funky hand to hand moves (either lethal or non lethal). It really adds a nice new gameplay element, hand to hand in DX1 was more about smashing a mouse button as hard as you could whilst equipping a lead pipe. Even with your non upgraded HUD you can see enemies on the mini map, their orientation and their movement direction. It really allows you to plan your stealth moves and path well. Most levels have great cover elements to use and abuse and I never felt trapped or overly frustrated. Having said that its a hard game, I died a lot but the ability to try another tactic keeps things fresh. The hacking element is very nicely done too, it feels semi realistic, is well balanced and simply works (I still have nightmares about Fallout 3s debacle). Combat is fun if unoriginal in its execution. All in all the 3 tactics work well together and there is at least one full replay of the game waiting on completion because of it. Again a nice addition considering some of the one time play "hits" of late.
So is it as good as DX1 taking into account the difference in release years?
No, in my opinion. It is still a fantastic game but I feel that in a way it’s a re-skinned and updated DX1. Detroit feels like New York, Hengsha feels like Hong Kong, Tai Yong medical feels like Versalife. The plot isn’t as strong as the first and your main character isn’t actually very likeable. He’s cold and unattached, quite sarcastic and only once does he betray any real emotion or feeling. I did not really feel for him or the secondary characters at all, whereas in the first you built relationships and feeling.
If you haven’t played the first then definitely pick up DX3, you’ll really enjoy it, its still a great game. Then go get a copy of DX1, get the GFX upgrade pack and experience a truly generation defining classic.
Ian has asked me to provide a suitable animal to sum up his feelings of the game - Winstons
Deus Ex : Human Revolution scores - Happy Hippo
Ian has asked me to provide a suitable animal to sum up his feelings of the game - Winstons
Deus Ex : Human Revolution scores - Happy Hippo
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