Deus Ex Human Revolution Review

When it was released in 2000, the original Deus Ex quickly became perceived as a landmark in PC gaming history. Not so much for its graphics, or even story, but rather for its immersion and open gameplay combined with a futuristic setting full of deceit and conspiracies.
One can understand that the stakes were pretty high for this title. Combine the open game, with the stunning graphics that were hinted at in the trailers, and you've got a mouthwatering cup of ambrosia in your hands. But where does Deus EX: HR come out precisely?

The gameplay is what you would expect, and in my opinion it even excells the standards that were set down by its predecessor eleven years ago. There are so many different paths and methods available that exploration is a reward in itself.  The e-books, well-detailed graphics, and e-mails shape the game into a vibrant and stunning setting. They're also not just thrown in there right in your face. The game really rewards you for scouting and exploring. In fact by snooping around and hacking terminals it is possible to slowly start unravelling the game's mysteries. One hack at a time.

Unfortunately its biggest flaw is the formulaic and archaic story. The game is not without many plot-holes, and even cliches. That's easily forgiven however when put that next to the outstanding dialogue and the many social and ethical quandaries that the game poses to you. That latter part alone I see way too rarely in so-called modern RPG's.
The biggest game design error though, is its implementation of the archetypical bossfight. You know the one where each chapter ends with a boss-fight? And of course you know the ones that are really just henchmen and a prelude to the real boss fight.
Sounds familiar? Yeh that's pretty much what you can find in most games. So why is it such an abashment in Deus Ex:HR? Because it just seems so out of place compared to the game itself. Kind of like a naked uncle at your Christmas dinner.
It's a point seriously hindering the game, because Deus Ex: HR allows you to approach any mission at your own leisure. You can adapt to the situation, kill anything insight, or you can even resort to a non-violent action.
But all that becomes completely obsolete once you've passed the cut scene and are thrown into the arena as it were. Because at that point you are met with only one course of action: Violence

Not to mention every three poses that Adam Jensen, the main protagonist takes, is one folding his arms while leaning backwards. What is he? Captain Passive Agressive? You can pretty much switch half his lines with the single statement: "O RLY?"

And as detailed as the main characters in the game may be. The difference becomes striking when you meet a certain secretary whose animation makes her look like an epileptic patient who's had so many fizzy drinks, she must be peeing out tonic water.
This is me only nitpicking on minor details though. I'm neurotic and in all fairness still awestruck with how the game is visually a true masterpiece. The black-yellow futuristic colour scheme works well, reminiscing of Blade Runner in plenty of ocassions. And visually the game is packed with so many minute but important details. For example how many personal references they snuck into your apartment. To even the common blue-screen-of-death easter egg:

Overall the game was of an exceptional quality. The fact I didn't encounter a single bug or error alone is praiseworthy in nowadays' games. Together with Portal 2 this tops the list so far in 2011's best games, and Deus Ex: HR has already become a modern classic in my eyes.

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