Deus Ex: Human Revolution Retrospective
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The stealth, (climbs to the top of a tall building); THE STEALTH! Smoother then silk and more reactive than putting baking soda in vinegar. Sneaking through the Sarif Manufacturing Plant, the Picus Media Building and the Pangu are some of the most intense experiences I have ever had. It's extremely accessible, but maintains LAYERS of systems, subsystems and sub-subsystems. It's so engrossing that it makes you forget you're playing a game, and makes you think you're in real state of affair.
Not only this, but the augmentations are AMAZING. Apparently; in the future, getting a robotic arm or neural chip will be all the rage (the more wacky conspiracy theorists will probably point out that neural chips are already inside you or something, but that is beside the point). Jesus Christ, making your perfect robot man is engaging. Do you want to be a stealth specialist? No worries; tactical cloak has you sorted! Want to massacre large groups of civilians? Easy; snag yourself the Typhoon system! Pesky thugs disputing your stroll around Detroit? No problem; stab them in the chest with your arm-swords!
Have you even seen the film Blade Runner? That film had a nice art style. A really fucking nice art style. It still influences popular culture today, just look at Prey 2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution had an artistic direction that not only is instantly recognisable (under the legendary direction of Jonathan Jacques-Belletête), but innovative. Human Revolution's school of artistic thought separates it from the monstrous, grey first person shooters that dominate today's video game market. It's like putting on a baseball cap when the only thing the world wears is a cowboy hat, and Christ, what a baseball cap it is.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution compliments an amazing article style with an almost perfect example of immersion which is extremely impressive considering the futuristic, innovative setting. It doesn't matter if you are rattling around a ghetto or a science lab, Eidos have absolutely nailed that fabled (lived-in) feel. It isn't like they just chucked some boxes or some rubbish against a wall, they really thought about how they should design their future. Not only the aesthetics; the computers and PDAs flesh out an incredibly engaging world with background info on geopolitics, climate change, social-economics and the development of robotic arms.
Let's hope Thief is receiving the same care, although early signs have been far from promising.
