So as stated before, I decided to go on a limb here and download/play the Deus Ex Preview Build. If you looked at my previous article you could get some info on a little bit of what I thought of it. Now after beating the Preview Build I would feel ultimately guilty not to review the preview build.
First off, this game is purely awesome, and it has every right to be so. The storytelling is pretty much perfect with subtle similarities to other RPGs. Pretty much this section is gonna be me comparing it to other RPGs, so don't say I didn't warned you if this part might sound like I am bashing other RPGs.
This game is almost the nemesis to it's Squenix counterpart Final Fantasy XIII. Both have amazing graphics, and awesomely rendered cutscenes, but in my opinion Deus Ex is more of a real RPG than FFXIII. Deus Ex has a better storytelling set-up, where most of the meaningful storytelling is done in-game and not in cutscenes. While this is typical for a normal RPG, I felt that Squenix for XIII packed most of the "cool scenes" of that game into cutscenes, so that you were pretty much motivated to get to the next one. In this sense Deus Ex is more comparable to all the Final Fantasies pre-XII, giving it in my opinion the justified use of Action/RPG. Kingdom Hearts didn't use turn-based, and neither did XIII, and I think it's fair that while Deus Ex uses a shooter system for combat, that the rest of the game is what you would find in other typical RPGs.
Deus Ex runs on a "moral/player" based system similar to KOTOR/Mass Effect, but is much more robust and fleshed out that you have to talk you way out of situations instead of just have the "good/bad choice" going on. I was impressed that my social skills were immensely effective, to where I was able to resolve situations without going to more illegal means.
People who fancies themselves of stealth games will find some enjoyment (albeit stressful) gameplay in Deus Ex. Like MGS, the game uses an "alarm rate" system to where there's a timer for when the baddies aren't looking for you anymore. That and the enemies have quirky was of figuring out or not figuring out if you're in the vicinity. That and you get more points for using non-lethal means such as just using CQC to takedown enemies.
That and people who finds themselves nerdy enough to consider themselves cyberpunk fans, will find similarities to the likes of Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, and maybe even the Matrix. Who honestly as a geek wouldn't be attracted to a savvy-hacking, robo-augmented, sunglasses-toting protagonist? This game while in the bowels of a niche, has plenty of appeal to people who might fancies themselves of franchises like Tron. That and the music is quite appealing for those who love "techno-orchestra" in a sense.
That and, there are always ways to complete your objectives, and in a sense this game is almost a "Stealth game on wheels". Sure, encountering the enemy might still be almost-instant death, but at least unlike MGS and some areas of Splinter Cell...you have plenty of room to work with usually to find a safe haven from enemies that have spotted you.
I have to say, the voice acting is excellent for the most part, unlike what people said about the previous two games. Adam Jensen's VA fits perfectly with the character in my opinion and brings the character almost perfectly to life.
Now, this game is completely about plot-twists, shady-characters, and conspiracy theories that are only rivaled by other cyberpunk or stealth-based games. This game takes itself pretty seriously, and unlike the more anime-renditions that get pretty cheesy, this game is able to set itself up with a pretty "Mature" tone. None of the characters really over-emphasis themselves, and you most of the time feel like you're talking to real people. This game has pretty much perfected the immersion factor in my opinion.
Also, not sure if this was doing of either Squenix or Eidos, but I find it a bit funny that the black ops character that has a "machine gun arm" is named Barrett, similar to that of Barret in FF7.
That being said, you don't really get the sense that any of the characters are "dumb". In one way or another, all the characters have some sort of intellect, which in some cases make the game just that much more interesting. Everyone is involved with something, which makes even your closest friends feel like suspects. It's hard not to feel that even your boss might be the "final bad guy", in which way the conspiracy set up of this game is pretty much successful in that respect.
Now on to some recommendations while playing this game:
SAVE OFTEN, while the autosave is pretty good...I suggest saving if you feel like the next area will be your death. SAVE DURING BATTLES AND BOSS FIGHTS...just so you don't have to repeat if you feel like you're inching closer to winning. FOCUS YOU'RE LEVELING ON HACKING, ENERGY BARS, AND STRENGTH AUGMENTATIONS...as these will affect how far you can get in the basic gameplay. DO ALL THE SIDEQUESTS...as these will give you tremendous XP which will always come in handy when getting your "augment points". If there are better ways to use you're leveling, take these recommendatoins as a grain of salt then.
Content:
This game is pretty much the essence of a purely fun game, that has plenty of motivations to keep going. It's epic-storytelling and movie-quality production values give the feeling that you're "a movie character". The Preview Build had about 6-9 hours of gameplay, and that was only the first area of the game. This game has open areas for which you can move around in, but the whole world isn't available, thus I would probably use the term "open-map" and not open world. That and the game supports DX11 on the PC-side of things, and the graphics never grow dull...in fact I think the graphics get better as the game progresses. That and I can't help but feel that Jensen's "augmented look" is what you would get if you crossed Snake with a Metal Gear.
Closing comments: This game is pretty much video game perfection, and I can see why people loved the original two games. Video Games of this austhetic don't get much better than this, if at all. It's pretty relieving that even Preview Builds of games can be uber-awesome, showcasing that developers are getting closer to making the perfect games.
In my Opinion?
Perfect 10 out of 10.
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