Deus Ex: Human Revolution Behind Closed Doors Demo

by Nicolas "Killthrash" Hutchins

I had the opportunity to observe Square Enix demonstrate a pre-Alpha version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution about 30 minutes ago here at E3 2010 in the South Hall. I was greeted by a personal guide who briefed me on what I was about to be exposed to. He kindly walked me through a heavily-guarded closed-off area of the show floor to a secluded room with no windows. This room was designed after the in-game apartment of the main protagonist Adam Jensen and featured plush furniture and a Panasonic 60" plasma screen for our viewing pleasure.

The game itself immediately reminded me of a futuristic sci-fi version of the recently launched Splinter Cell: Conviction. The cover mechanic and take-down system mimics similar titles and lacks any sort of groundbreaking gameplay. The social aspect of the gameplay, requiring you to speak to other characters to obtain information, also seemed dated and familiar.

Weapons in the combat portion of the game really shine in their unique applications. Examples included weapon upgrades that add heat-seeking abilities to the rocket launcher. The graphics of the new Deus Ex had a strong, bright overtone that made for interesting backdrops in the main futuristic cityscape. Level of detail was apparent in the background design, but foreground objects like vehicles and buildings lacked surface texture we've come to expect from a triple-A title - granted this was a pre-Alpha release and may change upon a Beta or launch version.

With a 7.1 Surround Sound setup in our Jensen pad, I felt engulfed with the sounds of chit chat, environment noises, gunfire and explosions. It's obvious Deus Ex has the audio to submerge the player with a very up close, in-your-face experience. I did not notice a strong implementation of background music or ambient melody but this also may be indicative of a pre-Alpha version that hasn't quite hit the soundstage just yet.

Overall, my impressions were generally positive. I might recommend this game to those who enjoy stealth duck and cover games (think Splinter Cell in 2027), science-fiction nerds or gamers who enjoy exploring vast, open-world sandbox games. Their claim "there are thousands of ways to accomplish in-game missions" may create some level of replay value but I generally don't enjoy playing the same campaign over and over again, especially if I know the fastest way to beat it.