Human Revolution blows critics away, augmented-high-fives all around
The long awaited sequel to one of PC gaming's most iconic franchises, Deus Ex, hits local retail shelves this week Friday, and all the big gaming rags have begun publishing their reviews of the game. Suffice to say that it has been met with an exceptionally positive response, with most publications giving it over 90/100.
Billed as a first-person action-RPG, Deus Ex: Human Revolution takes place in 2027, 25 years before the original game. Biomechanical augmentations are the order of the day, and players will be able to customize protagonist Adam Jensen as they progress through the storyline. There will be numrous pathes to approaching objectives, including "combat", "stealth", "hacking" and "social".
Destructoid 9.5/10
With its flowing, open approach to mission structure, thoroughly engrossing story and gorgeous visuals, this is the kind of game that all others should strive to be. While there are some elements that don't feel quite as developed as they should have been, and augmentation is more Hobson's choice than true choice, Human Revolution provides a level of quality that only the most adamant cynic could fail to be impressed by. More importantly, it is everything a fan of Deus Ex could want in a game.
Joystiq 4.5/5
An imperfect, complex and ambitious reminder of what a game can be when it's unafraid.
Edge Magazine 90/100
From its sluggish, restrictive start, Human Revolution opens into a world of scintillating possibility in which your actions' significance reaches far into the future. And with something like that difficult future approaching fast, Human Revolution achieves a rare accolade: it's not just a great game, but a timely one.
PC Gamer 94/100
A dark, cool, and beautiful revival of an incredible game.
1UP A
It's rare that I play a game that doesn't just let me play the way I like, but actually showers me with prizes for doing so, and I love it.
Strategy Informer 9.5/10
Challenging, addictive, immersive... provided you like stealth-based action – there hasn't been an action/RPG this good in a long while.
Ars Technica "Buy"
Although the game world has plenty of room for more stories told by future titles, this story comes to a very definitive end. That's something rare in big-budget games today, especially when they take place in an established franchise. But a real conclusion just confirms why this game deserves so much praise: by the end of the game's impressively long run time, you're left satisfied by the story and the characters within it.
Eurogamer 9/10
But the important point is that Deus Ex: Human Revolution is one of those rare games that knows you can't be perfect all the time, and that you have the right to change your mind about your actions later. It just wants to be played with and enjoyed - and when you finish, you just want to play with it again.
IGN 9/10
While Deus Ex: Human Revolution can't be the revelation that Deus Ex was in 2000, it's an achievement nonetheless. It's a visionary, considered piece of work, and while my thoughts drift to the things that could have been and the compromises made due to the possibilities of video games in 2011, they're just as quick to consider playing through it again. Human Revolution is a smart, rewarding piece of transhumanist noir that does justice not just to Deus Ex, but to the fiction that inspired it.
Gamespot 8.5/10
This is an extensive (20-plus hours) game that by the very nature of its complexity invites replay. It is true that many of its individual elements don't withstand close inspection. But those elements add up to an impressive and absorbing adventure that invites you to improvise.
Videogamer 9/10
Perhaps the strongest compliment I can pay Eidos Montreal is this: with its grand design, dynamic play and sheer wealth of ideas - not to mention its old-fashioned pre-occupation with air vents - Deus Ex: Human Revolution is reminiscent of the best efforts from the golden era of PC gaming at the end of the 90s.
................Deus Ex: Human Revolution is being released on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.....................
