Warren Spector's Deus Ex originally released on PC in 2000 and was instantly heralded of one of the greatest -- if not the best -- shooter, stealth, and RPG hybrids on the market. It allowed players to choose how they progress through the game's story with a variety of gameplay mechanics, ultimately shaping the overall outcome of the adventure. Dues Ex: Human Revolution, developed by Eidos-Montreal and published by Square-Enix, takes place 25 years before the events of the first title, but can the team at Eidos re-create the original's magic without its creator?

Players take control of Adam Jensen in Human Revolution, an ex-cop turned security specialist for Sarif Industries, one of the world's largest developers of augmentations, which are the controversial robotic upgrades to humans in the Deus Ex universe. The narratives of the first two titles -- Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Invisible War -- were enthralling but neither were particularly immersive. Human Revolution changes all of that with an even better story of corporate corruption in a dangerous world, told through breathtaking cut scenes played out in a variety of fantastic settings.

Like previous games in the series, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is all about choice and consequence. Every decision players make has a tangible affect on the world and how other characters perceive Jensen. This is mainly done through Human Revolution's dialog mechanic, which is a major step up from a similar feature seen in The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. At certain points in the game Jensen will come into a verbal "battle" with another character, the goal being to get them to reveal information to Jensen that they otherwise wouldn't.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution plays very much like the first two games in the series. The lengthy adventure is mission based, and players are placed in large hub cities in between major story missions where they're able to take on optional sidequests or just explore. These hub cities -- Detroit, China, etc. -- aren't massive, but they aren't straightforward, either; that is to say that Human Revolution certainly isn't as open and expansive as Fallout: New Vegas, but it isn't linear like the typical first person shooter. This type of story progression gives Human Revolution its own unique feel, however, once players leave a hub city they won't be able to complete sidequests they opted to pass on.

Players are able to play Deus Ex's missions in a variety of different ways: guns blazing, stealth, hacker, or any combination of the three. Human Revolution is really a stealth title at its core, and Eidos did an excellent job at incorporating new stealth based mechanics to the formula. The biggest addition is the dynamic cover system. By holding down the left trigger, players are able to take cover behind almost any object. The game switches into the third person perspective, similar to Metal Gear Solid, allowing players to get a good look at where enemies are.

In my experiences, going all out with an attack is a poor choice. Ammunition is scarce in Human Revolution -- just like the other two games -- so every bullet needs to be savored. Players are able to pop up from behind cover and fire in third person as well as quickly move from object to object, making it an essential mechanic. There are a variety of weapons in the game, each with their own upgrades to be bought. The basic pistol with a silencer was my weapon of choice, and with steady aim I've been able to pick off enemies with headshots before they notice that I'm in the area.

Stealth in general is tons of fun in Human Revolution. Enemy guards have three phases: oblivious to Jensen's presence, alarmed, and hostile. Guards in any particular area will start off as oblivious and will move to alarmed if they suspect that an intruder is in the area -- this can be anything from players making too much noice running around, guards seeing them even slightly, or players firing a shot into the air. When they become alarmed, guards will break out of their set patrol routes and try to find the player. After a set time they'll return to oblivious. If guards spot the player they'll instantly become hostile, at which point the only course of action is to run away or engage in a fire fight.

Every building in Human Revolution is filled with air vents that Jensen can exploit. It's almost comical to think that such an obvious security flaw can be overlooked if the game were a real life situation -- oftentimes vents will take players right past a mob of enemies and into secret rooms.

Hacking and stealth essentially go hand in hand in this game. There are several locked computers and door nodes throughout every level that are just waiting to be hacked. If players increase their hakcing level enough, they'll be able to hack more difficult computers and take control of robots and turrets, turning them on their owners. The hacking process itself is a fun mini game: players must take control of several files as they make their way to a green sphere, which will grant them full access to the device upon capture. However, each file players capture has a detection percentage that can potentially start a trace timer that will alert enemies to Jensen's location.

RPG elements return to Human Revolution in the form of augmentations. By using praxis points, which are gained by leveling up or completing quests, players can upgrade a variety of features built in to Jensen's body. This includes allowing him to move heavy objects, lower detection percent while hacking, take no damage during falls, and much, much more.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution really feels the same as the first title, and in this case, that's great news. As Eidos-Montreal's first developed game, Human Revolution is a fantastic title that takes everything amazing in the original, brings it up to date, and adds several new gameplay mechanics. Great visuals, a jammin' soundtrack, and immersive story make Deus Ex: Human Revolution one of the best games to release this year.

Score: 9.5/10

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