So… the latest offering by Eidos and Square in the Deux Ex series was definitely a game I was looking forward to. While I couldn’t really get into the original Deus Ex, and its sequel Invisible War was quite lackluster, the premise of the game definitely looked promising. Being an action RPG set in a cyberpunk near future in which megacorporations have outgrown governments in power, conspiracy is rife and cybernetic augmentation is on the rise, I already found myself intrigued. Being a fan of other cyberpunk action RPGs like System Shock 2, which featured a similar system in terms of the RPG side of leveling up and developing skills was another factor that made me want to give this a try (yes… I find it weird that I never played the original Deus Ex, which was also a big release back in those days 
). Seeing some of the pre-release gameplay and that it was on sale on Steam at the time was what sealed the deal for me.
So… at about this time last night I finally had the opportunity to play it for a while and I have to say, I was very impressed.
The game starts with another day at the office of Sarif Industries for Adam Jensen, the game’s protagonist. Jensen is an ex-cop who was hired as the chief of security for Sarif, one of the largest companies offering cybernetic augmentation. It is the night before a big hearing in Washington where prominent scientist Megan Reed is to testify before Congress amid the politically tense atmosphere in which purists opposed to augmentation are becoming more than a little rowdy. Its strongly implied that Jensen and Megan are lovers, and Jensen is slated to lead her security detail when a group of terrorists attack Sarif’s headquarters. The opportunity to insert the basic gameplay tutorial at this point in which the player takes control of Jensen is used well enough… of course as a veteran gamer, I didn’t pay all that much attention to these tutorials, I’m all too familar with the WSAD movement scheme.
Anyway, this prologue comes to a horrific end when Jensen is almost killed by the terrorists and then in true cinematic style, a sequence in which he is augmented is shown with opening credits.
Fast forward six months and Jensen is called in to deal with another incident in which Sarif has been attacked by a group of anti-augmentation terrorists known as Purity First. Before the mission gets underway, there is a surprising option (to me anyway) in place as Jensen is flown to the scene… you decide whether you want to take a non-lethal or lethal approach. In a market where there is so much blood and gore, where lethal force is the only option, its always refreshing to see a game that permits a non-lethal way of neutralizing the enemy, so naturally I chose that (I also hear there’s even an achievement for getting through the whole game without killing anyone… awesome).
So once I was dropped off with my dart gun, it began. Through trial and error, saving and reloading I was eventually able to get through the level with stealth and, when necessary, non-lethal takedowns. This is perhaps where my main gripe with the game thus far is… while it can save the game almost instantly, load times are a bit slow. But, I made it through to the end to confront the leader of the group, who, needless to say isn’t too pleased with the fact that his henchmen failed to keep Jensen at bay, he failed to find what he was looking for, and as it also turned out, he was being set up as a patsy by an even greater enemy. The hostage situation at the end was quite a breath of fresh air in a genre where usually the stage ends with an elaborate boss fight, as I was able to talk my way through to him and ensure the hostage came out of it safe. But he got away… drat! But it did leave me with the impression that how that situation ended will have consequences in the story later on, so no need to go through that long reload again as I know I want to see how it will play out.
After that point, I headed back to headquarters, got chewed out by the boss man for letting the terrorist leader get away and at that point, the more open ended aspect of the game began. The many sidequests ahead of me in an open ended city in some ways reminds me of a less glitchy Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines (best glitchy game EVER btw ). The way levelling up was handled looked like a cross between that game (or the Cyber Modules you get in System Shock 2), and the traditional accumulation of experience points. Scoring a certain number of experience points will net you a Praxis point, which you use to upgrade or activate the various cybernetic augmentations the character possesses. These include things like a cloaking device, computer hacking module, the ability to punch through weaker walls, carry heavier objects such as dumpsters or just open up extra columns of inventory space. You are also able to purchase Praxis points with credits.
Visually, the game is easily on par with the spectacular visuals of Mass Effect 2, another favourite game of mine, and also a sci-fi action RPG. In terms of the voice acting, I have no gripes except maybe with the voice of Adam Jensen, who seems to be going the way of Christian Bale’s husky Batman style voice (which he inappropriately used for John Connor in Terminator Salvation as well ) and there isn’t much deviation in tone when it comes to emotion.
A final note I absolutely must include is that on a radio was something I definitely got a kick out of. The moment I heard a loud, ranty voice blurt out something about the Bilderbergers, Trilaterial Commission and Council on Foreign Relations, I was thinking ‘Wait a minute… where have I heard this before?’… and with the phrase ‘IT’S ALL BY DESIGN!’ I knew I had confirmation on that. Sorry if I spoiled it for you, but I just couldn’t resist mentioning the parody of Alex Jones. I’m hoping I get to hear more of this character as the game progresses. Little things like this are a clear demonstration that when done right, pop culture references can be awesome.
So to sum up my first impressions, this is one of the best games to have come out this year, and I’m sure I’ll want to replay it after this first playthrough if only to see how differently the story progresses when I don’t make certain noob mistakes such as missing the chance to rescue most of the hostages in that first post-prologue mission. Adam Jensen’s voice and the long load times are the only downside I see thus far, so all in all, its definitely a game I recommend you have a look at if you like cyberpunk action RPGs.
EDIT 26/8/11: A patch was released that addressed the issue with loading times… AWESOME!!! 
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