Irate Iguana
05-28-2011, 06:54 AM
This is a preview (http://tweakers.net/reviews/2136/1/preview-deus-ex-human-revolution-%28pc%29-vier-pijlers.html) made by Tweakers.net (http://tweakers.net/). It is based on the same 10 hour PC version as the other PC previews. There isn't a whole lot of new information available, but it does have some new tidbits. Since this is a complete translation and the article is quite large I thought it better to post a new thread rather than make a TL;DR wall-of-text post in one of the other threads.
Preview: Deus Ex - Human Revolution (pc)
Four pillars
On earlier occasions we were able to play some single missions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution on both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Amusing of course, but a game like Deus Ex is so much more than single missions. It's also about the story and upgrading the main character. How that works is something that becomes apparent only when more than one mission is playable, no matter how cool that single mission is. So we were thrilled when a serial number arrived in the post, a code we could use to download a preview version of the game via Steam. A code that allowed the game to be played on the PC.
This version clarifies a lot. We knew from previous sessions that Deus Ex: Human Revolution was based on the pillars 'fighting, sneaking, hacking and social interaction' and that the different levels are built with multiple pathways to reach the level goal. This makes it possible to choose how you want to tackle the mission. You can try to be as inconspicuous as possible in reaching you goal and make the least amount of casualties. If you are so inclined you can also try to finish the level by shooting everything, even though the protagonist Adam Jensen is pretty vulnerable. Storming towards your objective with guns a-blazing is not advisable. It pays to sneak and bypass the numerous cameras, alarm systems and opponents.
Dual function
This is of course no different in the PC version. The only real difference is in the controls. Especially the way in which you can enter cover is different. You duck behind an obstacle with the right mouse button. Just like the console version you can then roll towards another obstacle to hide behind, provided that the obstacle is close by. You can also choose to remain in cover and creep around the corner. This is accomplished by holding down the spacebar either a short while or long time. This mechanic of a dual function button is clearly copied from the console controls and is something that will be seen more often. Just like in the console version there is a single button for using objects. Opening doors, picking up ammo, and the like. This button is also used for 'dealing with' your victims. A short button press will make you rifle through their pockets, holding down the button will allow you to drag the body away, a useful feature if you want to remain undetected.
Easy and difficult
Playing the game also makes it clear that it is slightly easier on the PC. Emphasis on slightly, because you will still be dying pretty regularly. It certainly isn't easy and it is something that is supposed to be a part of a game like Human Revolution. It is especially difficult to sneak your way through a level. It is possible, you can complete each mission undetected and bypass each and every alarm, but it won't be a cakewalk. On top of that it requires a lot of patience. It requires you to take your time to unravel the patrol routes of the many opponents and identify the correct moment to sneak onwards. Luckily are frequent shortcuts and bypass possibilities via the side routes that have been built into the maps. If you can find them of course. There are plenty, often via airshafts, but also regularly by basement, roof, balcony, ladder or other methods. While sneaking you can also preform a takedown: approach a person very closely from behind and take them out with your hands in a brutal fashion. All with a single button press. Again it matters whether you press down short or long on the button. In this case the difference is between a lethal or a non-lethal takedown. The non-lethal option is there so you can brag at the end of the level that you completed it without making a single casualty. This nets you extra experience points.
Short-supply
Something that only becomes apparent when you are not just playing single missions is that ammo is very scarce in Human Revolution. It encourages you to take a sneaking approach through the levels. This shortage is also caused by each weapon having its own supply of ammo, contrary to its predecessor Deus Ex: Invisible War. You'll soon be in possession of several weapons, like a 10mm pistol, combat rifle and machine pistol, and although you'll encounter ammunition regularly (hidden in cupboards or on the body of your victims) these are small caches, causing you to run out quickly. This can really get you in a bind and massive shout-outs are pretty dangerous because of it, no matter how well you can shoot. The lack of ammo can really cause you trouble. For this reason you will frequently be relying on the standard 10mm pistol, because the ammo for it is most common. You can also choose to use silent weapons. These come in a lethal and non-lethal version, to make it extra difficult. They also have a shorty supply of ammo.
At least this was the case in the Detroit missions, the first hub of the game. After Detroit you will be traveling to other hubs like Shanghai and Montreal. You'll be confined to urban territories. Detroit is made up of about six layers, with each layer have several mission-specific openings. These aren't always clear and aren't immediately available. For instance, when you are exploring you can find doors that lead to the ends of the city, but these are secured with a numerical lock. For some you will be able to find the code. In all case you can hack these locks, a craft that makes up a very significant part of the game.
Conquering nodes
The hacking consists in all cases of following a network of nodes. The network consists not only of a goal you have conquer, but also of a processor core that will try to prevent that. From your starting points you'll have to make contact with your goal through several nodes. Making contact and capturing a node takes some time and in that time the processor has a chance to discover your attempt and then try and stop it. To do that the processor will also have to travel to the goal via several nodes. It is a matter of getting to the goal before the processor. It gets more complicated when it turns out that certain nodes give a higher chance of being detected. The shortest path isn't always the safest. It get even more complicated. You can find resources along the way. A worm for instance, which you'll be able to direct towards the processor core. Hacking becomes a game on its own. An important game because there is a lot to hack. Not just doors, but also security consoles that direct cameras and alarms. Should you trigger an alarm you can then try and find the PC that controls the alarm. Although it isn't always obvious where you can find it.
Hacking is a must
Hacking is one of the many skills you can improve with augmentations. This upgrading uses Praxis Points which can be bought with the experience points you'll receive for everything you'll accomplish in the game. Achieving certain goals will net you a Praxis Kit, which equals one Praxis Point. This way you slowly gather the points you need for your augmentations. This process is slow and on top of that it is hard to choose. Upgrading your hacking skills is very useful, because it will allow you to open doors with a higher security rating, which will allow you to complete the previously mentioned side-quests. But it is also nice to be able to get the much cooler augmentations as early as possible, like cloak that makes you invisible for a short time.
Augmentations are divided by limb. There are upgrades for arm, leg, body, back, skin etc. with a special mention for skull and eye, which are granted things like stealth. The social skills and hacking are also covered by the skull and eye. You can choose augmentations that fit your style. You can go for physical power, speed and accuracy in order to last longer in a firefight, but you can also get tools to try to remain undetected for longer. You can upgrade your energy level so you can do things like takedowns more often or remain invisible for longer. There are some hard choices to make when distributing your Praxis Points, especially because the better augmentations frequently use more points. No matter your play style and whatever you choose, it will be quite a while before you'll reach the really cool augmentations like the ability to curve bullets.
Limb Clinics
Turning in earned Praxis Points can only be done in specialized Limb Clinic which are located in Detroit and presumably in other hubs. Your apartment is also located in the city, somewhere in a flat at the edge of the city, but handily marked on the map that you can call up on a moments notice. There isn't much to do in your apartment. It has a PC to read your email, and if you can hack the entrance door, a secret weapon and ammo supply. On the whole Detroit is a reasonably sprawling whole with several flats, the headquarters of your boss, Sarif Industries, an enormous police station and the slums. Both the police station and slums are the backdrop for long missions. The streets are occupied with dozens of civilians. Most of them with strictly honorable intentions, but in some flats and in the back alleys you run the risk of being treated less friendly, especially if you go in there waving your gun about.
Preliminary conclusion
It all comes together in making Deus Ex: Human Revolution a challenging game that doesn't just give you the freedom to choose how to play, but also gives you ample opportunity to adapt the protagonist Adam Jensen to your playstyle. This makes Jensen's life easier, but doesn't turn it into a cakewalk. Jensen is and remains vulnerable, especially because he is always confronted by an army of opponents. The cities he winds up in (we've seen Detroit and Shanghai) are diverse and extensive, with main roads and a lot of back-routes, the same can be said for the maps where you'll complete missions. By limiting the available ammo the developers are trying to force you to choose stealth and not go about like Rambo. Even so, shooting is an attractive option, because the stealth route takes a lot of patience. If you succeed, the satisfaction and the reward more than make up for it. The PC-version looks much better than the console version, this is particularly visible when Jensen takes cover and can be seen in 3rd person. The hero really does look much better on PC than on the consoles that make him seem to be made of cardboard.
Preview: Deus Ex - Human Revolution (pc)
Four pillars
On earlier occasions we were able to play some single missions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution on both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Amusing of course, but a game like Deus Ex is so much more than single missions. It's also about the story and upgrading the main character. How that works is something that becomes apparent only when more than one mission is playable, no matter how cool that single mission is. So we were thrilled when a serial number arrived in the post, a code we could use to download a preview version of the game via Steam. A code that allowed the game to be played on the PC.
This version clarifies a lot. We knew from previous sessions that Deus Ex: Human Revolution was based on the pillars 'fighting, sneaking, hacking and social interaction' and that the different levels are built with multiple pathways to reach the level goal. This makes it possible to choose how you want to tackle the mission. You can try to be as inconspicuous as possible in reaching you goal and make the least amount of casualties. If you are so inclined you can also try to finish the level by shooting everything, even though the protagonist Adam Jensen is pretty vulnerable. Storming towards your objective with guns a-blazing is not advisable. It pays to sneak and bypass the numerous cameras, alarm systems and opponents.
Dual function
This is of course no different in the PC version. The only real difference is in the controls. Especially the way in which you can enter cover is different. You duck behind an obstacle with the right mouse button. Just like the console version you can then roll towards another obstacle to hide behind, provided that the obstacle is close by. You can also choose to remain in cover and creep around the corner. This is accomplished by holding down the spacebar either a short while or long time. This mechanic of a dual function button is clearly copied from the console controls and is something that will be seen more often. Just like in the console version there is a single button for using objects. Opening doors, picking up ammo, and the like. This button is also used for 'dealing with' your victims. A short button press will make you rifle through their pockets, holding down the button will allow you to drag the body away, a useful feature if you want to remain undetected.
Easy and difficult
Playing the game also makes it clear that it is slightly easier on the PC. Emphasis on slightly, because you will still be dying pretty regularly. It certainly isn't easy and it is something that is supposed to be a part of a game like Human Revolution. It is especially difficult to sneak your way through a level. It is possible, you can complete each mission undetected and bypass each and every alarm, but it won't be a cakewalk. On top of that it requires a lot of patience. It requires you to take your time to unravel the patrol routes of the many opponents and identify the correct moment to sneak onwards. Luckily are frequent shortcuts and bypass possibilities via the side routes that have been built into the maps. If you can find them of course. There are plenty, often via airshafts, but also regularly by basement, roof, balcony, ladder or other methods. While sneaking you can also preform a takedown: approach a person very closely from behind and take them out with your hands in a brutal fashion. All with a single button press. Again it matters whether you press down short or long on the button. In this case the difference is between a lethal or a non-lethal takedown. The non-lethal option is there so you can brag at the end of the level that you completed it without making a single casualty. This nets you extra experience points.
Short-supply
Something that only becomes apparent when you are not just playing single missions is that ammo is very scarce in Human Revolution. It encourages you to take a sneaking approach through the levels. This shortage is also caused by each weapon having its own supply of ammo, contrary to its predecessor Deus Ex: Invisible War. You'll soon be in possession of several weapons, like a 10mm pistol, combat rifle and machine pistol, and although you'll encounter ammunition regularly (hidden in cupboards or on the body of your victims) these are small caches, causing you to run out quickly. This can really get you in a bind and massive shout-outs are pretty dangerous because of it, no matter how well you can shoot. The lack of ammo can really cause you trouble. For this reason you will frequently be relying on the standard 10mm pistol, because the ammo for it is most common. You can also choose to use silent weapons. These come in a lethal and non-lethal version, to make it extra difficult. They also have a shorty supply of ammo.
At least this was the case in the Detroit missions, the first hub of the game. After Detroit you will be traveling to other hubs like Shanghai and Montreal. You'll be confined to urban territories. Detroit is made up of about six layers, with each layer have several mission-specific openings. These aren't always clear and aren't immediately available. For instance, when you are exploring you can find doors that lead to the ends of the city, but these are secured with a numerical lock. For some you will be able to find the code. In all case you can hack these locks, a craft that makes up a very significant part of the game.
Conquering nodes
The hacking consists in all cases of following a network of nodes. The network consists not only of a goal you have conquer, but also of a processor core that will try to prevent that. From your starting points you'll have to make contact with your goal through several nodes. Making contact and capturing a node takes some time and in that time the processor has a chance to discover your attempt and then try and stop it. To do that the processor will also have to travel to the goal via several nodes. It is a matter of getting to the goal before the processor. It gets more complicated when it turns out that certain nodes give a higher chance of being detected. The shortest path isn't always the safest. It get even more complicated. You can find resources along the way. A worm for instance, which you'll be able to direct towards the processor core. Hacking becomes a game on its own. An important game because there is a lot to hack. Not just doors, but also security consoles that direct cameras and alarms. Should you trigger an alarm you can then try and find the PC that controls the alarm. Although it isn't always obvious where you can find it.
Hacking is a must
Hacking is one of the many skills you can improve with augmentations. This upgrading uses Praxis Points which can be bought with the experience points you'll receive for everything you'll accomplish in the game. Achieving certain goals will net you a Praxis Kit, which equals one Praxis Point. This way you slowly gather the points you need for your augmentations. This process is slow and on top of that it is hard to choose. Upgrading your hacking skills is very useful, because it will allow you to open doors with a higher security rating, which will allow you to complete the previously mentioned side-quests. But it is also nice to be able to get the much cooler augmentations as early as possible, like cloak that makes you invisible for a short time.
Augmentations are divided by limb. There are upgrades for arm, leg, body, back, skin etc. with a special mention for skull and eye, which are granted things like stealth. The social skills and hacking are also covered by the skull and eye. You can choose augmentations that fit your style. You can go for physical power, speed and accuracy in order to last longer in a firefight, but you can also get tools to try to remain undetected for longer. You can upgrade your energy level so you can do things like takedowns more often or remain invisible for longer. There are some hard choices to make when distributing your Praxis Points, especially because the better augmentations frequently use more points. No matter your play style and whatever you choose, it will be quite a while before you'll reach the really cool augmentations like the ability to curve bullets.
Limb Clinics
Turning in earned Praxis Points can only be done in specialized Limb Clinic which are located in Detroit and presumably in other hubs. Your apartment is also located in the city, somewhere in a flat at the edge of the city, but handily marked on the map that you can call up on a moments notice. There isn't much to do in your apartment. It has a PC to read your email, and if you can hack the entrance door, a secret weapon and ammo supply. On the whole Detroit is a reasonably sprawling whole with several flats, the headquarters of your boss, Sarif Industries, an enormous police station and the slums. Both the police station and slums are the backdrop for long missions. The streets are occupied with dozens of civilians. Most of them with strictly honorable intentions, but in some flats and in the back alleys you run the risk of being treated less friendly, especially if you go in there waving your gun about.
Preliminary conclusion
It all comes together in making Deus Ex: Human Revolution a challenging game that doesn't just give you the freedom to choose how to play, but also gives you ample opportunity to adapt the protagonist Adam Jensen to your playstyle. This makes Jensen's life easier, but doesn't turn it into a cakewalk. Jensen is and remains vulnerable, especially because he is always confronted by an army of opponents. The cities he winds up in (we've seen Detroit and Shanghai) are diverse and extensive, with main roads and a lot of back-routes, the same can be said for the maps where you'll complete missions. By limiting the available ammo the developers are trying to force you to choose stealth and not go about like Rambo. Even so, shooting is an attractive option, because the stealth route takes a lot of patience. If you succeed, the satisfaction and the reward more than make up for it. The PC-version looks much better than the console version, this is particularly visible when Jensen takes cover and can be seen in 3rd person. The hero really does look much better on PC than on the consoles that make him seem to be made of cardboard.