Deus Ex: Human Revolution Preview

The game is still months away from release, but that hasn’t stopped CVG from treating Deus Ex: Human Revolution to a favorable preview that’s based on what we know about the cyberpunk RPG prequel to date.

It looks beautiful, but every potential shootout is qualified with the opportunity to sneak in via a back entrance, or sweet talk/strong-arm your way past a guardian. Eidos are taking this ethos so seriously that – boss encounters apart – you’ll apparently be able to finish the whole game without taking a single life.

Metaphor is everything, an abundance of (very literal) smoke and mirrors signifying dual-meaning and all-enveloping conspiracy. Michael McCann’s sparse but affecting score – immediately reminiscent of the original’s dynamic electro compositions – pays a wonderful homage, but this is so much more than a mere facsimile.

It’s a (human) revolution. Whereas the original’s shooting felt reluctant and tacked on, Jensen’s armoury of machine pistol and human claymores revels in explosive bombast.

Conversation has been beefed up, the visuals now on a level where you can judge the authenticity of a suspect by his body language alone.