A live action trailer made for Deus Ex: Human Revolution advertising.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Evolution
Evolution
Have you ever wanted the ability to pick up cars? To run like the wind? To jump off hundred story buildings and live? To be awesome in just about every imaginable way? Well that’s too bad you can't. No, wait! Come back, sorry I forgot that in the world of the new Deus Ex which was just released you can.
Wait what? Yeah that’s right, you heard me, Eidos Montreal has finally released the long awaited third game in the Deus Ex series, Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The previous Deus Ex games have always been about choices and the impacts that come with them, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution only improves upon this system in Adam Jensen’s hunt for answers. Deus Ex is at its core a role-playing game, a game that is meant to be enjoyed and savored. So what do you mean by role-playing? No it’s not sitting in a basement with costumes rolling dice hoping you hit a critical on a dragon- burp, sorry nerd bubble. No a role-playing game is all about the story and the experience. You the player are given the role of a character or characters and progress through a plethora of possibilities in a set story. Again it’s all about the choice: do you want to go around with safeties off and play god, do you want to play Mr. Sneaky and take out an entire building of people without making a single sound, or do you want to play the nice guy and let everyone live? Whatever you want, whatever you imagine you could do, you can. And this is where Deus Ex shines, it’s your story, play it how you want to.
First off let’s look at the story. The year is 2027 and humans are bored; bored of waiting that is. Humans feel they have waited long enough for evolution to take place and are discouraged by the lack of human improvements. People are still dying of sicknesses and diseases, military powers are too equal in strength, and IRobot hasn’t become reality yet. So thanks to Sarif industries and companies alike, humans have taken up the role of god and begun augmenting humans with robotic enhancements, amplifying every possible genetic and physical quality that exists. Humans now have the power of the gods and scientific marvels are routine. However it’s not that simple, it never is. Anti-Augmentation activists have started riots in every city over the world, pledging that these super advances in technology will only anger god and be the death of us. And corporations have now become more powerful then the government and determine the path in which this twisted future follows.
While this is all happening, a lone scientist, Megan Reed, has come across a particular innovation that could change the very fate of augmentation: A gene ti allow augmentation for everyone. Soon human restrictions will be a thing of the past and everyday people can harness the will of the machine. One that in time becomes very controversial and sought after by every other company. A gene to allow augmentation for everyone, soon human restrictions will be a thing of the past and everyday people can harness the will of the machine. So with the need of some heightened security and a personal escort to Washington for the unveiling, who better to hire for the job then your ex-boyfriend? You. You the player take the role of Adam Jensen, an ex-cop/SWAT member who is on neither side of the augmentation revolution.
It seems Adam Jensen and Megan Reed had a touchy feely kind of relationship but the player never really can seem to figure out how or why they broke up. All I know is it only takes one trip to Adam’s apartment to find, sitting on his desk, pictures of a fairytale couple. All that’s missing for Adam is a box of tissues. Anyway! With not even enough time to paint your nails, enjoy a hot cup of coffee, and have a nice chat with your boss, Sarif Industries is attacked by an unknown group of enemies. And faster than a bunny rabbit, Adam is thrown into battle. You’re given a tutorial to some of the finer techniques of death and eventually you feel like a badass. That is until you run into the real muscle of this mysterious group of mercenaries: one over sized and fully augmented Russian dude, prepped and ready. And even faster than the previous bunny rabbit, he throws you through a nicely dimensioned sheet of glass for a smooth and relaxing ride, hey look its Megan! Remember though, you’re a badass, glass can’t kill you. But that gun can, and without any final atonements or epitaphs you are shot in the head.
Six months have passed and one really cool montage opening later Adam Jensen awakes anew with some interesting features. While Jensen enjoyed his coma-induced vacation, Sarif has been emptying their coffers into making him the perfect soldier. Fully robotic augmented neural circuitry, muscle replacement, heart implants, spinal housing, skeletal reinforcement, retinal scanning, respiratory expansions, energy based power cells, internally installed weaponry systems, and one pair of sweet ass sunglasses. A plentiful number of tools, yes? Well good because you’re going to need all the help you can get to finally get to the bottom of this conspiracy and save mankind from utter destruction. It is up to you to decide whether or not you want to accept these gifts, and while, yes, you never asked for them, they can be of great benefit. And it is your duty to show that even the augmented still have hearts. Just stronger.
Oh yeah, sorry Mr. and Mrs. Multiplayer™, Deus Ex: Human Revolution does not contain a multiplayer of any kind. But there was none really to expect as it is a RPG title.
On to the technical side! Edios strived to create a game that would stand out and were successful given the launch of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. However it is also because this game was so ambitious that problems were so easily recognizable being that the game tried so hard to immerse the player.
But immersed the player was. The player truly can feel that the power is in their hands and that the fate of this possible future lies within their decisions. Specialized augmentations allow the ability for the gamer to build the Adam Jensen “they” want to play. So whether you enjoy running around with a gun trigger happy or are fond of the more stealth based experience, this system makes it possible for the individual. Jensen will gain “Praxis Points” with every level achieved through your campaign which can then be spent on upgrades for things like reduced firing recoil for weapons or increased inventory space to create a flavorful arsenal of death. Or choose a completely different path and spend your points on upgrades towards your retinal scanner, allowing you to see through walls and monitor heart rates of characters you come across; so now instead of killing a group guards for an access key for a door, you can just sneak by or persuade them in conversation, pressuring them into giving you the code after you see their heart rate rise as the fold under anxiety.
The world around changes with your decisions; local newspapers scattered throughout the cities and its buildings reflect past events determined by you. Whether you turned a psychotic murderer against himself and spared a civilian's life, or in fact saved them both, the event will be in headlines on those very newspapers. You'll also be the talk of the town. A.I.s change their passive dialogue towards current events and you the player are often a popular topic, and the televisions and reporters covering the news can’t seem to halt your name from their Teleprompters.
The art style of the game is based strongly and heavily on the colors black and gold, helping along with an atmosphere that really captures the dark story going on. City life is bustling, music pumps from local night clubs, conversation fills the streets, and guards go about their regular routine. Even cities placed around the world have their own distinct and recognizable differences adding a new layer to immersion. Making the act of traveling to strange and alien places such as china, or the middle of the arctic a more pleasurable experience.
However in this story of choice there are a few bugs that can ruin the flow of the game. While emphasized on the act of choice and the importance of such, certain missions require a certain collection of augmentations. Forcing you to take paths that otherwise wouldn’t have been chosen by your personal preference. Side missions and quests rely heavily on hacking and if you’ve spent your Praxis Points on various other augmentations it may lead you to come back later or skip the entire mission all together, removing vital and story-rich material from your play through. The game also offers no continuous replay engine: where I had hoped to eventually buy all the augmentations and truly have an Adam Jensen to reckon with, I was sadly let down. However that is only a personal grudge, being as the game has a fantastic replay value in raw. There were numerous times during missions where I wanted to play it again and try a different strategy; an important aspect for adding shelf life to a game and making it last.
The largest disappoint for this game would have to be the boss battles. In a story of choice these linear boss battles are only of frustration and annoyance. The time it takes to actually complete the battles takes far too long and there are no options when it comes to how you will defeat the boss encounters. A difficult thing to swallow when you’ve been basing your play style purely on stealth and you find yourself in a heated battle requiring pure brawn. This also takes away from the immersion as well, where frustration and countless load screens can pull you out of the story.
Deus Ex does not stretch the foundation of modern day games either. In fact Deus Ex is plagued with technical issues including slow load times, frame rate lags on the console versions, and stiff facial expressions in dialogue. The game has a unique and pleasurable take down system which is a lot of fun to play with but can be misleading at some points when characters glitch into the walls or A.I. is motionless in the background.
Now while that may seem as a heavy load of issues digest, it is minuscule to the sheer entirety that is Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The only reason why problems stick out is because Edios has done such a good job at creating a game and environment that draw the player in and keep them in. Deus Ex is a fantastic addition to the gaming market and one that is totally fun. The story is one that keeps you involved and guessing and can take several dozen glorious hours to complete. The expansive range of options, creativity, and personal touch that can be produced with this game is unbelievable and you can really play this game how you want to play it.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution has become an extremely successful prequel to the Deus Ex series and a fantastic game in its own way. It was truly a pleasure to play and I can’t wait to get started on my second play through. Funny to think that in 16 years, we will have robotic super humans running around redefining society. All I can say is I’m going to start saving my allowance because I really want a pair of those Jensen sunglasses!
Picture Copyright
Monday, October 17, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Brothers to the End
Brothers to the End
 | |
| I said brothers... |
So here it is, three years later. Three years of painstaking and hair pulling insane difficulty campaign runs, three years of 4-player horde mode where we all made and “lost” friends (headsets will be the death of us, or at least our ears), and three years of trying to party like it's 1999. I’m guessing that 1999 was a time of towering pizza boxes, sleep withdrawal, Xbox RRoDs, and degrading social bonds. Anyway however you spent your three years, we can all agree that three years of time has passed and what does that mean? That’s right, Gears of War 3 baby.
Epic Games finished its trilogy on September 20, 2011 but seeing how the game has been so far, I can easily see it living on for years to come; and not only in the players but for the developers as well. Epic did a solid job in this latest installment by tying up loose ends in one of the best and most emotional campaigns I’ve had the pleasure of playing, and cleaning up familiar glitches and bugs that come with any game series.
Gears 3 brings with it some long cherished and loved past times along with some new and refreshing twists. Obviously at the first moment you popped in the disk you knew you’d be faced with the overwhelming and unnecessary gore we have come to love and crave, memorable chainsaw cut downs, and witty banter between Delta squad, woot! But Epic made some interesting changes with the game which all seemed to perform nicely while not ruining the Gears of War we have come to love.
First off let’s look at the campaign. Gear of War and shooters alike have always been about throwing players into a campaign in hopes of immersing them in a story that they will remember and have fun playing. However Epic had some creative ways of achieving this and made the end of the bro-mance Gear-heads know so well, truly epic.
 |
| Little bit to the left, little more. Perfect! Now smile! |
At the start of the game we find our oversized heroes in a less awesome state then at the end of Gears 2. It seems that while we were practicing for beast mode and saving our allowances for the epic edition, Sera (the planet which the Gears of War story takes place) has taken some turns for the worse, leaving Delta squad in a bit of pickle…again. Except this time instead of being really bad, it’s really-really bad. The Locust have crawled out of the ground once more but this time for good, it seems that Delta’s makeshift bomb once again, failed. Getting a lot of déjà vu vibes here, hmmm may just be me. With their hollows and tunnels flooded they have been forced to set up camp surface side, and we all know what we mean by setting up camp in Locust terms, oversized bases with overpowered weapons and over the top surplus, but hey it’s all good, we got chainsaws man.
Hmmm I feel like I’m forgetting something. Locust, biodegrading world, and… Oh yeah the Lambent are back, with some upgrades as well. Instead of just the generic recolor of locust with a few steroid-like enhancements, we now are encountered with an entirely new set of enemies. Not symbiotes of the Locust, but fully evolving self-perpetuated killing machines made of all sorts of living organisms and body parts. Kind of like a Neapolitan of flesh, with a scoop of neon glowing skin, and more than one scoop of explosive gore. Mmmmm anyone else getting hungry?
 |
| To think that the Locust are only half the problem. |
On the good side of our campaign we have our favorite gang of brothers to accompany your trip through Sera with their incisive talking and banter, but hey we love it. Woo! Cole train baby! Haha…ha… yeah its old now. However our squad of death has found some new friends to drag along to hell and back. Our new recruits include Samantha Byrne, the newly armored up Anya Stroud, Jace Stratton, and the new Carmine to weigh our team down is Clayton. However Clayton seems to be much more of an asset then a liability in this game unlike his previously gamed brothers. Even though these characters were thrown right in with the classic Delta squad, they quickly became likeable and players soon recognize them as a part of the squad, being as if they were with us through the whole series. Save Carmine!
Moving on from characters, let’s get to the story. Is it any good? Is it worth the time? Was that you crying at the end of Act III? Yes! Yes! And Yes! Wait, well that’s not entirely true. Epic is without question a group of passionate story tellers. Being a lover of rich stories and campaigns, Epic always caught my eye. The last two installments of Gears of War built a universe to last and built a foundation to share. And luckily Gears of War 3 doesn’t disappoint. Gears of War 3 is to gamer as super amazingly awesome book is to bookworm. My eyes we literally glued to the screen as I played and experienced the campaign. The story really had a lot of moments that pushed all the right buttons; varieties of epic firefights, heartwarming closures, and soul shattering cataclysms. The story was like a candy that was meant to hit all taste buds, if games were eatable and emotions were specified to certain locations. “But love is in the heart” shut up, it’s in your brain. Or is it?
Now don’t you worry Mr. and Mrs. Multiplayer; while Gears of War 3 is often recognized for its campaign, the Multiplayer is nothing to look beyond. Entering your first match you will see how far Epic has evolved from Gears 2. They really took into account all of the aspects of modern multiplayer-heavy games and bundled it together to really create a complete and substantial multiplayer that will last for years. The newest addition to multiplayer games in the last decade is the customization engine. Players have really taking a liking to the idea of personalizing their characters which everyone sees them for online. Gears of War 3 doesn’t incorporate the strongest of customization but it does have its qualities. The task of unlocking and choosing from the large variety of characters on each side is a fun process and it adds nicely to the immersion when instead of having 5v5 of the same characters every time, you have a bit of diversity to make the experience all the better.
 |
| Y! Y! Y! Y! Y! You like that?! Y! Y! Y! Y! Huh?! Y! Y! Y! |
And rejoice gore lovers and blood enthusiasts, for multiplayer has just as much of our favorite red intoxicating vintage as the campaign. With the help of new and improved executions, the guys at Epic have finally found a way to vent all that inner rage that comes with a good game of multiplayer. Instead of the quick “one-two your dead”, a player can now take full advantage of their downed, crawling, and helpless prey. Depending on how much time you’re willing to spend on that player will determine how long you get to sate your increasing lust of revenge. You may feel the need to leave the on-switch on your lancer in the enemy’s abdomen for an unethical amount of time or countlessly and rapidly press Y as you play surgeon with your nemesis’ face. Reminds me I need a haircut.
Epic has also developed a Call of Duty-like badge system. You can now follow your progress and show off to your friends your metals of glory and not so glory. An engine that is fun to follow while at the same time presses you to focus on the game in front of you; in hope of avoiding the humiliation of your peers. So no more excuses when we rip on your K/D. “No man, that was my little brother that ruined my K/D” please we know you’re an only child. You know who you are.
The only downside of the multiplayer would have to be beast mode. Nothing in fact that has to do with the actual mode, it’s a ton of fun, but the way they throw you into it can be a bit misleading. There were no real instructions in the beginning and Epic just dropped the player into the mode while they tried to figure out why there was a ticking clock in the corner of the screen. But it only takes a few matches and some good laughs with buddies to eventually figure it out and really find the “Beast” within. Too cheesy?
Towards the more technical side of Gears of War 3, let’s talk about the performance of the game. As a package the game comes across as polished as they get, but that doesn’t mean it is void of technical glitches and errors. There was a few times through my playthroughs that I had to run back and reactivate certain checkpoints to move my team forward. Again not that big of a problem and easy to fix, just ruins the immersion a little when you’re in an grand firefight and your team is standing there with their feet glued to the ground and gossiping. What if they are making fun of me? Honestly however that’s the only thing that struck me as incomplete and I’m sure Epic is already working on a patch to fix it.
Graphics wise the game is gorgeous. The pure scale of the game is overwhelming yet amazing. While the game is a platformer and you follow a predetermined course, give or take a few side roads; the game feels as if it was completely open to the player. The character models are really clean and the voice acting is fantastic. Lips match words and movements match the conversation. A must have for any game trying to immerse the player without feeling like a 1980s Godzilla movie.
 |
| All I wanted was a nice group photo. |
All in all Gears of War 3 will be a game to remember. One that is sure to create with it some good memories and powerful examples for games to come. Epic can really come out of this trilogy with their heads high. The only thing close to a disappointment when it comes to the team is that fact that we can’t look forward to a Gears of War 4. But hey I’m sure there next game will be as great as this one and I’m excited to see what Epic will dish out next, no matter the genre. Now excuse me, I’ve got to get back to playing.
Picture Copyright
(retrieved Oct. 4, 2011)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)