7:56 PM
The Game Peddler
by Charles Onyett
Mention the name Deus Ex around most that played it and you'll see their eyes pop wide and face flush with a rush of nostalgia. It was a first-person genre hybrid released back in 2000 that powerfully conveyed the feeling that your decisions mattered. As agent JC Denton, you hopped across the globe unraveling a conspiracy and expanding your skill set in an experience that wove role-playing game, skill building, plenty of character interaction, and thrilling action scenarios all into the same package. From infiltrating buildings to hacking into security systems, the game let you feel as though progression was a direct result of your decisions instead of an assembly line of scripted events. While the reception of the eventual sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War, was less enthusiastic, Deus Ex remained a touchstone of the gaming world, and regularly appears on lists like our Top 25 PC Games of All Time and Top 100 Games of All Time here at IGN.
A decade later, the name may not be as recognizable to a new generation of gamers. Considering the original developer Ion Storm is no longer in operation, the Deus Ex name is being carried on by the recently formed Eidos Montreal studio, where development started in 2007. This third game in the series is being built as a prequel, so if you have no idea what Deus Ex is or why it's exciting, then you don't need to worry about playing catch-up to understand what's going on in this world. To get a sense of how it's all going to work, I had a chance to check out a live gameplay demo as well as talk to members of the team currently working to get the game finished and out the door by Spring 2011.
JC Denton, the protagonist from the original, isn't around this time. In the upcoming game, called Human Revolution, you play as Adam Jensen. He's a security specialist working for a major corporation, Detroit-based Sarif Industries, that specializes in cybernetic modification. The year is 2027, a quarter century before the events of the first game, and the nanotechnology from the original still hasn't been fully developed. Instead, people affix mechanical augmentations to themselves to enhance perception and combat abilities. Surrounding this issue of transhumanism is an element of civil unrest as citizens swarm the streets of Detroit to protest the practice of modification. Like Deus Ex, it's a world of conspiracy where you'll never be sure who to trust, something you'll run into quite a bit while engaging in the game's conversation system and while pressuring in-game characters for information.
At the outset, Jensen is assaulted by a group of armed mercenaries. His injuries are severe and the only way to survive is to be artificially augmented himself, which you may have already seen in some of the videos that have been released. This ties into the gameplay, as you're able to upgrade Jensen's abilities as the game continues, which can dramatically affect your approach to every situation. Not all abilities will be able to be maxed out on one playthrough which means you'll need to select which abilities to focus on to best suit your preferred style of play. Would you rather sneak around battle zones and take down unsuspecting enemies or spray bullets to topple adversaries? Or maybe you'd rather be better at digging into computer systems than handling weapons? Like in role-playing games, it's your call in Deus Ex.
Let's skip right to the demo, which was a live in-engine gameplay session controlled by Eidos Montreal. I didn't actually get any hands-on time so I can't say how the game actually feels to play, but what I saw looked great. This is a near future world Eidos Montreal is trying to create, though plenty of it looks a little far fetched. Take Hengsha, and island around Shanghai, for instance, a sprawling metropolis that's actually split into two tiers. The lower layer has a ceiling on top of which sits yet another expanse of skyscrapers. It's into this cityscape Jensen travels at the demo's beginning, landing on the lower level in search of a hacker.
As the action begins, Jensen is high up in a gritty apartment complex. He moves out into the streets draped in Blade Runner-esque neon lighting and packed with large, overlapping animated advertisements. Eidos Montreal created over 100 fake brands and logos to make this world feel real, something you can really feel the effects of when blasted with walls of fictional advertisements like this. It's a world stuffed with detail, one that feels worn and lived-in. Curious onlookers peer from windows high above at Jensen as he passes. Steam drifts lazily up from a window-mounted air conditioning unit into the misty air. Bike racks and trash cans line the streets as non-player characters chatter and move between vendor stands selling vegetables under the green and gold glow of the billboard ads. As you might expect, should Jensen pull out a silenced pistol and point it at an NPC, they react with fright, gulping in surprise. Eidos Montreal says you can talk to every NPC in the game, which should be good news for patient players who like to take their time and explore every part of a game world.
Strings whine on the soundtrack, following a series of fat synth effects as Jensen flew into the city. The music isn't organized into arranged songs, but used to establish a mood. The air is filled with the squeals and chatter of a cityscape, making it a space that feels authentic as Jensen moves past crowds absorbed in their own conversations, gradually making his way to a club called The Hive. On the soundtrack muted bassy thumps blend into the ambient city noise as Jensen starts up a conversation with the doorman.
This point in the demo was the first opportunity to get a sense of how choices matter in the game. The conversation didn't have to be initiated at all to get into the club, the alleged hideout of Jensen's target. Jensen could have whacked him upside the head and initiated a fight, or could have continued exploring the environment and uncovered a vent somewhere behind the building to sneak in. Eidos mentioned there was also a sewer system elsewhere in the area, though they didn't show where the entrance actually was. Part of the fun is figuring out creative ways to tackle situations which I'm told can be made easier by talking to NPCs for hints.
The majority of the game takes place from a first-person perspective, but in some conversations it'll switch to third person to show Jensen's reactions. The doorman doesn't want to let Jensen in, demanding a bribe. Jensen decides to acquiesce to the demand, handing over money and being given access and a membership card in return. Inside The Hive an electronic breakbeat plays as Jensen moves into a cavernous, smoky room. It's loud with the buzz of people and filled with a crowd of NPCs talking, dancing and drinking. Across the ceiling are bars of light skewed at various angles and on the walls run lines of hexagonal shapes arranged in honeycomb designs. Jensen heads past security guards and up a set of stairs to discover a smaller, quieter bar area stacked with bottles of liquor where a bartender is waiting.
Jensen strikes up a conversation to try and talk to the bartender's boss, Tong. This exchange takes place from a first-person perspective. As the bartender talks Jensen can input responses based on mood -- insisting, advising, or trying to pinpoint information. The conversation gets tense as the bartender refuses to let Jensen talk to the establishment's proprietor. He mocks Jensen's arm augmentations and threatens violence. Jensen drops a name and insists on seeing Tong to get information. But the bartender flat out refuses, telling Jensen to get lost. All the while the bartender is in view, his body language and mannerisms changing depending on the tilt of the conversation, adding a cinematic flair to the escalation of the talk as Jensen presses harder to get what he wants. He tries a different tack and suggests cooperation with the bartender and his boss, saying more progress could be made if they pool information. The bartender doesn't listen and requests some kind of incentive. The conversation is unsuccessful, so Jensen has to find another way to get the info. It didn't have to play out that way though – with the proper interrogation methods Jensen could have won free access to Tong.
Heading back into the club is one way to progress from here. NPCs moving around near the main bar or on the dance floor can offer up side quests that might reveal other items or ways to access different areas of the club. One couple standing near the stairs talk of a lost pocket secretary, a device that stores data, and should Jensen discover it he'd have access to the codes it contains, letting him into the club's basement. With the proper skill allocation the access code for the basement door would not be necessary since he'd be able to hack into it to get by. Beyond discovering new avenues to progress, exploration is also important to find new items and money, as well as gaining experience points for actions to level up Jensen.
Once through the door Jensen is no longer in public territory but hostile space, so sneaking around is necessary to avoid alerting the entire establishment. This is where the game's cover system can come in handy. In order to see around corners and hide from soldiers, Jensen can stick to walls and other bits of cover. This shouldn't be a surprising system for anyone that's been playing games in recent years, since everything from pure action games like Gears of War to role-playing experiences like Mass Effect use similar systems. In this instance, Jensen sticks to a wall and creeps forward to spot a guard. By waiting for him to turn around Jensen can creep up behind, smash the guard in the back and knock him down, then drag the body out of sight to erase any sign of disturbance. Jensen's then able to hide in a ventilation shaft and overhear a conversation that's relevant to his quest goal.
Eidos Montreal cut off the demo at that point and loaded up another section of the game to show off more combat elements. Jensen is now in a dockyard, talking with his handler over a communication device about setting off explosives. It's a heavily guarded facility with enemies patrolling passages between large cargo containers. To get in, Jensen takes advantage of an augmentation that allows him to move heavy objects out of the way, revealing a path forward. This is the stealthy way, where Jensen can stay hidden by ensuring he stays out of an enemy's line of sight. The alternative would be if Jensen had simply walked into the main gate, immediately resulting in a combat scenario.
To stay undetected, the next order of business is shutting down the yard's security systems. By grabbing a box and using it to climb up to an office door Jensen can sneak up behind an agent at a computer terminal and perform a takedown, slicing into the hapless foe with a forearm-mounted retractable blade. Eidos Montreal promises there will be a large variety of takedown moves depending on how foes are approached and whether the choice is made to kill or stun. With the guard out of the way, Jensen taps into the computer system. This particular one controlled the cameras, but other systems found throughout the game can patch into turrets, turn robots against enemies, or dig into emails.
Jensen sets out from the terminal and readies a new weapon, a scoped crossbow used to make kills silently at range. He eventually makes his way to a position overlooking two enemies standing close to each other and initiates a double takedown. A flurry of punches and swipes from yet another arm mounted knife that extends backwards from the elbow wipes them out, a sequence that takes place from a third-person perspective to show it all off. You don't actually have control during takedowns like this – they're meant to be a sort of reward for those who spend the time to sneak up behind enemies undetected. Though the lethal or nonlethal takedown is automated, there's still risk. If an enemy sees the takedown they'll start shooting, and Jensen has an energy gauge that must recharge, preventing him from spamming takedowns in rapid succession. Shortly afterward Jensen's ability to see through walls is demonstrated, followed by his added ability to smash through and disable guards on the other side. I can imagine that'd be pretty valuable for stealth players who don't feel like sneaking all the way around to a building's entrance to take down their intended target.
Turning invisible also aids Jensen in remaining undetected, especially when combined with a few quick headshots made with a silenced pistol. Jensen eventually makes it up to a roof with a glass skylight looking down into a large storage and construction area. Below the skylight is a group of enemies standing in a circle. Here's where Jensen decides to break stealth, smashing through the glass and slamming his fist into the ground in the center of the guards. As Jensen ducks he lets off a claymore mine over his head, exploding out into a ring to wipe out all hostiles in the immediate vicinity.
His cover blown, the fight is now out in the open and Jensen unloads burst fire from an assault rifle. With heavy weapons in hand Jensen sucks into cover spots and can hop from one to the other to stay shielded from enemy fire. A regenerating health system is in place, meaning Jensen never has to worry about running low on supplies, but rather must find a safe spot for a few seconds to recover. That being said, the regeneration isn't immediate. Eidos Montreal is still including recovery items for players who don't have time to wait for the regen to kick in as well as ways to boost overall health reserves.
Using cover like this will be especially important since Jensen, according to Eidos Montreal, even when fully augmented still won't be able to absorb that much damage before getting killed. As the battle continues a helicopter can be heard overhead. When it finally appears, it drops what appears to be a metal block that slams into the ground. The block then begins to unpack itself, transforming into a four-legged Ghost in the Shell-like tank that Jensen needs to take out to proceed. The walking tank unloads machine guns and rockets to pulverize Jensen. To fight back there's a rocket launcher that has the added bonus of tracking functionality, which is one of many weapon upgrades in the game. Jensen doesn't have to fire directly at the tank to score a hit since the shell will track to its designated target. After a few hits the tank explodes and a gigantic, heavily augmented character walks onscreen. His arm transforms into a chaingun and starts firing, and the demo ends.
It was approximately 30 minutes of real-time gameplay I got to see, and the entirety was very impressive. What wasn't shown was the actual user interface and inventory systems, which are still being finalized. During play it's possible to quickly switch between weapons with a radial menu, but I'm told the primary inventory system will still be grid-based like the original so you'll still have to make decisions about what to hold on to and what to leave behind.
Eidos Montreal seems to have a clear vision of what it wants to do with its version of Deus Ex, particularly when it comes to visual and sound design that set the tone. The voice acting seems strong, combat exciting, and those working on the game are all huge Deus Ex fans saying all the right things to make me believe this'll be a game worthy of the name. Of course nobody can know for sure without some hands-on time, but for now, even if you've never played a Deus Ex game before, this is definitely one to keep an eye on. For more details on the story, sound, graphics, and functionality of the game world, check back with IGN in the coming weeks for additional coverage. In the meantime, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Mention the name Deus Ex around most that played it and you'll see their eyes pop wide and face flush with a rush of nostalgia. It was a first-person genre hybrid released back in 2000 that powerfully conveyed the feeling that your decisions mattered. As agent JC Denton, you hopped across the globe unraveling a conspiracy and expanding your skill set in an experience that wove role-playing game, skill building, plenty of character interaction, and thrilling action scenarios all into the same package. From infiltrating buildings to hacking into security systems, the game let you feel as though progression was a direct result of your decisions instead of an assembly line of scripted events. While the reception of the eventual sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War, was less enthusiastic, Deus Ex remained a touchstone of the gaming world, and regularly appears on lists like our Top 25 PC Games of All Time and Top 100 Games of All Time here at IGN.
A decade later, the name may not be as recognizable to a new generation of gamers. Considering the original developer Ion Storm is no longer in operation, the Deus Ex name is being carried on by the recently formed Eidos Montreal studio, where development started in 2007. This third game in the series is being built as a prequel, so if you have no idea what Deus Ex is or why it's exciting, then you don't need to worry about playing catch-up to understand what's going on in this world. To get a sense of how it's all going to work, I had a chance to check out a live gameplay demo as well as talk to members of the team currently working to get the game finished and out the door by Spring 2011.
JC Denton, the protagonist from the original, isn't around this time. In the upcoming game, called Human Revolution, you play as Adam Jensen. He's a security specialist working for a major corporation, Detroit-based Sarif Industries, that specializes in cybernetic modification. The year is 2027, a quarter century before the events of the first game, and the nanotechnology from the original still hasn't been fully developed. Instead, people affix mechanical augmentations to themselves to enhance perception and combat abilities. Surrounding this issue of transhumanism is an element of civil unrest as citizens swarm the streets of Detroit to protest the practice of modification. Like Deus Ex, it's a world of conspiracy where you'll never be sure who to trust, something you'll run into quite a bit while engaging in the game's conversation system and while pressuring in-game characters for information.
At the outset, Jensen is assaulted by a group of armed mercenaries. His injuries are severe and the only way to survive is to be artificially augmented himself, which you may have already seen in some of the videos that have been released. This ties into the gameplay, as you're able to upgrade Jensen's abilities as the game continues, which can dramatically affect your approach to every situation. Not all abilities will be able to be maxed out on one playthrough which means you'll need to select which abilities to focus on to best suit your preferred style of play. Would you rather sneak around battle zones and take down unsuspecting enemies or spray bullets to topple adversaries? Or maybe you'd rather be better at digging into computer systems than handling weapons? Like in role-playing games, it's your call in Deus Ex.
Let's skip right to the demo, which was a live in-engine gameplay session controlled by Eidos Montreal. I didn't actually get any hands-on time so I can't say how the game actually feels to play, but what I saw looked great. This is a near future world Eidos Montreal is trying to create, though plenty of it looks a little far fetched. Take Hengsha, and island around Shanghai, for instance, a sprawling metropolis that's actually split into two tiers. The lower layer has a ceiling on top of which sits yet another expanse of skyscrapers. It's into this cityscape Jensen travels at the demo's beginning, landing on the lower level in search of a hacker.
Blade Runner has a big influence on the game.
As the action begins, Jensen is high up in a gritty apartment complex. He moves out into the streets draped in Blade Runner-esque neon lighting and packed with large, overlapping animated advertisements. Eidos Montreal created over 100 fake brands and logos to make this world feel real, something you can really feel the effects of when blasted with walls of fictional advertisements like this. It's a world stuffed with detail, one that feels worn and lived-in. Curious onlookers peer from windows high above at Jensen as he passes. Steam drifts lazily up from a window-mounted air conditioning unit into the misty air. Bike racks and trash cans line the streets as non-player characters chatter and move between vendor stands selling vegetables under the green and gold glow of the billboard ads. As you might expect, should Jensen pull out a silenced pistol and point it at an NPC, they react with fright, gulping in surprise. Eidos Montreal says you can talk to every NPC in the game, which should be good news for patient players who like to take their time and explore every part of a game world.
Strings whine on the soundtrack, following a series of fat synth effects as Jensen flew into the city. The music isn't organized into arranged songs, but used to establish a mood. The air is filled with the squeals and chatter of a cityscape, making it a space that feels authentic as Jensen moves past crowds absorbed in their own conversations, gradually making his way to a club called The Hive. On the soundtrack muted bassy thumps blend into the ambient city noise as Jensen starts up a conversation with the doorman.
This point in the demo was the first opportunity to get a sense of how choices matter in the game. The conversation didn't have to be initiated at all to get into the club, the alleged hideout of Jensen's target. Jensen could have whacked him upside the head and initiated a fight, or could have continued exploring the environment and uncovered a vent somewhere behind the building to sneak in. Eidos mentioned there was also a sewer system elsewhere in the area, though they didn't show where the entrance actually was. Part of the fun is figuring out creative ways to tackle situations which I'm told can be made easier by talking to NPCs for hints.
This would be the not-so-subtle approach.
The majority of the game takes place from a first-person perspective, but in some conversations it'll switch to third person to show Jensen's reactions. The doorman doesn't want to let Jensen in, demanding a bribe. Jensen decides to acquiesce to the demand, handing over money and being given access and a membership card in return. Inside The Hive an electronic breakbeat plays as Jensen moves into a cavernous, smoky room. It's loud with the buzz of people and filled with a crowd of NPCs talking, dancing and drinking. Across the ceiling are bars of light skewed at various angles and on the walls run lines of hexagonal shapes arranged in honeycomb designs. Jensen heads past security guards and up a set of stairs to discover a smaller, quieter bar area stacked with bottles of liquor where a bartender is waiting.
Jensen strikes up a conversation to try and talk to the bartender's boss, Tong. This exchange takes place from a first-person perspective. As the bartender talks Jensen can input responses based on mood -- insisting, advising, or trying to pinpoint information. The conversation gets tense as the bartender refuses to let Jensen talk to the establishment's proprietor. He mocks Jensen's arm augmentations and threatens violence. Jensen drops a name and insists on seeing Tong to get information. But the bartender flat out refuses, telling Jensen to get lost. All the while the bartender is in view, his body language and mannerisms changing depending on the tilt of the conversation, adding a cinematic flair to the escalation of the talk as Jensen presses harder to get what he wants. He tries a different tack and suggests cooperation with the bartender and his boss, saying more progress could be made if they pool information. The bartender doesn't listen and requests some kind of incentive. The conversation is unsuccessful, so Jensen has to find another way to get the info. It didn't have to play out that way though – with the proper interrogation methods Jensen could have won free access to Tong.
Heading back into the club is one way to progress from here. NPCs moving around near the main bar or on the dance floor can offer up side quests that might reveal other items or ways to access different areas of the club. One couple standing near the stairs talk of a lost pocket secretary, a device that stores data, and should Jensen discover it he'd have access to the codes it contains, letting him into the club's basement. With the proper skill allocation the access code for the basement door would not be necessary since he'd be able to hack into it to get by. Beyond discovering new avenues to progress, exploration is also important to find new items and money, as well as gaining experience points for actions to level up Jensen.
Talk, fight, or sneak your way in?
Once through the door Jensen is no longer in public territory but hostile space, so sneaking around is necessary to avoid alerting the entire establishment. This is where the game's cover system can come in handy. In order to see around corners and hide from soldiers, Jensen can stick to walls and other bits of cover. This shouldn't be a surprising system for anyone that's been playing games in recent years, since everything from pure action games like Gears of War to role-playing experiences like Mass Effect use similar systems. In this instance, Jensen sticks to a wall and creeps forward to spot a guard. By waiting for him to turn around Jensen can creep up behind, smash the guard in the back and knock him down, then drag the body out of sight to erase any sign of disturbance. Jensen's then able to hide in a ventilation shaft and overhear a conversation that's relevant to his quest goal.
Eidos Montreal cut off the demo at that point and loaded up another section of the game to show off more combat elements. Jensen is now in a dockyard, talking with his handler over a communication device about setting off explosives. It's a heavily guarded facility with enemies patrolling passages between large cargo containers. To get in, Jensen takes advantage of an augmentation that allows him to move heavy objects out of the way, revealing a path forward. This is the stealthy way, where Jensen can stay hidden by ensuring he stays out of an enemy's line of sight. The alternative would be if Jensen had simply walked into the main gate, immediately resulting in a combat scenario.
To stay undetected, the next order of business is shutting down the yard's security systems. By grabbing a box and using it to climb up to an office door Jensen can sneak up behind an agent at a computer terminal and perform a takedown, slicing into the hapless foe with a forearm-mounted retractable blade. Eidos Montreal promises there will be a large variety of takedown moves depending on how foes are approached and whether the choice is made to kill or stun. With the guard out of the way, Jensen taps into the computer system. This particular one controlled the cameras, but other systems found throughout the game can patch into turrets, turn robots against enemies, or dig into emails.
Jensen sets out from the terminal and readies a new weapon, a scoped crossbow used to make kills silently at range. He eventually makes his way to a position overlooking two enemies standing close to each other and initiates a double takedown. A flurry of punches and swipes from yet another arm mounted knife that extends backwards from the elbow wipes them out, a sequence that takes place from a third-person perspective to show it all off. You don't actually have control during takedowns like this – they're meant to be a sort of reward for those who spend the time to sneak up behind enemies undetected. Though the lethal or nonlethal takedown is automated, there's still risk. If an enemy sees the takedown they'll start shooting, and Jensen has an energy gauge that must recharge, preventing him from spamming takedowns in rapid succession. Shortly afterward Jensen's ability to see through walls is demonstrated, followed by his added ability to smash through and disable guards on the other side. I can imagine that'd be pretty valuable for stealth players who don't feel like sneaking all the way around to a building's entrance to take down their intended target.
Level up and augment Jensen to gain new skills.
Turning invisible also aids Jensen in remaining undetected, especially when combined with a few quick headshots made with a silenced pistol. Jensen eventually makes it up to a roof with a glass skylight looking down into a large storage and construction area. Below the skylight is a group of enemies standing in a circle. Here's where Jensen decides to break stealth, smashing through the glass and slamming his fist into the ground in the center of the guards. As Jensen ducks he lets off a claymore mine over his head, exploding out into a ring to wipe out all hostiles in the immediate vicinity.
His cover blown, the fight is now out in the open and Jensen unloads burst fire from an assault rifle. With heavy weapons in hand Jensen sucks into cover spots and can hop from one to the other to stay shielded from enemy fire. A regenerating health system is in place, meaning Jensen never has to worry about running low on supplies, but rather must find a safe spot for a few seconds to recover. That being said, the regeneration isn't immediate. Eidos Montreal is still including recovery items for players who don't have time to wait for the regen to kick in as well as ways to boost overall health reserves.
Using cover like this will be especially important since Jensen, according to Eidos Montreal, even when fully augmented still won't be able to absorb that much damage before getting killed. As the battle continues a helicopter can be heard overhead. When it finally appears, it drops what appears to be a metal block that slams into the ground. The block then begins to unpack itself, transforming into a four-legged Ghost in the Shell-like tank that Jensen needs to take out to proceed. The walking tank unloads machine guns and rockets to pulverize Jensen. To fight back there's a rocket launcher that has the added bonus of tracking functionality, which is one of many weapon upgrades in the game. Jensen doesn't have to fire directly at the tank to score a hit since the shell will track to its designated target. After a few hits the tank explodes and a gigantic, heavily augmented character walks onscreen. His arm transforms into a chaingun and starts firing, and the demo ends.
Use cover for stealth and to stay safe.
It was approximately 30 minutes of real-time gameplay I got to see, and the entirety was very impressive. What wasn't shown was the actual user interface and inventory systems, which are still being finalized. During play it's possible to quickly switch between weapons with a radial menu, but I'm told the primary inventory system will still be grid-based like the original so you'll still have to make decisions about what to hold on to and what to leave behind.
Eidos Montreal seems to have a clear vision of what it wants to do with its version of Deus Ex, particularly when it comes to visual and sound design that set the tone. The voice acting seems strong, combat exciting, and those working on the game are all huge Deus Ex fans saying all the right things to make me believe this'll be a game worthy of the name. Of course nobody can know for sure without some hands-on time, but for now, even if you've never played a Deus Ex game before, this is definitely one to keep an eye on. For more details on the story, sound, graphics, and functionality of the game world, check back with IGN in the coming weeks for additional coverage. In the meantime, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Posts
