Deus Ex: Human Revolution The Director's Cut Review

I once played the “vanilla” Deus Ex: Human Revolution on Xbox 360 and was pretty stoked at what the game delivered considering I knew next to nothing about it. Never had a computer powerful enough to play the originals and was only going by recommendations from friends who acted like it was Metal Gear Solid’s second coming. They certainly were not pulling my leg and I was all but enamored by the level of depth this game went to. Multiple ways of getting through the various stages, dialogue options that were not long winded and kept the story flowing, and even the option to NOT KILL A SINGLE ENEMY if I wanted to. Something that is very rare in games these days (or at least it was before this game). The shooting wasn’t perfect but it worked well enough to make those moments where sneaking wasn’t possibly survivable. The ability to complete some side quests before they even begin is hilarious as well as brilliant. Hell the game HAS side quests, that’s a plus in my book already.

For anyone who has played Deus Ex: Human Revolution you know what to expect from this new Director’s Cut, but from someone who has played both, or “double dipped” as the term is coined, it is worth a look. Is it worth the extra $30 I paid for it? It was to me but might not be for someone who has already played through the original. I would suggest getting it used when it goes on sale or from Amazon, it’s definitely worth $20 if you have yet to play through the game with the added DLC such as The Missing Link, and speaking of which the developers pretty much rebuilt the textures from the ground up using The Missing Link’s engine. So the graphics are crisper and enhanced, but only slightly.

While I’m on the subject of The Missing Link let me just say that if you were not a fan of this little side story you are in for a loss here. The developers have incorporated this separate DLC into the main story of the game (the way it was probably intended to begin with). I love games with a 30+ hour play time, but even in the original Human Revolution the game felt like it was getting a little winded toward the end. Now with the unavoidable inclusion of The Missing Link into the main narrative the game feels a little longer than it needs to be. However the Explosive Weapons Pack mission is also added into the main narrative and is actually welcome seeing as it gives more insight into that particular portion of the storyline. The Missing Link comes off more like the developers gently tapped it in with a sledgehammer.

Another tweak to the original game comes in the form of the much improved boss fights. In “vanilla” Human Revolution you basically had to spam the Typhoon button and grenades/mines to kill a bullet sponge boss. Now you have more options like hacking turrets and doing other environmental tricks to defeat these foes (just like you can with common soldiers). Playing the PS3 version I have been using my PS Vita as a controller which is a neat feature once you get use to the feel of using the back touch screen to sprint/crouch/throw grenades/aim down sights. However if you don’t own a Vita it’s not a requirement and honestly using the Vita’s kind of useless anyway outside of hacking, entering door codes, and inventory/augmentation management. You cannot use it to see through walls or mark locations on the map screen like it was advertised.

If you’re looking for an optimum Dual Screen experience you’re much better off buying the WiiU version.

One more gripe I have is how they don’t actually fix the endings in anyway. If you’re someone who loves a great story you will like this game, but just keep in mind it’s one of those “it’s the journey that counts” kind of experiences. The endings are not despicably bad like Mass Effect 3, but the “choices” are just as useless. I expected they would have tried to redeem these like they did the boss fights but no such luck. The endings add a form of closure but they are too cryptic to be satisfying in anyway. Despite the flaws Eidos Montreal did a great job of re-texturing the game, improving the boss fights, and even recording in-depth developer’s commentary to shed light on the little details found in the game world. Another added feature was a much welcome New Game+ that wipes your entire inventory (respectively) but keeps all of your earned augmentations so that you can use the more advanced moves early. I’m looking forward to a cloaked speed run!

If you have yet to play Deus Ex: Human Revolution you owe it to yourself to pick up the Director's Cut. The original Human Revolution is just as good, but if you own a WiiU and you're looking for a reason to make it useful get this game. Otherwise you're better off just with the original.