On Topic: How are you playing Deus Ex: Human Revolution?
Like this? (No Votes Yet)Since picking up Deus Ex: Human Revolution last week, this game has been on my mind constantly. I want to play it all the time, and when I’m not, I’m still thinking about it. I’m thinking about the story, and the wider mystery/conspiracy that Adam Jensen has been embroiled in. I’m thinking about each new possible situation, and how I might approach it. I’m thinking about weapons, the skill trees, and which ones I should be focusing on.
But most importantly, I’m thinking about what kind of man Adam Jensen is.
Yep. Learnt that move from Robocop.
One of the best things about DXHR is the options afforded to players to approach any given situation. Players can choose to be brutal, upfront and with guns blazing from the hip. Or they can choose to be pacifists, preferring to avoid combat altogether. Players can also choose to take the middle road, avoiding enemies where possible but not flinching when bad deeds need be done.
BAM! Headshot.
Reading an excellent piece over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun has spurred me to think about my own approach to DXHR. It’s not just about choosing a particular way to play, but choosing to define your character in a way that resonates with you. All these actions inform, build and focus the type of person that your Adam Jensen is.
In my world, Adam Jenson is a hard man, and one who sees the world in black and white. He can emphatise, understand or symphatise to a point. But people must be responsible for their own actions. And people who choose to associate themselves with questionable factions do not deserve mercy. So while he might choose to knock out a couple of low-ranking cops, the mercs who work for FEMA deserve only a bullet to the back of the head. The game no longer becomes about lethal or non-lethal approaches. But rather the appropriate level of punishment that each enemy deserves.
Bang, zoom! Straight to the moon.
As I progress further into the game, I’m more and more intrigued by the development of Adam Jensen. I want to see how he reacts to each new situation, as he grows to understand his place in the larger picture. I’m letting him take the lead, and letting my understanding of his character dictate his actions.
How are you playing Deus Ex: Human Revolution?
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I’m going for the stealth/hacking/social engineering style playthrough. Avoiding combat where possible, knocking people out when I have to and only resorting to lethal violence when absolutely necessary (that said, there’s a perverse thrill in sneaking past a room of bad guys, hacking into the security system and turning their own robots against them while you hide in a vent and rack up XP).
This play style was working perfectly… until those frigging boss fights. They’ve seriously disrupted the game for me and feel too “game-y” and out of place. Like a relic of a bygone age…
I am a stumbling stealther. I always tend to screw up. I’m not beyond running for the exit, but if cornered my teeth have bite. Gas grenades and an accurate six-shooter are all I usually need to get out of a sticky situation.
Recently, I upgraded my dermal layer to enable cloaking, which has proven quite handy during those moments where a large man with a heavy gun won’t look the other way. I’ve also developed an addiction to energy bars.
Do you find that your actions, or chosen gameplay style, are having an effect in defining your character?
I haven’t yet reached a real boss fight as yet. But I wonder if I’ll have less problems with it thematically, since my Adam Jensen is definitely not opposed to murdering people. It’s what he does.
Are the boss battles problematic from a gameplay mechanics perspective though?
I’d say they’re problematic on any level, in that they’re just shit. Basically, you’re thrown into a room with a terminator who spams their chosen moves at you. No real strategy and no consideration for what you might have in your inventory. They suck (I’m currently stuck on the third).
It defeats the purpose of letting you play the game “your way” and giving you choices when it forces you to shotgun bosses in the face. The second boss fight annoyed me so much I briefly considered giving up on the game altogether, which I *never* do. That goes to show how horrible they are.