E3 2013: Hands-On ‘Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director’s Cut’

Since Square-Enix took over many of Eidos’ properties, few have had as much critical success as Deus Ex: Human Revolution when it was released in 2011. This revival of the influential series brought non liner action back to a first person genre that’s used to being about shooting first and asking questions later. Adding the expertly woven story and the customizable abilities, and you had a game that pleased many of the gamers who played it. When a director’s cut was announced, I knew this wouldn’t be a game to miss, so I hacked into Square Enix’s system to see what this Wii U offering brought to the table.

As you would expect from a director’s cut, the game itself is relatively unchanged. As Adam Jensen, an officer who has been enhanced with numerous augmentations, he is tasked with taking down a terrorist organization by any means necessary. Players will still be able to use stealth, guns or a mix of both to accomplish their mission while aided by upgradable augmentations to make Adam unique. With so many options, it’s very likely that one person’s character will be completely different from another’s.

New to the director’s cut are a slew of abilities and features. Playing with the Wii U tablet made the menus much easier to access, so being forced to flip through pages of options has been simplified to a simple tap of the screen. Adam can now throw back grenades, scan the area by lifting the Wii U game pad and pointing it at the screen, (making it easier to find items and enemies,) and tackle new stealth and hacking challenges. The extra missions from the DLC have been seamlessly implemented into the story, making the overall experience longer. These are accompanied by new achievements and eight hours of developer commentary that are scattered throughout the game. Even veterans of Human Revolution will be caught off guard by the reworked maps and boss fights, hoping to keep even the most seasoned players on their toes. And if you suck at the game? Well you’re covered too, because a digital version of the strategy guide is built into the game! The best news? You’ll be able to go back with all of your upgrades with the added New Game Plus, letting players blast through for alternate endings like a super powered boss!

During E3, it was announced that Human Revlolution Director’s Cut will also be coming to Xbox 360 and PS3, so there’s no excuse not to give this game a try, especially if you missed it the first time. I was pleasantly surprised by the original release, and I can’t wait to see how well these new features play out in the full game!

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director’s Cut is scheduled to be released later this year.