DEUS EX: HUMAN REVELOUTION REVIEW

In a lot of ways Deus Ex: Human Revolution snuck up on me, many of us were looking far ahead at the gaming delights that await us this winter (Batman and Uncharted to name just two). But as summer tailed away and autumn decided to rear it's ugly head along came DE:HR's Adam Jensen to take us into it's wonderful world and cyberpunk charm.

A prequel of the first two that were major hits on PC early on last decade, Deus EX: HR it a lovingly crafted first person RPG that borrows heavily from a lot of games. Fallout, Metal Gear and even elements from Mass Effect are all used here and fit lovingly well.

The game predominately takes place in Detroit and Hengsha but a few other locations do come into it further into the plot. The atmosphere is loving crafted and is clearly inspired by cyberpunk flicks of the 80s combined with a hint of culture form the Italian Renaissance mixed with a yellow tinge to create a really unique and most importantly, believable world that you'll want to explore.

One of my big complaints about RPGs and even Mass Effect to a certain extent is that you can clearly see the difference between side missions and the main story. Of course the main plot missions should take precedence but I have to tip my hat off to some of the brilliant side story missions contained in DE:HR that could so easily have fooled any player they were part of the main missions.

The main draw for the third in the series is the way you can approach any obstacle from a number of angles. You have the obvious options of going in head first guns blazing to take everyone out. Or perhaps sneaking through the area using distraction tactics and stealth camoflauge to out manouveur your enemies appeal. Air vents? You'll be seeing a lot of these as they provide Adam Jensen unique routes that sometimes take you in the other direction of your enemies.

But don't get ahead of yourself, this isn't a first person shooter, if you go in guns blazing you are likely to die, a lot. The emphasis is heavily on stealth as shown by Adam's augmentations. 'Augs' allow you to mold Jensen into the character you want him to be, by earning 'Praxis Points' through the game you can buy certain moves to aid you through the game. All Augs are mainly helpful for stealth players, there is really only one that helps with a full on assualt. Unlike other RPG's that follow a similar level-up system, each time you spend a Praxis Point you really do think about how will upgrade. The upgrade system works so well and is so brilliantly balanced that every single augment will aid you, but not enough to make any of them game breaking.

While there are no glaring glitches or faults like similar titles released at a similar time (Dead Island I'm looking at you!). Deus Ex: Human Revolution does suffer from a tiny bit of blandness. That sounds a lot harsher than it is in reality for lack of a better word but it feels like I've done all this before. Hiding round corners ala Metal Gear, using a multi-choice conversation system ala Mass Effect and an FPS RPG in a similar style to Fallout.

That's not to say you shouldn't pick up Deus Ex: HR it is a wonderful game and should be on most peoples to buy list. It's certainly a contender for Game of the Year and that is reason enough to get involved in the shady world of Deus Ex.

9/10

RESISTANCE 3 REVIEW

War is tough, especially when its against an alien civilisation that have flattened you and surviving is all that matters. This is where Resistance steps in, 90% of the Earth's population have been flattened by the Chimera and survival is your only hope. You take the role of Joseph Capelli, a dishonoured service man who killed R1 and R2's protagonist Nathan Hale as he failed to win his battle against the Chimerean virus.

Despite being with his family in hiding, Resistance stalwart Dr Malikov comes for Capelli's help to take down the Chimera once and for all. He wants the two to travel from Oklamhoma to the Alien tower in New York to save humanity in what will be humanities final attempt at salvation before the planet is terra-formed into a cold and chilly world not fit for human survival. Despite initially wanting to stay with his wife and son, Capelli's wife convinces him to go and thus the journey to New York begins.

Resistance is Sony's second first-person shooter this year following Killzone 3 and while there is Resistance: Falling Skies for Vita next year, this game ends the trilogy on home consoles.

Resistance 3's focus is on single player, it's clear as the sky at night is dark that Insomniac really honed in on a brilliant single player campaign bringing with it set-pieces galore and a variety of gameplay elements that keep the game flowing. The strongest point of which, is a variety in weapons. I really had a lot of fun with the choice it gave you, the Auger being a particular standout. It allows you to see enemies through walls and shoot them without ever having to come out of cover. Luckily bullets are limited so it must be used tactically and its a theme that runs for all weapons. There were times when the Atomizer (which sucks numerous enemies to a specific spot and finishes them) was the perfect weapon and allowed me to gain an advantage but other times it was pointless. The 12 weapons are so varied that none feel tacked on or useless and all have their advantages. I guarantee you will use every weapon during your playthrough for a considerable amount of time.

The other change to the gameplay is the health system. Remember in a time before Halo where your health didn't recharge? Well it's back in Resistance 3 and it's a welcome change. No longer is it a case of hiding for a few seconds before going head first into combat again, you are now taking cover at every opportunity and towards the end of a battle scavenging for health in every corner of the map. It really adds a new (or old) variant to the standard first person shooter and it's a move I'd love to see more developers take.

Resistance isn't everyones cup of tea however, it's graphically appealing but has no where near the graphical fidelity of Killzone or Uncharted which stand head and shoulders above everything else this generation. It's multiplayer is also lacking with just your standard run of the mill situations but it's not really meant for the multiplayer gamer.

Resistance succeeds in being a brilliant single player campaign but fails on keeping the appeal after the initial playthrough although the alur of trophies will no doubt encourage others for three or four single player run throughs.

8/10