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Why Deus Ex: Human Revolution is My Game of the Year

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This article is more than 10 years old.

If you tuned in to Insert Coin yesterday, you probably caught my longwinded explanation of why I was in fact NOT choosing Skyrim as my game of the year, something that has seemed like a forgone conclusion for many critics and fans since its release a few weeks ago.

I won't rehash my major points, but suffice to say I thought two titles stood out above it, Portal 2 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution as both had creative gameplay and compelling stories, two areas where despite all its successes, I found Skyrim lacking.

What surprised some more than my ranking Skyrim third was the fact that I have Deus Ex at number one. I haven't seen anyone else choose it as GOTY, and it doesn't even make a lot of top ten lists, as this has been a banner year for gaming with many, many quality titles released.

It's easier to criticize than it is to praise, but I didn't want my only mention of the game to be in a piece that mostly focused on another title. That's why I felt I should share a bit about why Deus Ex hit all the right notes with me.

GOTY is ultimately about personal preference. I could have easily given the honor to Portal 2, as there are almost no flaws in that game whatsoever. But something about Deus Ex captivated me, and it's one of the only titles I can remember playing through twice, back to back, and after loving it the first time, somehow enjoying it even more the second.

The world Eidos Montreal has created is part Matrix, part Blade Runner and part Neuromancer. It's a dystopian future where the way the world ends is not with a meteor or nuclear war, but with the endless pursuit of mankind to improve itself.

The focus of the game is augmentations, mechanical enhancements to the body which provide basic services like restoring lost limbs to the injured, but also serve to weaponize the human frame into something terrifying.

The trailer, in my opinion the best of the year, video game, movie or otherwise, sums up the story better than I can, and I highly recommend giving it a watch below.

The game combines elements of first person shooter gameplay, stealth mechanics a-la Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell, and a touch of free roaming exploration, even if its world is relatively small compared to say, Skyrim.

There are basically two ways to progress through the game. Either you can be a ghost, sneaking through the levels unseen through secret passageways, taking enemies down with non-lethal force, or you can be a full-on Rambo, upgrading your exoskeleton  with armor and the ability to shoot explosives in every direction as you unload automatic weapons into any nearby guard.

Playing through using both styles, I found myself experiencing two entirely different games, both equally fun. Stealth made Deus Ex something of a puzzle, and allowed to utilize the expertly designed levels that allowed you to make your way through a guarded room in many different ways. There was combat sure, but little of it, and the main focus was remaining as unseen as you possibly could manage. It's even possible to make it through the entire game without killing a single soul, and there's an achievement for doing so. How many modern shooters can you say that about?

After all that sneaking, I wondered how things might have been different if I barrelled through guns blazing . Throwing caution to the wind, I became a whirlwind killing machine, blowing through each room with deadly force. It was far less strategic yes, but incredibly satisfying, and many of the gunfights played out with an almost cinematic quality to them, like I was Neo, trenchcoat, sunglasses and all running through that lobby unloading my bullets into armored up guards.

Finding every little hidden secret and bit of XP scattered throughout the world made for a well-deserved break from all the chaos. Across two cities and a few sub-levels, there were endless amounts of secrets to be found, and past the experience and upgrade bonuses, you could learn a lot about the fascinating world of the game by reading eBooks and emails off hacked computers.

The game is not perfect, and honestly does have more overt flaws than say, Portal 2. The boss battles were terribly conceived as they usually amounted to standing in a room with a powerful enemy unloading guns in your face. With nowhere to hide, all that stealth gameplay went straight out a window. And as much I loved the plot, there was much, much more that could be done with Adam Jensen's morally conflicted character. I had to laugh when he gave a speech in the ending cut scene that stated he had resisted the temptation to abuse the power of his augments. Yeah, tell that to the five hundred butchered guards strewn all around the world.

But the fact is, Deus Ex is a phenomenal game that combines good storytelling, expert level building, a haunting and visually stunning atmosphere, a brilliant soundtrack and creative and diverse gameplay. I said it before, it's the total package, and I stand by it as my Game of the Year.