The Future Ain't What It Used To Be

Deus Ex: Human Revolution. a.k.a Deus Ex 3. a.k.a Deus Ex 0. It is a prequel, after all.

So while I certainly acknowledge Penny-Arcade's experiences with jarring shifts in paradigm I had myself a near identical experience but after just one death I had found the method to ascend to the occasion and wouldn't have quite thought it too much of a deviation for everybody.

That is until I reached the 2nd boss.

Here it then becomes apparent that we've run into a case of "it appears you've got your shooter in my stealth game". True, it can incorporate a level of sneaking in order to avoid detection and pick your time to strike, but then comes the retaliation. And it comes hard, so much to the point that unless you have spent your points to tailor for it's current flight of fancy and the eccentricities which come with it along with the right weapons at your disposal, you may be up combat creek without a rifle. It did of course hint at what was to come with strewing heavy rifle ammo along the shelves in the rooms before me, along with the gentle prod of a handful of soldiers on the way supplying the prerequisite heavy rifle itself.

But we don't want it, we like our stealth sniper rifle, our combat rifle and pistol both loaded with silencer and laser sighting, and what we hope will be enough ammo that we can fit into the tiny space left. Even with full inventory space, it's never enough.

This boss fight itself brings a taste of Metal Gear Solid to the mouth, specifically the 4th for me, and why I do not think it was used as an archetype there are still flavours which, while perhaps not intended by the chef to do so, conjure up past memories in that curious way that these and sights, smells and sounds do. It's not to know what dishes you have sampled in your restaurateur days much as same as cannot pretend to understand what your mother gave you as a child. Then there is the ever present truth that all dishes must come from a set of stable ingredients from which they need to be mixed and without them it can fail to adhere, similarly where if you lack the finished touches it can simply fall flat.

You can tell it's nearly time I made dinner.

Anyway, I'm probably getting to the heart of the matter, which is the boss fights are a battle of guns rather than a battle of wits or even battle of attrition - missing a side route that is optional depending on chosen play style. After all, it's a given that this game is about choice and even more so that stealth is heavily open to you, if not outright screamed at you for occasional corridors.

For example, you get given a room of laser tripwires sweeping around and the expected small islands of shelter from which you may observe and dance between these havens to the safety at the other side. Or turn on your cloak and walk right through it all. Delicious. Please, sir, can I have some more?