Going into Deus EX: Human Revolution, I’ve only heard stories about how the original game is considered one of the best titles in video game history, in both story and gameplay. So, it would be an interesting experience to see how the prequel title could compare to such a prestigious piece of gaming history.

During GameGeex’s Comic Con travels, I was able to get a taste of Human Revolution for myself.  Right off the bat you get a great sense of the storyline behind the game, as I described when I attended the related panel. The game plops you right in the middle of a conflict between two sides, one that supports augmentation, and the other against it. During the introduction sequence, I also picked up on dialog choices, including choosing whether your mission should practice non-lethal or lethal actions towards your adversaries (whether this has any real effect on gameplay I couldn’t tell, but I went with lethal regardless).

Now while the game itself looks like a FPS game, I was informed that it’s not quite a shooter.  There are actually numerous stealth aspects available, and numerous options to utilize, including distracting guards, stealthily knocking out guards, or even maneuvering around them. It’s even possible to get through a stage without killing anybody. For those that do what to get some action in, however, you’ll have various weapons at your disposal, both those that can be picked up, and those that you can bring with you, including your bare fists.

I also got a look at the augmentation menu, where you can buff up your own skills and gain new augments to bolter your abilities (essentially a skill tree). You can plug points in your hacking abilities, stealth, movement, or even combat, giving players a chance to create their own unique skillset for their playstyle. I was also assured that there’s no wrong way to spend your points, and that you can progress through the game no matter what ass-backwards skill setup you have.

The game also sports environment interaction, and not just being able to open doors and such. You can interact with computer terminals to hack into them and gain access to other areas, and you can also lift up objects, move them around as you need. Putting skills into your arm strength allows you to lift up and chuck larger objects, and you can even throw human bodies great distances to take out specific targets.  You can apply this to more than just throwing bodies around like Frisbees. For example, I used a soda machine as a shield against enemy fire (at least until I hit a door it couldn’t fit through). There are multiple ways to go through a given area, and no wrong way to play the game.

Only problem I could find during my playtime was the overabundance of sepia coloring. It's literally almost everywhere, and while it doesn't detract too much from the gaming experience, you may be wanting to see some other color use after a while of playing. Other than that, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is definitely shaping up to be a worthy addition to a near legendary game. Look for it to be released in August.