One thing to add: I discovered that DX:HR is playable - sort of - even on single-core Athlon XP systems with AGP graphics. :) I played through the opening gunfights to the beginning of the first sneak-in mission and didn't encounter crashes or agonizing level load times, even with the unpatched game (some minor problems with sound, though). The benefits of development starting in 2007. :D

I can't say I liked the way the game force-fed me the basic storyline. You naively click on the lady by the door and get dragged along on a minute-long, involuntary sight-seeing tour where all your controls - except for looking around - don't work. Not especially thrilling. The original Deus Ex thrust you right into a situation, with skippable conversations from the get-go if you didn't particularly care for the specifics. :7 Are some games inherently more fun than others? - definitely yes.

These first impressions of HR were gathered a month or so ago. I'll go on playing as time permits & interest resurges.

Its deus ex. Of course there will be cutscenes that take away your controls.

:crazy: ? :pan:

Yeah I see where you're coming from Hoipolloi. None of the other Deus Ex's did it to this extent and games like Half Life do a really good job of telling a story without taking away any control.

That said, It's only like 2 minutes at the beginning of the game so I didn't really have a problem with it. The game is still really good, if not quite as good as the original.

Wait, you guys realize there are cutscenes in deus ex 1 and 2 right? How is what Deus Ex HR worse, if not better? I'm missing the point here.

Well there is a difference between cutscenes and the game taking control away from the player in the middle of the game and forcing him to follow a person around for 2 minutes when there is no reason they couldn't have let you do this manually. It would be like a person walks into your room, takes the controller away from you, and starts playing himself. I think this is what he was referring to.

I can't remember any parts like that in the other Deus Ex's. But like I already mentioned, it's only like 2 minutes of the game and shouldn't even be worth mentioning.

Your right, it shouldn't even be worth mention, but did it even phase you that maybe there was a reason why you really couldn't control the movement, let alone ignore the fact that you still have control over looking around.

Its a development choice. Its not Half-Life where everything needs to be in the first person.

Thats why I say its "Deus Ex". The goal isn't to accomplish what Half-Life did. It was to create a cinematic first person rpg experience.

Well guys, after holding out for a year I've just succumbed to the lure of this game. :D It is seriously addictive. I played through to the Barrett boss battle in one long night.

I've already died 10 times in this, but I'm dying all the time (on Hard, somewhat less insulting). How many bullets to the head can this tank take? Herman the German must be chuckling in his cradle. And I do wish the game's cover system was somewhat more suited to throwing grenades. Technically it should be easy to lob things out in a general direction without blowing yourself sky-high or getting riddled with bullets first. (Funny things happen during firefights near doors - one guy stood literally next to me in the door frame, but "covered" as I was, we could target but not shoot the other.)

Regarding the heads-up display, talk about information overload (with the yellow item highlighting turned off). Pretty hard to pick out the useful information and look beyond all those fragile boxes (and immovable trash bags). Pretty hard to look at one of those glossy news mags for more than 3 secs, too, without getting a headache. I'm woefully lacking political background info at this point, but no doubt will catch up on further play-throughs - after my brain has hacked the appropiate neural pathways.

It's strange how the characters and dialogue sound corny in video reviews, but elevate the experience in gameplay. The semi-starved punkish exterior and voice of Adam Jensen will surely become (almost) as memorable and iconic as the original JC Denton. Easier to make fun of, because it's all so serious.

I just got it too - it was 20€ in sale, so I thought "what the heck" and bought it. I really like it! I love playing stealthy :P

And I know about that boss fight, I died a lot in it too...

I'm interested in the sort of philosphical/ethical "studies" in the game (or related to the game). I'd love to read the thoughts of someone like Zizek about all of this. There was some weird magazine I once saw that was like philosophical and ethical and whatnot essays about the world of Deus Ex or something, but I didn't think to get it then (hadn't played the game). Now I'm thinking, maybe I should've!

I wish there was a storage compartment to store the equipment you want to save but not carry around. I have/had a bunch of stuff stashed in the appartment, but I have no idea if it'll stay there (or even get back there)...

Anyway, overall I'm really enjoying this one.

Check out this hilarious little video, and maybe the mod as well, on moddb:

http://s16.postimage.org/aspemxylv/DXUR.jpg

Deus Ex Unreal Revolution
is a mod for the original Deus Ex that acts as a parody of Deus Ex: Human Revolution while providing commentary on the video game industry and modern gameplay mechanics. Assume the role of a wrist blade equipped JC Denton and perform cinematic takedowns on your mission to rescue Tracer Tong.
As to the philosophical/cultural references in Deus Ex, I don't know about any specific book. A good place to start is a Google search of Wikipedia.
Here's an interesting article about the influences on Bioshock.
P.S. Probably this? The Humanity+ magazine, Roots of Deus Ex: Human Revolution (a PDF is part of the Collector's Edition)

Yeah DLC is lame but you can't really blame the developers or publishers for it. Blame the idiots who buy it. The same people who keep paying $60 for Call of Duty every year.

I don't like the direction mainstream gaming is going and find myself just playing GoG games more and more.

You can't blame the idiots who buy it if not all DLC was created the same. There are the typical microtransaction 'Buy cool new weapon' or 'horse armor' DLC. Then there are completely new games or missions that expand on the original game. No different than buying an expansion pack which people don't complain about. I remember when people bitched about iphone apps costing more than $5. Same thing applies to DLC. People just haven't calmed down and think before they speak.

I know there's been a lot written about the wider implications of cyberpunk. Not Deus Ex specifically, but there are a lot of common themes and ideas.