Deus Ex: HR....you could have been the one.

[Eyelicker]

I honestly felt like this could have been my favourite game ever. The scope, locations, plot, atmosphere, music and customisation and motivation were all spot on.... until that fucking last act.

Firstly, the actual mechanics of the "pick one of 4 endings" machine was bullshit.

Then, the impersonality of the damn endings, no mention of the characters, just a heavy handed preachy monologue over some barely related stock footage. One thing I had enjoyed about the game was how augmentation, like most issues in real life, had many different opinions and factors involved, and wasn't clean cut, and effectively too complex an issue for any kind of "final" resolution. Yet the ending forced this on us, despite for whatever reason you picked your ending. For example, I picked Hugh Darrow's "tell the truth", because after all the conspiracies, lies and smokescreens, this seemed like the only morally sound option, otherwise I'd be as bad as the illuminati by manipulating the truth. Give the world as much truth as I can and whatever happens happens. Then suddenly it goes from this to Adam telling me "Technology BAD!!!" and pretty much that Hugh Darrow's treachery was somehow justified, which was the last thing I wanted concluded from all my endeavours in the game.

And that whole last bit just seemed forced to keep up the momentum. Finding your girlfriend to be still alive kind of cheapened the setting somewhat, I enjoyed Adam being both mentally and Physically an empty shell of his former self, and her being alive just cheapened that vibe. It was just like, without Hugh Darrow's stuff, you could have just gone home with her and got on with your life.

Then also after so much about half revealed grand plots and schemes and shifty motivations, the big bad and the reason for everything is nothing more than some disgruntled madman.

Illuminati secretly controlling everyone in various ways and you being one of the many lives caught up in this was a great theme, it was subtle and fit the setting and the night-time paranoia perfectly, some nutjob sending everyone insane because he somehow reasons that this will stop augmentation (which it blatantly wouldn't) just didn't really fit with everything up until then, it lacked subtlety and realism.

Even Zhao Yun's role as an antagonist was cheapened when she's basically doing the same thing as you in trying to stop Darrow.

It just didn't feel like a good ending to me, more just an unforeseen event to be dealt with, disregarding a lot of what it felt like you were working towards, and indeed the mood of the whole thing.

I guess I'm just sad after loving it so much yet feeling so cheated by the end

 

[Ruzinus]

Hrm... really?

I had no problems with the different endings just being a final choice (which isn't really any different than there being a single ending) because I had no expectation of the game having different endings. It seemed to me that the effect here was not to actually offer multiple endings, but to ask the player to think on what they've seen and put some thought into how they feel about augmentation.

Eliza (am I remembering the name right? It's been a while) explained very clearly what the societal effects of your choice would be. If you saw those buttons as anything other than making a choice between Anti/Regulated/Pro Augments for the world then I can only conclude you weren't paying attention.

As for the girlfriend being alive... I had assumed she was alive when I played. It seemed pretty obvious that she was one of the targets of the raid at the beginning, and that she was wanted alive. Finding her again was a major goal for Adam throughout the game, and to me having someone to rescue affected the whole experience of stepping into Adam's shoes and pushing through this world.


For the choices, I personally agreed with Taggart's assessment that augmentation should be allowed but regulated, but I also didn't feel like I had the right to make that choice for society... so I sunk the damn platform.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

The ending in Human Revolution is brilliant. Now, before you rage on me, let me explain why I think so:

1. The "choose your ending" deal:
Human Revolution keeps telling us how science can be either a positive or negative factor, not because it is inherently good or evil, but because it empowers humanity. In the right hands, it can empower humanity to do good things and become even better. In game, Sarif is the character who thinks that technology will help humanity ascend to "the next level", where we will be able to use technology to create a better life for everyone. But in the wrong hands, it can serve to create division, inequality and even social breakdown. This is what Taggart believes, that only the "elite" in society will be able to benefit from the power that technology offers. Finally we have Darrow, who thinks that humanity should not be vested with all the power that technology offers us and thinks it a mistake that we've gotten so far with it.

What it all comes down to is that, no matter what you think of augmentations, technology is just a tool that humanity as a whole and individual people can use to gain power, for good or bad. The ending reflects just that. The tool that is technology is put at the disposal of Adam Jensen and for a moment technology allows him to (seemingly) control the future of mankind. Even as you push one of the three buttons the game is making the statement that Jensen is using technology to further his own goals.

2. The "shift of tone" in the endings.
This one is simple really, by choosing one of the three standards endings Jensen is basically running another persons errands. You are basically hearing Jensen tell you what Sarif/Taggart/Darrow wanted Jensen to think. They are all also reflecting the fact that Jensen allowed one, all-powerful person to dictate what humanity should think.


Spoiler ahead!
Both of the above ties into the 4th ending, in which Jensen doesn't broadcast a message but rather destroys the entire structure. In this ending Jensen chooses to not use the tool he has been offered (technology) even if it grants him power to shape humanity's future. Jensen intead opts to let people sort out for themselves what they think, even if it means that no one can predict what will happen.

Basically, the ending touches on two themes: Freedom and the use of technology. It is arguably intended for the fourth ending to be the "good" ending, as it is "hidden" and offers the only option where people aren't misled or manipulated. It is no coincidence that the hidden ending is also the ending where Jensen decides not to use all the power he has been given, even if it would be easy, because his power would take power away from others (the power of choice).

Spoiler done

All in all, I believe the ending to Human Revolution is a lot more thought-out then it appears as at first glance. The fact that Jensen changes the world with the simple press of a button is a clear allegory to the power that technology offers the individuals who get the opportunity to use it.

 

[Smooth Operator]

I didn't like that end either, especially since they did it worse then the 12 year old predecessor.
At the time of playing I was quite pleased but that is simply because there is such a vacuum of deep games that I would accept even a half arsed Deus Ex.

But looking back and comparing... Human Revolution was just full of bad design, original wasn't perfect but it is still by far the superior game.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

Bought it off Amazon last month, still hasn't arrived.


:|

 

[notyouraveragejoe]

I enjoyed the game quite a bit and it was my first Deus Ex game *gasps*. I enjoyed being able to play it my own way (except for the boss battles). I was also really annoyed by the ending, especially since the fourth was hidden around a corner and not as obvious as the main three. Despite it I enjoyed the game overall, not one of my favourite games but still fun.

 

[o_O]

Meh. All the endings left a bad taste in my mouth. No regulation is bad. The kind of regulation Taggart wanted was bad, where the Illuminati get even more power and screw over everyone. Telling the truth somehow turned us into Luddites for no fucking reason (instead of just pointing out that maybe consolidation of power is a bad thing; the entire reason all the augs got fucked was from TYM being such a powerhouse and unwittingly allowing Darrow to send out that signal), and sinking Panchaea just killed EVERYONE on board. You know, all those innocent press core and the general workers. Yeah, you murdered them all. Oh, and if you think Panchaea won't be salvaged, you're dead wrong. Not to mention that after an event like that, answers WILL be found whether they're lies, disinformation, or whatever. Who do you think would be able to spin this the way they want? Probably the Illuminati.

Telling the TRUTH, you know, the TRUTH, is hardly a way to "spin" anything. Shoulda showed that Darrow was crazy, the Illuminati were hoping to dominate the world through augmentation, and that power consolidation is a very bad idea.

Least the gameplay was good. I never got tired of tazing people in the balls. BZZT.

 

[Bertylicious]

Pressing a button was pretty lazy, but other than that I didn't mind the endings. Would have preffered different boss battles or somesuch, a lá Invisible War.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

I agree, absolutely love the game but found the last few hours to be a dull slog and I HATE endomatic 3000 choice machines in any game. It renders each ending impersonal and pointless as you can just reload and pick another.

 

[Able Seacat]

Bought it off Amazon last month, still hasn't arrived.


:|

What's up with the delay? We should destroy Amazon for their incompetence!

I really enjoyed Dues Ex: HR, though the ending was a bit 'meh' and the boss battles were silly. Has anyone played the DLC? Just wondering if it was any good.

 

[rob_simple]

The endings were fine, and pretty much what I expected from a game that seemed to be running out of budget towards the end. It's still one of my favourite games.

Now if they could only remove those insipid fucking boss fights.

 

[daveman247]

this game was great, and i liked the endings. Just didnt like the stock footage. Should have been a proper cutscene showing/ explaining stuff.

 

[Carpenter]

Wish people took DE as seriously as they took Mass Effect, we could have convinced them to actually finish the game.

I mean they way they just suddenly throw in "that thing" and then ended it with "that other thing" it seems pretty obvious that the game was rushed towards the end.

Oh well, it's too late now.

 

[Carpenter]

The endings were fine, and pretty much what I expected from a game that seemed to be running out of budget towards the end. It's still one of my favourite games.

Now if they could only remove those insipid fucking boss fights.

I have to admit, I didn't mind two of those boss fights. The one where you lost your powers if you made a certain decision beforehand I thought was pretty cool, and the first one I thought was actually a good test of everything I figured out before that point.

I hated that they forced you into a combat role but you were still able to hide and use explosive traps to fight him. I would have liked an expanded story and the ability to let them live and have it affect the story, but other than that I thought it was pretty cool.

I liked the way the first guy was a bit robotic, as if it was a showcase of what Jensen could easily become. Mythological walking through the room and shooting at anything that moves. It pretty intense.
I was mostly built for stealth at that point so it really forced me to think of new ways to beat him.

Could have done without the others though.

 

[rob_simple]

The endings were fine, and pretty much what I expected from a game that seemed to be running out of budget towards the end. It's still one of my favourite games.

Now if they could only remove those insipid fucking boss fights.

I have to admit, I didn't mind two of those boss fights. The one where you lost your powers if you made a certain decision beforehand I thought was pretty cool, and the first one I thought was actually a good test of everything I figured out before that point.

I hated that they forced you into a combat role but you were still able to hide and use explosive traps to fight him. I would have liked an expanded story and the ability to let them live and have it affect the story, but other than that I thought it was pretty cool.

I liked the way the first guy was a bit robotic, as if it was a showcase of what Jensen could easily become. Mythological walking through the room and shooting at anything that moves. It pretty intense.
I was mostly built for stealth at that point so it really forced me to think of new ways to beat him.

Could have done without the others though.

I agree with you, but my problem with what you just described is I don't think it was ever the developer's intention; you made your own battle using tactics that worked for you. I was playing a largely stealth role but I was taking guys down with a silenced pistol and the tranq gun, meaning I didn't really have anything in the way of mines and the like when I got to that boss, and my current weapon set did precisely fuck all against him.

That's the only reason they left all kinds of weapons lying around the room, because otherwise people playing certain types of character would have been royally boned and had to restart their game.

It all just seemed very lazy and ham-handed to me, when the rest of the game is so open-ended, that with bosses they stick you in these little rooms and just force you to lay the smackdown on guys until they die (as you say I'd have liked the option to let the first guy live after I defeated him.)

I would have considered it a masterful touch if you were able to talk your way out of each of the fights, and I wouldn't feel I'd have lost anything from my experience by not having to do them because for me the most satisfying moments in HR came from clashing wits against enemies in the dialogue trees, not shooting at them in the corridors.

The boss that messes up your augs depending on your choices was a nice touch, though, but still annoying as shit because the full-on gunplay wasn't all that great in HR.

 

[5-0]

While the endings were a let-down, I'm a sucker for stock footage, so I enjoyed that element. I found the whole final level a bit of an anti-climax to be honest. You've got this amazing Arctic setting and you spend your time there in corridors, with the only enemies being crazy people. It was dull. Apart from that, it's possibly the best game I played last year, even for all its flaws. That said, it still comes nowhere close to the original.