Deus Ex: Human Revolution Directors Cut

[madeinbeats]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut for Wii U confirmed, and yes, they've fixed the boss battles

Will you buy the game again? Eidos Montreal hopes so.

 

Published Wednesday, 20 March 2013

 

The Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut is real and, yes, the people behind it have fixed the boss battles.

 

The game is due out exclusively on Wii U (for now - more on that later) soon, although US shop Amazon has it down for 7th May, and it includes a raft of improvements, changes and additional features developer Eidos Montreal hopes will convince those who played Deus Ex when it came out in 2011 for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to fork out their hard-earned cash once again.

 

Director's Cut is, according to Eidos Montreal, more than a port. The developer describes it as the "ultimate edition of the game". It is a co-production between the huge Canadian studio and Australian developer Straight Right, which has form when it comes to working with the Wii U: Straight Right made the Wii U version of Mass Effect 3.

 

So, what changes have been made? Top of everyone's list, Deus Ex executive game director Jean-Francois Dugas and game designer Emile Pedneault tell Eurogamer, were the boss battles.

 

Deus Ex's boss battles are considered by many to be the weakest part of the game. They were frustrating, combat heavy fights that broke Deus Ex's sneaky heart, forcing players to pathetically fire guns ater they'd popped all their upgrade points into stealth and hacking. In short, the boss battles were a bit crap, and it came as no surprise when it was revealed that their development had, in fact, been outsourced.

 

"We went through all the boss battles and said, 'let's just start from the beginning,'" Pedneault says. "So that's exactly what we did."

 

Each of the game's three boss fights have had their map layouts reworked to provide players with alternative potential strategies. New hacking challenges are available to players who focus on hacking, and stealth options are available to those who focus on stealth.

 

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD: You can now kill Lawrence Barrett, Yelena Fedorova and Jaron Nammir without firing a single bullet. "We took the whole experience Deus Ex gave you and we applied it correctly to the boss fights," Pedneault continues.

 

We went through all the boss battles and said, 'let's just start from the beginning,' So that's exactly what we did

game designer Emile Pedneault

 

Many found Barrett, for example, a particularly tough difficulty spike on account of his high damage, relentless pursuit of the player within a tight hanger. This map has been reworked to provide a second additional layer so Jensen can hide, forcing his foe to lose sight of him.

 

Understandably Eidos Montreal wasn't able to provide players with the option to not kill the bosses, although it sounds like it would have liked to, because the game's story couldn't be altered.

 

"They have to die," Dugas says, "but the fact is you're not forced to go full-frontal with them. You can just use some of the devices or tricks in the rooms to eventually kill them without having to spend your own bullets."

 

If Deus Ex's boss battles topped the list of complaints, its energy system came a close second. The vanilla version limits Jensen's recharge to one cell only - irrespective of how many cells are unlocked. This limited the use of augmentation use - perhaps the game's coolest feature. "One of the criticisms we received back with the original release was, it's cool you have all those augmentations, but it's like at the same time we balanced it in such a way that we don't want you to use them!" Dugas says with a chuckle.

 

On Wii U the energy system has been made more forgiving by allowing for two energy cells to recharge by default on all but the hardest difficulty. This should mean players use Jensen's augmentation powers more freely.

 

"It's not balancing it to make it super easy," Dugas insists. "It's still Deus Ex. You still have to make your choices. But we wanted to give you more opportunities to have fun with all the augmentations you acquire."

 

Elsewhere, the AI governing Deus Ex's enemies has been improved to include the tweaks made for The Missing Link downloadable expansion. Dugas says Human Revolution's programmers continued to work on the game's AI as it was in submission with Microsoft and Sony, and were able to make improvements that made it into The Missing Link DLC. Enemy cone of vision, which governs when guards detect Jensen, was made more consistent. These improvements have been retrofitted into the entire game for the Wii U version.

 

It's much sharper. There are more nuances between the light and dark places

Deus Ex executive game director Jean-Francois Dugas

Eidos Montreal says it was able to improve Deus Ex's graphics significantly for the Wii U version.

 

 

Eidos Montreal was keen to improve the graphics for the Wii U version, too. The visuals seen in The Missing Link DLC had more of an impact, Dugas says, than those in the main game, because the developers were more comfortable with their tools when they came to create them. And so, The Missing Link benefited from work done to the game's shaders, which had the knock on effect of making environmental reflections on textures were better. And the lighting system was revamped to be based on an interpretation of a formula used by real world architects during the building planning stage to simulate how light will bounce around an environment. All the visual effects seen in The Missing Link were applied to the main game for the Director's Cut.

 

"It's much sharper," Dugas says. "There are more nuances between the light and dark places."

 

You might also notice a new fog system that, according to Pedneault, "makes the atmosphere really stand out". Shadows that were choppy have been smoothed, Dugas says. "It makes a big difference."

 

Pedneault insists these improvements wouldn't be possible on Xbox 360 simply because there's not enough disc space available. Neither, Dugas says, would the anti-aliasing, which wasn't present in the other console versions but is in the Wii U version.

 

"It's more powerful on the Wii U," Dugas says. "Even some of the graphics that were improved already on the 360 for The Missing Link, we were able to go a little bit farther with the Wii U, just because of the hardware. In terms of the shadows, which are smoothed out, it's much different than the Xbox version."

 

 

The Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut Wii U box art.

From a more functional perspective, Eidos Montreal used the Wii U GamePad to create a brand new augmentation, what it calls the Neural Hub. Apparently one criticism the developers heard was players wanted to know how much health enemies had and what loot they carried before taking them on. The game's Smart Vision augmentation, which allows players to see enemies through walls, was extended and fused with the GamePad, resulting in the Neural Hub.

 

So now, on Wii U, you can use the GamePad to see enemy health, armour type (heavy, medium or light) and loot. The idea is this will let players plan their moves better; by checking loot you'll be able to identify a target who is carrying a pocket secretary, which may contain the code for a locked door you're after, or decide not to go into a room because it's packed with heavies with loads of hit points.

 

"One of the first CGI trailers we did in 2010 showed Jensen's vision turning into Smart Vision, and you saw an enemy with all this information," Dugas says. "Now it gets closer to that feel, that wasn't present in Human Revolution.

 

"We used the GamePad to improve the immersion of the game. We found that this touch-screen, the GamePad and everything, is closer to the vision of Deus Ex, where you are someone who is augmented and you have systems implemented in you that give you the edge in combat in all situations."

 

You can also use the GamePad to navigate the menus, to display the map, the augmentation system, the inventory and all the rest. "All the systems are now linked to the Neural Hub," Dugas continues. "All your maps, your inventory, your augmentation menu, your mission log, are now systems in Adam Jensen.

 

"You have the impression when playing that the Wii U GamePad is part of Adam Jensen and one of his useful augmentations. It doesn't break the pace."

 

There are swipe controls, too. One new feature, called grenade throwback, allows Jensen to equip a proximity detector that alerts him to a nearby grenade. So, if an enemy chucks a grenade at you, the GamePad will vibrate, and you can swipe the touch-screen to pick it up and lob it back.

 

By default the touch-screen is Jensen's radar, a sort of hybrid between the main radar and the 2D map. You can open the 2D map on the GamePad and use the stylus to scribble notes, which are then reflected on your main screen radar. Eidos Montreal hopes players will use the feature to draw out approaches in particularly tricky areas.

 

You can also use the touch-screen for the hacking mini-game, using your fingers to progress, and to punch in codes. Meanwhile, for weapons that have a scope, such as the sniper rifle, you can use your telly to centre on your target, then enter a precision mode using the touch-screen, which displays the cross-hair.

 

You have the impression when playing that the Wii U GamePad is part of Adam Jensen and one of his useful augmentations. It doesn't break the pace

Deus Ex executive game director Jean-Francois Dugas

 

You can use the Wii U GamePad touch-screen for the hacking mini-game.

Some may wonder why Eidos Montreal is even bothering creating a Wii U version of Deus Ex in the first place. After all previous ports of games that released on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, such as Mass Effect 3 and Batman: Arkham City, hardly set the world on fire. According to Dugas, though, the development team saw the Wii U as an opportunity to create this "ultimate edition" of the game.

 

"It's a new console," he says. "It has a lot of new interesting features in terms of the controller.

 

"But also in terms of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, we had been talking for a long time about creating this ultimate edition where there would be new content and we would have a chance to revisit some of the aspects of the game. We thought with the release of the Wii U it was a great opportunity to do that, to take advantage of this new console but also create the ultimate package for the game."

 

Included in this "ultimate package" is all of the DLC, but it has been retrofitted to slot seamlessly into the main game. The Missing Link DLC is now included in the main story rather than separated out, and the pre-order bonus mission to rescue Tong's son is popped in, too.

 

There's Half-Life 2-style director's commentary, what amounts to some eight hours of chat from Eidos Montreal developers. Icons dotted around the world can activate this voice over, and you're free to continue playing as you listen.

 

"We really did quite a lot to make this package very unique," Dugas says, "and give the old fans who already enjoyed Human Revolution a new purpose to enjoy it again."

 

Will those who played Human Revolution when it released nearly two years ago buy the game again for Wii U? It seems a hard sell, despite what on the face of it is an impressive revamp of what is a brilliant game. But a more important question for many may be whether the Director's Cut will ever make its way to PC, PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. Of course, the GamePad-specific features will remain exclusive to Nintendo's console, but there seems no reason why much of the additional content, such as the director's commentary, integrated DLC and improved boss battles, couldn't be sold to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 gamers. Dugas says he can't comment on that at the moment. We shall see.

 

 

Source

[Zechs Merquise]

Well it does sound like they're making a pretty special effort with this one. I particularly like the fact they're completely changing the boss encounters.

[Agent Gibbs]

SOLD

 

just integrating the missing link into the main story had me, but fixed boss battles, more energy improved graphics?!?!

I'm a happy Deus Ex fan

 

now wheres my Deus EX HD remake?

[madeinbeats]

All those people slating the announcement suddenly changed their tune to begging for a port of a port lol. Internet vibe for me is people want this game. Just needs the right price.

 

If this comes out in May, I see a lot of momentum for me as a Wii U gamer and having games to play.

Edited March 20, 2013 by madeinbeats

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

Encouraging to hear them saying Wii U fits their idea of what Deus Ex is about. Maybe hyperbolic spin to get everyone excited...but it's worked on me! and hopefully means that any future games in the series will be Wii U bound too.

 

Consider me a customer Square-Enix

[Dcubed]

The new stuff sounds pretty good. Feeling good about this one

 

Edit: Nice to see that Eurogamer are port begging already, with them setting the tone before even mentioning anything about the game

 

Stay classy guys...

Edited March 20, 2013 by Dcubed

[Zechs Merquise]

All those people slating the announcement suddenly changed their tune to begging for a port of a port lol. Internet vibe for me is people want this game. Just needs the right price.

 

If this comes out in May, I see a lot of momentum for me as a Wii U gamer and having games to play.

 

I was just about to say the same thing myself. No one wanted this and it was derided, until it was properly unveiled.

 

Now it looks like it will be the definitive edition of an already amazing game everyone wishes it was going to be on other systems as well! What a difference 24 hours makes...

[Tamazoid]

I think people were expecting another Mass Effect 3 scenario.

 

I'll be picking this up, have been holding off purchasing it on Steam for $5 incase it got a Wii U re-release.

[Kaepora_Gaebora]

http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/47869/deux-ex-wii-u-screenshots/

 

ONM have an exclusive interview with the game director in their next issue!

[Captain Falcon]

I got the impression the people who were deriding the presence of this game were people who had never played it but yet were still scoffing it as 2 year old port. Everyone here who had played it was insisting it was still worth playing, even if they hadn't made improvements but that for them, they've been there, done that it wouldn't have sold them a Wii U. And even with the improvements, that's still the case for most people.

 

But they have and it looks like it will be even better for it. That said, I can totally sympathise with people wishing they could get the gameplay improvements on their version. In some ways, if EM had never farmed the boss encounters out in the first place, the fights would never have needed fixing. In that regard, the fans who went out and bought the game day one were short changed. Asking for the game to be patched to fix something the devs knew wasn't up to standard doesn't qualify as begging for a port of a port. They've already seen 95% of what this has to offer and really just want an excuse to play through it again with some of the rough areas smoothed over without having to buy a new machine and copy of the game given there is no reason some of the gameplay enhancements couldn't be applied.

 

Not entirely sure how I feel about TML being made a part of the main campaign. I liked the DLC quite a lot but its story feels quite seperate from the main campaign even though it does tie to the overarching Deus Ex plot. It's at this point in the main game that all the pieces finally start slotting into place in the run up to its ending so to take you out of that seems a little ill thought out. It also resets your augmentations so you will go from playing with a bunch of skills to nothing and them grow them again for 8hrs and then find yourself back with all the skills you had before it began. Hopefully it will be handled a bit more elegantly than that.

 

Still, it all sounds very promising. I understand the console versions had some bad loading times too so I assume they've tightened them up as well. I still don't expect it to sell well but any Wii U owner who never had a chance to pick this up before really needs to go out and get it.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Captain Falcon

[bryanee]

Oooooooooooh reworked bosses, they bloody sucked in the original so to be able to take them out without shooting will be good fun.

[Captain Falcon]

Oooooooooooh reworked bosses, they bloody sucked in the original so to be able to take them out without shooting will be good fun.

 

Well you can already take out Nammir without firing a bullet anyway... but since that wasn't intentional I suspect they've taken it out - always very funny though.

 

Barrett was the worse because he's a walking tank but clever use of the environment can make him fold quite quickly if you know what you're doing.

 

My Yelena fights quickly devolve into me just chasing her around the room as she runs off and I shoot until she dies. Once you get her on the defensive, she's really easy as long as you keep up the pressure.

 

There were some neat ideas in the different encounters, and they would have been enough in other games, but for this one the balance was way off. TML gets it spot on though.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Captain Falcon

[-Dem0-]

Was interested in this game before but never bought it for our 360. Good thing we're getting the 'Ultimate Edition' for the Wii U.

This kind of reminds me of the Arkham City Wii U Port in that everybody else was able to enjoy the game and talk about their experiences but I had to shut myself off and be patient. Was the wait worth it? Absolutely!

Arkham City: Armoured Edition is a great example of a port done well. I didn't experience any slowdowns or frame-rate issues (Off TV play inc.) and was able to enjoy a fantastic game that, imo, made great use of some of the Wii U's features and had all of the DLC on disc. I was amazed by Arkham Asylum and was equally impressed, if not a bit more (thanks to the Wii U additions) by Arkham City. Not to mention I got it for a great price not too long after launch!

 

I think ports can be unfairly overlooked simply because it's a port, but for me I'm happy because I could be trying out the definitive version of a great game. Another good point is that so far we've seen some ports done right; Arkham City, Tekken Tag 2, Need for Speed (based on what I've read and watched) and now Deus Ex. All I need to do now is wait for a good price and I'm sold.

 

I say support the good ports, and if they sell well the likelihood for new multiform simultaneous releases and new 3rd party IP's to hit the Wii U will increase.

[dazzybee]

As someone who wasn't too happy with this news, can I just say it as nothing to do with the quality of the game; and also my opinion hasn't changed; it's not that we're getting this game at all, more the merrier; it's that Wii U's 3rd party support seems to be made up of ports of old game; however good they are, they're not going to sell systems; in fact they're barely going to sell copies; let's be honest and realistic about the situation - most people who will be interested in this game will have already played it or be able to buy it for a fraction of the price on another system. It doesn't help the Wii U when it is missing all the new releases and getting old games; and if the inevitably weak sales are then used as evidence to not support it in the future, it all points to a bleak future.

Edited March 20, 2013 by dazzybee

[-Dem0-]

I see this as devs getting acquainted with the Wii U via ports. New titles will arrive in due time.

[madeinbeats]

Any French speakers? Apparently this site confirms the following:

 

- Off-TV play.

- GamePad map annotations.

- Voice annotations via GamePad mic, and shared via Miiverse.

- New GamePlus Mode.

- Visually cleaner with better AA.

[bryanee]

Its has new game plus? Fucking get in, that's all I needed to hear.

[dazzybee]

What's that?

[madeinbeats]

What's that?

 

New Game +” mode, allowing you to replay the game from the beginning keeping Jensen's augmentations from your last play-through – the ULTIMATE power fantasy.

 

Additionally, Jensen has a swath of new tricks up his sleeve, including the ability to toss grenades back at his enemies (right from the Wii U GamePad!), a rebalanced energy system, and a brand new augmentation – the Tactical Pattern-Recognition System – which displays Jensen's view through the Wii U GamePad. Moving the GamePad around will move Jensen's view in the same way, giving extra precious information on his surroundings.

 

The Wii U GamePad also brings some impressive new features, including the ability to record your very own “Infologs” containing screenshots, voice recordings, drawing or typed notes as you progress through the game. You can even share your personal infologs through the Miiverse with your friends. And, most impressively, you can play Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut entirely on the GamePad – no TV required! Never be interrupted again!

 

Additionally, the GamePad allows deeper interaction with the game like never before. Hacking is now done at your fingertips while the world remains visible on your primary screen, looting is made simpler without the need for extra menus, sniping with any scoped weapon uses the GamePad and primary screen for ultimate precision. An updated radar and 2D map are now hosted right on the touch screen as well, as is the inventory, leaving your primary screen free of clutter.

 

The ultimate Deus Ex: Human Revolution fan experience!

 

The Director’s Cut also includes the full suite of all Deus Ex content ever released, including Tong’s Rescue mission and the entire Missing Link DLC chapter seamlessly integrated into the narrative and flow of the story. The original pre-order and other bonus weapons are now at Jensen’s disposal as well! All of the original game achievements, The Missing Link achievements and some brand new Director’s Cut achievements are also available!

 

Southpaw players will be happy to hear left handed control mapping is included, with a total of 4 control layout variations included. Also, for the multi-lingual amongst us, English, French, Italian, German and Spanish are available in both voice and subtitles right off the disk. You can even choose to play the game with audio in one language but the subtitles in another. C’est bon?

 

Total technical overhaul!

 

Just like all good movie director’s cuts feature remixed and remastered footage, Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut also features an improved visual engine. All of the visual improvements to the lighting system, fog and smoother shadows included with The Missing Link DLC have been applied through the whole game. The anti-aliasing features make this the best looking Deus Ex available. The improvements don’t stop there either. Enemy AI also received a polish pass, resulting in a much more consistent and intelligent experience.

 

Shit on me... game of the year? Lol (joke.)

 

This really does sound like it will be the best use of the pad so far by an absolute moon jump.

Edited March 20, 2013 by madeinbeats

[bryanee]

What's that?

 

Just means when I playthrough it again I can choose to keep all my powers and stuff as opposed to starting from scratch. The Mass Effect games have it.

[madeinbeats]

Also:

 

The official strategy guide is also included in-game and can be accessed through the Wii U Gamepad Neural Hub at any time. Never miss a praxis kit again!

[Debug Mode]

now wheres my Deus EX HD remake?

 

It's gotta happen right? right?! Just imagine how much better the tone can be conveyed with the technology we have now, and just imagine how potentially fucking scary Anna and Gunther can be.

 

Definitely the remake the world needs.

 

Back onto the HR though, looks like they're definitely making a good effort with it. I'd maybe pay £25~30 for it if I had a Wii U, but by the time I get the console it'll be cheap as chips and I'll have no excuse not to buy it!

Edited March 21, 2013 by Debug Mode

[Agent Gibbs]

It's gotta happen right? right?! Just imagine how much better the tone can be conveyed with the technology we have now, and just imagine how potentially fucking scary Anna and Gunther can be.

 

Definitely the remake the world needs.

 

Its the most deserving HD remake of any game ever made! followed closely by KOTOR

I've tried and i've tried to update as much of the steam version, but really its still not as good as it could be after seeing HR

I so wish they would do a HD remake of it and Invisible War (which was still a great game)

 

Back onto the HR though, looks like they're definitely making a good effort with it. I'd maybe pay £25~30 for it if I had a Wii U, but by the time I get the console it'll be cheap as chips and I'll have no excuse not to buy it!

 

With all the improvements i'd pay £35 which is surely what Shopto will charge

its going to be awesome it is the best way to show off how much better games can be on WiiU, i just wish it wasn't so long after the game originally came out.

If only they could do it with Tomb Raider

 

but if were going to "suffer" older ports, can i have all Bethsada's back log? Skyrim, New Vegas, Fallout 3, Oblivion

[Murr]

[Ealdst]

I never picked this up on 360 despite coming close a few times, I think this time I definitely will!