The first details on Eidos Montreal's Deus Ex 3 have been revealed, in the pages of PC Zone's landmark 200th issue.
It's out in the shops on Thursday, but PC Zone subscribers are reporting that copies of PCZ number 200 have hit doormats this morning. The cover game? Deus Ex 3 - the long-awaited return of the world's favourite nano-augmented RPG-shooter.
In essence, it looks and sounds fantastic. The art direction is a beautiful meld of the renaissance and cyberpunk (tying into the game's Leonardo Da Vinci motif) and is going for a lot more stylised look than the sort of game that comes from the Unreal Engine cookie-cutter.
It sounds like Eidos Montreal isn't leaving anything to chance; a "powerful, layered" plot is promised for the third game - which has been confirmed as a prequel set in 2027- and the dev has even drafted in the consultative talents of original writer Sheldon Pacotti, while also gaining the blessing of both Harvey Smith and Warren Spector on the project.
You're cast as average joe Adam Jensen, who works as a private security officer at a technology lab specialising in biomechanical augmentations, a forerunner to the sort of nanotechnology shown in the original Deus Ex. One day the path of his life is unexpectedly altered as a team of black ops commandos break into his company's HQ, and using a security plan from Jensen's own hand, a mass slaughter ensues and the conspiracy begins.
"Deus Ex 3's vision of the future sees holographic screens flicker atop ferries moving back and forth in front of the Shanghai skyline, now split into two layers with the rich on the top and the poor in perpetual twilight below," says PCZ.
Eidos Montreal says it's more than aware of fan reaction to controversial second game, Invisible War, and promises mistakes, such as limiting ammo types to just one, won't be repeated.
This said, they are doing their utmost to please newcomers as well as existing fans. Perhaps controversially this time around combat won't be influenced by stats, but will rely purely on your personal marksmanship skills. Instead stats will influence "a vast array of fully upgradeable and customisable weapons", and you'll be able to tailor your arsenal to your play style with mag upgrades, scopes and other add-ons.
What's more, stealth will now rely on a cover system rather than shadows, and damage will be dealt with by a very Call of Duty-style auto-heal. There's probably going to be some debate over those two.
Augmentations have been bumped up and sound fantastic. 20 have been promised for the final game, ranging from 'bungee jump' tentacles that shoot from your back and anchor to a wall when you jump off a building, and the ability to punch through walls to grab enemies in neighbouring rooms.
Deus Ex 3 certainly sounds very, very promising - if a little controversial for die-hard PC fans. And just wait until you see the shots...
For more info and the first screenshots see the full ten-page preview in the 200th issue of PC Zone, out October 9 (and in subscribers' hands now). Happy 200th issue, by the way.
UPDATE: A slight clarification for those fearing that DX3 is straying from its roleplay roots - Eidos Montreal have confirmed, as is detailed in PC Zone issue 200, that you'll still garner experience points as you progress through the game. You'll then either choose to plug them into your self through your augmentations or your weaponry. Apologies for any confusion.
I'm really not sure about the cover system and auto-healing. It sounds far too action-orientated. And console-mass-market-orientated. And we know what happened the last time Deus Ex tried to be mass-market and console-focused...
Ugh, well...I guess I should *try* to keep an open mind about this. Let me get my somewhat weighty opinion out in the open though.
I for one, personally really really really hate prequels. Im probably just picking holes already but its fun to see how we'll get "'bungee jump' tentacles that shoot from your back and anchor to a wall when you jump off a building, and the ability to punch through walls to grab enemies in neighbouring rooms." BEFORE the likes of JC Denton, who was, if im not mistaken, one of the first nano-aug'd people to appear who didnt have any of that stuff. Yes yes i know if they remade DE1 JC might actually have those powers now, technological advancements and all that, but still, same argument I have against the Bioshock prequel. I want to see a story PROGRESS not go back! Imagine what they could have done with a real sequel storyline wise with all the endings of IW. Personally, I thought IWs setting (a mixture of the originals endings if i understand right) was quite good!
Invisible War also however made a few (lol) mistakes in that it attempted to shy away from the character creation and into the ethics or choices with people more. In actual fact it just ended up cutting out the stat parts imo. This is a bad thing. Yes, even for casual gamers. Remember all those side missions and little tidbits of info you would stumble across in the original? Find something good out of it and you gained not only items but these dreaded stat points too! The best part about the stat system in the original was that if you didnt want to go around finding all these secret bits and pieces, it didnt have a huge effect on the game. It just made it more fun when you overheard some guy talking about, say, a hidden floor in someones office, and you went and found it, and in addition over time made you slightly more powerful too.
Well damn, it seems ive got a reasonably sized rant already, I'll have to cut down on my ranting for the rest.
DE3 will be console/PC mass market oriented. Of course it will. I mean, come on... auto healing?! Thats just another kick in the face. If the original could manage knowing the difference between getting hit in the arm, leg or face AND having it affect you correctly then why cant this? What the hell is wrong with the good old % of life!?
Right. Thats it. Im taking my Deus Ex 1 fanboi leave now. For now. While i wait for the nameless mod to come out.
If the original was classed as one of the best games ever shouldn't the developers be trying to stay as close to the mechanics as possible?
Mechanics are what make a game a game, just imagine the uproar if the Halo sequels abandoned what made it?
Invisible War was seriously underdeveloped, it was Deus Ex in just name..... why does it take the customers to point out what these developers/publishers can't/refuse to see?
I for one, personally really really really hate prequels. Im probably just picking holes already but its fun to see how we'll get "'bungee jump' tentacles that shoot from your back and anchor to a wall when you jump off a building, and the ability to punch through walls to grab enemies in neighbouring rooms." BEFORE the likes of JC Denton, who was, if im not mistaken, one of the first nano-aug'd people to appear who didnt have any of that stuff. Yes yes i know if they remade DE1 JC might actually have those powers now, technological advancements and all that, but still, same argument I have against the Bioshock prequel. I want to see a story PROGRESS not go back! Imagine what they could have done with a real sequel storyline wise with all the endings of IW. Personally, I thought IWs setting (a mixture of the originals endings if i understand right) was quite good!
I get what you're saying about a prequel,almost cried when I saw that in the title and honeslty hope that Bioshock 2 isn't a prequel either (wait that might be cool actually).The augmentations do sound amazing and if i'm correct then no,JC was not the first nano-augmented soldier.It was the likes of Anna and Gunther before him that looked more like mechs then they did like Denton,who was the first one to look completely human (apart from the fact that he can't smile little DEUS EX trivia for you there)Also on the topic of this being released on console I say HOORAY I don't have to buy a pc now,my 360 will serve me just fine,now if only Diablo 3 would be released on 360 hmmm. . .anyway I can't wait for this game to come out (hopefully xmas 09) cause screw:Fallout 3,LBP or Gears 2,DEUS EX 3 is my most anticipated game EVER!
Mmm,I'm very weary of this game without Warren Spector at the helm. And the cover system means they're are making the game more action-oriented and that's NOT what the DE series is supposed to be about.
I'll hope for the best,but certainly prepare for the worst.
After reading the preview now I've gotten used to the idea of "cover" as opposed to "hiding in shadows". That was always more Thief's thing, so proper hiding is more realistic.
However, a third-person view for taking that cover is not, nor is the stupid auto-heal idea which I still can't get my head round. If this is a prequel, why isn't auto-healing in either of the other games?
While Invisible War had many problems, I think it at least had a really good stab at making the ending of Deus Ex ambiguous - it could really have been any of them. While it would've been much more difficult to do that with Invisible War's endings as they were so totally different and incompatible with each other, I still don't like the idea of a prequel.
Nevertheless, it's going high in my Most Wanted list.
well, i can't really decide if this excites or annoys me.
first thing, cover system - if it's only for stealth fine, whatever, i never use stealthy tactics in games anyway so that affects me in no way. BUT if they plan on using it in the way we see in Gears and Mass Effect then thats not good, Deus Ex isn't about "duck and cover".
Auto healing - works fine in games like gears and COD4, but is it right for a RPG like Deus Ex? i'm not so sure. Medbots and repair bots were always such fun , always to be found in the most ridiculous of places. And yeah, as someone mentioned beforehand about DE1 knowing which part you'd been hit in and adapting to that, it was ingenious and original (at the time), if they could replicate that system, and add to it, it would be great.
New mods - on a sidenot they're already giving a wee bit of the plot away there, "You're cast as average joe Adam Jensen" - apparently you're not the average Joe if you have biomod arhitechture, at that time it would have to be something you were genetically engineered to do, not something you can just be given, no?. So thus i'm gonna go ahead and assume you are some kind of proto-type biomodified human, unknowingly ofcourse. I'm sure everyone else guessed this would happen anyway mind you.
BUT anyway, yes. The mods sound more advanced than they had in DE1, but with greater advances in technology nowadays who can really blame them for wanting to make the most out of the engine they're using and give you better powers, even if its screws up the games continuity a wee tad. Its a case of "we couldn't do it back then with the limitations we had, now we can, so why not?", it wouldn't really be very fun if they dumbed down the biomods just for the sake of keeping continuity up.
In my humble opinion i thought that IW was pretty darn good, sure it had nothing on DE1, but it was good and i'm confident i'll buy and enjoy DE3 regardless, but whether or not it hits the highs set by the first outing we'll have to wait and see i guess.
Why do they seem to think that REMOVING bits will make the greatest game ever made better? Invisible War was p**s poor because they took out half the RPG elements to "streamline " it (read: make more console friendly for the lazy people who can't handle proper RPG).
*sigh* they should simply expand on the original somewhat - bigger levels, more freedom, more augs and skills, return to the mildly stat-assisted combat, give more interaction with the NPCs and fire anybody who thinks that bits should be removed.
Regenerating health and a cover system... eh, I dunno.... got to move with the times I guess.
I had the same misgivings about Mass Effect and that turned out to be one of the best games ever, so I say give them the benefit of the doubt and see how it looks before going all Diablo 3/Fallout 3-fanboy on their asses.
Deus Ex being the best game ever created, Deus Ex IW taking the best game ever created and moving with the times IE, PC console port. Deus Ex3 is going to be Deus Ex IW but with the annoying bits taken out but even still, the dev' team don't give a hooting hell about any fanboi opinion who are the only people who really understand what made the original great in the first place. So I think anybody wishing for any glimmer of a credible Deus Ex game is going to be disapointed.
I'm really looking forward to this. I loved the original and must be one of the few people who loved the sequel too, even more than the first infact, and hey thats my opinion.
It'll be interesting to see how the new Augs are put into effect. Punching through walls sounds interesting, but will it be only certain walls or any wall in the game? The recharging health although becoming fairly standard in games these days sounds a little off the beaten track to me. Personally I really enjoyed finding and using the health packs and repair bots in the previous games. Time will tell how this new system is implemented.
I think what made the first two games so good for me was the atmosphere and hopefully this will have the same feeling. I for one am still keeping a keen eye on this new game in the series.
I could never get into deus ex so hopefully this will help me find a series that everybody has been talking about while i haver been a half life fan boy.
I'm scared. Deus Ex is THE best game, IW was a disappointment and Deus Ex 3... I don't know, it was on the top my "Most Wanted" list, right above Diablo 3, but now I'm scared. I'm starting to be uncertain.
This would make me very worried if I hadn’t already had my interest in a Deus Ex sequel crushed by Invisible War. I was so excited about DE: IW before release (and I even enjoyed parts of it) but after it ended I felt like I had been cheated. It seems like we’re about to jump on the same ride for a second run around the track so I’m not getting too excited. Flavour of the month game mechanics like a cover system aren’t exactly raising my hopes. I’m expecting this to bear some small resemblance to the game I love but it will almost certainly have more in common with its hollow, soulless younger sibling.
It's blatantly obvious from reading through the article that whoever's in charge of the project hasn't got the first clue about what made the first game so loved, and is merely trying to wedge some s**t generic game into the IP in order to exploit the Deus Ex branding.
It's incredibly short-sighted of them. It won't be long now until the Deus Ex brand has got about as much credibility as the newer Star Wars or Alien movies.
Errrm.. am i the only one who read it properly... cover system for STEALTH. Aka hiding behind something so they dont see you and none of that im in shadow so you cant see me crap.
Velocitar unfortunately you are correct. I would be surprised if these new developers have even played the original. I would be shocked if any one who developed IW even played the original.
The entire gaming industry has become uninspired much like the movie industry, no longer is it about the love, it's all about making money.
Why are all the original games the best? Talented developers who loved what they do with nothing to lose, wild and free to do what they wanted. = Awesomeness to the N'th degree!
Why do they suck now? Structured, afraid of losing job, company not making profit, make it easy "casual" and keep it within this cookie cutter framework = Uninspired barely passable garbage.
Ah well. If it's crap I won't be buying it, simple really. I don't *have* to have it just because it's got Deus Ex in the title, and thanks to the fact that I can keep reinstalling my original copy of the first game I will have that for as long as I want it.
A shame, but hey ho. 'Cover system' - my ar$e... Honestly.
I think a lot of you are being needlessly pessimistic here. I replay Deus Ex about once a year, so am as keen as anyone to see the new game. Won't be playing it on a console, of course, that'd be sacrilege. Might have to update my computer, but it'll be two years old by then.
Anyway, rather than pan this game before we've even played it, how about a little optimism and faith in the developers? I know many of you (like me) are still hurting from the travesty that was the Phantom Menace, but it'd be folly to let that colour your judgement on all prequels.
Firstly, with the cover system... it's only for stealth. Nothing at all related to Gears Of War (read the damn article ffs) -- he just meant that stealth will be based on your position behind objects rather than how dark the place your sitting in is.
Secondly, in response to "pcg_donola", I'm sorry but you -are- mistaken. Paul Denton was the very first 'Nano Augmented' agent. JC Denton was the second (and between Walton Simons and Bob Page, you have the 3rd and 4th Nano-Aug people).
Anna Navarre, Gunther Herman, Gen. Carter and that barmaid chick were "Mechanically" Augmented.
The difference being that Nano Aug agents are physically human, with nano-machines enhancing their capabilities. A "mech" (as they were called in DE1) had mechanical (or robotic) machines replace certain body parts.
One of the plot devices in DE1 was that the Mech agents were concerned about becoming obselete due to this radically advanced new technology...
Anyway... chances are, you will be a Mech in this prequel - and as a Mech I imagine thin walls would be a minor obstacle for you. There is also the possibility of an augmented suit (like the MJ12 commandos) but that might get lawyers from Half-Life involved
I am going to play it, but as a rule; I wish developers and execs hungry for money should realize that you don't mess with a game in a series. Okay, you can tweak it, but don't change it so much so that people NEW to the franchise will love it i.e. if it was originally a game for a certain fan base, DO NOT make the sequels for casual gamers or pick up n' play or shooters if it was originally meant to be a sneaker. DON'T MAKE IT HALO! It's as if HALO is better than ANY game out there, IT IS NOT! That annoys me. Stupid, clever, "oh we gotta make it like Game A because Game A is sooo hot right now." I hate bandwagon Bull*/%^, especially when it comes to games.
To Humorguy, you are right; they don't make those games like they used to. I believe strongly that Unreal Tournament was the slow virus in the Grand PC gaming era of Deus Ex and Thief (although they did make another Thief like the original to finish out the storyline which was excellent, although it didn't get much if at all press in my opinion).
I'm getting the impression that quite a few of you don't quite understand the developers. Its almost completely clear that they aren't going for another complete rpg deus ex game. They're changing it up a bit.
It looks more like an action rps from the sound of it. Auto healing like call of duty and a cover system? They're going for more of an actiony game, that much is clear. If they were going for another original deus ex, then I'm sorry, but I think it could only go downhill.
Deus Ex was an amazing game, and I think we all realize that. That's just it though. Sometimes you can't make something better than the original, so that means that its time to change things up.
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little DEUS EX trivia for you there)Also on the topic of this being released on console I say HOORAY I don't have to buy a pc now,my 360 will serve me just fine,now if only Diablo 3 would be released on 360 hmmm. . .anyway I can't wait for this game to come out (hopefully xmas 09) cause screw:Fallout 3,LBP or Gears 2,DEUS EX 3 is my most anticipated game EVER! 
, always to be found in the most ridiculous of places. And yeah, as someone mentioned beforehand about DE1 knowing which part you'd been hit in and adapting to that, it was ingenious and original (at the time), if they could replicate that system, and add to it, it would be great. 
