Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Black Friday
    • Gaming
      • Black Friday PS5 Deals
      • Black Friday Switch Deals
      • Black Friday Xbox Deals
      • Black Friday Retro Deals
    • PC
      • Black Friday Gaming Laptop Deals
      • Black Friday Gaming Monitor Deals
      • Black Friday Graphics Card Deals
      • Black Friday Alienware Deals
    • Tabletop & Merch
      • Black Friday Lego Deals
      • Black Friday Board Game Deals
      • Black Friday Pokémon Card Deals
      • Black Friday Warhammer Deals
      • Gift Guides
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Quizzes
    • Newsletters
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
  • home
  • Black Friday
    • View Black Friday
      • Black Friday PS5 Deals
      • Black Friday Switch Deals
      • Black Friday Xbox Deals
      • Black Friday Retro Deals
      • Black Friday Gaming Laptop Deals
      • Black Friday Gaming Monitor Deals
      • Black Friday Graphics Card Deals
      • Black Friday Alienware Deals
      • Black Friday Lego Deals
      • Black Friday Board Game Deals
      • Black Friday Pokémon Card Deals
      • Black Friday Warhammer Deals
      • Gift Guides
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Quizzes
    • Newsletters
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
A screenshot compares Deus Ex 2000 to the upcoming remaster
Action RPGs Deus Ex Remastered announced, coming to PS5 in February to remind players 2000s RPGs were cool as hell: "Proceed with caution"
Exodus
RPGs New sci-fi RPG from ex Mass Effect devs shares "some DNA" with BioWare's beloved series, but also Sony's Horizon and Nintendo's Metroid
Pragmata screenshot showing Diana, an android who looks like a little girl with long blonde hair, using what appears to be a hacking ability
Action Games Pragmata: Everything you need to know about Capcom's new sci-fi adventure game
Upcoming Xbox Series X games header image featuring State of Decay 3, Fable 4, The Outer Worlds 2, and South of Midnight
FPS Games Upcoming Xbox Series X games for 2025 and beyond
Deus Ex Remastered screenshot
RPGs "Getting a GTA Trilogy demaster feeling about this": Deus Ex Remastered is meant to be a 2025 upgrade, but fans aren't impressed by PS3 visuals when Deus Ex GOTY Edition is right there
Star Wars: Eclipse screenshot shows two lightsabers with an advancing army in the background
RPGs Star Wars Eclipse: Everything we know so far
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty screenshots
Cyberpunk CD Projekt Red is teasing something Cyberpunk 2077-shaped with a mysterious new message, and fans are desperately trying to work out if it could be sequel news, DLC, or something else entirely
A close-up of the poster for the upcoming game, Physint.
Action Games Physint: Everything we know about Hideo Kojima's new game
A screenshot from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 showing Maelle fighting an enemy.
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 writer warns against a classic game hangup: "deus ex machina" power creep that makes you wonder "why didn't they just do this from the beginning"
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 screenshot of Verso, a man with black hair with white streaks running through his fringe
JRPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs denied DLC plans, but now the French JRPG's director admits that may have changed: "We may be cooking"
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 studio's next game won't necessarily be an RPG: "We don't want to be constrained by story, art style or gameplay"
Upcoming PC games 2025 header imagine featuring InZoi / Split Fiction / Elden Ring: Nightreign / Dune: Awakening
PC Gaming Upcoming PC games: New PC games for 2025 and beyond
Ash and the player clash blades in Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, a QTE prompt in the middle of the screen
Open World Games Close enough, welcome back Anthem – I'm loving that Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion has shifted gears to smaller, nimbler mech suit action
A screenshot from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, showing a man named Verso covered in dirt and blood, looking into the camera.
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead says the hit French JRPG is just "one of the stories that we want to tell in this franchise," but thinks "the only way" to succeed "is to ignore the first game completely"
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
RPGs Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 lead teases "something new on the horizon" as the action RPG's final DLC goes live, sparking speculation about Warhorse's next project
Trending
  • Early Black Friday deals
  • Fallout Season 2
  • New Games for 2025
  • Gift Guides
  1. Games

Deus Ex: Human Defiance - What we want and what we know

Features
By Jason Fanelli published 1 March 2013

The revolution won't be televised again

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

A new Deus Ex is overdeus

A new Deus Ex is overdeus

Square Enix recently put in a new trademark application for "Deus Ex: Human Defiance." Some speculated that this could be the Deus Ex movie we've heard (so little) about, but we don't think that's the case. No, we believe that Human Defiance is a new Deus Ex game.

As we ponder the idea of another foray in human augmentation land, we present 10 things that the next Deus Ex game should include. As much as we enjoyed Human Revolution, there can always be "augmentations."

Page 1 of 12
Page 1 of 12
Bring back Adam Jensen

Bring back Adam Jensen

Adam Jensen is a certifiable badass. He is literally a human butt-kicking machine, augmented with more gadgetry and weapons than any normal person should have. He was the perfect hero for Human Revolution, and we can only assume he'll be perfect in the next game.

It also helps that he was voiced by the amazing Elias Toufexis. The phrase "I never asked for this" wouldn't be the Internet joke it is without Toufexis voicing the character.

Page 2 of 12
Page 2 of 12
Give us more tools to make stealth fun

Give us more tools to make stealth fun

Part of Human's Revolution's success rested on the blending of stealth and shooting. Each situation could be solved multiple ways, however it always seemed like shooting our way through was just easier.

We want more of an incentive to take the stealth route, and we want more tools to make that stealth seem easier to achieve. Cloaking and silent steps are a good start, but we could use a little more to become the ultimate cyber-ninja.

Page 3 of 12
Page 3 of 12
Enhance the upgrade system

Enhance the upgrade system

The upgrade system in Human Revolution is a thing of beauty, splitting upgrades by body part and allowing us to pick and choose at will. Still, we always felt like we couldn't upgrade everything; we had to forego some augments we really wanted in favor of more practical enhancements.

We're not sure if the number of enhancements should be scaled back a bit or if there should be more opportunity to obtain more Praxis points, but we'd like to be able to give every enhancement its due. So what if we become an over-powered hero...isn't that the point?!

Page 4 of 12
Page 4 of 12
Include more obvious tie-ins to other Deus Ex games, especially older games

Include more obvious tie-ins to other Deus Ex games, especially older games

We know the original games came out almost 15 years ago, but that doesn't mean we've forgotten about them. Human Revolution did have some references to the predecessors, but old-time series fans didn't get quite the nostalgia fix they were hoping for.

Maybe we could run into J.C. Denton or meet with agents from UNATCO or MJ-12. We've already seen Bob Page in the opening of Human Revolution, why not give him more time? There are plenty of avenues to introduce some more old-time references, we just hope they'll be taken.

Page 5 of 12
Page 5 of 12
Set it after DX:HR, but before original games

Set it after DX:HR, but before original games

Human Revolution takes place in the year 2027. The original game is set in the 2050s. That's 25 to 30 years void of any Deus Ex lore, aside from in-game documents referencing those years. Why not put the next game right in the thick of it, further entwining the original concepts to the games of now?

The only way we'll agree to something after the original is if it's a complete re-imagining of Invisible War, because that game sorely needs it.

Page 6 of 12
Page 6 of 12
Let us explore new, larger cities (but make them just as detailed)

Let us explore new, larger cities (but make them just as detailed)

Detroit was an urban jungle, covered in the homeless, the sick, and the police. Hengsha was a sprawling metropolis on top of another sprawling metropolis. Both were majestic urban landscapes...but we know things can go bigger.

How about one city instead of two, but that city is the size of Skyrim? If the devs prefer multiple cities, how about some under-appreciated urban areas? Philadelphia comes to mind; it's the birthplace of America for cripes sake, why isn't it in more games?

Page 7 of 12
Page 7 of 12
Get rid of the boss fights

Get rid of the boss fights

Human Revolution's boss fights were, for lack of a better term, the proverbial turd in the punch bowl. They felt completely different from the rest of the game, they really added nothing to the story, and some of them were far too easy. We found out later that the boss fights had been outsourced, and that made a lot of sense.

If the big confrontations will serve no purpose, we don't even want to see them in the game. Leave them out, and find another way to challenge us. Don't do this again.

Page 8 of 12
Page 8 of 12
or make them make sense

or make them make sense

The only DLC for Human Revolution, The Missing Link, did have one boss fight at the end. However, its inclusion made far more sense in the overall scope of Deus Ex. We didn't have to bombard Pieter Burke with Typhoon ammo; we could be stealthy if we wished, or we could have bypassed the fight entirely. this is the way a Deus Ex boss fight should be!

As long as a new Deus Ex game follows the lead of The Missing Link and not the example of the main game, we should have no problems with bosses. Otherwise...ughhhhh.

Page 9 of 12
Page 9 of 12
Bring back Michael McCann for the soundtrack

Bring back Michael McCann for the soundtrack

Michael McCann's score for Human Revolution is sorely underrated. Every song is a masterpiece, from the energetic "Icarus - Main Theme" to the haunting "LIMB Clinic." There isn't a single song we don't like--even the main menu music gives us chills.

If a new Deus Ex game truly is in the works, McCann better have been the first person called for sound. His work on Human Revolution is far too good for him to be left out of a sequel.

Page 10 of 12
Page 10 of 12
Multiple, more varied endings

Multiple, more varied endings

For all the rage and multi-colored cupcakes that Mass Effect 3's ending caused, it's a wonder Human Revolution didn't have it even worse. There are four endings, yet all of them are the same piece of video with different voice-overs. Identical. Videos.

Look, we don't mind the "push a button" final choice at the end of Human Revolution--we get that choice. However, we want more from our endings than the same footage over and over, especially when there's a achievement for watching all four endings. Give us something we want to watch!

Page 11 of 12
Page 11 of 12
Our deus expectations are high

Our deus expectations are high

So, what do you think? We have high expectations after the recent prequel, and hope to see a next-gen Deus Ex in the near future. What sort of stuff do you want from the game?

And if you're looking for more, check out origin stories for game characters that you didn't know you wanted and the 100 most anticipated games of 2013.

Page 12 of 12
Page 12 of 12
Jason Fanelli
WHY HELLO THERE! Name's Jason, hailing from right outside Philadelphia. I've been playing the vidya games for well over 20 years, starting with the NES and making my way all the way up to the Wii U. My mother tells people that I taught myself to read at age 3 using Wheel of Fortune Family Edition on the NES. I'm the type of guy that will try anything once, but I do have a few favorite genres, fighting and RPG being at the top. I've been writing about video games since I finished my Broadcast Journalism degree at Temple University in December 2008, mostly for www.gamernode.com. Since then I've been to three E3s, two New York Comic Cons, the first ever PAX East, and many more to come (I hope). I hope everyone enjoys my stuff as much as I love producing it. Hit me up on Twitter @bigmanfanelli, I love talking games with anyone and everyone.
Read more
A screenshot compares Deus Ex 2000 to the upcoming remaster
Deus Ex Remastered announced, coming to PS5 in February to remind players 2000s RPGs were cool as hell: "Proceed with caution"
 
 
Exodus
New sci-fi RPG from ex Mass Effect devs shares "some DNA" with BioWare's beloved series, but also Sony's Horizon and Nintendo's Metroid
 
 
Pragmata screenshot showing Diana, an android who looks like a little girl with long blonde hair, using what appears to be a hacking ability
Pragmata: Everything you need to know about Capcom's new sci-fi adventure game
 
 
Upcoming Xbox Series X games header image featuring State of Decay 3, Fable 4, The Outer Worlds 2, and South of Midnight
Upcoming Xbox Series X games for 2025 and beyond
 
 
Deus Ex Remastered screenshot
"Getting a GTA Trilogy demaster feeling about this": Deus Ex Remastered is meant to be a 2025 upgrade, but fans aren't impressed by PS3 visuals when Deus Ex GOTY Edition is right there
 
 
Star Wars: Eclipse screenshot shows two lightsabers with an advancing army in the background
Star Wars Eclipse: Everything we know so far
 
 
Latest in Games
Half-Life 2
Ex Valve designer reveals the door and big toe that retroactively broke Half-Life 2: "This isn't a normal bug - it appears to have traveled backwards in time and infected the original!"
 
 
Hollow Knight: Silksong needle master cutscene
Silksong is shockingly cheap at just $20, but Team Cherry says it just tries to "price the games at a reasonable level for people," man
 
 
Hytale
Hytale is priced so "aggressively low" that its returning owner is "taking on a considerable personal risk," but "charging more didn't feel right" because "I don't think the game is good yet"
 
 
Minecraft
Minecraft player redefines sadness with the world's worst challenge, living in an inhospitable wasteland with only one Bonus Chest of items: "I think we can work with this"
 
 
Varsapura screenshots
After 4 years, Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail dev's mystery game seemingly revealed to be the open-world game Varsapura, in a trailer that screams Control so loud I'd bet Remedy heard it in Finland
 
 
Stellar Blade
Stellar Blade Eve actor Rebecca Hanssen says she was "totally wowed" by the game's success: "When I was recording it, I had no idea how big it was going to become"
 
 
Latest in Features
Steve Rogers and Nick Fury Jr. conferring
Captain America #6 will send Steve Rogers and Nick Fury Jr's new SHIELD into the "powder keg" of a war-torn Latveria where they'll have to "reckon with the ghost of Doom" as well as the rampaging Red Hulk
 
 
Will from Moonlighter 2 runs towards us, against a GamesRadar+ On The Radar background
On the Radar with Moonlighter 2 – delving beyond the early access launch of this roguelike RPG with exclusive developer access
 
 
Will sells many items at once in Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, with a GamesRadar+ On the Radar frame
Moonlighter 2’s shop system solves the age-old RPG issue of your bag being filled with useless tat
 
 
Key art for Marathon showing a colorful cybernetic character with a gun taking cover, with a GamesRadar+ frame that reads 'PS5: Five Year Anniversary'
The run-up to Marathon's release has been such a train wreck that it's easy to forget that the game might still be really good
 
 
Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård as Colin and Ray in Pillion
Leave your expectations for Alexander Skarsgård's new movie Pillion at the door: it's steamy and sexy, but it's so much more than a rom-com
 
 
Key art for Rue Valley showing Eugene Harrow hanging upside down with a digital clock display showing 20:47 over his eyes, in front of the Rue Valley Motel above a highway
Rue Valley is a time looping RPG that's best off leaning away from Disco Elysium comparisons, and getting Monkey Island with it instead
 
 
  1. Key art showing Constance with a paintbrush on a background of brushstrokes
    1
    Constance review: "If Hollow Knight: Silksong seems too daunting, this wonderful paint powered adventure should do nicely"
  2. 2
    This enthralling team board game is perfect for playing with family this Thanksgiving
  3. 3
    Kirby Air Riders review: "This racer is also equal parts fighting game, minigame collection, and roguelike – and I'm shocked at how well that works"
  4. 4
    Demonschool review: "This Persona-inspired RPG is full of fun, flair, and ready to chomp away at your free time"
  5. 5
    Morsels review: "The Binding of Isaac style roguelike shooting gets somehow grosser, but struggles to set itself apart"
  1. Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked: For Good
    1
    Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
  2. 2
    The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
  3. 3
    Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
  4. 4
    Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review "Storytelling just as compelling as the chainsaws, devils, and visually excessive fight scenes"
  5. 5
    Tron: Ares review: "Misses out by swapping the Grid for the real world"
  1. Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka, looking scared, in Pluribus.
    1
    Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
  2. 2
    The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
  3. 3
    IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
  4. 4
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"
  5. 5
    Marvel Zombies review: "A fun expansion of the What If episode with delightful MCU Easter eggs and truly gross R-rated kills"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...