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

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."

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.

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.

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?!

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.