First things first: you need to see this trailer if you have even a fleeting interest in cyberpunk. Channeling everything from Blade Runner to The Diamond Age to The Matrix, the just-released E3 trailer for Deus Ex: Human Revolution (aka Deus Ex 3) is an orgy of gritty, dystopian near-futurism. So quit reading already and hit play, then check out our meticulous analysis of the augmentations revealed in this trailer.
Effing awesome, right? Early 2011 seems so far away! So let’s take a closer look at the augmentations we just saw in action. After a searing Daedalus reference and some moody cigarette smoking (which we saw in the first teaser,) we get a glimpse of cloaking in effect.
Above: The first thingwe noticed was the dual SMGs
This is clearly not the protagonist, Adam Jensen, unless he’s undergone some serious gender-bending augmentation. So, a partner/romantic interest then. Up next, we see a cyber-hand transform into a gun.
Above: Makes us want to watch Tetsuo II: Body Hammer again
Later this equipment is revealed to belong to a massive, grizzled cyber-soldier who threatens to deliver Adam unto hell and shows off another power, for lack of a better term we’ll call it a “ground pound.”
Above: The express elevator to hell
It’s unclear whether “gun hand” and “ground pound” belong exclusively to Grizzly Man, or if Adam will be able to install them as well. But we skipped ahead a little there.
Above: Is Mr. Brown controlled by remote?
We see Adam bust in on a cyber-peon wired to a terminal, who is then remote-controlled into shooting himself in the head (clearly against his will). It’s a bit of a guess here, but some kind of neural hacking/mind control augmentation would be the radness. We envision something like BioShock’s Enrage or Hypnotize plasmids. Adam goes on to fight a handful of guards with a couple interesting-looking melee attacks.
Above: The blade is later shown protruding backwards from the elbow
Above: Slap Chop to the face!
After a bit of exposition, we get a couple more tantalizing glimpses of augmentations in action. We see Adam breaking a freefall with a glowing yellow shield, which is clearly significant.
Above: Significance (see Daedalus reference)
Then we close with a bang as Adam smashes through a wall to snap the neck of an unsuspecting guard. This reveals two things: one, that he’ll have strength augmentations potentially leading to attacks like the ground pound.
Above: He probably shouldn’t have been standing there
Secondly, Adam has optical upgrades that enable him to see guards through walls. There are several glimpses of cybered-up eyes in the trailer, but look at this.
Above: Is that a Motorola logo on his eyepiece? Ewww
We expect more to be revealed soon at E3. Till then, leave a comment and let us know what augmentations you’d like to see in the new Deus Ex.
June 4, 2010
