Deus Ex 3

[Malcador]

Oh you were answering him literally. But yeah the 'hardest' setting isn't all that hard, can still cheese the guard AI - e.g. vents, a stunned comrade (they stand over him for a little bit), etc. The vents in Picus was the best though, had a shootout hiding in a vent shooting the guards' knees, heh.

Edited September 12, 2011 by Malcador

[Nepenthe]

Oh you were answering him literally. But yeah the 'hardest' setting isn't all that hard, can still cheese the guard AI - e.g. vents, a stunned comrade (they stand over him for a little bit), etc. The vents in Picus was the best though, had a shootout hiding in a vent shooting the guards' knees, heh.

It gets a bit more involved when you are "Ghost"ing it.

[Malcador]

Hm, maybe, wasn't all that bothersome due to convenient cover and lack of random patrols (something that would have been cool for the highest difficulty). So should be a piece of cake. Missed on a lot XP due to deciding to give stealth a break and do the Professional approach from Hitman, so killed if it made things simpler

Edited September 12, 2011 by Malcador

[Orogun01]

Oh you were answering him literally. But yeah the 'hardest' setting isn't all that hard, can still cheese the guard AI - e.g. vents, a stunned comrade (they stand over him for a little bit), etc. The vents in Picus was the best though, had a shootout hiding in a vent shooting the guards' knees, heh.

It gets a bit more involved when you are "Ghost"ing it.

Actually thanks to radar not even that, although you may have to forfeit a few goodies in order to get bonus or at least spend some reloads figuring out the situation. Quite frankly a bit into the game I couldn't be bothered to make the effort.

[Tigranes]

Trying to kill the second boss,

the woman

, and being generally annoyed. I'm not sure why, but TW2's bosses never pissed me off like this - I suppose because I was better at manipulating the various combat skills involved. I'm not good enough at shooting and in first person it's hard to dodge things, as well.

 

Conversely, I'm wondering how much there is to go, since I've already got most of the praxis upgrades I want, but story/hub wise it seems like there's a while left. Kind of disappointed by the character development system - there are some cool stuff like the icarus landing and punching through walls, but don't see a lot of different Adam Jensens being possible. Still, having loads of fun jumping out of vents on top of guards, etc.

[Malcador]

Got Typhoon fully upgraded ? If so, get the heavy rifle, shoot her, typhoon, then shoot her again (or typhoon again then shoot her). Chew energy bars as needed. Kind of a cheesy solution, but hey.

[Orogun01]

Conversely, I'm wondering how much there is to go, since I've already got most of the praxis upgrades I want, but story/hub wise it seems like there's a while left. Kind of disappointed by the character development system - there are some cool stuff like the icarus landing and punching through walls, but don't see a lot of different Adam Jensens being possible. Still, having loads of fun jumping out of vents on top of guards, etc.

By the end of the game its really hard to get a feel for specialization since you can do pretty much anything.

 

On your trouble, I recommend use effects grenades with the augs to resist them. If you don't have the augs then go for the alternative planting mines or using hit and run tactics, anyways that fight its a dozy.

[Raithe]

Trying to kill the second boss,

the woman

, and being generally annoyed. I'm not sure why, but TW2's bosses never pissed me off like this - I suppose because I was better at manipulating the various combat skills involved. I'm not good enough at shooting and in first person it's hard to dodge things, as well.

 

Conversely, I'm wondering how much there is to go, since I've already got most of the praxis upgrades I want, but story/hub wise it seems like there's a while left. Kind of disappointed by the character development system - there are some cool stuff like the icarus landing and punching through walls, but don't see a lot of different Adam Jensens being possible. Still, having loads of fun jumping out of vents on top of guards, etc.

 

Remember, EMP and Stun Gun is your friend, that and keeping an eye on the water to see where she's running when cloaked... Blow up the computer cores and chunks of the water will also get electrified...

 

Edit: The first time I met that boss, I was chewing the walls in frustration before I got the knack. The second playthrough and she was toast in seconds.

Edited September 13, 2011 by Raithe

[Tigranes]

I actually never found a Typhoon. I don't know how. I have gone through areas without exploring every nook and cranny, just to leave stuff for a second playthrough, but I imagine that was something very hard to miss...

 

Worked it out with

dermal upgrade for no electricity damage, then EMP grenades / blowing up power generators + shotgun to the face when paralysed.

 

[Hurlshort]

I actually never found a Typhoon. I don't know how. I have gone through areas without exploring every nook and cranny, just to leave stuff for a second playthrough, but I imagine that was something very hard to miss...

 

Worked it out with

dermal upgrade for no electricity damage, then EMP grenades / blowing up power generators + shotgun to the face when paralysed.

 

You use Praxis kits to enable the Typhoon ability. Then all you need is ammo to make it work.

[Tigranes]

Ohh. I thought you needed a weapon, too. All this time I've been lugging round spare praxis & typhoon ammo. >.<

[Orogun01]

Ohh. I thought you needed a weapon, too. All this time I've been lugging round spare praxis & typhoon ammo. >.<

just F2

[HoonDing]

How can Jensen use Typhoon without ruining his clothes?

[Lexx]

How can he use 360

[Nepenthe]

How can he use 360

[Gorgon]

It doesn't hold a candle to the spy drone with the EMP attack from DX1.

[Tigranes]

Nearing endgame now I think - just arrived in

Panchaea

. Can't help but feel that it is a good, fun game, but definitely not creative or excellent in any way. I can't remember the last game that was so consistently good-not-great.

 

(1) Solid gameplay but limited by particularly static AI (they just find one cover and stay there... even Alpha Protocol's was better I think, or at least, combat pacing was faster so it didn't matter as much that the enemies were doing pop-a-mole) and the sameyness of all the hubs / levels / areas (chutes, offices, corridors...)

(2) Generally well delivered dialogue and a cool convo game, but a really, really meh story - there's quite a few interesting things in the background, but both the main plot thus far, and more importantly, Jensen/the player's involvement in that plot, is really cookie cutter. Hugh Darrow, Bill Taggart, Zhao - they're all interchangeable despite clear differences in who they are supposed to be, and the same with the mercenaries.

(3) I've already mentioned the limits of the praxis system, and in particular, too much XP.

 

I did 'rush' through quite a few areas, and never reloaded for a few things I wanted to do differently (letting

Sandoval shoot himself, getting the biochip upgrade

), so I think I'll have fun with another playthrough, but beyond that... not too much to remember.

[Wombat]

As for (1) and (3), I guess the game-play appears to be better when you are not found out. XP seems to boost up when the player chooses stealth options, too.

 

(2) As for the plot/choices, I'm inclined to agree. It doesn't offer even two main divisions like the Witcher 2 and Bioware games. Also, the players don't have much choices in characterizing Jensen...probably they try to follow the original formula of a silent guy with sunglasses, who lets the players imagine how they think.

(2)Hugh Darrow, Bill Taggart, Zhao - they're all interchangeable despite clear differences in who they are supposed to be

Well, I don't think I can agree with this one.

An idealistic scientist who may imagine himself as an Atlas who burdens himself with the "responsibility" of his own innovation. A Kantian politician who thinks a "civil" society needs a certain codes rather than sheer freedom. And an Asian baad woman?

Are they interchangeable? At least, I don't think many games have such characters, I mean, except the last one...even if even the former two are not so special in other pop culture genres.

[Spider]

(1) Solid gameplay but limited by particularly static AI (they just find one cover and stay there... even Alpha Protocol's was better I think, or at least, combat pacing was faster so it didn't matter as much that the enemies were doing pop-a-mole) and the sameyness of all the hubs / levels / areas (chutes, offices, corridors...)

 

What difficulty are you playing on? Because enemies when I'm found out tend to move around and attempt to flank.

[Tigranes]

I'm sure that my opinion will change when I see how the remainder of the game plays out. What I mean by interchangeable, though, is that... well, basically, when you think about what they believe in and what role they are meant to play in the world, Taggart and Darrow, for instance, are very different. But if we're talking about how we are introduced them and our interactions with them in the actual game, I mean, Hugh Darrow just pops out of nowhere. If I didn't read the e-books I'd have little clue who the hell he was. As it is, I don't think the whole Panchaea stuff gets enough buildup to really surprise - I mean, I'm

in there to stop him now

and still don't really know

what Darrow wants exactly, what Panchaea is exactly, etc

. It doesn't help that

you finally find Megan Reed and after 15 seconds she's sending you away on some Quest.

So far, you could easily have erased either Darrow or Taggart, and merged them into one smooth-talking influential character, and the plot would roll along just fine - even though the two have completely different viewpoints on augmentation!

 

It's the same with the

Zhao / Eliza stuff at Montreal - they are clearly defined characters in concept, a ruthless power-hungry TYM boss and an AI that has begun to doubt its orders -

but there is no development, no reflection, no philosophical discussion even. And again, although I let

Zeke Sanders

live, when I found him again I basically shot him on reflex and that was the end of it. Combined with the lack of any real choice in the plot so far, basically I stop caring - there is no reason for me to have any investment, beyond fringe connections to the original DX. The only exceptions were

Sandoval and the old detective

.

 

edit: I play Deus Ex difficulty, and the routines seem very simple - (1) if they're caught out in open, walk backwards to the nearest cover, then stay there; (2) if they're already behind cover, stay there. You only get some interesting exceptions when (1) they can't see you well enough so decide to rush you; (2) they have cloaking augmentation; (3) there are more than 3-4 enemies, in which case they do attempt to flank. But in many many areas, I could just take cover by the entrance, pull out the 10mm laser sight, and headshot each goon one by one - because of course many of them just keep popping up and down at the same place. It's a pity because the game shows in a few places how exciting and dangerous the combat could be if the enemies were more proactive - e.g. escaping

the top of the TYM tower

.

[Wombat]

So far, you could easily have erased either Darrow or Taggart, and merged them into one smooth-talking influential character, and the plot would roll along just fine - even though the two have completely different viewpoints on augmentation!

They have different backgrounds and motivations but I see the reasons why you haven't come across with them. That said, I agree that they are not exceptions about the character-development through PC-NPC interactions below.

 

It's the same with the

Zhao / Eliza stuff at Montreal - they are clearly defined characters in concept, a ruthless power-hungry TYM boss and an AI that has begun to doubt its orders -

but there is no development, no reflection, no philosophical discussion even. And again, although I let

Zeke Sanders

live, when I found him again I basically shot him on reflex and that was the end of it. Combined with the lack of any real choice in the plot so far, basically I stop caring - there is no reason for me to have any investment, beyond fringe connections to the original DX. The only exceptions were

Sandoval and the old detective

.

I agree with you here. In fact, as for the lack of the character developments including the protagonist, some people on the net, including me, have already mentioned it. The lack of the inter-PC/NPC character development was present even in the original Deus Ex, not mentioning the Invisible War, and I wondered about it even before the release of DXHR. For some previews mentioned the PC-NPC interactions but they didn't mention the character/story development as the result of them. There are some interesting characterizations but they feel "sand-boxed" into dependent parts rather than composing the story as a whole. Indeed, it feels very lacking especially when we are accustomed to works by Obsidian.

[Gorgon]

The dialouge was very weak from a choices perspective. The Achilles heel of all CRPGs, but the mini-game quality of it removed any sense of defining Adam or the path he was taking. Instead you chose whatever would 'win' the discussion and moved on to the next. No wonder it felt so compartmentalized. We also get more than a few cut scenes where Adam comes off as rather stupid and slow to react.

Edited September 15, 2011 by Gorgon

[Orogun01]

The dialouge was very weak from a choices perspective. The Achilles heel of all CRPGs, but the mini-game quality of it removed any sense of defining Adam or the path he was taking. Instead you chose whatever would 'win' the discussion and moved on to the next. No wonder it felt so compartmentalized. We also get more than a few cut scenes where Adam comes off as rather stupid and slow to react.

Not necessarily, since the CASIE aug wasn't foolproof. You still had to interpret the date based on the profile if you wanted a particular outcome rather than an easy solution. [spoiler ahead] Haas is a perfect example, the easy way to elicit a reaction its to go for the omega approach putting pressure on his insecurities. But it comes out to haunt you when the character appears on your building, and the CASIE aug read his reactions as being Omega when the Alpha approach would reach absolution and garner a positive response.

Plus Hugh Darrow gives out barely any tells.

 

In my case it made the experience more relevant since I had to pay attention to determine the right outcome, and reloading doesn't really help since the argument could go both ways.

[GhostofAnakin]

I've kind of lost interest in finishing this game. I thought it started off really good, but the story kind of became blah as it went along. I also don't see any of my choices actually having any effect on the story or world. At least not so far, unless at the very end everything I did determines some kind of outcome.

[Raithe]

I've kind of lost interest in finishing this game. I thought it started off really good, but the story kind of became blah as it went along. I also don't see any of my choices actually having any effect on the story or world. At least not so far, unless at the very end everything I did determines some kind of outcome.

 

To be fair, the original Deus Ex was like that. It gave the illusion of choice in the storyline without actually changing to any great degree. The helicopter pilot just takes the place of JC's brother for that "do what they say, which has them die, or ignore them and save their life" choice. The kill switch gets reversed from affecting the "bosses" to affecting Adam depending on a single decision you make.

 

Deus Ex has always been more about the atmosphere and the multile paths within the game levels rather then multiple paths in the story.