before playing this game, i was apprehensive if it could follow up deus ex (2000) and live up to the expectations i had set in my own head. the first game evokes very many specific feelings, and was overall a unique experience that's hard to beat or replicate. thankfully, i think human revolution has done a good job of coming close to that, and i'm happy that i played it.

the deciding factor in whether or not i would like this game came down to whether it would "feel" like deus ex, or not. i think this is about as good as it gets for a sequel made without anyone from the original team. it uses original characters from the first game tastefully and subtly, and despite its limitations as a prequel, the story still goes above and beyond in its scope that still feels believable in-universe. narratively, human revolution presents earlier conflicts of human augmentation and what that means for people, which is a subject that the first game somewhat touched on but didn't dive too deep into. we got a glimpse here and there, from characters such as tracer tong and gunther, but in human revolution all of the world-building and character interactions are founded on the ethical dilemma of augmentation and bio-technology.

in this way, the game is more overtly philosophical and even more serious than the first game. while there is campy-ness here and there, it is ultimately up to you to decide whether you prefer the open-ended philosophical style of the first game's storytelling, or the more structured and overtly conveyed philosophical style of human revolution. to me, i found the lack of structure in this sense more appealing in the original game, as it allowed me to come to certain conclusions myself without any influence, even long after i finished the game. in human revolution, your character is less of a blank slate, and has his own sense of ethics and morals, which leaves a lot more impression on decisions you make. when these decisions are presented to you, they are presented a lot more seriously and at length than in the first game. both approaches have their own merits, and i did enjoy playing the role of adam jensen, it was just different than what i was previously used to. overall, i enjoyed the narrative and how it was presented, such as keeping with the theme of the first game and allowing you to shape aspects of it throughout the decisions that you make.

gameplay-wise, it was a bit clunky at the start, because i had become so used to playing deus ex (2000) on keyboard and mouse, and now i was playing this game with a controller for the first time. and with many actions set to a limited set of buttons, it took some getting used to. thankfully, they removed a lot of actions that were present in the first game, which made learning to use the controller a lot easier in the long run, however on the flip side it was also not necessarily the best change as a lot of the RPG actions were removed, and i found myself missing them from time to time, like being able to turn on the flashlight or use binoculars, or having a limb-based damage system. in spite of this, while streamlined, the gameplay still feels like deus ex. like the first game, i played this one with a stealth-based playstyle in mind, and also like the first game it accommodated me all the way through to the end. the game maintains a diverse range of options to tackle objectives and find secrets, and there were additions made (like new dialogue mechanics) that enriched the RPG nature of the experience.

the music lived up to expectations, and while feeling similar to the first game at times, still had its own identity. specifically, the music of human revolution felt to me much more somber and sobering compared to deus ex (2000), which in comparison felt more distant, adventurous, and hypnotising. i would extend this comparison to the overall aesthetic of both games as well, and to the stories, too. a simple thing to note is the stark aesthetic difference between the overwhelming amount of blue and gray in my memory of the first game, and an overwhelming amount of black and gold for this game, gold and blue being opposite colours. both games offer unique perspectives into their world, and despite these big differences it still ends up fitting like two pieces of a puzzle. i did find myself really happy when i heard the UNATCO theme from time to time on the in-game radio though, which made me feel nostalgic, and cements my thoughts on these two games and probably any future ones i play: amazing, but the original will always out-edge and out-shine any successor at least by a little bit.

My favorite games in the series although Deus Ex 2000 is generally the best. Story and gameplay are fantastic and can run on modern hardware without any problems

This game hits the spot if you're looking for a light immersive sim style game with stealth and action elements. Despite the games age, the gameplay and overall looks hold up. I do wish they didn't just throw the DLC in the middle of the story. It feels jarring with how they did that narrative wise. Good story, fun gunplay/gameplay. Not my favorite, but worth the time and money!