The deck was stacked quite heavily against Human Revolution. Not only was it the follow-up to one of the most beloved role-playing games in history (which had already had its brand poisoned by a lackluster sequel a few years back), but to make things worse, it was to be that most dubious of series offspring: a prequel.
Despite its perceived handicap, Deus Ex: Human Revolution managed to capture most of its progenitor’s black magic. Ignoring the much maligned boss fights, the latest Deus Ex brought so much variety – from its cyberpunk aesthetic to its emergent gameplay options – it puts most other games in the genre to shame. And all the while it allowed itself to be accessible to new players and referential to Warren Spector’s classic.
We may not be able to see the end of Deus Ex from here, after all. And according to its placement on this list, that’s a very, very good thing.
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