Deus Ex: Human Revolution
New trailer and analysis with the game's director.
Square Enix has released a brand new cinematic trailer introducing us to the world of Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
The trailer, which you can watch below, and from which we've captured a large number of still images, introduces us to Adam Jensen and the world of 2027.
Events in the game take place 25 years before the original Deus Ex, so biomechanical augmentations are all the rage with nanotechnological updates still some way off.
The game is set across five metropolises including Detroit, Shanghai and Montreal - home in the present day to developer Eidos Montreal, of course - and will be released for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in early 2011.
Given the series' background and fanatical support, we also used this week's trailer as an opportunity to speak to game director Jean-Francois Dugas, who talked us through some of the imagery and provided more context.
Check out the full interview beneath the trailer, and look forward to extensive coverage of the game next week when we report on our trip to Eidos Montreal to see it in action and speak to the developers ahead of E3.
The beginning of the video is Adam's dream. In the world of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, society has mixed Renaissance elements with archetypical Cyberpunk stereotypes and the Icarus myth weaves its way through the story of the game.
The Icarus myth dealt with Icarus being given wings to fly. But the wings were made of wax and he was perhaps not ready for such a gift; so in his haste, he flew too close to the sun which melted his wings and he fell to earth and his death.
This story parallels our Deus Ex universe where mankind is using mechanical augmentations but there is still much to be determined in terms of their effect on society and the ultimate direction it will lead us in.
The progress of technology and the advent of mechanical augmentations has offered mankind many exciting new possibilities but also many dangerous ones as well. In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, humanity will come to a tipping point where Adam Jensen will have to decide the path our society takes.
It's a time of wonderful advancements but also much unrest as the general public, governments, and corporations all struggle to come to terms with the new possibilities.
The main character is Adam Jensen, the character you play throughout the game. Adam is a security specialist who has been handpicked to oversee the defensive needs of one of America's most experimental biotechnology firms. Adam has a rich back-story and will soon become one of the key ingredients in a vast global conspiracy.
Adam is nearly killed and must become augmented to save his life. In the world of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, mechanical augmentations are commonplace and can take the form of everything from microchips implanted in the brain to fully replacing limbs.
In Adam's case, he has a host of new augmentations received from a generous donor, some of which are military-grade.
The circumstances of Adam being critically wounded, and the impetus for his life-saving operation, are suspect. Is becoming augmented something Adam was ready for? Or wanted at all? And who supplied him with his military-grade augmentations?
In terms of his design, obviously we look to the first game and JC Denton but also archetypical cyberpunk movies like Blade Runner. We wanted to bring the sunglasses back which didn't appear in the second game and the trench coat of course is a must!
Our designs have a Renaissance flair to them so you see some interesting designs and patterns that just help to make things more interesting with great levels of detail. We think we've created a very interesting and iconic character.