Fafhrd on 1/9/2011 at 03:21
Quote Posted by Llama
Go kill yourself
Can I borrow your rose tinted glasses to slit my wrists with?
Illuminatus on 1/9/2011 at 08:43
To be fair, there's an opposite to those rose tinted glasses. The random political conversations JC sometimes ended up having with bartenders and bums were a real highlight since they showed the relevance of the narrative's big themes across many different contexts. Little memorable moments like the guy at the Lucky Money arguing about the benefits of China's efficient autocracy over the US's inept democracy, or the Mole People's pride in their local "Athenian-style" society all end up paving the way for the story's big decision on the future of human government. It's the kind of narrative subtext that holds up surprisingly well, and definitely shows the designers were aiming for a very specific debate.
Jason Moyer on 1/9/2011 at 19:50
Quote Posted by Fafhrd
Compare that to random Hong Kong Barkeep namedropping Olaf Stapledon out of nowhere.
I didn't find the barkeep conversations in DX to be much different than the ones I've had with barkeeps in real life. Depends on where you go, I guess.
On a game related note, just killed the first boss before he could get a shot off. As out of place as that boss fight felt, it seemed like the game still rewards you for using your brain a little bit there.
redrain85 on 1/9/2011 at 21:00
Anyone else getting a bit of a System Shock 2 vibe from the ARG image? (I'm assuming this is also in the game, from a cutscene. Minus the tagline. But I haven't gotten that far yet.)
Inline Image:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/2011/09/deusexhrarg.jpgIn fact, with the view angle in this particular shot of Adam, it reminds me a lot of Goggles. Intentional homage?
mothra on 1/9/2011 at 21:15
there is a cutscene in the game using this image. I guess they will just insert "random DLC mission" into that sequence in the game.
Slasher on 1/9/2011 at 21:49
Quote Posted by Brethren
This game is full of great quick moments, thought I'd share one:
At one point in Hengsha, you need to get info from a security guard named Chuanli on the roof of the Hung Hua Hotel. He wants 2000 credits for the info, and the first logical thought is, I'll just knock his ass out, and he's probably got the info on a pocket secretary. Well, Chuanli is quick to inform you that this method will not work, he does not have the info on him, and I'll have to pay to get it.
I really didn't want to pay him 2000 credits. And the conversation tree was giving me no other options.
So I paid the bastard, got the info, proceeded to knock his ass out, and grabbed my 2000 credit chip back off his unconscious body, then dropped his dumb ass over the edge of the building onto the street below. Punk mofo.I'm still laughing like a schoolgirl over the simplicity of that one.
I ran this same side quest too. The objectives screen hinted that if I didn't want to pay up I would have to find another way to persuade Chulani, but I didn't see any other dialogue options either. I wonder if using the Social Enhancer aug allows Jensen to say different things.
I didn't pay either, and actually stumbled across Ning's hideout by accident. I waited until the romaing Harvester's patrol pattern brought him into close proximity with the two stationary guards, lobbed a conc grenade in the midst of them, then happily rushed up to the blinded thugs for a point-blank shotgun medley!Jason Moyer on 1/9/2011 at 22:32
Quote Posted by Slasher
I wonder if using the Social Enhancer aug allows Jensen to say different things.
Yes. In fact, it was the first aug I upgraded and I can't imagine how much conversation you'd miss without it.
Fafhrd on 1/9/2011 at 23:16
Quote Posted by Illuminatus
The random political conversations JC sometimes ended up having with bartenders and bums were a real highlight since they showed the relevance of the narrative's big themes across many different contexts. Little memorable moments like the guy at the Lucky Money arguing about the benefits of China's efficient autocracy over the US's inept democracy, or the Mole People's pride in their local "Athenian-style" society all end up paving the way for the story's big decision on the future of human government. It's the kind of narrative subtext that holds up surprisingly well, and definitely shows the designers were aiming for a very specific debate.
That's sort of my point, though. Deus Ex didn't have characters so much as it had vehicles to deliver philosophical ideas. It's well written like Atlas Shrugged is well written. Paul and Manderley are probably the two most human characters in the game. Everybody in DX:HR feels more human to me, and that makes the narrative more engaging.
thiefinthedark on 2/9/2011 at 02:09
Quote Posted by Fafhrd
That's sort of my point, though. Deus Ex didn't have characters so much as it had vehicles to deliver philosophical ideas.
As opposed to Human Revolution, which simply has no characters at all. What's that gunseller dude? No, I'd love to ask you how you are selling guns a block from the city police station, perhaps you can extrapolate on how Detroit has fallen on hard times! Alas,
You do not even have a name.Fafhrd on 2/9/2011 at 02:50
Boo fucking hoo. Random merchant doesn't have a story. Having him espouse on the social pressures that forced him into his life of crime is not good writing. He's a gun dealer in the shitty part of Detroit, quite close to two rival gangs that are gearing up for a gang war. You don't need to know anything else.
Sarif, Faridah, Pritchard, Jensen himself, Jenny, Tong, Sanders and Sandoval, Haas, all better written and more realistic characters than Manderley, Jock, JC, Alex, Sandra, Tracer, etc.
