Stealth

It's unfortunate that the console video game industry has come to locking out single-player content to combat used game sales. The case of Batman: Arkham City is closing in on a feared worst-case scenario.

This week: The moderate highs and not-so-moderate lows of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, plus we remember what made the original so special. Also: Gears of War 3, Tim takes five minutes off, and we share our picks for dream HD remakes. Featuring Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, Richard "The Logician" Naik, and Tim Spaeth. Special thanks to RandomRob for composing this week's break music!

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Links:

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Systemic Control

HIGH The game is a stealth throwback in the best way possible.

LOW The decidedly dated-looking character models.

WTF I want to punch narrative NPCs!

The boss battles in Deus Ex: Human Revolution suck. Hard. The people of the Internet appear to agree on this notion. While they aren’t game-breakers, they are clumsy and uninspired bullet sponges whose design runs counter to the nature of the rest of the game.

Finally got my hands on Deus Ex: Human Revolution and currently playing it on 360. As a huge, huge fan of the first Deus Ex, I've been cautiously excited (emphasis on cautiously) at the prospect of getting another entry in the series that wasn't as awful as… Project: Snowblind, and you know what, I think we may just have gotten it.

Ghost in the Machine

HIGH The excellent expanded characterization of The Boss.

LOW Watching a tank slowly circle an area for 30 minutes while attempting to non-lethally disable its entourage.

WTF The ending after the ending. Pacifica Ocean?

We are a Crowd of Knives

HIGH Finishing a round of Manhunt with no deaths.

LOW Pulling off the tank mission almost perfectly, only to be hit and fail the full synchronization objective at the last second.

WTF Spawning, losing my contract, and getting stabbed in the face within the span of about ten seconds.

This week, it's some good old fashioned game talk. Amnesia The Dark Descent! Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker! Alan Wake! Plus: Games are too buggy, Richard sings (twice), and stay tuned after the credits for some impromptu Halo: Reach chat. Featuring Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, Richard Naik, and Tim "Let's Grow a Beard Together" Spaeth.

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Read: Transcript

Games discussed:

• Amnesia: The Dark Descent
• Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
• Alan Wake
• Halo: Reach

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Swinging Four Ways

HIGH Dragging a gunsel into the shadows and webbing them to a wall in a single, effortless motion.

LOW Being unable to tell an enemy from a wall in 2099.

WTF Wait... he ate Uncle Ben? Ick.