Deus Ex: Human Revolution

''This page is about the videogame. For the comic book miniseries, see Deus Ex: Human Revolution (comics)''

Deus Ex: Human Revolution, also known as Deus Ex 3 (DX3), is the third game in the Deus Ex series and a prequel to Deus Ex. It was developed by Eidos Montreal in co-production with Square Enix, who are responsible for pre-rendered movie sequences and published by them on August 23, 2011 for North America, August 25, 2011 for Australia and August 26, 2011 for Europe. The game's Japan release date (Sept. 8) was pushed for an October release.

Synopsis
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is set in 2027, just as human augmentation begins to enter mainstream life, and is the first game in the timeline (Deus Ex is set in 2052 and Deus Ex: Invisible War in 2072). Augmentations are not the advanced nanotechnological augmentation used by the two protagonists of the previous games, JC or Alex Denton, they are mechanical augmentation, the type of augmentation used by Gunther Hermann or Anna Navarre for example in Deus Ex.

Players take the role of Adam Jensen, a security consultant employed by Sarif Industries to protect a research lab in Detroit. The game opens with an attack on the laboratory by augmented black ops soldiers, who use a security plan Jensen created himself. He is mortally wounded, and is saved by having extremely powerful military-grade augmentations installed. Jensen is unconcious until after the operation at which point, through interactions with other characters, the player decides Jensen's reaction. As the plot progresses, Jensen uncovers a conspiracy to force human evolution down a very particular path, and is forced to embrace the augmentations he never asked for to survive and conquer it.

At the start of the game, Adam Jensen is in Sarif Industries' Detroit headquarters taking care of security preparations for the company's forthcoming presence at a National Science Board hearing to discuss the need for augmentation technology regulation. Adam's ex-girlfriend Megan Reed will take the opportunity to announce a revolutionary discovery made by her and her team that will allow people to augment themselves freely without having to resort to anti-rejection drugs, though she seems nervous as to the source of said discovery. During a meeting between Adam and Sarif Industries' CEO David Sarif, the company is suddenly attacked by a group of heavily armed soldiers apparently led by three heavily augmented mercenaries. When Adam tries to rescue Megan, he is caught by the mercenary leader Jaron Namir, who brutally beats Adam and shoots him in the head, and the attackers also make sure to burn most of the victims in order to make them unrecognizable. Adam survives by undergoing extensive augmentation provided by Sarif.

Adam is called back to action by Sarif who needs him to intervene in a hostage crisis in Sarif's Milwaukee Junction manufacturing plant, which was taken over by the radical anti-augmentation terrorist group Purity First. Sarif suspects the terrorists might actually be after the Typhoon Explosive System, an experimental military augmentation that had just been scheduled for production at the plant. Sarif's suspicions are confirmed when Adam encounters an augmented hacker in a Purity First uniform trying to steal the Typhoon. Upon being found, the hacker shoots himself in the head while pleading for help, as if doing this against his will. Adam later confronts the Purity First leader Zeke Sanders, who denies any knowledge about the augmented hacker leading Adam to believe that Purity First is being manipulated by a third party. After the hostage crisis is resolved, Sarif tells Adam that the official police reports don't mention any augmentation on the hacker, indicating a cover-up.

Sarif sends Adam to the Detroit Police Department morgue to investigate the corpse himself and retrieve the hacker's neural hub. Evidence scattered in the police department reveals that both the Milwaukee incident and the Sarif Industries' attack had crucial pieces of evidence covered up by government official Joseph Manderley. Sarif Industries' cyber-security head Francis Pritchard analyses the hub and discovers that the hacker was a literal "human proxy" and thus being controlled by someone else. Pritchard traces the source of the control signal to an abandoned factory complex, which Adam goes to investigate. While there he spots the augmented mercenaries involved in the Sarif attack. Adam descends into the facility and finds a massive underground secret internment camp run by FEMA. Deep inside the facility, Adam is spotted by and fights Lawrence Barrett, one of the augmented mercenaries. After defeating Barrett, Adam demands to know why FEMA is going after Sarif to which Barrett cryptically replies "You've got worse enemies than FEMA". Barrett gives Adam an address in Heng Sha Island in China before trying to kill himself and Adam by setting off his frag grenades, which Adam escapes from.

Adam travels to Heng Sha only to find the building mentioned by Barrett under lockdown by Belltower Associates, a PMC and the de facto police in Heng Sha. Adam infiltrates the building and discovers that this was the residence of the hacker controlling the proxy, Arie van Bruggen AKA "Windmill". By investigating the apartment, Adam learns that Windmill has gone into hiding with the help of another client, Triad crime boss Tong Si Hung. After investigating Tong's nightclub The Hive, Adam learns the location of the hacker. Adam confronts Windmill who claims he was hired by Zhao Yun Ru, CEO of Tai Yong Medical, one of the leading augmentation companies in the world and Sarif's main competitor. Zhao has ordered Belltower to hunt down Windmill after the Milwakee incident hence him going into hiding. However, Windmill had left a compromising recording of Zhao inside the Tai Yong Medical headquarters as an "insurance policy" and enlists Adam to retrieve it. Adam infiltrates the Tai Yong Medical headquarters and watches the recording. In it, Zhao reveals that the scientists' implants were disabled, meaning they, along with Megan, are still alive. She also reveals that Eliza Cassan, the celebrity news anchor of leading media conglomerate Picus TV is also involved. Adam makes his way to the building's penthouse to confront Zhao but she flees into a panic room and set off the alarm forcing Adam to escape.

Adam makes his way to Picus TV headquarters in Montreal to confront Eliza. He finds an empty building and speaks to what appears to be Eliza but turns out to be a sophisticated hologram. Soldiers storm the building prompting Adam to make his way to the source of the hologram's signal in a secret sub-basement. There, he discovers that Eliza is actually an advanced Artificial Intelligence, designed to manipulate public's perception through the media but has also gained some degree of self-awareness. Their meeting is interrupted by another of the augmented mercenaries, Yelena Fedorova. After Adam defeats Fedorova, Eliza informs Adam that the scientists' implants were removed by Doctor Isaias Sandoval, the aide of William Taggart, leader of the peaceful anti-augmentation organization Humanity Front.

Adam returns to Detroit where Taggart is scheduled to give a speech. Sarif informs Adam that everything that has happened so far is consistent with the actions of the Illuminati. After confronting Taggart, Adam learns that he wasn't aware of Sandoval's actions and that Sandoval is also Zeke Sanders' brother. Taggart directs Adam to Sandoval's apartment where he finds a secret bunker filled with Purity First members, proving his allegiance to the terrorist group. Adam confronts Sandoval who now knows that Taggart knows everything and will seek to distance himself from him and throw Sandoval in jail. Sandoval reveals that he couldn't remove the tracking implants and thus simply changed their frequency to one where receivers wouldn't know where to look. Sandoval then attempts to commit suicide, though Adam can talk him down. Pritchard manages to track one of the implants, belonging to Sarif scientist Vasili Sevchenko, to Heng Sha. Nearing his arrival to the island, however, Adam's VTOL aircraft is shot down by Belltower leading to a massive ambush which may result in the death of the craft's pilot, Faridah Malik.

Adam discovers that Belltower is on a manhunt for him and that augmentation users all over the world are being advised to have their biochips replaced due to a defect. Adam tracks the signal to the hideout of the Harvesters, a gang known for kidnapping augmented people and extracting their augmentations. Adam finds Tong Si Hung wearing Sevchenko's arm, who states that Sevchenko's corpse was sold to the gang by Belltower. Not having any love for Belltower himself, Tong directs Adam to one of Belltower's ships and gives him a bomb to plant as a distraction. When Adam detonates the bomb he notices that the distraction also allowed Tong's son to escape Heng Sha. Adam then stows away in a high-tech hibernation pod.

When Adam wakes up, he finds that he is currently in the Omega Ranch, a biotech research complex in Singapore. Adam infiltrates the facility and contacts three Sarif scientists in order to stage a distraction allowing him to access the secure part of the complex where Megan is held. Adam also uploads a virus designed by Sevchenko to disable the facility's security to allow the scientists to escape. Once Adam makes his way to the secure sector, he encounters Zhao again. Adam confronts her with knowledge gained from the scientists that the Illuminati are creating a "Killswitch" for all augmented people worldwide so they won't challenge their rule. Zhao acknowledges this and uses a remote control to try to disable Adam's augmentations (if she is successful depends on whether the player decided to have Adam get the new biochip or not). Regardless of the result, Zhao dispatches Namir to kill Adam. After defeating Namir, Adam finds Megan who reveals that the facility is owned by Hugh Darrow, the millionaire Nobel Prize winner "father" of augmentation technology. Darrow is currently involved with Panchaea, a massive geoengineering facility in the Arctic Ocean designed to stop global warming via iron seeding. She also reveals that the basis of her revolutionary discovery is Adam's DNA, which she has gathered without his consent.

At that moment, while giving a press conference from Panchaea, Darrow activates a signal that causes everyone who got the biochip upgrade to turn violently insane (if Adam got the upgrade, Megan uses a device to isolate him from the signal). Adam travels to Panchaea to confront Darrow. There, Darrow explains that he invented the technology to help the less fortunate but it has since become just another means for the powerful to control said less fortunate (especially given the Illuminati's plans to use it as a killswitch for mankind) as well as potentially causing humanity to lose its moral center. Darrow used the insanity inducing signal as an attempt to get the technology permanently banned. Regardless of whether Adam can convince Darrow of the error of his ways or not, he makes his way to the core of the facility to shut down the signal. On the way, he encounters Sarif and Taggart (who had both been invited to the conference) who each propose a course of action for Adam.

At the core of the facility Adam once again encounters Zhao who merges with the Hyron Project, a huge bioelectronic quantum supercomputer. After destroying the Project and killing Zhao, Adam makes his way to the broadcast center where he is contacted by Eliza. Eliza explains to him the various options he can take: he can broadcast Darrow's confession about augmentation and the Illuminati thus ensuring that augmentation is permanently banned, he can blame the Humanity Front for the attack thus ensuring that augmentation is developed further (Sarif's proposal), he can blame the event on tainted augmentation anti-rejection drugs thus ensuring tight regulation on augumentations (Taggart's proposal) or he can set the entire facility to self destruct, killing everyone present and letting humanity decide for itself. Depending on various moral factors over the course of the game, the dialogue over the ending can be slightly different, but most of the events remain the same.

Although the choice is left to the player, and no concrete information has been given about which one is canonical, both the post-credits scene, and the events of later games in the series imply that Adam chose to manipulate Panchaea's pressure controls, effectively destroying the installation with the weight of the surrounding ocean. When Adam makes his choice, the game ends. In a post credits scene, Bob Page is heard talking to Morgan Everett about the Morpheus project. Megan Reed is revealed to be working for him on a nanite-virus chimera. It's also implied by the trophy unlocked by viewing the scene ("The D Project") that Adam's DNA will be used as the basis for the creation of the Denton brothers.

Themes
Human Revolution deals with the ethics of transhumanism, and carries an overarching message of humanity's reach exceeding its grasp. "Mankind is using mechanical augmentations," director Jean-François Dugas said before the game's release, "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 Greek myth of Icarus and Daedalus appears in Adam Jensen's dreams as an allegory to this thought, and also - given that Daedalus was the name of an artificial intelligence in Deus Ex - an intellectual bridge to the original game.

The pace of technological development is reflected visually by a Renaissance theme. Characters who support the advances of human augmentation dress themselves and decorate their homes in reinterpreted late-mediaeval Italian style, and the game as a whole has a sepia-tinted colour palette reminiscent of historic manuscripts. In contrast, characters who oppose augmentation wear clothing that is more or less current-day.

Conspiracy theories and immensely powerful corporations also feature strongly, as in Deus Ex, with the Illuminati playing a key role in the story.

Also, a secondary theme of human liberty and political secessionism underplays the game, setting up the events that led to the world of the first Deus Ex.

Parts of the game will take place during the day, unlike in Deus Ex, but most locations will nevertheless be brooding and dark.

Characters
Adam Jensen - The protagonist, Adam was a SWAT commander in the Detroit Police, but his career came to an end when he refused to follow a questionable order. Subsequently, Adam became chief of security for Sarif Industries, assigned to protect scientists on the verge of cutting edge breakthroughs. During the preparations for augmentation hearing, an attack by black ops team leaves Adam critically injured and his charges kidnapped. Adam undergoes mechanical augmentation to save his life, and begins a relentless search for the truth behind the attack.

David Sarif - The founder and CEO of Sarif Industries, David developed an interest in machines at an early age. He is known for his forward, honest demeanor, though he has no aversion to keeping secrets when necessary.

Megan Reed - One of the lead researchers at Sarif Industries and Adam's ex-girlfriend. Dr. Reed is considered a pioneer in the field of human enhancement technologies. Her dedication to her research, and her aloof demeanor, has made it difficult for her to cultivate lasting interpersonal relationships. During the attack on Sarif she was presumed dead.

Faridah Malik - Private pilot of Sarif Industries, she transports Jensen into various missions and locations. It is revealed later that she once lived in Hengsha and that her best friend there was murdered. She then asks Jensen to help her bring the killer to justice.

Francis "Frank" Pritchard - Head of Sarif Industries cyber-security, Frank has a sour releationship with Jensen, however, he provides Jensen with logistical support during his missions.

Jaron Namir - An Israeli-born mercenary, Namir is the field commander of the Tyrants. Officially a senior member of the PMC Belltower Associates Incorporated, he actually takes his orders from the Illuminati. A merciless combatant, yet also a devoted husband and father, he has had numerous cybernetic enhancements to compensate for the decline associated with advanced age.

Lawrence Barrett - A former marine turned mercenary, Barrett is a member of the Tyrants. Like Namir, he has augmented his already impressive physique with numerous cybernetic upgrades. He lives for the moment when he's beaten his enemy into submission, and Adam Jensen is his next target.

Yelena Fedorova - A statuesque and silent athletic woman of Russian descent, Yelena is one of Tyrant's most elite assassins. Unlike Barrett, she favors stealth over brute force. Being one of few women in a male-dominated profession has strongly influenced her worldview, making her cautious of everything around her.

Eliza Cassan - The celebrity-like newsreader for the Picus TV network, she is revealed later to be an AI programmed to control and censor information for the benefit of the Illuminati. However, she shows interest in Jensen and his activities and supports him in uncovering the conspiracy.

Tong Si Hung - The most influential crime boss in Hengsha and connected to the Triads, Tong owns a nightclub called The Hive. Tong can help Jensen find the hacker who assisted in the attack on Sarif. Later, he is revealed to be the leader of the Harvesters, a gang who deals in scavenged, second-hand augmentations.

William Taggart - A psychologist, Taggart is the founder of the Humanity Front and becomes a leading figure opposing the human enhancements, a cause he took up after his wife's murder at the hands of an augmentation addict.

Isaias Sandoval - Taggart's chief aide, who joins the Humanity Front after his augmeneted brother goes on a rampage and is talked down by Taggart.

Ezekiel "Zeke" Sanders - A former augmented soldier and Isaias's brother, he becomes the leader of the radical anti-augmentation group known as Purity First and leads the attack on a Sarif maunfacturing plant.

Zhao Yun Ru - CEO of Tai Yong Medical and member of the Illuminati. Her company is attempting to take control of the global augmentation market.

Hugh Darrow - The father of augmentation, Nobel Prize for Science and CEO of Darrow Industries, currently overseeing the construction of the Panchaea installation to help control global warming. Seen as a hero by David Sarif and Megan Reed, however, it is revealed that he regrets creating augmentation and plans to end biomodification in a sinister and frightening way.

Bob Page - Owner of Page Industries and member of the Illuminati.

Corporations

 * Sarif Industries
 * Picus TV
 * Tai Yong Medical
 * Belltower Associates
 * XNG Shipping
 * VersaLife
 * Kaiga Incorporated
 * Steiner Bisley
 * L.I.M.B. International
 * Connaught
 * Xenon Home Entertainment
 * Jing Ye Co.
 * Mustang Arms Ad-Tech Ltd.
 * Stasiuk Arms Inc.
 * Solotec
 * Sea-Tech
 * Isolay
 * Soloto Entertainment & Technology
 * Omega Ranch
 * Sharp Edge PMC (Private Military Company)
 * Caidin Global
 * Dynacore
 * Laredo Manufacturing
 * Motokun
 * Darrow Industries
 * Military Arms of Ostravia
 * Page Industries
 * Redline
 * Britannia Resolutions
 * Kusanagi
 * Exler (software company)

Factions

 * Tyrants
 * Singularity Church of the Machine God
 * FEMA
 * Stolchinaya Bratva (criminal organization)
 * Juggernaut Collective
 * New Sons of Freedom
 * The Triads
 * Harvesters
 * Purity First

World locations

 * Detroit
 * Hengsha
 * Montreal
 * Singapore
 * Panchaea

District

 * Milwaukee Junction an industrial area in Detroit

Difficulty
There are 3, from easiest to hardest: 'Tell Me a Story', 'Give Me a Challenge' and 'Give me Deus Ex'. Each difficulty above 'Tell Me a Story' increases the damage you take and decreases the damage enemies take, slows down your health regen and increases the delay before your health regenerates (but does the same to the enemy) and increases enemy accuracy. On Give me Deus Ex if you alert an enemy then other enemies nearby will also be alerted. Additionally, the crosshair, objective markers and Augmented Reality are automatically turned off (they can be turned back on without an effect on the "Legend" trophy/achievement, though).

Augmentations
The augmentations in Deus Ex Human Revolution are mechanical augmentations. There's 21 total available mechanical augmentations, but almost all of them can be upgraded further.

The mechanical augmentations are either passive or active; the latter require energy to run (or activate), the former are always in effect and require no energy. When the player gains access to the augmentations some of them will be already unlocked, for example the Infolink.

To unlock new mechanical augmentations, the player will need Praxis points. Praxis points can be very rarely found in the game world in the form of Praxis kits, which can be bought from LIMB clinics, though the supply is limited. After amassing 5000 experience points, the player will be rewarded with one Praxis point. Unlike the previous games, the augmentations are never mutually exclusive.

Combat
Aiming and weapon accuracy is no longer affected by player character statistics in Human Revolution, though recoil can be reduced by arm augmentations and a weapon's stats affect its damage output. Weapons use distinct ammo types, unlike the unified ammo of Invisible War, and are broadly similar to modern-day armaments. They can be upgraded as the game progresses, and some can be recombined: for instance, instead of LAM or EMP grenades simply sticking to walls, the player must first combine a normal grenade with a 'wall-mount' device. Damage is 'high': a few bullets are enough to kill either an NPC or the player.

Human Revolution uses the regenerating health model that is popular in contemporary games design. Eidos didn't want players to reach a situation where they were unable to progress due to low health, and would be forced to "scrounge for med packs", which they see as tension- and flow-breaking. They believe regenerating health will still encourage tactics and strategy without disrupting play for medkit back-tracking.

Enemy squads have identifiable leaders who organise the group's actions. If the leader is killed the squad will be less effective and less able to respond to changes in the player's tactics.

Adam has a series of 'takedown' moves which can be triggered at appropriate points. These are short third-person sequences that show him knocking out or killing the target with a contextual animation; examples range from stabbing guards with the arm blades to tapping someone on the shoulder and punching them out when they turn round.

Stealth and cover
A cover hugging system is in place in Human Revolution, though it can be ignored if the player desires. While the cover button is held Adam will attach to the nearest sensible surface and the camera will switch to third-person which is very similar to the cover system used by Rainbow Six Vegas and its sequel. Adam can remain in cover while turning corners by holding the space bar when prompted. He may also move from cover to cover, but an enemy looking towards him while he shifts may be alerted to his presence. An option is available to allow cover to be a toggle rather than a press and hold.

Cover is more important than in the previous two games because it is the only way to avoid detection when sneaking. Low lighting levels can no longer reliably hide the player from NPCs. Noise can also bring unwanted attention.

There is a cloaking augmentation in the game, and there is also an x-ray vision ability. Additional stealth augmentations allow the player to see the range at which noises Adam makes are detectable by enemies, see the enemy cones of vision on the radar, and mark up to seven enemies at once so the player can keep track of their exact positions. Much of the stealth mechanics have been borrowed from other steath action games, namely, the Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell.

Hacking
Hacking in Human Revolution takes the form of a puzzle-action minigame with similarities to Uplink, and is done in real time. The player must traverse a network of various computer nodes in order to reach the final node which, when captured, will mean a successful hack. Capturing every node has a risk of being detected by the system; when detected, the player has limited amount of time before being tracked down and failing the hack. There is a limit on how many times you may try to hack every device, and after a failed hack the device is under lockdown and cannot be used for a short period of time. The player can reduce the chance of being detected and slow down the tracking process with various augmentations and software. For more details on hacking, see this.

There are no multitools or lockpicks in the game. However there are few types of computer software which can be used during hacking, as well as auto-hack tools.

Social
Conversations can be 'lost' in Human Revolution, meaning that the NPC refuses to give you the information you want - even to talk with you again. They progress not by the player picking from a set of lines seen on-screen, but by picking from one of three emotional stances to take. If the player upgrades their social augmentations, they can deduce personality traits from NPC speech that helps to determine the best possible response, as well as exuding chemical pheromones to make an NPC more agreeable.

Development
It was announced on May 17, 2007, by IGN in an interview with Patrick Melchior, the director of Eidos France, on the French-Canadian television station, MusiquePlus. Neither Warren Spector nor Harvey Smith, the main creative directors behind the first two games, were attached to the project.

Further confirming the game's development, Eidos Montreal's general manager Stéphane D’Astous reported that they have received a "huge mandate" to focus on the creation of Deus Ex 3. In the same report, D’Astous expounded upon the development philosophy being implemented at the new studio. The philosophy focuses on smaller teams with multi-discipline employees. While embraced by the designers, this philosophy means that Deus Ex 3 is scheduled to develop for at least 18 months, if not 24 or more, which puts the earliest release date in the middle of 2009. The last bit of information D'Astous divulged was that Deus Ex 3 had just passed proof of concept, as of late November 2007.

A teaser trailer was released on November 26, 2007. The 200th issue of PC Zone Magazine revealed the conspiracy of Deus Ex 3 along with information and artwork/screenshots. Several design decisions were unveiled, such as regenerating health and a cover system, precipitating an initial backlash amongst many fans of Deus Ex.

Some concept art and early screenshots had been provided for PC Zone's first preview, but it was not until a Square Enix-produced CGI teaser trailer was shown at the 2010 Game Developers Conference that another glimpse of the game's visual style was shown. The teaser was expanded to a three-minute trailer at E3 2010 (still all pre-rendered) which coincided with a second preview in PC Gamer UK containing new screenshots and gameplay details, and announced that the game will not be coming out until "Early 2011". E3 2010 also saw a second major preview of the game, this time in PC Gamer UK, which provided engine-rendered screenshots and gameplay details.

In July, 13 2010 Del Rey Books announced a novel, based in the universe of Deus Ex, named Deus Ex: Icarus Effect. Its story introduces the reader into the Human Revolution storyline. It was written by James Swallow and was released on Febuary 22nd, 2011.

During the Tokyo Game Show 2010 a new trailer was released. The trailer was the same at the E3 but with new scene and revealing a new charactres, with japanese voice actors; at the same time Square Enix, Inc., has revealed today a new premium-quality action figure based on the central character from Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Adam Jensen. Deus Ex: Human Revolution Play Arts -Kai- will be the latest addition to the Play Arts -Kai- series, and will feature newly-augmented Adam Jensen and even more.

Frank Lapikas, game designer on DX:HR, confirmed 3 difficulty levels: Casual, Normal and 'Deus Ex'. The PC version of DX:HR will feature DirectX 11 support for improved visuals. It will have more advanced AI to compensate for the precision offered by the mouse, in addition to optimized controls, and a unique UI tailored to the platform. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is targeted for release on August 23 in North America, and August 26 in Europe.

In 30, November Square Enix announced the Deus Ex: Human Revolution Augmented Edition, available early 2011 for $69.99 ($59.99 PC), bundles the game inside some rather attractive premium packaging, along with a 40-page art book, a motion graphic novel, a making-of DVD, and the game's soundtrack. More bonuses come to those that preorder the game at participating retailers. Putting money down at a retailer that isn't GameStop will score players the Tactical Enhancement Pack, which comes with a Huntsman Silverback Double-Barrel Shotgun, the Longsword Whisperhead Extreme Range Sniper Rifle, and extra credits to spend in game. GameStop preorders will secure the Explosive Mission Pack, packed with a Linebacker G-87 multiple shot grenade launcher, the M-28 Utility Remote-Detonated Explosive Device, an automatic unlocking device, and an entirely new mission to play through, featuring a cameo by a character from the original Deus Ex.

Behind the scenes

 * Every street and district in the game's city hubs has been given a name, and many of the names have added layers of meaning. For example, "Daigong" - the name of the worker's district in the game's Chinese city - could be interpreted as "subcontract work" in one pronunciation, and as "deliberately lazy worker" in another.
 * The music during the prologue when Adam arrives at the office of David Sarrif is a remix of the UNATCO Headquarters music of Deus Ex.
 * While inside the Detroit Police Department, there are references to the characters Rick Deckard, from the film Blade Runner (heard over the tannoy), and Alex Murphy, from the film Robocop. A computer in the main room, with login RDECKARD, has emails from Roy, a reference to the android Roy Batty in Blade Runner. The conversation between Alex Murphy and another police officer, about old 1980s sci-fi movies, is a reference to Robocop and possibly, also, to the film Cyborg, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. You can also hack his computer (he must be distracted or neutralized) to find an email from Ellen Murphy, referencing "Officer Lewis". Also, one of the computers belongs to HELLISON, referring to Harlan Ellison, an award winnning Sci-fi writer who, among many other things, wrote the short story that James Cameron's "Terminator" was based on.
 * Next to the toilet, inside the penthouse apartment at Hengsha Court Gardens, there are three seashells. This is a reference to the three seashells in the movie Demolition Man, which have apparently taken the place of toilet paper in the future, but aren't ever explained.
 * Several ships in the beginning of the Panchaea mission bear the name RMS Titanic. Presumably a reference to the very famous original Titanic.
 * There is a sign that say Shimata-Dominguez in the heng sha construction site. This could be a subtle reference to the 1982 cyberpunk classic Blade runner where a company with the same name finances the off-world colonies.
 * The laser rifle is similar in design and function to the laser rifle in the 1988 cyberpunk anime Akira. This is probably not a coincidence as the developers have stated that Akira was a source of inspiration.

PC Version
The PC version of the game has specific features, simply to improve the aesthetics of the game.
 * Support for AMD Eyefinity, allowing players to use up to five monitors to play the game in "uber-widescreen".
 * Full 3D for compatible monitors.
 * Full DirectX 11 support.

Gameplay
The three difficulty levels - Tell me a story, Give me a challenge, Give me Deus Ex