I was assured several times that Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut for the Wii U was not just going to be some simple port. The developers were working on making this the definitive version of the game; adding all kinds of new content and tweaks to make someone who’d played it before want to play it again. It sounds like they’ve got some pretty cool ideas and have been listening to the fans.
The first item the rep brought up was that the bosses had been changed. Cinematics involving their deaths couldn’t be altered, so the end result was always the same, but the approach was now more open-ended. You’re no longer stuck going through a firefight with a boss when you spent the whole game playing stealth or hacking until that point. The rep didn’t go into specifics on certain bosses, but he did say that hacking and stealth will both provide viable ways to fight the game’s bosses. Given how many people were bothered by this when the game first came out, it’s welcome news.
They’ve also optimized the game for the Wii U’s controller, taking advantage of the touch screen to let you choose weapons or look at a map from there. It was a handy feature, much like it is in most games that use it, but I still found that taking my eyes off the main screen to look at the small screen was a good way to get shot. It’s a nice option to have, but the imprecision of touch screens and the lack of a tactile way of knowing I was actually hitting the right spot made the weapon switching a gimmick for outside combat. The map is nice, but the weapon switching was a little useless to me.
The hacking has also been mapped to the touch panel. It makes the procedure seem pretty straightforward, although I found its responses to be imprecise without a stylus. I know that one exists, but I rarely use them even on my 3DS. I am far more likely to use my finger than to reach for the stylus, so it’s kind of my own fault that it didn’t work all that great. Just the same, I prefer the touch screen approach of your average phone to that of the Wii U’s controller, so it’s a bit of a tripping point for me. It does seem to make the hacking simpler to interact with, but not in any huge way. A nice change, but nothing mind-blowing.
Beyond that, the developers have added a commentary track to the game; so if you’re really interested in the development process you can have it play during the game. I like having little odds and ends like that in the games I play, so it was a neat addition. They’ve also taken some steps into the strategy guide market, and have included an in-game strategy guide that will bring up the appropriate section whenever you’re stuck. I thought this was a really cool concept, similar to what Steam is looking to integrate into its games, and I think it’ll help some people out. I personally prefer my walkthroughs to be on a separate screen for easy reference, but considering I can only look at one screen at a time I think it’s going to work well for most people.
Overall, it sounds like a lot of tweaks and little additions have gone into Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut that will appeal to new and old players who pick it up for the Wii U. Not all of them will blow your mind, but they do combine to give the tightest possible package with some great extras. The rep said they were shooting for the definitive experience for the game, fixing all of the problems the fans had while adding some nice touches to make it that much better. From what I’ve seen, it looks like they’ll pull it off.
