With Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Eidos Montréal has been complimented on their ability of staying true to the Deus Ex IP while still resulting in making the game they wanted, the passion and research behind the development, and so on (you've read them all). But there's one thing that's not often mentioned that I think is really important. Something that probably contributed a little bit to the Critical and Consumer Reception it received.
Gameplay, story and presentation all walk hand-in-hand in the video-game industry. Neglect one, and the others will get lost along the way. Almost every developer know this, but not every developer follows through until the end with this in mind. Sometimes the reason is technical, sometimes financial, etc. Eidos Montréal obviously kept this in mind throughout the project and worked to make this happen.
The reason I bring up the "trinity" above, it's because it's an essential element to "hook" gamers. Not just for immersion, but also to get gamers that wouldn't usually play this style or genre of game to play your game. I loved the original Deus Ex, but this one is much more "intense". In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, I keep alarming patrols, I keep dying, etc. (I am also well aware that this isn't a Splinter Cell game and it's not that hard, blah blah blah. See the next paragraph). The story and presentation always succeed to suck me back in for "one more attempt". It's the whole reason I'm still playing and will probably play for a long time still.
Alright, I don't suck that much. But the game does stand outside my "gaming" comfort-zone. I encounter a bunch of these every year, however Deus Ex: Human Revolution is one of the rare ones that make me enjoy the experience.
