Deus Ex vs Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex is an FPS RPG game from Ion Storm (2000) while Deus Ex: Human Revolution is an action-RPG game from Eidos Montreal (2011).
Quick answer: Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Human Revolution are too close, or too thinly reviewed, to separate on the numbers; the table below shows what each holds.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
What each one is
Deus Ex is filed under FPS and RPG. In contrast, Deus Ex: Human Revolution under Action-RPG.
The year is 2052. The world's economies are close to collapse and the gap between the insanely wealthy and the desperately poor grows ever wider. Worst of all, an ages old conspiracy bent on world domination has decided that the time is right to emerge from the shadows and take control.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is an action role-playing game developed by Eidos-Montréal and published by Square Enix. The game is a prequel to the original Deus Ex (2000) and the third installment in the Deus Ex series. The gameplay combines first-person shooter, stealth, and role-playing elements. It features exploration and combat in environments connected to multiple city-based hubs, in addition to quests that grant experience and allow customization of the main character's abilities with items called Praxis Kits. Set in the year 2027, players control Adam Jensen, a security officer for Sarif Industries, a company which develops controversial artificial organs dubbed "augmentations". After an attack on Sarif, Jensen undergoes extensive augmentation and investigates the shadowy organization behind the attack. The story explores themes of transhumanism and the growing power of megacorporations and their impact on social class. It also uses the series' cyberpunk setting and conspiracy theory motif.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
The Deus Ex series is set in a cyberpunk version of the 21st Century; the series chronology spans from the 2020s to the 2070s. The stories of each title follow an augmented lead character investigating a mystery which leads into wider conspiracies, with their in-game actions and final choices leading to multiple endings. A recurring antagonistic faction is a fictionalized version of the Illuminati . (Wikipedia)
Reception
The original Deus Ex and its sequel Invisible War met with strong sales, and had sold a combined total of over two million units combined as of 2009. Human Revolution ranked high in sales charts during 2011, going on to sell over two million units. While no specific figures were given, Mankind Divided was stated to have seen commercial success. (Wikipedia)
Plot
Setting Human Revolution takes place in the year 2027, 25 years prior to the original Deus Ex . The Deus Ex series is set in a cyberpunk future rife with secret organizations and conspiracies: among these forces is the Illuminati . Leading up to Human Revolution , there have been marked improvements in human society, with people actively fighting global warming , finding cures for various diseases, and improving green energy . (Wikipedia)
Characters
The main protagonist is Adam Jensen : coming from a humble background in Detroit , he worked as a leader with the local SWAT squad until he refused to follow a questionable order and was turfed out. After this, he is taken on as a security manager at Sarif Industries, a local company at the leading edge of augmentation technology. A fellow at the company is Megan Reed, a researcher for Sarif and Adam's ex-girlfriend. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception The game received widespread critical acclaim upon release. Review aggregate site Metacritic gave the game scores of 90/100 for PC, and 89/100 for PS3 and Xbox 360. These were based on 52, 50 and 70 critic reviews respectively. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Deus Ex | Deus Ex: Human Revolution | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.2/10 | — |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (95%, 15,619) | — |
| Critic aggregate | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Price | $6.99 | Unknown |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | Untested |
| Released | 2000 | 2011 |
| Developer | Ion Storm | Eidos Montreal |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Deus Ex vs Deus Ex: Human Revolution, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Deus ExFPS RPG gameDeus Ex: Human RevolutionAction-RPG gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Deus ExCyberpunk, RPG, StealthDeus Ex: Human RevolutionNo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Deus ExMetacritic 90Deus Ex: Human RevolutionMetacritic 90Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Content and scale
Deus Ex15,619 reviewsDeus Ex: Human Revolution—Reach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Deus Ex$6.99Deus Ex: Human RevolutionUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 0 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
Where they differ
CyberpunkRPGStealthClassicImmersive SimFPS
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Deus Ex is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Deus Ex and 0 for Deus Ex: Human Revolution. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
If you like one, also try
Common questions
How different are Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Human Revolution in scope?
Deus Ex has drawn 15,619 Steam reviews. Deus Ex: Human Revolution lists little scope data.
Is Deus Ex or Deus Ex: Human Revolution better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Deus Ex or Deus Ex: Human Revolution?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Deus Ex or Deus Ex: Human Revolution?
Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Human Revolution are too close, or too thinly reviewed, to separate on the numbers; the table below shows what each holds. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.