While the story isn't quite as deep or intriguing as in previous Deus Ex games, the gameplay is well balanced (albeit with a long and fairly steep learning curve) and the atmosphere is as excellent as you'd expect.
Pros
Graphics are good, though not amazing (lip-syncing and facial expressions were weak). The skills system is excellent, making you choose between fighting and sneaking. There's a well fleshed-out word (background TVs, newspapers etc), which bring the story to life. Side missions feel well designed, relevant and a consistent part of the story, rather than Ubisoft-style random tasks.
Cons
Prague is rendered well, though most NPCs that populate it are just props with a few random stock-lines. For example, if you walk in to an apartment, pick up someone's fridge and drop it out of the window, that seems just-fine with everyone. Traversing between areas is nicely handled but becomes a frustrating wait, especially versus open world games where you can roam at will.
There isn't a great deal of replayability, with the early stages a chore to re-complete if you do replay. There's only one end, so apart from different play-stiles or finding new side-missions there's not much to do when you've finished the main campaign. Multiplayer is a separate, baffling and boring concept.
The biggest problem story is that the story just abruptly ends. This game is I think the second in a trilogy centering on the main character (starting with Deus Ex Human Revolution), and this game is largely a bridge to the next.
Overall
Not quite as good as Human Revolution, purely on relative strengths of the stories, but a shorter and more satisfying experience than for example an Assassin's Creed game.Read full review