Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Blowout @ Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Rock, Paper, Shotgun has posted no less than four Deus Ex: Human Revolution articles in a row, so settle in for an overload.  We'll start with a new "Protagonist" trailer, which offers a mix of in-game and CGI.

Next, there's an interview with the writer we met yesterday, Mary De Marle:

RPS: I’ve heard a lot of talk about Human Revolution having themes of humanity, asking what makes us human and so forth, which I imagine would require a cast that seems quite human in the first place. What steps have you taken to make the cast believable?

Mary DeMarle: Well, we didn’t want to go black and white with anything, we wanted to have shades of grey in everybody and everything in the story. So when I approach character development I usually do it by starting with deciding what each character’s core personality traits are. I usually come up with 3 or 4, and try to pick traits which compliment each other, but also contradict each other, which I think makes for a more realistic character. Because we all have those inner conflicts, and sometimes certain traits take over.

So I start with that, and then I think about how those traits might manifest in real actions. So if you have a curious character, you might have a curious character who’s also quiet, so he sits in the background or the back seat of the bus and watches everybody. I think this way you create a character with a more realistic bent to them.

It’s also realising that even “evil” characters aren’t evil because of their intentions, but only their actions. You have to think about that person is motivated to do what he’s doing and build a backstory around that.

Next, Quinton Smith and Alec Meer talk about their recent hands-on experience with the game:

Quinns: Well, I was thrilled to find out that we’d be playing the first couple of hours of the game, rather than a couple of disjointed levels. That was a relief. But when we got to playing, what I found most striking is that the game’s flavour- the art design, the dialogue, the characters, the architecture and fashion- is even better than I hoped. And I was hoping for a lot.
Quinns: I was transported. What Eidos have done here is nothing short of beautiful, and that’s all the more interesting because- while Deus Ex did an incredible amount- beauty was not its focus.
Alec: Yes, there’s a real urge and satisfaction to looking around, soaking it in. There’s remarkable distinction between even incidental NPCs, which is something I hope they can maintain throughout the game. The lab you’re lead around near the start was a helluva sight – so bright, busy, cheerful. Sort of the exact opposite of DX1′s dingy, sparsely populated spaces. Such a bold statement of “here is our brave new world.” Which in turn means it’s more affecting when that lab gets the smackdown a few minutes later.
Quinns: Mm. Believable is the word I’d use. Without wanting to give anything away, the game’s tutorial level sees you being steered around your company’s laboratory, meeting some of the more important members of the game’s cast (who are all on edge as your biotech firm is about to go public with some heavy shit) and then being fed all the combat mechanics when the building reports some intruders. The annoying part of all this is that the levels afterwards are still under embargo, so all we can do now is report that the tutorial was extremely linear. But then, so was Deus Ex’s.
Alec: I’m pretty sure that no-one’s going to get cross if we say the game is a lot less linear later. But yes, this is plot setup, and an introduction to some basic controls – including the nuts and bolts of stealth.
Quinns: Oh my god the stealth.

Finally, they've contributed some stuff to GamesIndustry.biz but you'll need to sign up to read the whole thing and Alex Meer has a preview at Eurogamer.