By Edlund Gerard

They explain the origin of Adam Jensen’s prosthetics through a tutorial that teaches you the basic mechanics of the game. Then we’re off! We are flooded with missions, side quests, social interaction, loot, and crazy conspiracy theories. Deus Ex H.R. is never short of things to do.

Difficulty levels don’t really matter too much. Even when on “Give me Deus Ex” difficulty, it is still quite easy. As a matter of fact I was quickly disheartened when I broke the game. As soon as I acquired a grenade launcher through the games story, I was able to defeat most bosses in 10 seconds.

Do not let that detract you from getting this game. It’s worth every penny. There are so many different ways to finish an objective and about 40 hours of content if you like to collect things and do side quests. There are tons of augmentation upgrades to make you stronger, faster, stealthier, and enough to get your hacking skills to Anonymous levels. With the right augmentations, I can hack terminals and gain access to enemy robots, turrets and cameras and turn that against them. You’ll find virus software that can aid you into getting past high level security. Modifying your weapons is also an excellent feature. I was able to take a lowly machine pistol, and turn it into the most powerful weapon in my inventory.

The soundtrack is wonderful and goes well with the pulse of the Deus Ex universe. Following programming 101, the tempo is raised anytime there could be an intense situation ahead. There are moments of definite raging where techno music seems so obvious, but it still feels like it belongs with the style of the game. The voice acting leaves something to be desired. Adam is a very typical gruff, emo, deadpan sounding individual and it screams “I’m cool!” There aren’t any silly one-liners, but that doesn’t save the game from the rest of the voiceovers. I understand the need to make a game with diversity given the storyline. But they try too hard with the voice acting, and I felt uncomfortable atsome points.

Even with the silly animations and the undesirable voice acting, I’m still begging for more. Most of the games story is told through hacked email accounts. Therefore I felt the need to see and collect absolutely everything. This game would be a perfect candidate for a New Game +. Unlocking a harder difficulty and keeping your modified weapons and body for a second play through would be more than enough to justify the price tag. But I do see more DLC on the horizon! Can’t wait!

This game gets a whopping: 8/10

With 16 new cases to solve, this sequel improves on the original, by adding more great minigames and over 40 levels of I-Spy style game play. Think you’re up to task? Be warned it’s not as easy as it seems. Players can choose different styles of game play, making the game fun for a quick lunch break or an evening campaign of mystery solving. By choosing to skip out on a lot of the fun dialogue players can get right to the meat of the game, while fans of good plot and story can join the duo at 221 Baker Street, for an adventure of magnified proportions. The timer also makes for an interesting element, as players race against the clock to solve the various crimes before it’s too late.

The game’s core concept is simple. Hunt down various clues in the form of bizarre objects hidden in cluttered scenes. From there however, all manner of odd puzzles and tricky minigames are introduced as players get further along in their search. One such hunt leads to a dissasmbled robot in a mad scientist lab, that then turns into a puzzle where players must align the proper gears to get the robot up and running and get another clue. These puzzles then lead to an interesting memory game that again starts off simple, but quickly turns into a intriguing brainteaser.

Fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective series will find all the familiar hallmarks of the classic adventure stories present, while newcomers may find the references fun and rewarding as well. With special appearances by other famous Victorian figures such as H.G. Wells and even Jack the Ripper, The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes 2 pays homage to it’s antique Victorian roots, and in the end, it certainly pays off. A map of old London town shows various locations that players must venture to including: Stonehenge, the lab of a mad scientist, a number of old English pubs, and at one point even a pirate ship, among other unique locations.

As games set in the Victorian era go, the steampunk aesthetic is lacking abundance in The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes 2. While at times certain clues include miniature gyro-copters and other whimsical devices, the game by and large is not a steampunk game, and players looking for goggle-eyed heroines and steam powered jet-pack races may be a little disappointed. That said, the historical aspects of the game are right on point, making it enjoyable for those found of the history behind one of the greatest literary figures of all time.

With the popularity of Sherlock Holmes at an all-time high, there couldn’t be a better time for Legacy Games to release The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes 2 than right now. However, the game does well on its own by providing simple fun in a game that is simply fun to play. So whether you’re looking to fine tune your powers of astute deduction or are just beginning to sharpen them, check out The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes 2. It’s elementary my dear Watson!

Had a good talk with him and got a chance to play the game. (Black Andrew will be the most fearsome pirate ever!)

Check out our talk after the link.