April previews thread

[James]

http://www.4players.de/4players.php/dis ... ution.html

http://www.jvn.com/jeux/previews/previe ... ution.html

http://www.gamer.nl/preview/67840/deus- ... volution-2

Post more.

[James]

- tranq darts are affected by gravity and wind speed

That is so baller. Going to try it behind walls.

http://www.jvn.com/jeux/previews/pre...evolution.html

Here (bellow) is the translation of the video interview of JJB about DX:HR. I hope you enjoy it

JVN: A few weeks ago, we met David Anfossi, producer of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. This time it was the turn of Johnathan-Jacque Belletête to meet with the editorial of NVG. The artistic director of the project is not greedy with details when it comes to share his work, a key position in a huge production that moves largely over development.

JJB: As an artistic director of the project, my role in the everyday work depends on some stages of production; pre-design, design, pre-production, production, and all those stuff ... At first, as an artistic director, I always try to find a flavor: the most original as possible. I think what interests me is to make sure that there is a kind of visual language that is unique to the game. We see some pictures about a game and we usually do this: "Where is that from?", "which mixed games is this game?". "What is it already?". This homogeneity there, I try to get it out. Well, was it successful or not? I can't really say... So, initially, it is a kind of research. It's a bit from there that came the ideas of Renaissance with cyberpunk. The stylish side. I'm not someone who seeks the photorealism of everything in video games. I seek rather the credibility and coherence of stylization. So, initially, I introduce these concepts in everyday work. After that, it's starting to get alive on paper with concept arts and stuff like that. Every day we make everything deeper and, eventually, when the real work begins, we must really find out how to synthesize all that. All of these ideas goes in that equation and can be used by the production team like texture artists, the lighting artists, modelers, level designers, animation makers, etc... Delegate this overall vision is a moment which is quite complex, quite hard. We must have good conviction of our vision and all those stuff. Therefore, it is to work with all these people on a daily basis, create artistic work and stuff and, after that, when everything seems to work, it rolls: you fit the pieces of lego. This is where the real fun begins. But no, the fun starts early but this is where we begin to feel a little lighter. "Oh, it works, it works, we'll get there." Then towards the end a bit, right now I must do the packaging, posters, check that marketing follows the artistic direction of the game.

JVN: Create a universe so complete as that of human revolution requires a lot of research and inspiration. Far from taking the easy way, Johnathan will draw its ideas across to often surprising results.

JJB: I'm a huge gamer, I'm a big geek. That said, I often will try to inspire me video games as last resort. I'll do it, I'll watch them but I think the industry is a bit circular. The industry often seems a little to have too much references and is a bit too homogeneous; ideas and the texture of the image is often the same. I really like the history of art, architecture, industrial design, interior design, fashion. I can go see the opera to inspire me. Those are inspirations we rarely hear in video games but I think that's what we should do generally, and after that, I usually watch video games for inspiration. Eventually, after that, the goal is to synthesize all this in a language we master: the language of video games. How do I do this? I do not know really, it's a bit hard to explain. I think that we should not let go, I work very hard, I work a lot, we made ​​many tries. With the renaissance side, I saw a link between the transhumanist era and the Renaissance a little. You communicate that to your team, you want a mix of Renaissance aesthetics with cyberpunk. Eyebrows rises, it's hard to convince the team. I did some research. There are times when it sucked and we had to restart again! But I try to watch my inspiration sources very fast to inspire me.

JVN: Developing the artistic identity of such a project also requires to sort out ideas. For Johnathan, this selection is natural throughout the creative process.

JJB: Progressively, after doing conceptual drawings, illustrations or trying different stuff in the game, you end up seeing what works and what does not work and there is also the "gut-feeling". Sometimes you feel if it's good or not good. I sometimes need to listen my instinct a bit. There is a lot of meetings also to see if the director agrees with some ideas. I don't really have any formula for that, there is a natural side to this phenomenon, I think.

JVN: A great classic in video games, the first Deus Ex has inspired many studios and remains a model for many studios. Eidos Montreal follows this rule and tries to find the same flavor. Despite this, they also want to create their own game rather than a remake in disguise.

JJB: Actually, I think it was super important for DX: HR to recreate the spirit of the first. I think it was our first goal. I think we succeeded. That said, it is still our work, we still put some of us in it. Visually, there is a difference between the first and third and I do not mean just the technology side, I mean visual themes. On the gameplay side, it has the cover system, it has mech augmentations and not nano, there are differences but the Heart of DX: HR is the heart of Deus Ex 1, the feeling is there, the flavor is there, I guarantee you.

JVN: Before leaving Johnathan, impossible not to ask him two questions to him about the first episode of Deus Ex and, more importantly, what memories would he like to be left to DX HR players.

JJB: Actually, what it represents for me is one of the best gaming experience of my life, an experience I I share with others often. I bought it when it came out. Sunday afternoon, I installed it, I remember it well. I started playing and I think the first time I blinked, it was dark and it was three o'clock in the morning and I did not see the time pass. I had just arrived in Hong Kong, I believe, I could not see the world around me, I was on my screen, I was really inside the game at 100%. So I think this game has an emotional level with the player: fantasy, possibilities , multi-choice, etc.. Yes, it's a Hard-stone game and it is one of the greatest games of all times. What would I want the players to think in ten years about DX: HR is that they can appreciate the visual style of the game. It's sure that, graphically, the game will not be not as good in ten years, but I want people to appreciate the visual themes, the metaphors, analogies, all the work of thinking behind the visual themes. That in ten years, people can still apreciate the flavor of the game.

[James]

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/04/28/deus- ... preview-3/

PS3 screenshots (press package, you'll see it on all articles as linked), but Rich did play the PC version.