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Deus Ex: The Fall patch restores missing gunplay
Deus Ex: The Fall is now playable, in full, on any iOS device, regardless of its jailbroken status. When The Fall launched earlier this month, it included a surprise feature that blocked all guns from firing on jailbroken devices. Square Enix never announced this feature beforehand, so some players were miffed (and out $7). Jailbreaking opens a phone up for customization not intended by the provider and it voids a device's warranty, but it's not illegal. Today's patch removes this feature and allows guns to fire on all devices, including jailbroken ones, as Square Enix promised. The patch also tweaks other parts of the game for everyone: It improves enemy AI, increases XP rewards and the amount of credits earned throughout the game, improves damage and accuracy of the Combat Rifle, increases Shotgun damage, and reduces some weapon costs, including the high-end Plasma Rifles and Rocket Launchers. Deus Ex: The Fall runs on iPad 3 or better, iPad Mini, iPhone 4S and above, and iPod Touch 5 and above. It's available in the App Store – before buying, give our review a look. We found The Fall to be enjoyable, yet hollow.
Deus Ex: The Fall stumbles as it lands
This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. Deus Ex: The Fall had a difficult coming out party. After predicting a follow-up to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, fans recoiled in frustration when Square Enix revealed The Fall as a mobile-exclusive game. Molding the movement and style of Eidos Montreal's reimagined world to a touch interface must not have been an easy task, but developer n-Fusion has pulled it off. Deus Ex: The Fall features a number of control options, including precision movements with virtual sticks and/or screen taps. Customizable icons allow for easy access to weapons, executions, abilities, items and more. Deus Ex: The Fall can be enjoyable, but the overall experience is hollow. With a sparsely populated world, unenthusiastic story, and drastic dips in quality, Deus Ex: The Fall lacks the same passion that made Human Evolution one of 2011's best video games.%Gallery-193588%
Deus Ex: The Fall update will unjam guns on jailbroken iOS devices
As of right now, Deus Ex: The Fall won't let you fire any guns when played on jailbroken iOS devices. Square Enix has confirmed to Joystiq today an upcoming update will allow all devices, jailbroken or not, full access to the game. The Square Enix statement sent to Joystiq reads: "We have not been clear in our communication earlier this week when we launched Deus Ex: The Fall. We did not state clearly that the game would not support jailbroken devices and so we will be switching this off via an update, so that all the supported iOS devices will be able to play the game in the near future. We feel it's the right thing to do in this situation and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. No customer should be out of pocket when we were not clear from the start, so we'll get the game updated as soon as possible so that everyone who wants to play Deus Ex: The Fall can do regardless of whether their device is jailbroken or not. As soon as this update is live we will communicate this via the Eidos Montreal Community channels" Deus Ex: The Fall is available on the App store for $6.99 and is compatible with iPhone 4S and above, fifth generation iPod Touches, iPad Mini and third generation and above iPads.
Deus Ex: The Fall jams your gun on jailbroken iOS devices
Those playing Deus Ex: The Fall, which launched for iOS for $6.99, on jailbroken iDevices have found none of their guns work – not even the tranquilizer gun. The limitation was first outed on Reddit, with many reviews in the App store describing the game's surprise "feature." The prompt above occurs right after the movement tutorial in the game, at the outset of the shooting tutorial. We've reached out to Square Enix for comment. Jailbreaking refers to the act of unlocking functionality within iOS devices not originally intended for the end user. While not illegal, it does void the warranty of the device in question.
Square Enix appoints new heads of NA and EU studios
Square Enix today announced changes in the management makeup of its North American and European studios. These announcements come after a fiscal year spent in the red, and layoffs in both North America and Europe as part of a "corporate restructuring." All North American and European studios underneath the Square Enix umbrella will now be overseen by Darrell Gallagher, the company's new Head of Studios. Prior to receiving his assuredly jeweled crown and gold-plated throne, Gallagher was Studio Head of Crystal Dynamics – a position which he will continue to fill for the time being, in conjunction with his new duties. Eidos Montreal will now be helmed by David Anfossi, former Deus Ex: Human Revolution executive producer. Meanwhile, Square Enix Montreal will be "built into a centre of excellence for game development on smart devices (primarily tablets)" under the guidance of Patrick Naud, according to the announcement.
Thief producer: 'We have a single shot'
In late March, Square Enix cited "weak sales" of big console titles to explain its massive restructuring, which saw the dismissal of now-former President Yoichi Wada. Games such as Hitman: Absolution and Tomb Raider were slated to reach over three million units in sales in fiscal 2013, arguably considered successful to other publishers. Meanwhile, Eidos Montreal's reboot of the long-running Thief series reportedly suffered multiple setbacks during its lengthy development cycle. When asked if he feels pressure to ship a critically-acclaimed game in light of the "disappointing" sales of other top-tier Square Enix games, Thief Producer Stefan Roy told Joystiq at E3 that the developer "cannot compromise with this one. We reinvented this franchise, I think we have a single shot." "We cannot say, 'oh sorry, we missed, so we are going to try again.' No, it doesn't work that way," he added. "So we cannot compromise, we must really give a good product, we must work closely with the marketing to make sure that the messaging around the game is really clear."%Gallery-191289%
Deus Ex Director's Cut coming to 360, PS3, PC, Mac later this year
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut will launch on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC/Mac later this year, Square Enix announced in a press release. The version was initially announced for Wii U in March, and Eidos Montreal said the Director's Cut improvements were not planned for other platforms as of April. The touchscreen features seen in the Director's Cut version developed for the Wii U version will translate to Microsoft's SmartGlass app and the PlayStation Vita. %Gallery-191093%
Deus Ex: The Fall is a cyber Renaissance faire for touchscreens
Deus Ex is, by nature, a complicated game. You can start by simply moving around a level: There's cover to move in and out of, and stealth movement requires good timing and precision. Then, there's all of the abilities you have, from using various gadgets and weapons to choosing your bio-implants and playing the hacking mini-games. That's a lot of buttons. In making Deus Ex: The Fall for iOS devices, Square Enix Mobile was given the task of putting all those functions into a device that has only one button. In that respect, the most exciting news about this game is that it works. For the most part, that is. You can't hide bodies, for one thing.%Gallery-190427%
Thief forsakes in-engine for live action E3 trailer
Thief has reportedly had a troubled development. Don't take this live-action E3 trailer – after five years of development – to be a sign of issues. Let's hope we see some real gameplay at E3 next week, since the game is supposed to launch next year.
Deus Ex: HR hits PS Plus tomorrow, Saints Row: The Third later this month [update]
Tomorrow's introduction of Deus Ex: Human Revolution to PlayStation Plus may be aptly sneaky. After all, with a week left before E3, Eidos Montreal teases 'The Fall' - a tagline Square Enix registered Deus Ex domains and trademarks for. Then again, this is the same studio that yanked our chain on April 1. Speculation hats off, confirmation hats on. Definitely also coming to North America's Instant Game Collection sometime this month are the madcap Saints Row: The Third, the eccentric Machinarium (PS3), the mysterious Virtue's Last Reward, and the orc-ish Orc Attack. Meanwhile, in addition to Human Revolution, tomorrow's PS Store update brings Plus discounts to Grid 2, Portal 2 and its 'In Motion' DLC, and Let's Fish: Hooked On for the Vita. Finally, as ever June sees a number of games flung out of the 'Plus revolving doors. Sleeping Dogs passes out tomorrow, followed by Closure, Ratchet & Clank All 4 One, Infamous 2, and LittleBigPlanet 2 on June 11. Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny breaks out on June 18, and then BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend says so long on June 25. Update: There'll a few more PlayStation Plus comings and going this month beyond this lot, but Sony's keeping quiet about them for now - perhaps it has a few things up its sleeves for E3. The info comes via PlayStation Digital Platforms Community Manager Paul Sullivan, who took to the comments on the PlayStation Blog. "Not all games coming in and out are listed. Keep checking up on us for some more additions to the list," reads one of Sullivan's comments. Another says, "Keep checking on us, not *all* of the June games have been listed yet."
Thief sneaks onto Xbox One
Eidos Montreal confirmed through its official Tumblr today that Thief will be coming to Xbox One. The game, first announced in 2009, was confirmed for PS4, PC and other next-gen consoles in March, which we can now take to mean the next-generation Xbox revealed today. The Thief reboot reportedly suffered many setbacks during its five-year development period, including significant turnover in staff at Eidos Montreal. The developer included a "glimpse" at the next-gen game in its Tumblr post in the form of a screen with an alarming amount of fire in it.
Report: Thief reboot suffered multiple setbacks
Citing an anonymous source close to Eidos Montreal, Polygon reports that the team's planned reboot of the Thief series has run aground of several major issues over its troubled five-year development period. According to the source, many senior members of Thief's team previously worked together at Ubisoft Montreal, and favoritism played a role in subsequent hiring practices, alienating fellow developers. High-ranking design roles saw an unusually quick turnover; some key members would leave the project less than two years after joining, and replacement designers would bog down the project by rebuilding or scrapping content. Amidst office politics, the project was sidetracked by difficult-to-create press demos that strayed from initial concepts greenlit by publisher Square Enix. Polygon's source claims that Thief's production costs have inflated beyond initial estimates, and the project has changed so much over its development that content originally pitched to Square Enix no longer loads in the current build's heavily modified version of Unreal Engine 3. Square Enix is expected to show off Thief at E3 in June.
Thief's new voice actor gets chatty
Perhaps you noticed, but Garrett has a new voice actor in Eidos' upcoming Thief. He goes by the name of Romano Orzari. For a guy portraying a master thief, ostensibly someone who spends most of his time being vewy quiet, he sure talks a lot.
Be an old-school creep in Thief
Eidos Montreal's next-gen take on Thief will cater those who prefer their pickpocketing to be nice, quiet and devoid of visual noise.According to Thief's Lead Level Designer, Daniel Windfeld Schmidt, the game will feature an old-school mode of sorts. Activating it will disable elements on the heads-up display and tone down master thief Garrett's special abilities. If you want to sneak through unseen – sans notifications, contextual helpers and slow-motion swipes – this will be the way to do it.With modern recording and social sharing capabilities, you'll even be able to prove you finished the game ... without alerting anyone.
Deus Ex Wii U improvements not planned for other platforms
Eidos Montreal's Emile Pedneault, game designer on the Director's Cut of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, tells Penny Arcade Report the improvements planned for the Wii U version of the game aren't currently in the works for Xbox 360, PS3 or PC. Meanwhile, unused alternative headline to this article: "Square Enix passes on opportunity to sell Deus Ex twice."The improvements include graphical updates, goodies like a strategy guide and – easily the most important tweak – a reworking of those abysmal boss fights. The farmed out boss fights have now been reworked in-house by Eidos Montreal, as was the case with "The Missing Link" downloadable content.%Gallery-183306%
Thief cinematic trailer leaps into view
The premiere trailer for Thief breaks down the best ways to be a successful person in the occupation of stealing and stealth, before pulling down Garrett's ninja mask and revealing a distinctive five-o'clock shadow (and what sounds like a new voice actor). We're no experts in thievery, but that seems like a bold move for someone who makes a living ripping off rich people.Thief is due out for PC, PS4 and "other next-gen platforms" in 2014.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution boss fights on Wii U 'as they should have been'
Eidos Montreal didn't mess around when it came to fixing one of the most widely criticized aspects of Deus Ex: Human Revolution in the upcoming Wii U Director's Cut."The boss fights are now as they should have been," Emile Pedneault, game designer on the Director's Cut told us today at PAX East. "We took them and completely rebuilt them. We couldn't change [the boss' character] model and the way they need to die because of the story telling, but we changed the level layout. We tweaked their AI and we've added tons of ways to deal with them."He continued, "You can deal with a boss fight in a stealth way, you can deal with a boss fight in a hacking way. We even have for each boss fight a way to kill them without firing a single bullet."Pedneault showed us the first boss fight, pointing out all the different ways that it could now be completed using other skills beyond "throw every grenade in your inventory and just keep shooting." There are several corridors now for stealth attacks and turrets for hacking, along with other goodies for players to discover.The boss fights were widely criticized when Deus Ex: Human Revolution originally launched, with Eidos Montreal eventually admitting it farmed out that portion of the game to an outside developer. Deus Ex DLC "The Missing Link," bundled with the Wii U version, designed in-house at Eidos Montreal gave a far more flexible experience. %Gallery-183306%
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut announced for Wii U, 'coming soon' [Update: Straight Right developing]
Eidos Montreal officially announced Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut for the Wii U this morning, noting it as "coming soon" to the Nintendo console. The Wii U version includes Tong's Rescue mission and The Missing Link DLC, which the Square Enix studio says are integrated into the Director's Cut narrative.Today's announcement reveals the Director's Cut employs a selection of GamePad features, such as "touchscreen hacking, interactive map editing, augmented sniping, grenade throwbacks, and many other neural hub enhancements." Eidos Montreal also says the Wii U version brings improvements to the game's boss fights, balance, combat, AI, and visuals, along with developer commentaries, in-game guides, and Miiverse integration.DX:HR Director's Cut was leaked by Amazon yesterday, which listed the game's release date in the United States as May 7. While today's announcement comes via Eidos Montreal, the developer isn't yet specified. Australian studio Straight Right is reportedly bringing a major Square Enix game to the Wii U, so it may well be involved.Update: According to a piece on Eurogamer, Straight Right – the same studio who ported Mass Effect 3 over to the Wii U – is co-developing this along with Eidos Montreal. Some more information is also provided about the retooled boss fights, which players can now overcome without having to fire a single bullet – alternate strategies and such will be put in place to offer players variety beyond direct conflict in Deus Ex: Human Revolution's three boss battles.%Gallery-183306%
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut listed for Wii U by Amazon [update]
An Amazon listing indicates a Director's Cut version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution is coming to the Wii U, with the release date for the United States denoted as May 7.The listing notes the game features "additional content," including using the GamePad with a new augmentation called the "Neural Hub." While Square Enix is listed as the publisher, the listing doesn't mention which developer is behind the port, but it may well be Straight Right. The Australian developer ported Mass Effect 3 to the system, and has been reported as bringing a major Square Enix game the Wii U's way too.Update 1: When approached, a Square Enix representative told Joystiq, "We don't comment on rumor or speculation." Update 2: The Amazon page has now been taken down, but you can see a screencap of the listing below the break, along with the featured box art. [Thanks, Steven]
Yes, you can play through Thief without killing anyone
Thief just got its second unveiling last week, now retooled to be more traditional and in-line with the original games in the franchise versus the grammar grotesqueness of the announced-in-2009 Thi4f. Eidos Montreal offered further insight into Thief in a blog post, confirming that protagonist Garrett will be able to get through the entire sticky-finger adventure without taking lives.Eidos Montreal's previous offering, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, also allowed players to make it through the game as a pacifist – save for bosses – a good example considering it too was a modern entry in a franchise that had been dormant for quite some time. Thief is currently slated to launch on PC, PS4 and "other next-gen platforms" in 2014. [Art from the official Thief Facebook page]
