The critically criticizing critics are taken into account in the average rating. They are not ignored.

Good for you for having your own opinion, but you can't always expect the majority to agree with you.

I haven't played Alice Returns yet, so I won't compare the two games, but I highly disagree regarding DX:HR

The game isn't perfect, but that gameplay of "12 years ago" is very welcome in today's games, at least IMHO. I love the game, and I love atmosphere, art direction, the music is incredible, and it's a blast to play. This style of game is very much missing in today's market, a game that gives you so many choices, the ability to explore every part of the map, and you can play though multiple times and have a different experience.



The boss fights are annoying and don't seem consistent with the style and gameplay, they seem tacked on, and the game has some plot points that had me shaking my head regarding Adam's decisions. But the overall game is great, and it may not be "original" but there isn't a single game out there that is really like it currently, and what it has done, it has done it very well.

I'm very happy the game has sold well, and I hope for more games in the series, and maybe other devs will take notice that there is a market for this type of gameplay.

At the end of the day, it's all just opinion and never fact. I can't take anyone's review as the last say when it comes to games, otherwise i wouldn't have the individuality to try it out myself just to judge it for myself. While i understand the overall feeling between both Alice and Deus Ex, you must understand that many games that are "critically-acclaimed" in today's gaming generation aren't that original to begin with. Ultimately, this game gained critical acclaim because of it's smart approach to game play but also the context of the story. Not to say Alice doesn't bring anything to the table, but you need to understand the idea of the opinion. It's yours and yours only. Whether you enjoyed the game, or hated it, i personally love it. That and Alice. In short, i disagree with your statement.

I guess there is an inherent problem with the notion of the aggregate critics' score.



In the end of the day both apples and oranges get the same linear, flattened number, which is wrongfully believed by many to be an universal measure of being fun.



The fact that one game gets 75 on Metacritic, and another gets 89 does not tell anything about their "goodness" in relation to each other.

I don't really see how Alice is any better of a title when it recycles combat and platforming found in many titles before it...except it does a far worse job in execution compared to DX:HR which is far more open and complex mechanically. Literally outside of the story, art design and atmosphere it presents, everything about it is mundane for the genre, it harkens back to clumsy 3d platforming in the same way Epic Mickey did, except with more repetition. Not to mention it has some of the most clumsy and recycled level design I've seen used in the last few years, along with basic control problems , and collectibles that don't need to be there.



The story told through Alice is also still a linear affair, it doesn't really innovate in telling a story to a player, it just has a better written story than other games that tackles different issues other games normally don't. I prefer it to another desaturated modern military shooter with no story, but it hardly adds much to gaming, or anything I would call 'original'.



Deus Ex has alot of design problems, but most of them are born out of it's approach to giving player access to the gameplay toolbox to determine their playstyle...and each one is done far better with more small innovations, and far better polish than anything Alice brings to the gameplay table.

Not saying the new Deus Ex is an extremely innovative product that will push games forward, but it's base core of letting the player choose their playstyle instead of it being chosen for them, or limited to a rigid class structure. That philosophy I think would benefit many games, especially in the AAA market.

No one cares. DXHR IS FUNNNNN

"compared to DX:HR which is far more open and complex mechanically. Literally outside of the story, art design and atmosphere it presents"

What disappointed me the most in DX:HR was the lack of any art design, over 2 years the developers talked about the Cyber-Renaissance style (the term itself has no meaning) and then come up with boring graphics, that seem to be lumped together from previous shooters coloured with a little more brown.

Alice Madness Returns on the other side had a fantastic art direction, at least in my opinion. The graphical style looked fresh and not like seen in dozens of games before.

Ahem... Glad the game is doing well regardless!