In an attempt to appeal to a broader audience, the Deus Ex role-playing series is taking a different route in its latest outing, one that may not be so popular amongst its fan base.

The first details of Deus Ex 3, which contrary to initial thoughts will actually be a prequel to Deus Ex, have been revealed by PC Zone (via CVG), who reports that developer, Eidos Montreal, has moved away from stats-driven combat and have implemented a cover system and an auto-heal function similar to the features seen in more traditional shooters, like the Call of Duty series.

With a story penned by the original writer, Sheldon Pacotti, we'll step into the role of private security officer, Adam Jensen. According to CVG, Jensen works "at a technology lab specialising in biomechanical augmentations, a forerunner to the sort of nanotechnology shown in the original Deus Ex. One day the path of his life is unexpectedly altered as a team of black ops commandos break into his company's HQ, and using a security plan from Jensen's own hand, a mass slaughter ensues and the conspiracy begins."

In the original Deus Ex, players are encouraged to customise their characters through nano-augmentations — cybernetic devices that grant characters superhuman powers and the good news is that in Deus Ex 3 they'll be over 20 new augmentations to play around with, including super-human strength so that you can do cool things like "punch through walls to grab enemies in neighbouring rooms" and "bungee jump' tentacles that shoot from your back and anchor to a wall when you jump off a building".

There's still no official screenshots released just yet, but early reports from those who've nabbed a copy of PC Zone, suggest that its looking great.

More news as we get it.