CVG is spilling the beans on Deus Ex 3, following an exclusive preview of the game in PC Zone magazine’s 200th issue.

The original game, released for PC in 2000, was showered with awards. Deus Ex’s roots were in the first-person shooter genre, but the combination of RPG elements, branching story lines and open-ended game play impressed critics and built a loyal fan following.

A sequel, released for PC and Xbox in 2003, was warmly received but also criticized for being shorter and less RPG-like than the original.

The good news this time around? Warren Spector and Harvey Smith — the guys behind the original title — have given their blessing to the project,  and original writer Sheldon Pacotti is on board. The story will be a series prequel, with a conspiracy forming around the biomechanical augmentation industry that helped create the heroes of the first game.

The graphics are also breathtaking, according to those who have seen PC Zone’s screenshots.

But CVG forsees controversy, as some of the RPG elements that were a cornerstone of the original game could be missing from Deus Ex 3. For example, players can gain experience and upgrade their arsenal as the game progresses, but those stats don’t actually influence combat skills. Like most other first-person shooters, players will have to rely on marksmanship above all. CVG also predicts a debate over a new auto-heal system similar to Call of Duty and stealth aspects that rely on cover rather than shadows.

Publisher Eidos has promised not to repeat the mistakes of the sequel that irked fans, but already, the PC-loving, console-hating contingent on CVG is making its opinions known.

“It sounds far too action-orientated [sic],” writes TheTickler. “And console-mass-market-orientated [sic]. And we know what happened the last time Deus Ex tried to be mass-market and console-focused…”

PC Zone’s preview hits stands on Thursday, if you want to decide for yourself.