Deus Ex™ GOTY Edition

I was too young to play Deus Ex when it first came out, but I found it at a rummage sale a few years back, and it was the best money I ever spent. I had college applications to fill out, but I was so sucked in by the web of intrigue and action that I put them off for a dangerously long time. That's how good this game is. Even now, 11-12 years after release, the multiple choices and deep storyline can still drag you in.

Deus Ex is a work of fiction that employs a new interactive method of storytelling combining written word, spoken word, visual input, and an integrated system for interactivity. It employs the venerable but not outdated method of involving the user by having the protagonist portrayed as a "blank." What that means is that the main character, JC Denton, doesn't show emotion, allowing the person utilizing the fiction to project their own emotions onto him. It has a strong narrative thread in which the individual situations can be solved in many different ways, but the overall events remain the same, implying a kind of limited situational fatalism. However, at the climax the outcome is determined purely by freewill, although that freewill is limited. This is just a small shadow of the deep philosophical background of the story. The climax, in which freewill is paramount, is not just a physical clash but an intellectual one in which a mimetic war finally reaches an apex. Finally, it has a Hemmingway-like sprinkling of New Testament Christian symbolism. I guess I should also mention that it's told in a combination of third person and first person, both singular, with an objective style that features an implied deep penetration of a limited nature. Further, it's a video game.

It's the type of game you either never uninstall, or reinstall countless times, because it's just that damn good. I recommend playing this with the GMDX mod (you can find it on ModDB) for a more modern and HD experience.

Ok, hear me out. This argument has been going on for maybe a decade and many people simply name their favorite game, cinematic titles imitating movies or revolutionary games that created new genres. But Citizen Kane didn't get its status by inventing a million new techniques or simply being the best or the most popular of its time. It got it by taking the progress of cinema in the previous 40 years and using all the available tools to create an experience so confident, ambitious and masterfully crafted that it became the symbol and inspiration for what the art form was capable of. Deus Ex did the same thing for games. We've seen the first-person RPG design in Ultima Underworld, environmental storytelling in Myst, stealth in Thief and player choice in Fallout, but this is the game where they truly came together. The world of Deus Ex is alive. Sure, it might have empty streets, incredibly cheesy voice acting and limited lines of pedestrians compared to modern games, but if you see something it the world, you can interact with it and you can bet you'll get an interesting reaction back. From hidden locations, to NPC interaction, to item combinations, to AI and physics experimentation, Deus Ex knows you want to play and rewards you with depth many games can still only dream about. This is THE sandbox game. It trusts your intelligence and resourcefulness. You can sneak around without firing a single bullet, or you can blast your way through like a cyborg war machine. Be a messiah, a selfish prick or a murderous lunatic. Most of the choices you make aren't carefully highlighted A or B options waiting for your approval. As Sting would say, "Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take, the game'll be watching you". Just like Citizen Kane used the strengths of films (editing and cinematography) to their full potential, so did Deus Ex with the exclusive aspects of video games (interactivity and choice).

Intro (Note: 407 hours Steam playtime) The best game I've ever played. To me, the game has nigh perfect gameplay. The story is intricate and deep and has captured me in unlike anything other than the Thief series, and it even tops those games. I cannot recommend this game enough. I'll never not be playing this game. The Great: ++An exceptional narrative that will keep you enthralled throughout. Story telling through its level design, things to read, characters, whatever. You name it, it does it exceptionally. ++Every goddamn character in this game, even random NPC's, are memorable and unique in some way ++Exploration is highly rewarded ++Stealth is very well done ++Don't let anyone tell you that you can't play this as a first person shooter. You absolutely can. Just don't be stupid about it on higher difficulties, just like you wouldn't be stupid on Halo on Legendary. ++The game is perfectly paced and very long ++The roleplaying aspects are fantastic and totally accessible to anyone while still maintaining intricacy and depth with consequences to your actions ++Conversations are interesting and your dialogue options are impactful, as well as in-game actions ++The array of options presented in every senario are huge with consequences to each ++Replayability is gigantic ++Hub worlds are intricate and large The Good: +If you think the textures are lacklustre even for the time, the game's consistently brilliant artstyle more than makes up for it +The weapon mod system is awesome +JC Denton is one hell of a protagonist +Very nice graphics +The difficulty system is unique and extremely well handled +The Unreal engine's 'get-closer-and-higher-res-textures-appear' help make this game look better than the vast majority of games out at the time The Okay/Not Too Big of a Deal: +-Unlike modern games, this game was never made to be played in one way for the whole game. You can, but people keep trying to play it how it was never designed and then get angry at it for not letting them. If you're going to do a non-lethal stealth playthrough, avoid confrontations all together. There is simply not enough ammo and nor are the weapons really made for still trying to take everyone out non lethally. -+If you're going to do a stealth playthrough, get the silent fall augmentation. It'll ease frustration immensely. +-I honestly don't think the game looks that bad at all -+Hitboxes are a little whacky in terms of headshots, but your crosshair indicates if you'll hit the shot -+Animations are pretty shoddy here and there +-Some lines are delivered in ways the writer obviously didn't intend. A rare issue and I'd say more of an issue on the voice director's behalf than the voice-actors themselves. The Bad: -Even the best game of all time can have cons. This game has issues with modern systems. Most do, though, and there are easy fixes. Not its fault, really. -Hong Kong has some serious voice-acting issues and a few glitches -Almost every weapon in the game has balancing issues. Some severe (PS20 is useless, Sniper with silencer is OP), some a little more subtle (Tranq dart is not a viable stealth weapon, Silenced Pistol isn't very silent when enemies don't die to headshots in one hit). -Augmentations have similar balancing issues to weapons -Skill system could be improved greatly -Crappy sound propogation makes stealth unfairly frustrating The Horrible: --N/A Sound: 10/10 Graphics: 8.5/10 Gameplay: 10/10 Content/Replayability: 10/10 Overall: 10/10 Awards: Best Game of All Time Game of the Year - 2000 Game of the Decade - 00's Best Videogame Narrative of All Time Conclusion For me, nothing even compares to this game besides the Thief series. It is an incredible stealth game. An incredible role-playing game. An incredible shooter. An incredible narrative and most of all a totally, uncomparable experience of a game. I don't use the term 'masterpiece' lightly, but goddamn if this isn't one.