Deus Ex™ GOTY Edition

Best. Game. Ever. Made.

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 It employs the venerable but not outdated method of involving the user by having the protagonist portrayed as a "blank."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).