Deus Ex™ GOTY Edition

I disagree with the review that was voted as most helpful review. This game was not published by Square Enix, it was created by Ion Storm, designed by the ingenious Warren Spector, published by EA. Square Enix only came afterward to partner with EA, and did some work with the third installment 'Human Revolution', which I'm not fond of because the character in that game takes in too much emo and wannabe bad ass characteristic as a way to appeal to broader audiences. The JC Denton character in this original game is much cooler and down to earth. Even though as a player you get to make the choices to progress to the story, the main character always seems to be conscious of the choices. The story is linear with multiple endings, but the game is designed to allow you to complete objectives in several different ways. To get the most out of this game you have to challenge yourself and explore. I have replayed it close to 10times, every time I found out something new or discover something hidden. For example, to get a destination, you have multiple paths to get there and each path have different challenges, the path you choose can be depended on your skills. Either go in the main path directly and have a big gun fight with the enemies soldiers and robots, or go through the sewer and deal with traps and security systems if you're good with lockpicking and hacking, or go through the back street and face automatic turrets and deal with them using explosives, or go through the roof and try to avoid snipers. If you're really good, you can sneak through without killing anyone. What keeps you interested aside from the great story is the way the game awards you. If you challenge yourself and search an unexpected place or jump to a dangerous height, you might find useful hidden items and get rewarded with skill points, which can be used to upgrade your abilities. Later on you get to augment your body for super abilities, some of them are very fun to use. Some really cool augmentation includes jumping to and from impossible heights, using camera controlled aerial device to deliver EMP shock, see through walls, detect and detonate incoming missiles. The game make it so that you cannot install all augmentation in a single game and you'll have to replay to try different ones. I must say the physic of this game does not age so well, but should not ruin the experience. It uses the Unreal engine so movements aren't so smooth at times and enemies sometimes have delays in their response which player can exploit. The main characters have good voice acting, but the rest of NPCs can have atrocious voice acting, but this is not a bad thing because its so bad that its good and humorous 'most' of the time. Overall, I love this game for the memorable characters, storyline, versatile gameplay and excellent soundtrack. I recommend playing on realistic mode where you'll usually die from 1 or 2 hit. I find normal mode not very realistic since you can take too many hits before dying.

I'm playing it for a first time in 2022. I'm in the middle. And it is mind-blowing. To be honest I try to play Deus Ex years ago. Just after release in 2001 or 2002. But then I've had weak PC and the game was cutting even on low settings. My English was worst than now and I didn't use Internet. Years ago I preferred fantasy setting than SF or cyberpunk. The gameplay seemed to me difficult and the story complicated. All these things together made I didn't like Deus Ex. Now 20 years later game requirements are funny. My English is better, I have Google Translator on my hand. I'm more computerized and I like and appreciate SF/cyberpunk (but fantasy still has first place in my heart). The gameplay seems to me perfect and the story engaging. All these things together made I adore Deus Ex.

All was already said in other reviews. The only thing missing here is that it should be played with Give Me Deus Ex GMDX mod that stays true to vanilla and enhances experience and fixes bugs the game had. I recommend NOT to use Revision as it changes the vibe of the game. Up to you of course.

I was a bit too young when Deus Ex was originally released to have played through it fully. Yes, it is now 2022 and people are still going back to the classic games and completing them. Many people have told me that this is one of the ultimate PC gaming experiences and that this game paved the way for immersive RPG's and FPS titles that would come after it. Was it all hype? Not really. As someone who has played many modern games and experienced the comfort of present day mechanics, where games have polish and big budgets and a shiny hollywood feel... would a game as old as this hold up? In my opinion? yes! Even though the FPS elements are janky and dependent on your skills and then coinciding RPG mechanics that make those elements function are somehwhat primitive, its the overall combination of the outdated mechanics, the story, and the undeniable charm of this game that come together and make this a masterpiece. Of course I have experienced better gunplay. Of course I have experienced better Stealth mechanics. Of course I have experienced better RPG-lites. It's the tying together of these systems, combined with interesting social interactions and a completely choice driven and nearly fully interactable world that blend together and create a gaming experience that I am absolutely satisfied to have played. Yes the game shows it age, but the concepts explored here are the foundation of many modern titles with an excellent story to boot. Play. This. Game.

Other reviews have emphasize Deus Ex's gameplay, I want to emphasize its story. The writing in this game and some of the literary devices used is on par with some of the finest works of literature. The game's writing is like Shakespeare, in the sense that the dialogue seems content to spout crude jokes one moment, then suddenly slam you with insightful commentary the next. This is a game where your boss will call you out for workplace sexual harassment when you accidentally walk into the woman's washroom while exploring, then a different character will comment on the use of tax codes to deprive individuals of their wealth and consolidate that financial power towards powerful corporations. Here are some quotes that I can recite from memory - The West, so afraid of strong government, now has no government, only financial power. - The checks and balances of democratic institutions were made, precisely because human beings saw how unfit they were to govern themselves. - When government surveillance and intimidation is called "freedom from terrorism" or "liberation from crime", freedom and liberty have become words without meanings. Deus Ex is undeniably a work of literature, that has become more and more relevant, as our own present reality grapples with the issues of accountability, data privacy and artificial intelligence, and the overriding of rule of law by financial power.