I don't know how this game has 5 stars all around.. My impression of playing this one after playing Deus Ex 2: Invisible War was... Just meh. First of all, Deus Ex 1 does not excel in every areas. This game is like a baker wanted to create a perfect cake with all kinds of unique tastes, but failed to become harmonized when the actual product came out. Secondly, voice actings are absolutely terrible. Well, not only voice acting, but also the title theme and BGMs which just don't seem to fit the atmosphere that much. I found Invisible War's silent themes to be more immersing and fitting. Third, the game becomes tedious after mid level. At first I loved how this game give you many choices to end a mission, but later on I found that the stages become repetitive and you could just clear the game (EVEN IN REALISTIC) by just turning on the ballistic protection, heal, and shoot mindlessly. It is very comparable to how Invisible war kept with consistant amazingly designed, yet short and brief maps. Finally, the most important one: Story. What the hell? The story is just another typical conspiracy that is not even as innovative as many good SF novels out there. I don't get how people are so mesmerized by dull J.C. Denton and cliche filled story. Invisible war, on the other hand, had unique deep story that explores the human's society and how shallow the border is between good and evil. It was totally up to player to finish the game by siding with whoever he/she liked, or just kill them all! Overalll I do not recommend this game for the sake of how incomplete and mish mash the game is. Deus Ex 1 tried to become a unique masterpiece, and it did succeeded.... By making players to think 'oh this game is very different. Who cares if it is not perfect and incomplete? By saying this game is one of the best game ever made, I will look sophisticated!' Good luck to all of you who are just being zealous fanboys by the way.
This game blends RPG, RTS, management, and mafia element quite well. For the RPG aspect, Mario can gain level from defeating enemies, use money to buy weapons and bullets for himself and the other gang members. And although NPC interaction is bit limited, Mario can marry with other woman later on, and he can have sons who have varied talents. Although bit shallow, seeing Mario becoming stronger and your goons owning other gang is quite satisfying to watch. For the RTS element, you can micromanage your goons, and there are ALOT of different members you can recruit. From stereotypical bouncer to some cheesy but deadly Japanese ninjas.. Hell there are a lot of variety. What's surprising is that these units have speciality of their own, and it depends on your wit and ability to use them wisely to win a gang war. I think that RTS element is perhaps the strongest point of this game. You have to manage your turfs, which provide you with money, while attacking or terrorizing other gangs. For the Mafia element.. Yes, the story is very cliched type, and there are no really special characters to mention.. However, the atmosphere the game creates is quite decent on its own. So for the summary, you might think that this game does not really contain much innovation presented in games such as 'Boss' and 'Mafia', its quite a fun RTS on its own. Multiplayer can be quite fun with RPG and RTS elements combined, and managing your Mafia empire with your goons is quite fun. Overall, I recommend this game. For few bucks, you will have hours of entertainment.
