Deus Ex™ GOTY Edition

Yes I'm ready to bet everything I hold dear and precious on this sole statement : Deus Ex is the best video game in the whole human History. Period. Print. Done. Signed with my own blood. Ready to go in Hell for that! When I get a new computer, the very first game I install on it is Deus Ex. It never leaves the HD unless there's a technical problem. And when solved, it's installed back. Deus Ex is about one word : Freedom. A sense of total freedom when playing. While it's not a Rogue-Like, it's like each run of the game is different since levels hold many secrets and ways to explore. You can also configure your character the way you want. Wanna have a tank having an ultimate expertise in weapons? Check. Wanna be the robber-hacker type lockpicking on doors and hacking devices? Check. Wanna play the sneaky Ninja using stealth and strategical elimination? Check. Still not convinced? Wanna do the game without even USING A SINGLE WEAPON (NOT EVEN KNIVES OR GRENADES)? Guess what... CHECK! Yeah read my words : C.H.E.C.K! The atmosphere is Cyberpunk at its best, raw and brutal, filled with neon-lighted dirty alleys and secret labs filled with technologicaly advanced devices and will bring you from the depth of New-York to the "beaux quartiers" of Paris or the "typical markets" of Hong-Kong. Alexander's Bandon soundtrack provides awesomely atmospheric musics with a bit of retro-wave feeling in them (check Unatco's or New-York City streets ones to get into the full DX Mood). And of course, the story : mature, intelligent, makes you think about your world and yourself. Philosophy, politic, economy, nothing is left apart. The game think of you as a responsible adult with a brain, not a grow-up kiddo just here for the "lulz" and you can truly feel the fate of the world lies in your hand like nowhere else... This is my first review on GoG. Glad it is for this game. Nothing more to add than just : play the best game ever! Embrace the Denton's legacy. Embrace Deus Ex.

This game belongs to one of few that are so timeless and good that they manage to have a cult following and not be overrated. Too bad a game like this is not likely to ever come out again. The plot in this game is possibly the best aspect of it, (which doesn't mean that the game is bad without it) and is the reason why this game would have no chance of being released today. The intro of the game is enough to get you hooked and keep playing to progress the story. It's reliance on “conspiracy theories,” (too many of which ended up being true) the critique of globalism and endings which ruin any possibility of a sequel (which was still made for some reason) are the reason why it would have no chance of coming out today. The gameplay feels great, systems feel sophisticated but not overwhelming, and character progression still leaves room for relying on player's skill, and is kept at a proper pace to make the player more and more powerful through pretty much the entire (quite long) game. Multiple health bars make combat unique (there aren't many FPS games where your legs can be rendered useless mid-combat). Dialog system is great, as options shown match exactly what JC says (which is an area where modern games have made a huge regression). His one-liners are possibly the best ones out there, but because of their context sensitivity fans aren't quoting them too often. Level design is great, as multiple ways of completing objectives add a lot to replay ability and make the game stand out to this day, although some areas were better after a redesign for the PS2 port (especially hubs in Hong Kong). The differences between the PC and the PS2 versions make both of them worth playing out, and they show how much work was needed to make games work on consoles. My biggest problem with this game is the lack of peaceful hub areas full of atmosphere in late game, which make the game a bit tiring after X51. The GOG release is really nice, as it tries to make Unreal Engine work with little problems on modern hardware. My only nitpick is the broken OpenGL renderer, which doesn't have detail textures, but that's a single DLL swap. I'd definitely put this game on a “must play” list.

50% of the game is the most dynamic First Person RPG you'll ever play but the other 50% is a story about the horrible burden of knowledge and prophecy that has me so shook 20 years later that it keeps me up at night. If you haven't played this yet, now's your time. Get ready, friend, because it's only getting weirder and realer from here on out. Cheers.

Deus Ex is a first-person shooter with a major role-playing game component. It's an absolute masterpiece from start to finish; one of those games that grabs you and will have you wondering why wasn't a movie made about it yet. Set in a bleak future where a deadly virus has spread, DE draws from several conspiracy theories and wisely amalgamates them, creating an intricate, solid and intriguing plot which I won't reveal any part of - such is it's beauty, that it would be a felony to do so. Getting used to game controls is fairly easy and, after making some basic decisions about your character's skills, name and appearance, you'll be immediately thrown into action. You'll have a lot of choices to make: will you sneak silently past the enemy guards or shoot your way in? Negotiate with terrorists in order to keep casualties at a minimum or terminate any sign of resistance by force? Listen to civilian junkies in need for help or blatantly ignore them? It's entirely up to you: just remember that every choice will ultimately have its consequence in this non-linear universe. Graphics look good even by today's standards (and there are mods that enhance visuals anyway), sounds and voice acting is more than convincing and the music deserves praise as well. The arsenal at your disposal includes several kinds of weapons, ranging from knives, crowbars and pistols up to sniper rifles, rocket launchers and flamethrowers. Playing as a nano-augmented agent, you'll be also able to enhance your survival chances by implanting capsules into your body: these'll grant you new skills like health self-regeneration, silent running, higher jumping, improved muscular force, ability to see in dark and much more. There's a ton more that could be said about DE but a review will never be able to do it justice or to encapsulate its depth. So listen to my words: buy this gem of a game and enjoy one of the most beautiful creation in videogame history.

I think, everything that has to be said had already been said here, so I just go with: You are absolutely right, this is game design at it's very best. What an incredible piece of software. Thank you, Mister Spector!