Deus Ex™ GOTY Edition

Deus Ex is like a cheezy action-thriller movie with terrible acting and over-the-top ridiculous storytelling and gloriously bad visual effects that you can't help but enjoy the hell out of because its such a purely entertaining hot mess. And then you start paying attention to the story and the characters and realize how well-written and compelling it all is... And then you become invested in the worldbuilding that remains alarmingly relevant no matter when you revisit it... And then you run into Sandra in the middle of California. What the HELL is she doing out here? You hope she knows what she's doing, but at least she got away from that punk JoJo. Wait a minute... you killed JoJo. What is she running from? Sure, the 'Ton had seen better days and her dad was kind of a blowhard, but at least he cared enough about her to try. You hope she sees that some day... And then you think 'did JoJo really deserve to die?' How many people have you killed at this point? Dozens? Hundreds? He was just a low-level gang-banger in Hell's Kitchen, and now you're sniping Area-51 military bots with a crossbow as you turn invisible to elude men in black who are working for a secret branch of the Illuminati aiming to take over the world via techno-omniscience. Hell's Kitchen seems like a lifetime ago, and yet it was only... today? Wait, really? That was today? That can't be... If only you had iced *REDACTED* as quickly as you did JoJo. You knew she was lying to you the moment you accidentally broke into her apartment through the maintenance elevator. You could have simply walked in the front door, but you just had to see what those "renovations" on the fifth floor were all about, didn't you? And now you're supposed to be the one to decide the fate of humanity? You don't even know how to swim! Or you do and you regret it. And now you've played the game over 15 times, and realize games haven't gotten any better since 2001, and they don't have to.

Few games deserve to be in the elite special forces of gaming, top 1% and this one certainly qualifies. A game where you decide how to best develop your version of JC and how to accomplish his immediate objective. Though you have the same character each time you play it is you who decides if your JC is a non-lethal, stealth, or full out killing machine kinda guy. Lots of items to support the different playstyles and an outstanding story that will drive the player deeper and deeper into this immersive game. This game brings it all together, there is something for everyone in this amazing title. Puzzles, RPG development and story, FPS action etc. Every gamer should have this one in their library it is that kind of game. What are waiting for? If your reading this sentence you have lost valuable game playing time. Get it! Play it! Love it!

The best thing about this game is the story. I won't spoil it for you, suffice it to say that it borrows heavily from several conspiracy theories and weaves them into a semi-coherent whole. The dystopian cyberpunk setting is great and everything supports it, including the soundtrack. The game offers ultimate freedom; complete your objectives whichever way you want to. Hack security cameras and turrets, mow your enemies down with a plasma sword or put them to sleep with tranquilizer darts shot from your wrist crossbow. You don't even have to kill anyone. The game calls attention to the more and more relevant issue of transhumanism.

The gameplay takes a backseat to the great story that unfolds. It is one of the realest and most immersive game stories I've ever played. I can't even get that much into it without spoilers, but I love conspiracy games and this is I think the benchmark for all of them. It's a whole ride from start to finish and provides a really balanced take on the situation. And quite similarly to media like Star Trek, uses a sci fi aesthetic to really unpack the problems that we are actually currently facing. Definitely one of the best games I've played... ever.

Amazing game. It also predicted everything that is going on now.