Deus Ex

`Deus Ex' (pronounced `day-us ex') is a brilliant SF adventure/RPG/first person shooter hybrid. Set in the not-too-distant future, you get to play J.C. Denton, a nano-technology-enhanced agent of Unatco, an anti-terrorist division of the United Nations (that actually exists in real life!).

The game has a great atmosphere, with a feeling of urban decay & desolation reminiscent of movies like `Escape from New York'. It has lots of cyberpunk elements, evoking works like William Gibson's `Neuromancer'.

The game has an elaborate plot, with Denton uncovering conspiracy upon conspiracy, and discovering that things are rarely as they seem. Alliances shift, and everyone has his own agenda. There is no black & white; there are only shades of grey. At several points in the times, you, J.C. Denton, are required to do questionable things, and it will be up to you how to make moral decisions every now and then. As the game contains lots of dialogue, gamers who are expecting a mindless Quake clone might be disappointed. But it's worth it. Trust me.

This brings us to game play. While the game itself is fairly linear (after all, it has to follow the main story), the game basically consists of series of missions, which usually involve infiltration on enemy bases, rescue missions, sabotage, etc. How you achieve your goals at each of these missions is entirely up to you; you can sneak past guards, or you stun them with a riot prod, or shoot them with a variety of weapons (from mini-crossbows over pistols to rocket launchers). You don't have to kill anyone; if you can just sneak past the guards, way to go. You can sneak around behind bushes, or inside air ducts. You also have to avoid security systems, or you can deal with them in a variety of ways:you can shoot the cameras with a sniper gun, disable them or hack into their controls and turn them off, or even use them against the enemy. You'll also have to break into locked areas from time to time, which will require you to pick the lock, find a pass or security code (or sometimes you can just blow up the door) etc. Bottom line: there is never just one way to solve a situation; there are always alternatives. This is what makes Deus Ex so enjoyable, and almost endlessly replayable.

You can find weapons and/or ammo by buying them from certain people, from crates, closets, etc. that you encounter, or loot them off bodies of enemies you have taken out.

As a matter of fact, sneaking around is an important part of the game, as going in with guns blazing, Quake style, will only get you killed. The game is quite hard in that respect, BTW, but there are lots of built-in cheats available to experiment with; these might actually make the game more enjoyable, instead of just spoil it, but I guess that is a matter of personal taste.

You start out with minimal experience in various skills, but, like in an RPG, you gain experience points (called `skill points' in this game) which you can use to upgrade your various skills. These skills have an enormous impact on how the game play in Deus Ex. E.g. you need a certain level to be able to shoot cameras with the sniper gun; a higher swim skill level will make you swim faster, etc.

I could spend hours more writing about this game. It's a classic. The only thing that comes close is the brilliant `System Shock' game series. If you want something more than just mindless blasting, get Deus Ex.

The best way for me to describe the tremendous impact this game had on me is

through anecdotal details from my experience playing it through for the first time:

Back in 2000, when this game was released, I didn't have the means to run it at home, and so I "borrowed" my parent's Mac. I basically moved back in at the

time, just for this. Those days, I was in a particularly busy time at work, and yet I would think of nothing else but DX all day, until I finally got "home", and eagerly loaded this masterpiece for another night of completely immerse

fantasy. I completed the "game", on Realistic mode, in just under three weeks, with nightly sessions ending - typically - at 5:30 AM, leaving me just enough time to sleep two hours in preparation for work the next day. By the end of that three-week period, I was so completely and utterly exhausted, I actually

believed I was going to have a cardiac episode driving to work - at the age of 26! I didn't regret the idea for a second.

Well, my folks had their computer set up on a makeshift table with a plywood

surface, the edge of which was rather sharp, and so uncomfortable for the

undersides of your wrists, should you leave them resting there for too long

without a break. One night, so immersed was I in my experience, that this edge had actually managed to break the skin on my mouse-hand wrist, drawing

blood, and I didn't notice until I went to bed.

Enough said. This game succeeds in accomplishing all the goals which should be part and parcel of the basic mission of entertainment, and the manifesto of

gaming in particular.

No matter how great other games may have been, before and since, no other

experience to date has held a candle to this.

It's only too bad you can never go home again.

Deus Ex is a masterpiece and is simply the best game ever. As it uses a modified version of the Unreal engine, the graphics and gameplay are excellent. However, it is the story and the immersive nature of the game that really seperates this title from all the others. Combining all the best elements from Sci-Fi, RPG and FPS games, Deus Ex has a very complex plot that also gives you a lot of freedom while completing mission objectives. As you play the game you will also find that your actions can have concequences later in the game.

Put simply, this game is the best and I would give it 1000 out of 10 if I could!

To play Deus Ex is to delve into a complex world of detail and intricate moods. The plot seems simple enough to begin with, but at the end you see how it is one of the best written story-lines ever made in a game, vastly superior to the excellent stories of Half-Life, or Homeworld.

Even ignoring that, praise must be given to the system of gameplay, which mixes RPG elements (skills, upgrades to special abilities, branching storylines and multiple outcomes) and Action (First person, multiple weapons, quite violent)

The graphics engine is superb. Though not top of the line as far as engines do go, the amount of objects and detail allowed on a single screen while allowing good frame rate is astounding. A good example comes just on the first level, which requires a climb to the tourist center on what is left of the Statue of Liberty, to look down on the magnificent view.

Then there is the diversity of locations, from New York to Pasadena to Paris to Hong Kong and beyond. And at very few times does it ever seem that this kind of plot could never happen, because it could.

The social commentary is also excellent, as characters give speeches to eachother that are obviously aimed at government and corrupt practices of today.

Deus Ex is not to be missed.

Took the best parts of many previous games. Puzzle solving, stealth, character upgrades. Add in a fantastic plot in a dystopian future. There aren't many scripted conversations but they are quality.

The gameplay was so seamless, just like real life, you can 'fail' some missions (if you don't die) and the game continues. You can have conversations that have consequences later in the game.

But what made it so popular was that there were so many ways to complete the game. You could stealth it, blow everyone away or skill your way to success. There are many hidden areas. Every time you play the game differently you find something new.

Because it's plot is based on many conspiracy theories, people say that 'deux ex predicted that' from everything from 9/11 to Snowden's revelations. Is it's portrayal of our future too accurate?

Outstanding gameplay.