Deus Ex

A deadly virus, The Grey Death, is ravaging a futuristic world (where science might have gone too far) and it is the US government that is using it to cull world population and make a profit by selling the vaccine to the wealthy.

As JC Denton, you must travel the world, solve countless problems and battle loads of foes to find out more, constantly uncovering new facts and changing sides as you go.

Deus Ex is one of the first games where you can make moral and tactical decisions that effect the story and it is partly this, along with: an incredibly diverse group of supporting characters, the ability to both customise yourself (using nano augmentations) and your weapons, the interesting moral dilemmas that the twisting story raises in the player and the continuous references to things like: other games, classic literature, films and philosophical works that makes it such a great game. but the underlying feeling you get from playing the game is one of complete immersion into a wonderful yet darkly twisted world.

I have played Deus Ex many many times and have discovered something new on each occasion. i think it is this that makes Deus ex the greatest game ever and this that will mean it is still the greatest game ever in 5, 10, 15, 100... years time.

11/10

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.

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.

No other game comes close to 'Deus Ex' which combines the best of action, RPG, first-person shooter & political intrigue. You make a wrong decision, you pay the consequences. Do you want to be a frontal assault trooper, or an electronics wizard? You decide by honing your skills in these areas and gameplay will be affected accordingly. Nothing else comes close.

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!