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' (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.

I don't want to make many words!!

I played it about 15 times from the beginning to the every of the different endings and I didn't do that with any other game yet. Just today I went through another time and I found NEW DETAILS I haven't saw yet. It's unbelievable, after 15 times it's excitingly and good like it was at the first time. Now in 2005 there's still no other game, what reaches Deus Ex in any kind, except for maybe the graphics.. ;-)

What a pity that new games are so linear and without so much details and story besides the main story. Furthermore the playtime of Deus Ex is ENORMOUS long in contrast to new games.

BEST GAME IN PC GAMING HISTORY!!!!!

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.

What a fantastic, incredible game ! What a pity that Half-Life stole all the glory back when this was released, because this game blows HL away in terms of depth, gameplay and re-playability.

Imagine a World where your actions have consequences on the World you inhabit.

Switch sides and join the "terrorists" ? Or be a good company man and hunt them down like dogs ?

All characters in the game, from the scantily clad prostitutes to the Triad members, seem to have personalities and a purprose to their life and help to add to the atmosphere. Of course, you can execute them for no reason with a bullet between the eyes for no reason other than to steal their stuff, and sometimes this is necessary when your short on something. But if you do then you're going to have to answer to the police.

You can upgrade your nanotech abilities with the help of a Medibot, via hard to find canisters, infinite combinations of abilities to try out which affect your style of play.

Also you get lockpicks, electronic equipment to bypass security, and the abilities to hack computer systems too.

Weapons are also upgraded in a similar way, you find upgrades for range, recoil, accuracy, scope, lasersights, and many more - which can all be attached to different weapons in your arsenal.

Weapons ? Well this is a game where the pistol and sniper rifle are king. You want to use the plasma cannon and rocket launcher then your apt to set yourself on fire in the process (-: Plenty of silent weps too, throwing knives, swords, stun guns, tranquiliser darts, riot batons, tear gas, pepper spray etc etc

The enemies are not stupid. Let's get this straight, this is NOT a traditional FPS, it has SNEAK elements like theif and Metal Gear Solid. So often sneaking around in the shadows is a good bet. The enemies will hear your footsteps and react together, calling for support, setting off the alarms, and working as a team.

Also, when you sneak up on them they are often engaged in private conversation, maybe about their families or their work, so you do feel a twinge of guilt as you let them have it in the head with your laser sighted pistol (-:

If anything though, the gameplay is too hard, and you often find yourself switching "God Mode" on just to progess.

It beggars belief the little details the programmers have put into this game, almost EVERYTHING is interactive and can be picked up, switched on, smashed or used. Rats, cats and dogs roam the streets, pigeons peck at the ground and take off when you approach, little things like this are what makes this game such a novel experience.

The levels are massive ! I was used to Half Life with its small levels, so it is incredible that they managed to create such huge and detailed levels. Drawback for this is that it is often the case that you have to cross from one "level" to another, and the loading times are around 15 seconds which can be quite annoying.

For less than 10 pounds/10 dollars you will not find a better bargain.

So go on, want a game where you can execute anyone at will AND pay the consequences then this is for you.