95

Incredible Experience

lachking | May 17, 2013 | See all lachking's reviews »

Deus Ex, although an old game now is still one of the best out there. The game cleverly mixes the genres of FPS, RPG and stealth together to create a superb and engrossing experience. You can play the game as you wish, whether that be killing everyone as a strength character or sneaking around as a stealth character. The story is engaging and what you do will impact on plot points and what characters say to you. The voice acting is top notch with a mix of serious and humorous lines. Throughout the game you will visit a variety of locations such as downtown New York, underground sewers and hidden terrorist bases with many different tasks to complete including optional secondary objectives. The graphics are admittedly dated, and the game appears to always be at night time but the game is much deeper than visual impressions. This is a superb game that should be experienced by everyone.

100

Phenomenal Masterpiece

jimsteryo2 | May 3, 2013 | See all jimsteryo2's reviews »

This is easily one of the greatest games of all time. I can't recommend it more. It has the best gameplay I've ever seen, and a ton of choices in the way you play the game. The story is one of the best in gaming with its conspiracies and plot twists. The characters are all interesting and fun to interact with. The setting is possibly my favorite part because I'm a huge fan of cyberpunk. Basically it's all good things I have to say for this and I can't say enough, so just play it yourself.

90

The Definitive FPS/RPG

Nuxaider | April 16, 2013 | See all Nuxaider's reviews »

I was introduced to Deus Ex after discovering that Human Revolutions was actually a prequel. This game set the standard for not only future Deus Ex games but also FPS/RPG-like games later to come.

Graphics: What can I say? A game this old obviously has bad graphics but they don't detract from the experience. In terms of the art style, it fits well and the constant darkness in the game complements the mood set in the timeline.

Sound: The music is some of the best music I've ever heard. The ambiance sets up mood very well and battle music to menu music is catchy, heart pumping, and sometimes emotional. As for voice acting, the main characters are well done, if a bit monotone at times. The minor characters aren't bad but are cringe-worthy at times.

Gameplay: Immediately starting up the game, you'll notice how large Liberty Island is. And it's only the first level. The greatest thing about Deus Ex is that there truly are multiple paths, choices, and playstyles a player can do. Non-lethal, lethal, or straight up avoiding enemies are all valid strategies to completing a level. A minor complaint I have is with the shooting; it's too RPG-like. While that sounds ridiculous since I just praised Deus Ex for that, trying to use a gun when you are low-leveled is near impossible thanks to the large bloom. Only upgrades and skill points can improve it. These aren't bad things, though I wish weapons were a bit more accurate early on. Also, some skills are rather useless (swimming, poison resistance, etc) while others are very good. Some better balance between skills would be nice.

Story: The thing that really drives home the story is how it relates to current life. The conspiracy theories and the plot twists make for an interesting and engaging experience that no other game can provide. However, the different elements of the story are vaguely connected and the player often forgets how and why they are in their location and the significance of it in relation to their previous objective. The minor dialogue and events are the most memorable, which is unfortunate since the story has a lot of care put into it.

Overall, if you want to see where it started, Deus Ex is a worthy, replayable experience. Oh and it has multiplayer.

98

Every time you mention it someone will reinstall it

Guardian412 | Feb. 3, 2013 | See all Guardian412's reviews »

If I should give the "Best of all time" award to game, Deus Ex would get that award and with a reason. DX has one of the most original, well twisted and detailed storyline ever written, with well designed open world levels, the most memorable soundtrack, phenomenal voice narration for each of the characters, and a very polished gameplay which should be a standard even today. DX has a true cause and effect storyline which reacts for each of your actions throughout the game, twisting the story to be told based on your actions and decisions you make up from the very first minute. No walkthrough is ever the same.

At the middle of the 21st century, playing as UNATCO Agent JC Denton, you'll find yourself in a hostage-terrorist situation at Liberty Island, New York. But soon you'll learn than the whole situation is more than it first seems to be, and soon you'll find yourself at the middle of a conspiracy which is embracing and affecting every part of the world from the New York to Hong Kong. You must learn what the truth is, whose are the people responsible for the death of millions, and foremost what your role in the events truly is.

Deus Ex is the game every time you mention it someone will reinstall it. And it's true. While the game is more than ten years old, its still considered as the best in the FPS-RPG hybrid genre and one of the all time classics. If you are one of the two or three men in the world who haven't played this game, get Deus Ex to learn why it has turned to an all time classic and the reason why many are calling it the best game of all time. DX is highly-highly-highly recommended for everyone.

95

A World Of True Choice And Consequence

CrimsonWizard | Feb. 1, 2013 | See all CrimsonWizard's reviews »

Deus Ex is the legendary shooter released in 2000 built around a future plunging into dystopia. People are dying of a mysterious plague, the economy has fallen off the rails, and governments and shadows organizations secretly vie for control. Throughout this grim and gritty setting, you play as J.C. "Your Name Here" Denton, an new agent of UNATCO who is sent in to deal with terrorists who are occupying the Statue of Liberty.

From there however, Deus Ex lets you decide how to deal with the situation. Though it is a shooter, the game also has strong stealth and RPG mechanics as well with experience points earned for dealing with foes and objectives or finding hidden paths or secrets. You can try to gun down every terrorist you see and take back the statue forcefully, but you're also welcome to sneak past, or non-lethally take down foes with the stun and tranquilizer guns. Hacking security and doors, sneaking through secret paths, using nano-tech powers, and laying traps are several of the means the game gives you towards completing your objectives. In fact, boss fights are optional, with running away being a possible solution if you're attempting a pacifist run.

One of the best things about Deus Ex because of this system is that the story adapts to your choices. The characters will react differently (for good or worse) if you choose to be aggressive, or to be non-lethal in your approach. You can also radically change the events of the story by your choices. For example, in a later mission a character you were sent to capture is going to be killed by a fellow UNATCO agent. The game gives you no notification of what you should do. You can just walk away, or you can try to protect him and kill the bloodthirsty agent in a small boss fight. In fact, the developers incorporated many responses to your actions, even if logically you shouldn't have done something yet or at all.

Honestly, the weakest part of the game is just the actual look of the game. For 2000 these were decent graphics, depicting a dark setting with the characters having pretty good detail. However, they haven't aged too well, and players who prefer crisper textures and fluid animation may want to look into graphics mods for the game if you purchase it. The sound and voice acting do their job fine as well with plenty of ambient sound and the characters have decent voices, though our protagonist does sound a bit wooden like Neo in the Matrix.

Despite those issues however, Deus Ex holds up really well against modern shooters in terms of actual entertainment. With all the options in terms of story, action, and exploration, Deus Ex was one of the first games that really felt like it was listening to the character rather than just pulling you along the planned tale and paths. It also managed to combine several genres equally into a great game, rewarding the player no matter which style they choose. If you're looking for a game that engages you throughout the whole playtime, Deus Ex is one of the strongest titles you can choose.

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