As we inch toward the 20th anniversary of Deus Ex in June, (I played it at launch, get off my lawn) I want to share my thoughts on the masterpiece in question. In addition to the full Deus Ex retrospective I did in 2012. 
Thief is my favorite video game series. Thief II is my G.O.A.T.
Which is why I always mention that Deus Ex was made almost as a direct rebuttal to Thief. Without its unerring focus on Stealth, the idea to include Combat and RPG elements and call it 'Deus Ex' never happens.
Which is why I always mention that Deus Ex was made almost as a direct rebuttal to Thief. Without its unerring focus on Stealth, the idea to include Combat and RPG elements and call it 'Deus Ex' never happens.
In many ways, Deus Ex is also the refinement of System Shock's attempt to break artificial barriers and blur the lines of RPG and Action in 1994. Spector was Origin's emissary to Looking Glass Studios during System Shock's development, and this doubtless left an impression.
There's no game I'd rather play with new eyes, as if for the first time... than Deus Ex.
'Thief's title is self-descriptive. You have an idea what it will be.
'Deus Ex'? It could be anything.
It sneaks up on you. A seeming shooter that transmogrifies insidiously into FAR more.
'Thief's title is self-descriptive. You have an idea what it will be.
'Deus Ex'? It could be anything.
It sneaks up on you. A seeming shooter that transmogrifies insidiously into FAR more.
I'll never forget rolling the dice on this game - not being terribly interested based on cover art and screenshots - and then slowly... inexorably finding myself ensnared by its cyberpunk spell. The millennial paranoia. Branching story paths evoking Blade Runner ('97).
But no aspect aged better than the one that SHOULD seem dated: The unique, Y2K paranoia predicting everything from a global pandemic made in a lab, to the bombing of the Twin Towers, before either took place.
It's either a compliment to Ion Storm, or an indictment of the future.
It's either a compliment to Ion Storm, or an indictment of the future.
Don't sleep on the sequel.
No matter what Reddit bleats, Invisible War - while streamlined - expanded the formula in other ways. Offering more divergent & dramatic choices and predicting MANY MORE future events like mass quarantine and the ascendance of collectivist globalism.
No matter what Reddit bleats, Invisible War - while streamlined - expanded the formula in other ways. Offering more divergent & dramatic choices and predicting MANY MORE future events like mass quarantine and the ascendance of collectivist globalism.
DX: Human Revolution is hailed, and with good reason, as a return to form for the series. But upon further inspection, both it, and its sequel Mankind Divided, owe a substantial debt to Invisible War. With their emphasis on Transhumanism and features like Black Market biomods.
I feel the same way about Mankind Divided as DX2. Appraised as inferior to its predecessor, it is in truth an experiment in condensing more detail into a smaller space. CyberPrague has more lore, quests and dialogue per square inch than most entire GAMES.
The stasis of Deus Ex, (not to mention Spector's troubled
System Shock 3) are a sad testament to the hivemind of modern gaming.
When a narrative takes hold? People don't just express it. They DELIGHT in it. We all remember the B.S. 'microtransactions' furor around DX:MD.
System Shock 3) are a sad testament to the hivemind of modern gaming.
When a narrative takes hold? People don't just express it. They DELIGHT in it. We all remember the B.S. 'microtransactions' furor around DX:MD.
If you want more Deus Ex? Or, for that matter, more System Shock? Rather appropriately, the first step is to question the veracity of what you're being told, and stop delighting in it and dogpiling. I see no reason to delight in the dormancy of these seminal franchises.
