Revisiting the original Deus Ex in 2012 – Deus Ex (2000) Review

You might be wondering as to why I am writing about a game that is as much as 11 years old, played and enjoyed by millions, in this day and age, when the gaming industry is far more advanced, both technically and graphically.

To be honest, although I have been gaming for about 15 years, Deus Ex and I never crossed paths. I missed the game. Or, probably, when the game released, I wasn’t that into such games, was too busy with your typical arcade game. I always knew that there existed this game called Deus Ex, which is apparently great. I was so ignorant about it I never even bothered about the genre, set and setting of the game. Deus Ex was always in the back of my mind, subconsciously though.

It was only when Deus Ex : Human Revolution was announced during E3 2011, and the amount of press it was generating, that made me do a background check on this so-called franchise. So I did some internet reading here and there, and it turned out that the original Deus Ex, launched in 2000, is actually a game considered legendary by many. Thus the interest. So well, I went ahead and purchased the game from Steam, just to see what the big fuss was all about.

Now that I’ve finished Deus Ex (just yesterday), it has left such a solid impression on me that I have to write about it. just to pen it down. It’s a great game. There has to be some memory of it. All I have to say is, even in 2011, I feel games still don’t achieve as much depth and freedom as Deus Ex. Really, Deus Ex is a great game. Absolutely fantastic.

PLOT

I started playing the game quite a while back, took it slow in the beginning, but the game kept calling me back, with its totally immersive, challenging plot, gameplay, and flow. The storyline is a nicely laid conspiracy theory about superpower multinational corporations, and the influence they have on policies and governance. There is no cheesy gimmicky plot; the book is deep, complicated, futuristic, and different.

GAMEPLAY

The gameplay is a different story all together. It’s an open-ended sandbox, a perfect mixture of RPG and FPS gameplay mechanics. You feel in total control, and you always have a strong agenda. Throughout the playthrough, every mission is a unique challenge with a unique strategy, and you can do a mission the way you want to do it. Go stealth or go guns blazing—your choice. And it’s hard. Even on Normal difficulty, the game will always be a challenge, requiring you to totally test all of your gaming skills, from patience to accuracy, to control, etc. This is what I call a great game, with total immersion in both, gameplay and plot/storyline. Games fail to achieve that these days. They focus too much on the plot, and suffer with weak, predictable, and objectively easy gameplay.

SOUNDTRACK (Special Feature)

One really mentionable and influential aspect of Deus Ex is its soundtrack. The soundtrack of Deus Ex is basically a set of unique midis on loop for specific locations. What makes it special is that, since the game was made in the early Nineties era, the music is totally futuristic. The soundtrack is a collection of really well-produced electronic synthesizer beats. It’s gripping and totally captures the essence of the game. The vibe. The OST is now on my iPod and is regularly played.

GRAPHICS

Speaking about the graphics, well, you have to accept this, we all know how crappy the games of 1991 looked compared to today’s game, so yes, the graphics of Deus Ex won’t really impress you, since this is 2012. But actually, from a 100% gamer perspective, I don’t consider graphics important anymore. It’s gameplay, immersion, and a unique visual style with challenging and surprising gameplay that attracts me more to a game. Graphics are a technical thing; there are so many games with superb graphics getting 9/10 ratings from these bloody reviewers, but they fail to really give you a complete gaming experience. Deus Ex has that.

AN ILL VIEWPOINT

What the overall game achieves is a feeling of paranoia and mystery throughout its play time. The game encourages creativity and endorses freedom, something that most games today fail to deliver. Deus Ex is definitely a keeper. You can build your character the way you want to, and the character system is very deep. You are JC Denton, an augmented soldier with super-human capabilities. As you progress through a mission, you gain Reward Points, and you have to spend your reward points on upgrades to your augmentations and skills. Every different character build calls for a different type of gameplay. That is what is so special about Deus Ex. Out of all things, it is definitely not predictable, and you’re always on your toes during its gameplay.

DEUS EX VS DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION

Now I have finished Deus Ex: Human Revolution too. It is a good game, no doubt, but it’s nothing special and memorable. Its OK. Above average. just like all the games rolling out these days. Deus EX: HR is easy, even on hard difficulty. If you play it comprehensively, you can easily upgrade all your augmentations, which makes you miss the real challenge, since you all feel superpowered, without a feeling a urgency and paranoia, like Deus Ex makes you feel. Everything is obvious about Deus Ex: HR, everything is influenced by the original Deus Ex and other games of this age.

CONCLUSION

All in all, Deus Ex is one game I wont be uninstalling for a long time. I’m gonna give it another go with a different character build. I’m sure I’ll have to approach missions differently with this new build.

So….if you haven’t played the game for whatever reason, are bored of recent games, or want something new, get Deus Ex without blinking. It’s totally worth it.