Deus Ex Game-of-the-Year Edition Review
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A game this good doesn't come along very often. If you haven't picked up a copy of this title, drop whatever you are doing and run to your local EBX pronto. Deus Ex can officially be added to the list of must play PC games. It is an elite gaming list that includes only the best of the best. Tie Fighter, System Shock 2, Jedi Knight, American McGee's Alice, The Pandora Directive are only a handful of games that grace the best of the best PC game list. To make this list, a game developer has to create a game that comes damn near close to perfection. In other words they must design a game that completely immerse the player into the gaming world. They must deliver some serious ass-crunching gameplay along with an engrossing storyline that will grab gamers from the get go. Warren Spector and Ion Storm have delivered just that. Near perfection in Deus Ex. If you neglected to purchase this title the first time around last summer, Eidos has released a Game Of The Year Edition loaded with Extras.
Deus Ex is a first person shooter combined with RPG properties that involves players to think before they go in guns blazing, shooting everything in sight. The storyline encompasses every human conspiracy into an intelligent tightly woven progression. Everything from Aliens in area 51 to Majestic 12 to the Illuminati is covered here. Your character is a special agent who has special enhancements through augmentations. The player can decide what specific skills to pursue by enhancing these augmentations throughout the game. If you have a stealthy approach to life you may opt to enhance computer skills and the art of lock picking allowing your character to sneak around and keep casualties to a minimum. Maybe you're a violent sob and your answer to everything is to kill, shoot, and blow stuff up. No problem, just enhance your characters weapon training and blow everything to hell. These choices are precisely what make Deus Ex so good. Ifyou can't find the access code to open the door to that building, then try picking the lock. If that doesn't work, why not try and find a second way in.Perhaps the fire escape, or maybe there is another entrance on the roof. Patience running thin? Then go find a grenade and put a big hole in the door. The point here is that gameplay is actually in the hands of the person playing the game. Every obstacle has two or three different solutions allowing a player to customize each scenario. Should you kill or zap an enemy into unconsciousness? Should you join your brother in his moral crusades or shoot him in the face. It's all here, and its all up to you.
The story unfolds through the decisions you make throughout the levels. Occasionally you will break into a secret lab or hidden terrorist camp and find out a bit more than you should have. Cut scenes occur through the action and allow you to take part in them instead of just watching. You are given a whole slew of devious weaponry and gadgets that will help you progress. Too many weapons to mention here, but everything from swords to energy prods are represented including all the heavy-duty hardware required to blow stuff to hell and back. With all the diversity I found that I chose one in particular that I knew I could count on to get me in and out of some sinister situations. My weapon of choice was a modified sniper rifle complete with scope and silencer. Yes folks, you can use the scope. It feels like Jackson in the bell tower at the end of Saving Private Ryan. I won't go into detail about the story itself, but it gets very involved, yet stays intelligent, and never becomes hard to follow. You can always recognize the line drawn between good and evil.
As I said before a good game draws the player completely into the gaming world. Deus Ex accomplishes this by providing oodles of atmosphere. Overall the game is a dark gritty affair with moody appropriate music. Great level design with multiple solutions allows total immersion into the game. The subway level looks like something right out of The Matrix. A hyped up Unreal engine I believe achieves the graphics, and it looks great. The game world looks dirty and lived in. NPC vocalizations are pretty tight with the exception of the main character, who at times is a bit stoical. As the story sucks you in, you will begin to care about the different people you encounter and how you can change their particular predicament if you choose. I played through all three endings relishing each one. The amount of time and care the developers put in to complete this game shows, and should be acknowledged. Deus Ex is why the PC remains the best gaming platform out there.
The Game Of The Year Edition includes some cool extras in addition to the award winning game. It ships with the multiplayer portion previously available by download. A software development kit is included. This allows you to create your own Deus Ex missions. Windows themes and sounds can also be found on the second disc, although the sounds tend to be a bit disturbing at times. One of the wallpaper themes depicts some of the main characters standing in a very Matrix-like pose. Patches are also included, but my favorite extra by far is the soundtrack CD. It includes thirty tracks from the game and it kicks major ass if I do say so myself. Of course I actually own the Tex Murphy soundtrack from way back when too. In my opinion this is one of the best out there. Period.
Deus Ex is a first person shooter combined with RPG properties that involves players to think before they go in guns blazing, shooting everything in sight. The storyline encompasses every human conspiracy into an intelligent tightly woven progression. Everything from Aliens in area 51 to Majestic 12 to the Illuminati is covered here. Your character is a special agent who has special enhancements through augmentations. The player can decide what specific skills to pursue by enhancing these augmentations throughout the game. If you have a stealthy approach to life you may opt to enhance computer skills and the art of lock picking allowing your character to sneak around and keep casualties to a minimum. Maybe you're a violent sob and your answer to everything is to kill, shoot, and blow stuff up. No problem, just enhance your characters weapon training and blow everything to hell. These choices are precisely what make Deus Ex so good. Ifyou can't find the access code to open the door to that building, then try picking the lock. If that doesn't work, why not try and find a second way in.Perhaps the fire escape, or maybe there is another entrance on the roof. Patience running thin? Then go find a grenade and put a big hole in the door. The point here is that gameplay is actually in the hands of the person playing the game. Every obstacle has two or three different solutions allowing a player to customize each scenario. Should you kill or zap an enemy into unconsciousness? Should you join your brother in his moral crusades or shoot him in the face. It's all here, and its all up to you.
The story unfolds through the decisions you make throughout the levels. Occasionally you will break into a secret lab or hidden terrorist camp and find out a bit more than you should have. Cut scenes occur through the action and allow you to take part in them instead of just watching. You are given a whole slew of devious weaponry and gadgets that will help you progress. Too many weapons to mention here, but everything from swords to energy prods are represented including all the heavy-duty hardware required to blow stuff to hell and back. With all the diversity I found that I chose one in particular that I knew I could count on to get me in and out of some sinister situations. My weapon of choice was a modified sniper rifle complete with scope and silencer. Yes folks, you can use the scope. It feels like Jackson in the bell tower at the end of Saving Private Ryan. I won't go into detail about the story itself, but it gets very involved, yet stays intelligent, and never becomes hard to follow. You can always recognize the line drawn between good and evil.
As I said before a good game draws the player completely into the gaming world. Deus Ex accomplishes this by providing oodles of atmosphere. Overall the game is a dark gritty affair with moody appropriate music. Great level design with multiple solutions allows total immersion into the game. The subway level looks like something right out of The Matrix. A hyped up Unreal engine I believe achieves the graphics, and it looks great. The game world looks dirty and lived in. NPC vocalizations are pretty tight with the exception of the main character, who at times is a bit stoical. As the story sucks you in, you will begin to care about the different people you encounter and how you can change their particular predicament if you choose. I played through all three endings relishing each one. The amount of time and care the developers put in to complete this game shows, and should be acknowledged. Deus Ex is why the PC remains the best gaming platform out there.
The Game Of The Year Edition includes some cool extras in addition to the award winning game. It ships with the multiplayer portion previously available by download. A software development kit is included. This allows you to create your own Deus Ex missions. Windows themes and sounds can also be found on the second disc, although the sounds tend to be a bit disturbing at times. One of the wallpaper themes depicts some of the main characters standing in a very Matrix-like pose. Patches are also included, but my favorite extra by far is the soundtrack CD. It includes thirty tracks from the game and it kicks major ass if I do say so myself. Of course I actually own the Tex Murphy soundtrack from way back when too. In my opinion this is one of the best out there. Period.
Install: Easy
Are you still reading this? What are you waiting for? Go out and pick this one up, it's one of the best games ever made and worthy of your hard earned paper.
Gameplay: 10
Intelligent level design incorporated into a solid action packed storyline. This one requires you to do a bit more than shoot everything on screen to progress. It also allows you to make decisions that impact the game. The learning curve involves a bit more than mastering the fire key, but its well worth the time.
Graphics: 9
Everything is done very well, and provides a dark lived in feel. The only exception is mouth sync. It's a little off. Oh well, almost perfect anyway.
Sound: 9
Did I mention I love the soundtrack.
Difficulty: 10
Some of the missions are very challenging.
Concept: 7
Conspiracies provide an excellent storyline that will keep you glued to the monitor for hours at a time. Lets hope there will be a Deus Ex 2.
Multiplayer: 8
Multiplayer is available in this edition, as well as the software development kit which allows you to create your own missions. Deathmatching as always is very violent and action packed, if you dig that sort of thing..
Overall: 9.7
Deus Ex GOTYE comes very close to receiving a ten. I highly recommend it.
