Deus Ex Review

Approaching problems in different ways is Deus Ex’s bread and butter. Read any FAQ about the game and it is littered with corrections and additions. “Although you said kill this person to get the key, I found destroying the Coke Machine with some explosives created a hole in the wall big enough to squeeze through which meant I didn’t need to use the door at all.” This is a game that offers proper choices. A game that has gone out of its way to avoid the “use item X on character Y” problem.

An intricate plot is one of the game’s most talked about features. Set amidst a future of government corruption, terrorism on a global scale and a suffering, impoverished populace preoccupied with drug abuse and inter-racial fighting, you take the role of JC Denton. Denton, a cybernetic human working for the government anti-terrorist agency UNATCO is initially given the task of recovering Ambrosia, an antidote to the pandemic Gray Death virus. The plot twists and turns like a roller-coaster, throwing in all manner of surprises and revelations. Constantly the narrative opts for the unpredictable. Just when you think the story is homing in on a conclusion another plot twist will send you off to a faraway location. The story is immense and can be added to depending on the player’s dedication and exploration. Finding the datacubes littered throughout the game will provide additional information, passwords, bank details and recorded conversations. Almost too long, actually reaching the end is so satisfying that you just have to keep on going, to play on and on in order to see all of the different endings.

Perhaps the most unique feature is the addition of a well-balanced RPG sub-system. By allowing the player to upgrade the
basic skills and special abilities of your character the game allows the player to further customize their experience within the game. Fed with skill points from completing the rolling mission objectives and collectible canisters the system really does define the path you take through the missions. Will you swim through the tunnel and avoid the defense turrets, or tackle them head on? It all comes down to your various strengths and weaknesses.

A simple Action game, an RPG or a new take on the Adventure genre, Deus Ex is pretty much anything you want it to be. It is a little buggy and the graphics are a little dark, but Deus Ex is a masterpiece. Truly a brilliant and unique game, it will provide many hours of pure entertainment.