Deus Ex

• Platform: IBM PC Compatible
• Release Date: June 23, 2000
• Genre: Shooter
• Style: First-Person Shooter
• Similar Games: Thief: The Dark Project (IBM PC Compatible), Half-Life (IBM PC Compatible)

Game Description

Deus Ex is a first-person shooter set in a dark, grim, near future. Gameplay is similar to that of Thief, with stealth being at least as important as racking up a high body count. There is no multi-player mode in the game -- it's just you against the computer.

Disease ravages the population while the struggle for the much-in demand antidote "Ambrosia" rages on. Trying to keep order and make some sense of the situation is J.C. Denton, a cybernetically augmented agent of the United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition (UNATCO) who is up against National Secessionist Forces (NSF), re-packaged Triads, and the shadowy underground known as Silhouette.

The maps are large and require time to explore, with the first arena being a blown-up Statue of Liberty. Each set location is highly interactive with door locks to be picked, security cameras to bypass, and computer terminals for hints and codes. Books and newspapers picked up during exploration provide interesting, moody background, as well as an occasional clue. Buildings and areas of conflict are not always linear and often offer multiple entry points.

Various personalities dot the landscape. The UNATCO soldier, the undercover contact disguised as a bum, the poor, hungry kid -- all have different degrees of interaction with Denton. Some will say just a line or two while others have entire black-market scams and try to sell you useful items. Some NPCs initiate cut-scenes, in which they impart important information. The bad guys mutter and hum while on sentry duty, and come running and dodging when the bullet ballet starts.

When talk is useless and weapons carry the conversation, there is a mix to be had, from the ubiquitous pistols and shotguns to flamethrowers, throwing knives, and mini-crossbows. Some serious military ordnance can be carried as well, such as rocket and grenade launchers, assault rifles, and several types of grenades (including the Electro Magnetic Pulse grenade for taking out the robotic defenses). Non-lethal means of attack are also available and include tranquilizer darts for the crossbow, a riot prod (similar to a taser), gas grenades, and the tried-and-true baton. A non-lethal approach is appreciated by UNATCO, making for some interesting decisions.

You can't carry everything, however, and inventory management becomes a challenge. You'll have choices to make, ranging from items such as soda-pop (useful for a bit of health restoration and bribes) to the weapons you'll need. All sorts of electronics can be found in the game's environments, along with several tools used to manipulate them. Lock picks and micro-tools are needed because brute strength won't always get the job done. Electro fuel cells are required to power your cybernetic abilities, such as night sight and extra melee strength, while new cybernetic augmentation canisters upgrade and vary your built-in abilities.

Conversations, mission goals and logs of what you do are available with a couple of keystrokes, making bookkeeping and note taking easier. If you do want to add your own comments, you can type them directly into the standard note section.

Review: Enjoyment

Ion Storm has released one of the more interesting and intriguing first-person shooters to date (includes third-person elements as well). In comparison to its predecessors, it's a cross between Thief and System Shock, complete with a cyberpunk mentality and a spy vs. spy storyline.

Is it fun to play? Yes. Bottom line -- I was absorbed immediately. While the storyline is fairly familiar, the double crossing, the moral ambiguity and the depth of the story made me want to play on and on. Then, there's the gameplay. Stealth counts for a lot and exploring options before running in with guns blazing is a must. Often, there are multiple ways past a sentry, a locked door or a gun turret. I really appreciate having those choices.

Much of this boils down to great set design. The first battleground is the blown-up Statue of Liberty which is breathtaking in scope. There's plenty of cover for sneaking, spying and sniping. In the distance, a future New York City looks like an explosion of light and life. Waterways can be swum and air ducts climbed in, or, one can run in the front door with guns blazing. Anyway you go, it will be interesting and tailored to the way you want to play the game.

Shadows and nooks provide ample opportunity to avoid sentries and effect a bit of reconnaissance before the bullets start bouncing around. Interesting fields of fire allow for surprise ambushes, although at times it is your character that gets ambushed! The interactivity is quite impressive. For example, I couldn't get past one door (I was out of lock picks) so I placed a box of TNT against it; I then detonated it with a pistol shot. Plants, chairs and sofas can be picked up or moved, books and newspapers read for bits of information and computers, security stations, door locks and file cabinets manipulated, picked and ransacked.

Graphics may not reflect today's highest standards (c.2000) but they aren't bad. Some faces look better than others do but some are quite remarkable. My small gripe on the appearance aspect is J.C. Denton's hands -- they look like gardening spades. One nice touch occurs during the cut-scenes where the background continues to move as the story progresses. At one point, a businessman walked right through the conversation I was having with a contact -- typical day trader.

While the computer AI is not quite top notch, I found myself saving often because of Denton's propensity to be killed. Security guards and soldiers have a tendency to wander off if they can't find you immediately, a flaw I exploited -- take one out, run into the shadows, wait and do it all over again. I found it much harder to fool the automated defenses like gun turrets, rocket-firing mechs and sneaky sensors. At later levels, the game gets challenging enough to keep the adrenaline and interest high.

Deus Ex's skills and cybernetics are a welcome addition to this genre. The skill list is a bit small, but elegant, and the cybernetic choices induce even more hair pulling. Each cybernetic addition comes with two choices, making the decision very difficult. For example, once you have Melee Strength, you are stuck with it, and cannot buy Extra Lifter Strength.

The game is large and takes a bit of time to finish; a second run through will not have many surprises for you. To achieve decent replay value, you can go through the storyline and make different decisions, buy different skills and cybernetics and choose different sides of the conflict. Replay value really depends on what kind of gamer you are and how much you like to tinker. If you like exploring, a bit of mayhem and a layered storyline, Deus Ex is definitely worth a look.

Production Credits

---

Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Game Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.

---