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Don't read this yet, just buy the game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: May 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Deus Ex Machina - A god introduced by means of a crane in ancient Greek and Roman drama to decide the final outcome.

Buy Deus Ex. Right now. Play it. Lose yourself in it. Then, when you finish the game and marvel at its awesome gameplay, come back and read this review. Tell me whether or not you agree with how much I rave about this game. Because, I guarantee, you will not be disappointed...with the game, that is.

Developed by ION Storm (yes, the same guys who pushed out DAIKATANA, but by a different team within the company), DEUS EX quickly redeems the honor smeared by ION's software marketing faux pas of its previous game. So, why is it so good? Yes, you've got a conspiracy theory in it (everything involving a human in present or near-future time revolves around them nowadays), you've got weapons (big deal), and it's 3D (what isn't ?). Well, it seems to me that 3D maps and eye candy just doesn't cut it anymore for gamers. What I see that captivates gamers to love or hate a game is a beautifully woven story, with continuity and characters or situations one loses oneself in. RPGs follow this model. Indeed, Deus Ex is almost like an RPG, giving you ways to enhance your character in several different ways. And, just like an RPG, a character follows, more or less, a specific path of development that allows them to become great at certain skills, while developing poorly in others. This provides for great replayability in the game, for one can choose different paths to follow, becoming either a goody-two-shoes, or a more shady character, in your quest to reach the end point.

Speaking of different paths, this is one of those few 3D shooters where you can choose between not one, not two, but THREE different endings! Half-life sported two endings, but were cursory, and really, only one left any sort of accomplishment. Here, each path you choose, leading to its inevitable ending, reflects different societal choices and mindsets--beliefs maybe even you may harbor. Just for fun, when faced with the forks at which you choose your path, pick the one that most rips against your moral grain. Who knows? You might just see the justification of the outcome.

So, in a nutshell, what makes this game so good? 1) The interesting mix of RPG, Puzzle, and 3D shooter, woven together to create an intriguing game. 2) The goth, futuristic story--a la The Sixth Day--with elements taken from the real world, that pulls you into the middle of the action. 3) The plethora of solutions to about any problem on any level--a tectical technique for any strategy--that makes for superb playability. 4) Great use of sound positioning and distance, so even a blind person can tell where the enemy is (with a four-speaker surround setup, of course).

Okay, so Deus Ex sports many good points. Any bad ones? A couple. For one, the voice acting, delivered dead-panned and unemotionally by run-of-the-mill voice actors (they must have a generic pool for these things), detracts from the superb overall story and cutscenes. Another, the AI of the enemies leaves something to be desired. Though not rendering the game disarmingly easy, it's funny to see enemies react to a deafening shotgun blast, come running to investigate the ruckus, not see anyone (for you stealthily concealed yourself in the shadows), then, not seeing anything, go right back to what they were doing after 10 seconds (though they virtually trip over their dead comrade's body on the ground).

Do these drawbacks ruin the game? Hardly. All the other good points more than make up for its shortfalls. So, again, if you haven't this game in your library...BUY IT NOW!

'Nuff said.

GET IT!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 11, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is honestly the best game I have ever played! What more can I say? You have total control of every action, you want to kill someone, go ahead and do it. You want to sneak around, thats OK too. It kept crashing on my system a lot with my TNT2 card, but definately worth it. The pro critics say it has bad voice acting, but I think it is appropriate because of your character's background, but I won't give spoilers. Just buy it. Thats all I can say.

Redefining the FPS

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: September 24, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is just a really good game. Hands down. I mean, it's really hard not to love it. It has, simply put, everything. I mean, on the back of the box, they should just put "You too can know what it feels like to be a ...!"

It has all the FPS aspects that we all know and love, shooting the ... out of thousands of guys.

And a lot of RPG aspects for gamers that like having a reason for shooting all those people, and eventually want their character to get better at it.

Everything in this game gets an A+ except for the following things that I disliked.

1. Character personalization is limited. You only have a few different skills and some of these are vital to beat the game. 2. Most augmentations must be turned on using bioenergy. For example, when you pick up an aug that makes you run faster, you don't just always run faster, you have to activate it, which eats up energy. 3. Slows down sometimes on my 850 mhz TNT2. 4. Horrible loading times. But what do you want? 5. Although several different ways to beat missions, they're still seperate missions. Not enough freedom to stray from the path. In conclusion, this game rocks. So, unless your computer can't handle it (which is very possible), buy this game right now.

A smart approach to the FPS genre

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: February 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Deus Ex has a nasty habit of pulling you into its world when you least expect it to, leaving your concerns of the real world behind (such as your job, eating, your spouse) as you slip on the trenchcoat of UNATCO operative JC Denton.

The game plays out like some crazy episode of the X-Files, with conspiracies flying at the player from all directions. The very basic premise of Deus Ex has agent JC Denton investigating a mysterious plague that has engulfed the world in the near future. Denton is augmented with nano-technology, which allows for the development of specific abilities, such as regeneration of health or increased strength. Through the course of the game the player can decide how to grow the character. He can be a ruthless killing machine, an expert in all weapons, or he can operate via stealth, breaking into computer systems or installations silently to accomplish his goals.

The conspiracies unfold via conversations with other characters, such as Denton's fellow UNATCO agent and brother, Paul; e-mails and other electronic communications. In the world of Deus Ex, all is not what it seems, as JC Denton soon learns.

One of the best aspects of the game is that it can be played as the player sees fit. With each situation JC encounters, there are many different ways to solve the problem. This also results in high replayability, as you can start the game over and try it with different tactics.

With many places selling Deus Ex at a discount, now is the perfect time to engulf yourself in the world of Deus Ex.

One of the best games of all time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: September 18, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I don't normally waste my hard drive space on FPS or TPS games. I got a free copy of Tribes and deleted it, never liked the demo of Quake enough to get the game, and only somewhat enjoyed Wolfenstein and Doom. However, I decided to give Deus Ex a try after reading a review of it where my favorite author, Robert Anton Wilson, was mentioned (some of the background to the plot bears some similarity to the background of the plot in a few of his books). So, I downloaded the demo, and tried it out.

The next day, I ordered the game from Amazon.com. I probably beat the demo about 5 times before it got here. The game just blew me away. A FPS with RPG elements? That was nice. A game that gives you 2-5 different ways to solve each problem? That was nicer. A game that gave you almost total control over the way you played it? That was awesome. An FPS with a plot? I couldn't believe it, but it's true. Deus Ex has an extremely good plot, at least as good as games like Starcraft and Rainbow Six, but far, far less linear. In Starcraft, you got one choice on how to take the plot - somewhere in the BW campaigns you had 2 ways to finish a mission, that led to the next mission being different. Afterwards, the game returned to normal. In Deus Ex, the way you play one mission can make some noticeable changes in the next. Keep your brother alive in the 'Ton, and he shows up a few more times during the game. At least 2-3 different places and times to kill most of the major adversaries in the game. 3 ways to end the game. Not to mention that every mission had a handful of ways to beat it. In the first mission, you could fight your way through the front doors into the ruins of the Statue of Liberty with your guns blazing. Or, you could go around back, climb some crates, and sneak past a lot of the guards. Or, you could go around part of the island, meet with an informer, and find out how to access their computer system so you could control turrets and take half their guards out without wasting ammo. In the Templar cathedral, you could blow the front doors open, climb a trellis and walk around on the roof, pick the locks, or wait for someone to come out a side door, kill them, and go through the door they opened.
The only minor problem is that if you like to close doors behind you, there's one place in the sub base where you can get locked in.... not sure if they'll fix that in a patch or what. Oh well, I've still gotten countless hours of very enjoyable gaming out og it.

Great First Person Shooter! The pros and cons.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: November 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Deus Ex is a great game. I don't know if I can describe it well enough but this game is great! On to the review:

Pros

--If you are really into plot, this is your game. This game has an Amazing INGENIOUS plot! It's hard to say anything without ruining it for you.
--This game uses the ORIGINAL Unreal engine. (Pretty pathetic) But what they've done with it is what astounds me. The Unreal engine isn't too good for today's standards. But they've buffed it up real well. It looks great.
--The basic interface is great! You can pick locks, reprogram turrets, and hack into computers. (You're a good guy by the way) In most FPSs weapons are assigned to a specific category or number. In Deus Ex, you can change that! From 1-0 you can assign any item/weapon you pick up to any of those numbers. You also have a set amount of Health Points (HP) in each area of the body. (Head, Torso, Left Arm, Right Arm, Left Leg, Right Leg, Index Finger, Thumb, Mr. Birdie...ok that's going a little too far.) If you lose all the Health Points in your head/torso you die, one leg you walk slower, 2 legs you have to crawl. You get the idea.
--This isn't your normal FPS. If you haven't played System Shock 2 I suggest you pick it up. Deus Ex has MANY RPG elements. You talk to people, the HP, and skill points. You have a few skills that you can invest in. You start trained in Pistols and then there are rifles, artillery, throwing, swimming, computers, lock picking, and many more.
--Different difficulty levels.
--Alternate endings. (I won't spoil how many.)
--It has voice-overs!

Cons

--Voice acting isn't too good. J.C Denton has one of those low raspy voices; I'm not saying all of them are bad though. Paul's pretty cool.
--Blocky characters. The characters have blocky heads. It kind of looks like there made out of a cardboard box!
--Not enough side quests. You pretty much follow the basic story. I don't think there are any side quests except for 2 actually.
--Enemies take to long to kill. If your not trained in the pistol, melee, or rifle class (I'm talking about the shotgun its under this class.) you have to shoot them multiple times in the head to kill the enemies.
--Just for the fun of it, you can't kill any guy that follows thought he story, unless the let you. For example you can't go ahead and kill your brother, (Paul Denton) because he's a major character. It would be really cool if you could and the story changed. (That's never going to happen though.)

I think that's about it. There are probably a few faults that I haven't mentioned but they don't severely hurt the game. Now if you fully trust in my review don't. Play a demo and try out the game for yourself. The game gets much better as your progress though. And when you get this game, don't get frustrated. You WILL get lost, you WILL get stuck. Just keep looking and find that last key!

(Basic Story) You are an Agent that belongs to an Anti-terrorist organization called U.N.A.T.C.O. There is a plague that is going around called the gray death, and the terrorist's have the cure. You have to fight them and get the cure so it can be distributed fairly.

(You can approach this game two ways. Stealth {BORING} or Full Force Front Side Attack! {WHOOHOO!!!}) It doesn't force you to be stealthy. Thank you for reading. Buy this game. And don't fall for the sleazy Game of the Year edition. All the extras can be downloaded. Get it for the PC and not the PS2. PC has much better controls.

bre00

A timeless classic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Deus Ex won game of the year so many times, its not even funny anymore. This game is several years old and is still ground-breaking in many ways. In fact, Deus Ex is by far better than many of the more modern First Person Shooter games that are being released or have been released after Deus Ex. I say this because, although the graphics are dated they still look good, but the gameplay is incredible. The story is engrossing. The game is long and will occupy plenty of game hours, more so than some of the new games that are being churned out. There are multiple endings coupled with some great, non-linear gameplay. There are Role playing elements involved in which you can basically grow and gain higher skills. There are often mulitple ways to accomplish any given goal, which gives the game added replay value.
Pros:
lengthy gmae offers many game hours to play
multiple endings and non linear play adds replay value
story is engossing
music puts you in the characters boots

Multiplayer was aadded by a great developer team for free
Game is super fun to play overall

CONS:
Voice acting can get cheesy at times
looks wierd in Direct3d/ and openGL mode is substandard
AI is not as smart as newer games and the enemies are easily fooled into thinking that you no longer exist
You will often think about this game when not even playing it
You may feel obligated to wear black glasses and a trenchcoat
When you first hear ICARUS say, "I now have full control of all of your systems" you may lose bladder control.

One of the most amazing games I have ever played.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: August 07, 2000
Author: Amazon User

In Deus Ex, you play JC Denton, a nano-augmented agent for the United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition(UNATCO). Throught this game you quickly discover not all is as it seems, and that UNATCO is just a tool for a group called Majestic 12. One think that makes this game so great is the freedom. Your told to save hostages from a subway huh? Don't feel like it? simple, trigger the explosives and kill all the hostages. Problem solved. Every decision you make, being it as small as talking to an enemy before killing him, can effect the entire rest of the game. Also, above it stated a con to the game was dumb AI. Not at all true. Thats the freedom of the game! dont want to get overwhelmed by enemies? Sneak by! Dont like turrets? Hack the security system and have the turrets kill your enemies instead! The enemies sometimes will hear something and then dismiss it. This isn't stupuidity, this is ingenuity! By allowing you to sneak up on the troops, you can distinguish your character based on your personality. You can be modest, or selfish; sneaky or gun-crazed. Evil or good. Its up to you. Bottom line: Buy this game.

If you've got the hardware, this is a memorable game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: September 02, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Deus Ex is a great game. This game will not only please FPS fans, but RPG and adventure fans as well.

You start the game as a cool UNATCO (United Nations Anti-terroist Coilation) agent named JC Denton. Your brother Paul(who also is a UNATCO agent) is there to help you and is equaly cool. Your mission is to stop the NSF (National Secessionist Forces) from stealing Ambrosia, the antidote to the deadly "grey death" that is killing off the population.

After you complete the first two missions, the plot really startss to unfold. It turns out your brother Paul is in big trouble when he starts to work for the NSF. Also, UNATCO may be cover up for a top secret laboratory called Majestic 12 and maybe the NSF is trying to do more good than bad. The threads of conspiracy keep unraveling throughout the game. Did the government find alien corpses at the Roswell crash? Is there an Area 51? Is there a Majestic 12? What about the Illuminati and the FEMA suprise? Are there really MIB? As you can see, there are lots of conspiracies.

The game takes you to Hong Kong and then to Paris in a globe-hopping rush to stop UNATCO and save your brother. You also get to go to Brokklyn and Liberty Island.

All in all:

PROS: Will excite FPS, RPG, and Adventure fans; Complex plot; A whole bunch of fun.

CONS: Stupid enemies; slowdowns

BOTTOM LINE: If you've got the system to run it, you will find that Deus Ex is a wonderful, great, comples, and fun game. A must-buy.

Bryan Eastin

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: January 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Deus Ex ought to win the prophetic game of the century award. It was published back in 1999 when nobody talked about terrorists or abuses of the constitution or sacrificing freedom for safety, yet there are so many parallels with what's happened recently that it's almost spooky to play the game.
I don't generally like first person shooters, but this game is awesome. You can play like a commando, a hacker, or a thief. The plot is smooth and side quests are plentiful and generally fit in well.
Get this game.

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