Deus Ex

by Eidos

Product Features

• A richly simulated world of unparalleled interactivity, engineered to react to your every action.
• A globe-hopping, epic adventure. Span the world from New York to Paris to Hong Kong exploring locations recreated from actual maps, blueprints and photographs.
• Recreated from actual maps, blueprints and photographs.
• Total character interaction. Your relationship with scores of other characters affects the outcome of the game.
• The ability to create a compelling alter ego. Select and develop your own unique set of skills and nanotech augmentations, determine which weapons and objects you need to survive and solve problems.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00003OPES
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.8 x 2 inches
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: June 23, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (195 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,170 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: PC | Edition: Standard

Amazon.com Review

Deus Ex combines so many of the elements found in other action-adventure titles that it's almost like getting several games for the price of one. You slip into the trench coat of J.C. Denton, an operative with the top secret UNATCO antiterrorist organization. Denton's body and mind have been augmented with nanotech implants that help him fight, think, and sneak his way through a completely interactive world filled with intrigue, conspiracies, and encounters with other characters. The plot is ripped straight out of a bad X-Files episode, but the decent cutscenes and complex mission environments kept us coming back for more.

Deus Ex's real achievement is that players are free to complete missions as they see fit. As the game progresses you can upgrade your character with a variety of bioenhancements that dramatically impact gameplay. Focus on your combat skills and you'll be the Terminator by the end of the game. Upgrade your computer know-how and you'll be the equivalent of Data from Star Trek: TNG, busting into computer and security networks with ease. We were expecting a game that let us role-play a little, opting for a brute-force approach or one that required a little more stealth, but we had no idea the designers would do such a fine job of pulling it off. The experiences of both methods are unusual enough that we found ourselves revisiting level to try different tactics.

The individual components of Deus Ex--like the targeting system, inventory controls, and enemy viewing radiuses--are a little clunky when viewed individually, but they converge into an overall game that is much greater than the sum of its parts. It's easy to compare the game to titles that obviously influenced it (Thief, System Shock, and Rainbow Six immediately come to mind), but Deus Ex really stands on its own as a unique title that should appeal equally to action games, adventure lovers, and role-playing fanatics. It's just too bad players without a Voodoo card will have a hard time getting playable frame rates, since the game uses the Direct3D-unfriendly Unreal engine. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Several ways to complete each mission, and all are equally fun
• Game world is highly interactive, and exploration is rewarded
• Ability to tailor a character to match your gameplay style is a huge plus

Cons:

• Doesn't run well on non-Voodoo video cards since the game is optimized for Glide 3-D rendering
• Most of the voice acting is bad
• Enemies aren't very smart

Product Description

Travel the globe in a quest for knowledge and build a network of allies to assist you. You determine when stealth and strategy are more important than action. Got the mystery solved, the game figured out? There's always another mystery to be unraveled!

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A real gem, must buy, July 24, 2000

By 

croll (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deus Ex (CD-ROM)

I feel bad not giving this game five stars, it's certainly one of the best I've seen in a long time and I can't believe I haven't heard more buzz about it. I bought the game based on the other reviews here, and I have to say, they're right on target.

Deus Ex really delivers serious gaming fun. It's like a game with an X-Files-esque plot (without the aliens), Rogue Spear gaming (strategic FPS), and Soldier of Fortune(action-oriented FPS). It really delivers and gives the player the opportunity to take a balls-out, guns blazing approach or a more stealthy, sneaky method to get what you need done (either way, you get just as much skill points, so you're not penalized for not getting a maximum body count).

The graphics are great. Nothing particularly revolutionary (as with Vampire) but definitely nothing to complain about. Generally very smooth with lots of detail, nice lighting, good atmosphere (you really don't see this on a lot of the screenshots). The plasma gun really has a nice effect, as do the grenades, but when things blow up (like crates) it's just a bunch of polygons (yawn). I guess we can't expect all games to have the detail (and gore) of Soldier of Fortune.

There are a few holes in the plot (such as it's feasibility), but with a little willful suspension of disbelief, it's rather engrossing. (I've had more than my fair share of 5+/hour playing sessions with this puppy.) Travelling from New York to Hong Kong to Nevada, you'll see plenty of places and meet enough interesting characters to keep you going. I don't know if different responses to conversations give you significant variances in the plot, but it's interesting all the same--especially the different ways you can solve your missions.

I've become very picky in terms of the games I buy, I don't have a lot of time to play them and I don't have a lot of money to spend on them, so they've got to be good. This is one of those games I am delighted to have bought and -certainly- recommend to others.

The only reason this didn't get five stars is because of the unplausible premise in the plot and the lack of anything really ground-breaking in the realm of gaming (though, I'll admit, this is one of the best games I've ever seen at really having the feel of an authentic RPG.)

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you liked Thief and/or System Shock you'll like DE, August 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Deus Ex (CD-ROM)

I've played well received games such as System Shock 2, Thief 1 and 2, Half-Life, and Baldur's Gate, and since this game is definitely competitive with them, I'm giving it 5 stars.

As you probably heard, Deus Ex allows players to approach missions in a number of different ways. I usually try for the sneaky Thief-style approach, so I'm not sure how well the game would play if you are the shoot-em-up Quake type. But if you like sniping and avoiding patrols Deus Ex is excellent.

Although some of the missions toward the middle and end are repetitive and similar, there are many missions which I found extremely compelling. Here is an example: Someone, whom you are not sure you can trust, tells you that a woman has stolen a sword and that you should get it back. When you talk to the woman, it seems everything is in place, and she says the evidence of her innocence is held in a locker at the local military-police station. You can either break into the police station, or look around for more clues in her apartment... On another mission you are supposed to rescue the daughter of a scientist who is being held captive. However, she will be killed if her captors realize you are coming. I found it fairly difficult but satisfying to complete the mission successfully, but it is no problem if you fail. You can even kill her yourself if you feel like it. A third quick example: You must destroy four military robots attacking an installation. Quake types might just try to destroy the bots directly, Thief types will probably choose to activate the defensive military bots which the attackers locked down and have them kill the enemy bots.

Hand in hand with these choices are the skill and augmentation system. As you progress, you can choose to develop your character to better fit your style of play. For instance, you can upgrade your weapons skills, to kill enemies better, or your lock picking so you won't need to. Each mission can be played successfully in different ways, but remember to be realistic when designing your characters. You won't always be able to get on a rooftop and take out a guard from 500ft away with a headshot from your sniper rifle. The flexibility required and better dialog options keeps the gameplay from getting repetitive as it seemed (to me) to in games like Thief, System Shock, or Half-Life.

My favorite part of the game was the plot. It may have the best plot of any game I have played! UNATCO (the UN force), the NSF (a terrorist organization), the Illuminati, Majestic-12, Silhouette: if you liked the conspiracies in the X-Files, this game's plot is up your alley.

My disclaimer: This game performed very well on my machine, with minimal crashes (maybe 2 from beginning to end), and seemed to have very impressive and smooth graphics, but I have an Athlon 700 w/256MB ram and a Geforce (only SDR w 32mb). Other people are saying performance is poor on slower systems.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything it had promised and more, September 13, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Reading) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deus Ex (CD-ROM)

Quite simply if you adored Half Life, Thief and System Shock 2 then you will love this as it is a mix of all 3. Go and buy one of the greatest games ever written NOW!

Every First Person Shooter Fan should be with this game and it does more for its genre with nice touches like being able to complete levels in different ways and having targeting on your gun. I like these new ideas and its good to see. The game feels fresh and has lasting appeal.

It is tough going but has similar traits to the aforemetioned games.

SS2 - It has a similar character building theme taking a Hacker, Stealth or Heavy Approach. You look at items using the same interface method and inventory is similar.

Half Life - You get to shoot a lot of excellant AI computer characters, maybe the best AI yet?? The story and plot is also deep and riviting. Nice to have both the shooting and stategy/stealth element to a game.

Thief - Obviously theres the stealth mode and you can carry bodies so enemies wont see them. Silent killing with crossbow.

This game takes 3 of the best FPS games of its genre and mixes them together with its own original ideas. Finally there may be a game to beat all 3 and in my opinion this is the bench mark in FPS Adventure games.

What are you waiting for - Go Buy Deus ex! (pronounced Due Sex)

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