Deus Ex (PC CD)

First person shooter? RPG? Strategy game? Life sim? Well, Deus Ex is all of these, and more. Sttubornly refusing to inhabit one particular genre, this masterpiece of a game transcends the boundaries of traditional gaming, moulding itself to fit the preferences and habits of the player. If you want to treat it as an FPS, no problem. As a stealth game, it works even better. As a combination of the two, the game excels. Pick and mix different 'skills' and 'augmentations' to either specialise in key areas - such as sniping, demolitions, or computer hacking - or create an all-rounded character, with no real specialty, but no real weakness either.

Following the exploits of a United Nations counter-terrorism operative, who graudally discovers nothing is as it seems, the game is clever in its intricacies and detail - you can basically do anything you want, whether this includes hacking an ATM machine, reading a newspaper, or flushing a toilet. This game is distinctive, and is still one of the best to have ever been made. Unlike the countless other clones of games, this actually makes the player think and engage with the gaming envrionment and atmosphere. Newspapers, magazines, television programmes all lend realism to the world and allow an insight into the fascinating (though not strictly necessary) background to the game. Play it was you want to play it, choose the path you want to take, as you are lead through a twisting maze of conspiracies, sub-plots, corruption and political intrigue to uncover the truth, or at least what purports to be the truth.

Everything is here, from the supposed Roswell cover-up to genetic engineering, and it all looks pretty good, even now. Whilst there is the occasional slow-down, and some of the gameplay can be repetitive or silly, the overall look and feel of the game is immense and awesome. You don't play the game - you live it, and with hundreds of different ways to approach the different scenarios and situations, you'll never get bored.

Well-handled, well-written, and never predictable, the story has enough twists and turns to be comparable to the best Hollywood has to offer. Allies turn out to be enemies, and vice versa, and - unlike so many other games - there is no clearly-defined boundary between good and evil, and moral amibiguities abound (should you save the hostages, or leave them to die? Should you kill the terrorists, or simply knock them out? Such questions and problems occur throughout the game, and can have a profound impact on how the story pans out). You even end up working for the people you thought you had set out to destroy. A true masterpiece, and one no self-respecting gamer should miss. A work of art, and a piece of gaming history.

Honest! I mean it!

If you read through all the media hype, you always hear about Half-Life, the incredible first-person shooter (FPS) that took the world by storm. Thing is, it's all scripted. Sure, your skill and tactics will determine how easily you get through but in the end it's just a pre-set walk through the game. Little did anyone realise that, while Jon Romero's team Ion Storm was working on the Ill-fated and horribly delayed game Daikatana, this instant classic was waiting in the shadows.

Deus Ex is ground-breaking. Earlier games had been just shooters, RPGs or sneak 'em ups (as seen in the brilliant Thief games). Deus Ex was the first to combine the lot. A blend of roleplay, with interaction with the people you meet changing the path of the story; of stealth, with the option of walking through darkened corridors or streets, or passing by automated defences and monitors; of action, with serious firefights and hand-to hand combat; and of character development, where you may gain points and money as the game goes along, and spend them on improving skills, implanting nano-augmentations or improving your personalised arsenal of weapons. Deus ex means CHOICE. Lots of it. How you complete the game is entirely a matter of choice, as is its ending.

The graphics are looking old now, but this is still a decent game, worthy of the five stars I have given it. So put aside a weekend or two, close those blinds, and be JC Denton for a while ... the future is what you make of it.

Thirty two previous reviewers gave this game 5 out of 5 stars. THIRTY TWO. And with good reason. In my opinion, and the opinion of many, Deus Ex could very well be the greatest game of all time.

Set in a dystopian future where terrorism runs rampant, corporations vie for control and a deadly plague engulfs the world, the player assumes the role of JC Denton, an augmented agent of UNATCO (United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition), assigned with the task of monitoring the actions of the NSF, an organisation who believe they're fighting the second American Revolution. But that's not all. Your brother Paul, also a UNATCO agent, is starting to act strangely, and the older agents are getting jealous of your new technology. If you don't know who to trust so far, wait until you play the game...

First person shooter. RPG. Adventure. All this and more, rolled into one. Want to blast your way past enemies? Go for it. Plenty of weapons available as the game progresses - Shotguns, Assault Rifles, Rocket Launchers, Lasers, even a Lightsaber! (well...it's called the "Dragon's Tooth" but it does the same thing). How about sneaking? You can do that too - use lockpicks and mulitools to open doors and disable keypads to avoid confrontation, or give your enemies a nap with a tranquilliser dart (or a zap with an electric prod). Alternatively, just stay low and quietly craw past your enemy. Apart from a couple of necessary evils (literally, about two characters), it is actually possible to complete the game without killing ANYONE. JC can also hack surveillance camera terminals, and even "persuade" an ATM to give him some cash.

Like many RPG games, you earn experience points by completing certain tasks, and you use these points to upgrade your skills. You can improve JC's skills in various fields, including computers, lock picking, swimming, and various weapon types. Not only this, but as an augmented agent, JC can acquire "Augmentation Canisters", which give you additional abilities, such as extra strength, extra speed, heath regeneration, etc., for each part of the body. These augs are assigned an F Key for convenience. You will have a choice, however, of two augs for one part of the body - but you can only use one of them. For example, you can have extra speed or silent walk - you can't have both. These Augs can also be upgraded.

The storyline is a twisting and turning plot of conspiracy, worthy of a Hollywood epic (the game ALMOST got that far, but the film was cancelled in the end). JC begins life by performing pay-as-you-work operations for UNATCO, but the game soon flips entirely on it's head. JC encounters many interesting characters throughout the game, as well as several ("alleged") real-life organisations, such as the Illuminati and Majestic 12, all adding to a final decision JC must make to determine the future of global communications.

The game itself is rich and varied. The in-game maps are a decent size - the game spans the world and takes place in locations such as New York, Hong Kong, Paris and California. There is more than one way to complete a task, and although the game follows a main storyline, there are plenty of side missions to complete. Bear in mind though, the main mission and location order is linear, unlike say, Oblivion for example.

Interaction with the many non-playable characters is also good, although some of the voice acting (only in parts) is a bit strained. Persuade, interrogate, bully or negotiate, the choice is yours. The sound effects are a bit daft, granted (no real imagination), but the music is PERFECT, a real work of art. It definitely sets the mood.

I will say, the graphics are looking a bit dated now, but like many people (hopefully) I'm not too bothered about the graphics as long as the game is good. Also picking up a wooden crate, lobbing it, then hearing the sound of a wooden spoon hitting the floor...it's quite funny!

All in all, if you miss out on playing Deus Ex it is a real shame, because it's a game that every Shooter/Adventure/RPG fan should at least give a go. The only game that I've gone even close to enjoying as much is Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines (which in many respects is a similar game but a completely different theme), and are yet to find a game that is on-par with Deus Ex's style, not to mention a storyline with such deep twists and turns as what is found in this game.

If you're hungry for some more DX, you could give it's sequel a try; Deus Ex: Invisible War. However, disappointingly, it is not a scratch on this game. Hopefully Deus Ex 3 (which has been recently re-announced after years of dormancy) will return to the original's superb roots.