Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition

Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition
90
Metacritic
94
Steam
93.483
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$6.99
Release date
29 March 2007
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
94 (11 521 votes)
Recent
93 (118 votes)

The year is 2052 and the world is a dangerous and chaotic place. Terrorists operate openly - killing thousands; drugs, disease and pollution kill even more. The world's economies are close to collapse and the gap between the insanely wealthy and the desperately poor grows ever wider.

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Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition system requirements

Minimum: 300 MHz Pentium II or equlivalent, Windows 95/98, 64 MB RAM, DirectX 7.0a compliant 3D accelerated video card 16MB VRAM, Direct X 7.0a compliant sound card, Direct X 7.0a or higher (included), 150MB uncompressed hard drive space, Keyboard and Mouse

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Marksman
Marksman

Classic FPS RPG. The gameplay has not aged well, but the story sure has.

Recommended for purchase on sale (lowest recorded sale price is $0.97).

Playable on Linux via Proton.

ryanfromkarma
ryanfromkarma

Why are you locked in the bathroom? You talking to me? Maybe you should try getting a job? Okay, where? Majestic 12. Maybe you should join Majestic 12... in a body bag. I have some good news for both of you. Ok? And? I have contamination and mutants in my brain. ...just another parasite.

It's-a Mi-a
It's-a Mi-a

One of the best games in the immersive sim genre! While it has a couple good sequels, this is really where the series peaked in my opinion (Mankind Divided being a close second). Surprisingly, the gameplay doesn't feel all that dated, and the story is still amazing. Definitely worth replaying, as the game offers you a huge variety of choices.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Don't use the built-in launcher, it's not great for modern systems and you'll have issues with graphics settings. Instead, I'd recommend this: http://kentie.net/article/dxguide/

Enjoy!

válvula are 100% Scientologists
válvula are 10…

A single-player dystopian game about misinformation, terrorism, conspiracies, fake news. Released prior to 9/11, Deus Ex predicts the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, New World Order, biomechanics, bio weaponry, wealthy elites, viruses, war, greed, poverty, spilling drinks, soy food futures and even the American Chad's infatuation with goth girls. How perfect that your character would be working with terrorists, under a destroyed Statue of Liberty, whose New York skyline is curiously missing the Twin Towers, again all prior to 9/11. These were amazing predictions or commentary on globalization, and so the game remains a prophecy. The game has characters constantly talking about politics, it's an inescapable world of secondhand conspiracies told by oppressed citizens and bartenders. Rhetoric, and you believe it? It's the most disturbing and prolific game ever produced but it's now reality. Play this game.

phantomkris
phantomkris

Slap some mods to this beauty so that you can enjoy the game smoothly.

Good story, well executed narration and a chad protagonist.
This is an old game so be aware that there is no map system, this means you have to wander for a long time to complete your objectives.

tiriss
tiriss

This was the best game of 2000, the sequels were ok, and the prequel is actually the best game of 2016, but this is where it began.

Conspiracy, betrayal, Government FUCKING the common people with a manufactured virus? Pretty Nostradamic! None of that would ever happen in America!

Grey
Grey

TLDR Great game, still playable in 2022 (requires some configuration/mod tweaking though).

Plot - interesting throughout the entire game, dialogues might seem short and simple but I was listening to all of them with pleasure (really enjoyed JC’s voice actor). Choices we make impact the future, sometimes quite significantly. Surprisingly plot becomes much more interesting with the recent global events.

Mechanics - I was surprised that for over 20 years old game it’s so complex. We have FPP but with lots of RPG elements. We have limited inventory space, so we need to manage it carefully, as we are not able to hoard all items and be prepared for all threats. Main character can level skills like hacking, lockpicking, combat skills etc. And what I really liked here was that even the more situational skills are useful due to their lower cost in experience points. Additionally we have multiple augumentations (not possible to have them all at once), which grant us with active powers, all but one can be further upgraded, so they become more powerful.

Levels - even simple ideas like Gas Station are highly pleasent to play due to design and multiple ways to achieve the goal. One of the strongest points of the game.

Combat - this got old the most, but I suspect that most Deus Ex players are going for stealth playthroughs, so won’t be much of an issue anyway.

Graphics/Music - even without mods game is not eye burning, especially if you grew up with 80/90’ games. Music, sound and overall ascethics are superb and provide unique dystopian future vibes.

Overall - still great game, definately worth checking.

pee
pee

The true immersive sim is getting speed upgrades to run at light speed so you can wack mechas with your laser sword

Bop Tyquan
Bop Tyquan

I am a 45 yo father, probably one of the oldest people playing this game. I am a single father to my Son, who is 14 now. My son got this game for Christmas in 2021 from his uncle, so we installed it on his computer and he started playing. By the end of the week he had 24 hours on this game. This was horrible for me, as it was already hard for me to find ways to spend time with my son, as he is always out with his friends or just watching YouTube. So i decided to make a Steam account and get this game to see if I could maybe play alongside him. I loaded into the game, picked my character and world and started playing but I was stuck on what you where supposed to do. I asked my Son for help and he hosted a game for me to join. I loved it as it was the best time I had spent with my Son since my wife had died. This game has ever since brought me and my son closer again and now we actually spend time together outside the house together as well. This game reminded me that there's fun to be had in everything, and it has brought both me and my Son many happy memories.

squamdog
squamdog

This game is really good, yo. Make sure to install a few mods to make the textures actually visible or you'll have a pretty rough time.

@ your service
@ your service

What can i say that havent already been said? How does one even do Metal Gear Half Life justice?

Getting old games on Steam is always a gamble as they may not even work on modern systems. However with some helpfull guides and easy to install addons by the community, Deus Ex is definetly worth your money.

Deus Ex holds a special place in my heart as the antithesis of most modern games.
Its complex, its clunky and very difficult at times, but it also have no fail conditions (besides dying), rewards you constantly and allow for different playstyles and character customization.
Do you wanna be a good cop helping starving children, questioning everyone and exploring everywhere? (Best way to get as many upgrades as possible)
Do you wanna be the cyborg ninja who takes out enemies one by one lethal or otherwise? (Most reliable form of combat)
Do you wanna be a walking tank killing everything that moves? (Only later in game with appropriate upgrades invested)

Gameplay

Despite looking like a FPS, the goal isn't to shoot everything that moves but dont worry, there's still plenty of murdering to be had if you want. (This is also the only game i know of besides Simpsons Hit & Run where you can even kill kids.)
You can also kill some main characters prematurely, just for the plot to naturally adapt and respond with positive and negative consequences. Keep your eyes open for invisible choices the game dont tell you about.

The at first risky combat encourages you to try different approaches besides gunplay while making it more satisfying getting the later upgrades. If stuck you can of course use combat but only if you are smart about how you pick your fight.
(This is basically a single player Counter Strike but with a good story)
Instead of instinctively going for shoot first, ask later, think of how you would solve a problem in real life if in a similar situation.

The level design reminds me of the modern Hitman games with how many ways they allow you to approach your objective.
Towards the ending they kinda get more linnear, but those can be fun too and for a good 70% of the game, you can solve any problems even in ways that neither you or the developers would expect.

There were plenty of times where i thought i glitched the game when i accidentally completed objectives before given them or used props to jump out of bounds, just for the game to provide a way back in or to award me skill points for it.
There were other times where i used the clunky mechanics to make NPC's open doors for me, distracted guards last second by throwing cigarettes, or used floating boxes to build a bridge since i didnt know the code to lower the actual bridge.

The game only tells you what to do but NOT HOW you do it! That experience is owned by you and when you are free to be creative, even the most insignifficant achiviement feels personal and grandiose.
This combined with the glitches, is probably why this game is so popular among speedrunners who dont care about the story.
In this game, despite it being based on upgrades and missions, you learn something new every time you play and can after knowing whats possible, look back at old missions and wonder how you could ever find them hard.

This being a RPG, you of course have character progression. While i generally prefer games where you have everything from the start and instead have to use your own map knowledge and mechanical skill to feel like its just you as a player improving, getting upgrades is fine as long as its not so grindy that the game becomes a secondary job (cough MMORPG's) or as fast that the rewards feels unearned (cough Deus Ex 2).
The levels however are designed so that even if you dont have a certain or any upgrades, you still have plenty of options to proceed, however at more risk.

Character Progression comes in two forms: Skill points and Augmentations.

Skill points are rewarded to you constantly (in small doses) for making choices, doing secondary objectives and exploring.
They can be used to buy Skills that grant you passive bonuses.
They range from better accuracy and faster reload, to better mobility with heavy weapons and more efficient use of tools.
You can upgrade them anywhere at anytime, but the skills exponentially get more expensive so if you spend all points to master Pistol, you may miss out on more usefull bonuses unless you really explore every level.

The other form of progression is Augmentations.

Augmentations, are cannisters that you find in the world. (Usually in secret areas but sometimes in plain sight after a main objective or beating a boss) To use a aug, you must find a medbot where you can choose to install only one of two upgrades. Augs can also not be removed or replaced so decide carefully.

As a completionist i personally hate that you can only use 9 of the 18 availible upgrades per playthrough as i feel it discourages experimentation and encourages sticking to the meta (once you learn it) as some augs are really situational while others are too good to pass.
It can also make you feel ripped off finding a Aug you cant use because of a uninformed decision.
For me, this would be the only part of the game i would change if i made it.

Unlike Skills, Augs are not passive and require bioenergy with powerfull augs like health regen, cloak and damage resistance eating up tonnes of energy, while sprinting, flashlights and strong arms draining minimal energy.
Be sure to turn them off when you dont need them.
Upgrading augs will make them more effective and make them drain less energy.
Augs can be upgraded without a medbot if you find a smaller upgradecannister.

Story

While a game dont need a story, you cant help but to appreciate the sheer ambition from games like this.
The story of Deus Ex exist on three levels that different audiences can enjoy.

The first layer is the classic game story thats just a excuse for you to experience fun and awesome moments.
"Whoohoo im Inspector Gadget with sunglasses and a gun!"

The second layer, is all the optional things that flesh out the world and make the fiction more believeable and interesting.
The character dialogue is very well done offering different viewpoints and beliefs equally without the typical hollywood language like excessive swearing and one liners.
However many characters share actors and will usually cast characters outside their accent and vocal range.
For me this helps making the characters stand out and indirectly creates funny moments, even though the acting can go from really good to hillariously bad (hence all the memes).
At worst the acting will make you think "lol, he's clearly not chinese" and not "GOD I HATE HIS VOICE!"

The third layer is the research, guesses and predictions made by the writers of where our world is going with the exception that many things have already happned way before their safe threshhold of 2052 that some people think we live in the Deus Ex timeline subtracted by all the cool stuff.
Ross Scott, explains it better than i ever could.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxOKEsBx4NU

Just like him, i mainly play games for fun, but i always appreciate when a game provides you with facts and makes you think of real life problems without taking sides or guilt tripping you.
Im not gonna pretend they got everything right or that im the most educated player, but i love when you can learn from fiction without it getting in the way of fun.

Soundtrack.
The OST is very hit or miss, but definetly diverse and a far cry from the safe ambient music of most games with catchy rythms and beautyfull motiefs.
Here are some of my favorites:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBPK_oXeJgA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqL4n7SlDB8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYqv75ANPik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPDvkgKWGfc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZU6XyFxCA0

If you wanna augment your experience even more i recommend free mods like Revision, GMDX, HX, The Nameless Mod, Unreal Revolution & the Malkavian Mod

Pine
Pine

may be a classic, just not something i can get into.

VultisTheMuffin
VultisTheMuffin

My offline hours are closer to 200 than 99.8, so I'll point that out right now.

Anyway, time for a review.

This game is an eternal classic. If you're going to experience this masterpiece, you need to play it vanilla. Sure it's graphically dated and the mechanics can be a bit jank, but goddamn do I love a good classic.

The gameplay is very dated, but unlike most other stealth shooters/immersive sims, you have choices on how to pursue your objective. You wanna take the back door and avoid a ton of enemies? Do you just want to kill every and anything in sight? Do you wanna be a spec ops type of player that utilizes every method, lethal or nonlethal, to get the job done? The choice is yours and the paths are there. Exploration is rewarded by both experience points and items, both of which are useful. This is something the unspoken sequel, Invisible War, fails to do, but the HR/MD devs wised up and added the experience feature back in. Anyway, back to the main topic.

The weapon mods are useful, so long as you have the skill to use said weapons. If you max out a sniper rifle and subsequently have the rifle skill maxed, you have 100% accuracy at ALL TIMES and can one shot damn near anything, including locker doors and cameras. Your experience will be rewarded if you experiment with different builds, too, but some sections do require some degree of stealth and the swimming skill in the early parts of the game.

The UI is intuitive and the equipment screen utilizes a system that considers the size of objects, making you choose what weapons you want on a playthrough. 9/10 times, you're sticking with the weapons you chose at the beginning with very little variation, considering that's what you're likely to modify first, but if you're the type of player that switches weapon loadouts on a whim you also won't be disappointed with the selection of weapons in later stages. The powers you get in the game are also worth considering, but on a first run it would probably be better to pick and choose what you think will be the most fun and complimentary to your own playstyle, which this game is great at accommodating.

The only technical issue I can really think of are purely graphical and not of the gameplay variety. I'm not sure about anything past that, considering I'm on a craptop, but this game should run on any computer made after 2000 in theory.

The story is engaging enough to the point that your earlier choices do matter, though that starts to lessen the more you progress. That's not necessarily a big issue, though - the more you progress in the story the more your particular playstyle starts to shine, leaving you either a massive killing machine, a ghost, or a special operations god.

Do I recommend this game? Hell yeah, it's an eternal classic that introduces different philosophies and concepts that my kid mind (from when I first encountered the game) really enjoyed listening to. The story is engaging, the characters are interesting, and the voice acting can be particularly hilarious. The jank this game has compliments how much fun you can actually have with it. Your choices somewhat matter. While the graphics are dated, you'll have a lot of fun on a vanilla experience. If dated graphics and gameplay mechanics are a turn off for you, then go to Human Revolution and Mankind Divided, the first of which I've played and had a ton of fun with.

Zxamike
Zxamike

True classic still great today

benny
benny

maybe you should try getting a job

Edioki
Edioki

A game that actually accommodates all possible solutions you can think of. Have no lockpicks? Gep gun. Have no keys? Gep Gun. Got discovered? Gep Gun. Want a stealthy approach? Gep Gun. Truly a masterpiece of game design. Not only that, you also get a story that aged quite well.

TheFateMachine
TheFateMachine

I first played this in 1999 when PC games were packaged in huge boxes made of paper. I quickly discovered that nailing people with a crowbar was the epitome of gaming excellence and named my save files 'crowbar man'. I bothered women in the bathroom at work, and threw potted plants at my boss during crucial briefings for missions that would shape the free world. These just weren't things you could do in 1999. In video games, I mean. I also shot a starving child and threw his body into the river for laughs.

kevshouse
kevshouse

Women's bathroom. Last stall on the right. Poop in the toilet. Don't flush. Don't wipe.

Tell the shit gnomes I sent you.

speltsha
speltsha

electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device

Sifu
Sifu

Totally one of my fav games ever

Yeezus
Yeezus

If you haven't played this after 20 years I hope this review convinces you to do it.

Play it.

Inverted
Inverted

Deus Ex is set in the year 2052 and we follow JC Denton, as he uncovers many conspiracies. Some of the choices that you make can have consequences later on in the game.

What separates Deus Ex from other games of its era is the emphasis on player choice. They are lots of different ways to complete each mission. You can play stealthy, shoot enemies with a variety of different weapons or hack the security systems to turn the turrets against your enemies.

Deus Ex blends first-person shooter, stealth and RPG elements exceptionally well. At the start of the game you barely have any skills but you can spend skill points to level up computer, weapons, lock-picking, hacking and more. Augmentations play a big role in the game. These are abilities that can be upgraded to regenerate health, increase mobility, reduce damage and more.

One of the best qualities of the game is the soundtrack. Each mission has 5 tracks, ambient, combat, death, conversation and outro. Some personal favourites include UNATCO - ambient, NYC streets - ambient and The Synapse - ambient. These really give the game an immersive and great atmosphere.

One of the very few drawbacks is the lip syncing, it rarely matches what the character is saying but doesn’t take anything away from the experience.

Easily one of the all-time greats of gaming.

STRAIGHT BUSSIN
STRAIGHT BUSSIN

Just played this masterpiece for the first time and it felt more engaging and immersive with it's story and gameplay than almost every other game I've ever played.