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The Official Deus Ex Thread
Kami
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him" - Voltaire
Oh my. Kami found a new gaming addiction.
I've owned both Deus Ex, and its sequel, Invisible War, for years. They've always been on my backlog, my 'rainy day' list, so to speak. Well, after having an awful icestorm yesterday, and going through Tuesday, I decided to delve deep into the highly-acclaimed series, and played the original in its entirety.
It's one of the finest games ever made.
I'm in the middle of Inivisible War, and while not as good as the original, the content, the pacing, and the overall ambience featured is still astronomically superior to a majority of games available. Warren Spector has a complete understanding of interactive storytelling, alongside Gabe Newell, and in a different presentational manner, Hideo Kojima.
Okay, that's enough praising (at least, for the intro). Let's get started!
DEUS EX
Deus Ex - Wikipedia Entry
Deus Ex - Gamespot Page
Deus Ex - IGN Page
Released in 2000, Deus Ex introduced gamers to the future. Taking place in the 2050s, Deus Ex showcases a grim, demented future, one in which government agencies breed super-soldiers to work as freelance hired-hands. Players take control of JC Denton, who is a new recruit for UNATCO, the United Nations Anti-Terrorism Coalition. UNATCO was developed to protect the UN, and is the basis of the award-winning, always suprising storyline.
Trying to discuss Deus Ex without going head-over-heels into the storyline is a tricky mission. On one hand, the definitive, absolute reason to experience Deus Ex is for the story. However, giving it away, even the base of it, would somehow diminish the experience. I'll just explain the bare minimum, while talking about how players interact with the story.
You begin your quest as JC Denton, new UNATCO recruit. You rendezvous with your brother Paul on the shores of Liberty Island. UNATCO is stepping in to take out the NSF, and take away their Ambrosia supply. Ambrosia is the much-needed vaccine for 'the Gray Death', a virus sweeping the nation. The reason UNATCO needs Ambrosia, while diminishing the NSF's power, is unknown at this point, but as the game progresses, the story envelopes, completely changing the Denton's perspective of loyalty, power, and standing for what is righteous.
The gameplay is an amazing hybrid of First Person Shooter, Adventure, and Role Playing game. Much like System Shock and Theif (all Warren Spector intellectual properties), Deus Ex's storytelling is seamless, integrated, and completely innovative, even by today's standards. All happening in-engine, the player reads DataCubes, carries open-ended conversations, and interacts with the highly crucial environments. Even though portions of the game are seperated with loading screens, the entire experience feels completely fine-tuned, and balanced.
The gameplay is mainly based within the conventions of the FPS genre. You get more weapons, items, and accessories in which you can use throughout the entire campaign. Something exclusive to the Deus Ex universe, however, are nanotech augmentations, skills that are given to you through a somewhat 'surgical' procedure with medical bots. These augmentations (called 'augs' in the game's universe) are varied, ranging from night vision, to super-speed, to increased defense against electromagnetic weapons. How you develop your character is completely up to you, which aids in the game's RPG execution. No one JC will be exactly the same, and multiple playthroughs open up different options for customization.
You'll visit some amazing locales in Deus Ex, ranging from New York, France, Hong Kong, leading into some deeper, much more heavy-handed scenarios. Like I said before, I'd hate to give away all of the secrets of Deus Ex, but know that JC's adventures take him well, well beyond what you can possibly imagine.
The game is pretty tough to find in stores, but there are multiple copies you can track down. A 'Game of the Year' edition was released for PC a few years ago, and includes the soundtrack CD (which is great), and the software development kit, the actual software Ion Storm used to create the game. There was also a PS2 version released in 2002, and can be found for dirt cheap at EBStop or online.
It feels a bit short-changed to wrap up the original Deus Ex section at this point, but I'd honestly hate to spoil what this amazing game has to offer. Sure, the visuals are a bit, how do you say, 'seven years ago', but don't let that discourage you from playing this groundbreaking game. There's so much content, so much fantastic storytelling to see here, everybody should experience it. Even though I played it recently (beat it roughly 32 hours ago, in fact), it stands the test of time, and I'll easily say that the original Deus Ex is one of the best games ever created, and pushed the industry in a place that it still hasn't reached, but is striving to in this current generation. Warren Spector has a flawless grasp of our industry, and knows the benefits of having players 'discover' the story.
DEUS EX: INVISIBLE WAR
Deus Ex: Invisible War - Wikipedia
Deus Ex: Invisible War - Gamespot Page
Deus Ex: Invisible War - IGN Page
Released in 2003 (2004 for Europe and Japan), Deus Ex: Invisible War is the follow-up to the award-winning Warren Spector classic, Deus Ex. Players take control of Alex, a new soldier-for-hire, after a terrorist attack hits Chicago.
Along with his other Tarsus classmates, Alex is thrown into a very political, always-changing story, in which they'll have to trust in their current beliefs, or set their priorities straight, in order to do the right thing.
Many characters make a follow-up appearance from the first game, aiding Alex in various situations, or testing his loyalties to Tarsus, while abiding by their own agendas.
Many gamers are completely against Invisible War, calling it a 'dumbed down' version of the original. While it's true that IW was reworked to function on the XBox, the main gameplay of Deus Ex, with its branching storyline, and augmentations, was still intact. Of course, sacrifices were made, including the absense of weapon customization, which also consists of one ammo type that works universally with any weapon in-game. The gameplay areas were much smaller, or 'claustrophobic', although the quality of each area was still very, very high. The worst offense, though, was the lack of 'skill points', so there was absolutely NO customization of your character. While these things are pretty disappointing, the story, interaction, and complete immersion Invisible War provides is still ahead of its time.
Once again, not going into the story is a hard task, but its connection with the original, along with its stand-alone storytelling, is well worth a playthrough, and showcases Spector's brilliance balance, once again.
I'm still in the middle of playing Invisible War, so I'll probably be updating this section after I complete it, if anything needs to be added.
Well then, I hope this thread is a nice place for fans to discuss lore, while it would be awesome to introduce new players to this fantastic, always-suprising game series.
Oh my. Kami found a new gaming addiction.
I've owned both Deus Ex, and its sequel, Invisible War, for years. They've always been on my backlog, my 'rainy day' list, so to speak. Well, after having an awful icestorm yesterday, and going through Tuesday, I decided to delve deep into the highly-acclaimed series, and played the original in its entirety.
It's one of the finest games ever made.
I'm in the middle of Inivisible War, and while not as good as the original, the content, the pacing, and the overall ambience featured is still astronomically superior to a majority of games available. Warren Spector has a complete understanding of interactive storytelling, alongside Gabe Newell, and in a different presentational manner, Hideo Kojima.
Okay, that's enough praising (at least, for the intro). Let's get started!
DEUS EX
Deus Ex - Wikipedia Entry
Deus Ex - Gamespot Page
Deus Ex - IGN Page
Released in 2000, Deus Ex introduced gamers to the future. Taking place in the 2050s, Deus Ex showcases a grim, demented future, one in which government agencies breed super-soldiers to work as freelance hired-hands. Players take control of JC Denton, who is a new recruit for UNATCO, the United Nations Anti-Terrorism Coalition. UNATCO was developed to protect the UN, and is the basis of the award-winning, always suprising storyline.
Trying to discuss Deus Ex without going head-over-heels into the storyline is a tricky mission. On one hand, the definitive, absolute reason to experience Deus Ex is for the story. However, giving it away, even the base of it, would somehow diminish the experience. I'll just explain the bare minimum, while talking about how players interact with the story.
You begin your quest as JC Denton, new UNATCO recruit. You rendezvous with your brother Paul on the shores of Liberty Island. UNATCO is stepping in to take out the NSF, and take away their Ambrosia supply. Ambrosia is the much-needed vaccine for 'the Gray Death', a virus sweeping the nation. The reason UNATCO needs Ambrosia, while diminishing the NSF's power, is unknown at this point, but as the game progresses, the story envelopes, completely changing the Denton's perspective of loyalty, power, and standing for what is righteous.
The gameplay is an amazing hybrid of First Person Shooter, Adventure, and Role Playing game. Much like System Shock and Theif (all Warren Spector intellectual properties), Deus Ex's storytelling is seamless, integrated, and completely innovative, even by today's standards. All happening in-engine, the player reads DataCubes, carries open-ended conversations, and interacts with the highly crucial environments. Even though portions of the game are seperated with loading screens, the entire experience feels completely fine-tuned, and balanced.
The gameplay is mainly based within the conventions of the FPS genre. You get more weapons, items, and accessories in which you can use throughout the entire campaign. Something exclusive to the Deus Ex universe, however, are nanotech augmentations, skills that are given to you through a somewhat 'surgical' procedure with medical bots. These augmentations (called 'augs' in the game's universe) are varied, ranging from night vision, to super-speed, to increased defense against electromagnetic weapons. How you develop your character is completely up to you, which aids in the game's RPG execution. No one JC will be exactly the same, and multiple playthroughs open up different options for customization.
You'll visit some amazing locales in Deus Ex, ranging from New York, France, Hong Kong, leading into some deeper, much more heavy-handed scenarios. Like I said before, I'd hate to give away all of the secrets of Deus Ex, but know that JC's adventures take him well, well beyond what you can possibly imagine.
The game is pretty tough to find in stores, but there are multiple copies you can track down. A 'Game of the Year' edition was released for PC a few years ago, and includes the soundtrack CD (which is great), and the software development kit, the actual software Ion Storm used to create the game. There was also a PS2 version released in 2002, and can be found for dirt cheap at EBStop or online.
It feels a bit short-changed to wrap up the original Deus Ex section at this point, but I'd honestly hate to spoil what this amazing game has to offer. Sure, the visuals are a bit, how do you say, 'seven years ago', but don't let that discourage you from playing this groundbreaking game. There's so much content, so much fantastic storytelling to see here, everybody should experience it. Even though I played it recently (beat it roughly 32 hours ago, in fact), it stands the test of time, and I'll easily say that the original Deus Ex is one of the best games ever created, and pushed the industry in a place that it still hasn't reached, but is striving to in this current generation. Warren Spector has a flawless grasp of our industry, and knows the benefits of having players 'discover' the story.
DEUS EX: INVISIBLE WAR
Deus Ex: Invisible War - Wikipedia
Deus Ex: Invisible War - Gamespot Page
Deus Ex: Invisible War - IGN Page
Released in 2003 (2004 for Europe and Japan), Deus Ex: Invisible War is the follow-up to the award-winning Warren Spector classic, Deus Ex. Players take control of Alex, a new soldier-for-hire, after a terrorist attack hits Chicago.
Along with his other Tarsus classmates, Alex is thrown into a very political, always-changing story, in which they'll have to trust in their current beliefs, or set their priorities straight, in order to do the right thing.
Many characters make a follow-up appearance from the first game, aiding Alex in various situations, or testing his loyalties to Tarsus, while abiding by their own agendas.
Many gamers are completely against Invisible War, calling it a 'dumbed down' version of the original. While it's true that IW was reworked to function on the XBox, the main gameplay of Deus Ex, with its branching storyline, and augmentations, was still intact. Of course, sacrifices were made, including the absense of weapon customization, which also consists of one ammo type that works universally with any weapon in-game. The gameplay areas were much smaller, or 'claustrophobic', although the quality of each area was still very, very high. The worst offense, though, was the lack of 'skill points', so there was absolutely NO customization of your character. While these things are pretty disappointing, the story, interaction, and complete immersion Invisible War provides is still ahead of its time.
Once again, not going into the story is a hard task, but its connection with the original, along with its stand-alone storytelling, is well worth a playthrough, and showcases Spector's brilliance balance, once again.
I'm still in the middle of playing Invisible War, so I'll probably be updating this section after I complete it, if anything needs to be added.
Well then, I hope this thread is a nice place for fans to discuss lore, while it would be awesome to introduce new players to this fantastic, always-suprising game series.
Kami on
0
Posts
Thread needs http://www.it-he.org/deus.htm
You played the whole original game in one day?
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
But I really want to.
Two days, but yes, it was the two days I had off, and I marathoned, slept, and marathoned until I beat it.
I did the same when I first bought the game on a Friday. Sunday morning I called a friend of mine and started spewing shit about Majestic 12 and how FEMA was going to take over.
I'm going to play through it again. Oh what's this? Installed? Starting new character...now.
That's amazing.
I think I saved like 500 times on my first playthrough. I always had to try stuff different ways, and when I did something the way I wanted, I'd save.
My guy was a pistol user with computer hacking skillz, and some security breaking stuff too. That pistol was devastating towards the end.
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Invisible War are both available on Gametap.
I own them both anyway, and Gametap doesn't let you fan-patch shit, but still...if you don't have them, you can play them via GT.
That said, though, the biggest problem I had with Invisible War was that it just had no consequence. For example, [spoiler:3ad245c267]I killed Her Holiness when I got the chance, and the only thing that happened was a soundbite from Chad (or whatever he became known as). If I had tried to pull that shit in Deus Ex, such as either leaving Paul to die or killing Agent Navarre, there would have been an impact.[/spoiler:3ad245c267] Maybe I should replay it just to do it. I remember the high-definition texture pack coming out right after I finished it.
Which reminds me, how is that high-definition project for the original Deus Ex turning out?
Oooh, I did not know this, as I've yet to use GameTap.
However, yes, if GameTap is your only option, get them both post-haste.
The last I heard, no progress has been made in the last few months. I definitely need to see what the mod community has to offer, as I've heard alot about them, ZODIAC especially.
I think after I beat Invisible War, I'll want to dabble with the Deus Ex SDK.
Actually...
Edit: Here's the new Agent Navarre. Link'd for h-scroll.
Well, even so, the illusion was there. It just flat-out wasn't in IW.
Can't say I agree. While I disliked the small areas (thanks, Xbox, you RAMless cunt), I felt the game offered more actual choice than the original. Different choices actually resulted in different missions, rather than the same mission with one extra casualty, or one different dialogue choice; minor exaggeration, but you get the point.
I will admit though that the game felt a bit like EQ2 does (compared to, say, WoW). It does a lot of things right, but they just don't mesh that well.
whoever did navarre likes star trek a bit too much methinks
Plot was... predictable, but interesting and well-told. The voice acting was also pretty darn good-- my friends and I have a running gag saying, "You got the plague?" like JC. Like other people have said, my biggest wish is that I could have had more impact on the plot than the little three-way at the end. (Tong's ending fo' life!) Although, there was more effect than I had thought: I didn't know[spoiler:823bfcc1e9]that Paul could be saved[/spoiler:823bfcc1e9]until I checked the Wiki article. Might have to go back and see how that goes.
I have to say, the game kinda spoiled me, with regards to interfaces and controls. System Shock 2 seems pretty clunky afterwwards.
If you have 10 bucks, sign up for Gametap. You can download both. It's 10 bucks a month, and they might have some kind of trial period right now.
As did I.
I think because it held data for where every NPC and movable item in the world was at that moment or something, plus their angular positions and so forth.
Maybe tomorrow.
The story had me guessing. There was only one thing I could never do. spoiler ahead! Read only if you beat the game.
[spoiler:4819240f86]I could never get Paul to live[/spoiler:4819240f86]
You went out the window, didn't you?
Yes. More spoliers related to that subject follow.
[spoiler:88c36e83b1]For the longest time I never even knew I could save him. Then when I tried to fight them off it was impossible for me. Not sure what I was doing wrong. Its been so long I can't even remember anyway.[/spoiler:88c36e83b1]
Time to bust the game outta storage!
http://it-he.org/deus.htm
Ctrl-F for Saint Paul.
I got the trick there to work. It was glorious.
Way to read the first page.
What a fantastic game. Even though the engine is showing its age, the level design was masterful. So many games give you the illusion of choice but funnel you down a set path, Deus Ex's levels and character customization really let you play the game the way you wanted, and rewarded you for going off the beaten path. I fully explored every level I could get my hands on, just on the off chance that I might score a free biocell or multitool.
Even though it was superficially an FPS, Deus Ex put a heavy emphasis on tactics. I certainly ended up using my skills and augs more for exploration and avoiding combat, rather than engaging directly. Though occasionally I'd put on a ballistic armor and clear out a room with my Dragon's Tooth Sword, just for the hell of it.
It's also pretty amazing that throughout the whole game you're only *required* to kill one person. You don't really get anything extra for playing the non-lethal route, but you still get to make that choice for yourself.
Its biggest weakness was its AI. You could stand right in front of an enemy and it would take a full three or four seconds before he realizes what's going on and starts shooting. If you found a vent or hole to crawl around in, you were essentially invulnerable because the enemies never figured out how to chase you properly, and would give up and go back to their routines in less than a minute or two.
Denton was such a badass protagonist. He was always cool, intense and focused, written perfectly to match the nature of the gameplay. It was really easy to feel "in-character" when you're infiltrating secret high-tech facilities or sniping commandos from the rooftop.
There need to be more games like this, but I'm worried there never will be.
"You killed my messenger! But I'm willing to forgive that if you'll meet up with another member of my group in the next area!"
"You killed him too! But I'm willing to forgive that..." etc.
Also, crushing puny humans with super-strength-thrown crates.
Fix'd
I remember my brother and dad bought it for my birthday when it first came out because the cover looked like the Matrix. I opened it in a restaurant, oh man I remember unwrapping it and seeing that wicked looking shiny box and amazing graphics on the back.
I had to play it in a smaller sized window then whatever my desktop resolution was. And then my cousin and brother made me delete the game because it was taking up a whole 800 megs or gig of space!(those saved games were a ton)
I was definatly spoiled playing this game so young and it being the first game I really got into and played online with that wicked multiplayer patch.
I miss the old giant boxes and booklets too...the newspaper with the cool stories and specs on the weapons and factions was cool too.
It makes me sad that no matter what, the dogs always die.
Whole game, I'm running up behind guys and crushing their skulls with a crowbar, or blowing their brains out with my ultrapistol. I see a dog, and I'm like, "Shit dude, I can't kill a dog." So I bust out my traq darts and shoot them. To my sadness, I see blood flow out of them after they fall over.
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
Oh man.
Oh man.