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Once a die-hard adventurer, I have spent this year developing an appreciation for other genres--most notably action and RPGs. While I am still not sold on the idea of wholesale mayhem, there is something about a first-person survival exercise that gets the adrenaline pumping in a way that doesn't happen with a game like Myst or Timelapse, something about sneaking past guards, breaking into computers, and hiding in the shadows that really adds intensity to the game experience. But First, a Word from Webster
"deus ex machina"--(Latin for "god from a machine"). 1) in ancient Greek and Roman plays, a deity brought in by stage machinery to intervene in the action. 2) anyone who unexpectedly intervenes to change the course of events. In Deus Ex, you get to change the course of world events by stepping into the persona of J.C. Denton--a member the elite United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition (UNATCO). As J.C., you are too cool to care about weather or time of day. It's sunglasses and a trench coat for all occasions. Aided by nano-augmentations (computer enhancements that make you more powerful), you are the original cross between a Robo-Cop and a Man in Black. The game opens as you join your brother, Paul, for an assignment to rescue a hostage held in the Statue of Liberty. The time is somewhere in the future, when funding for statue repairs (and other basic maintenance tasks in New York City) appears to be nonexistent. After completing your first mission and getting acclimated to the environment, you return to UNATCO headquarters where the story begins in earnest. You meet your boss and coworkers, explore the facility, pick up your next assignment, and take possession of new equipment. You begin a series of missions that span the globe (Paris, Hong Kong, New York, etc.) to unravel an intricate conspiracy. And, in keeping with modern conspiracy theory, all roads lead to "Area 51." A Man with a Mission The Deus Ex experience is linear in that you are assigned tasks and missions in a specific order. You always have a list of objectives that range in complexity from "find your desk" to "save the world." At any point, you can review your on-screen log to determine what to do next and will rarely find yourself wandering without direction. Within this framework, however, you have the freedom to decide how you will accomplish each objective. Do you crawl down the hall peeking through keyholes, or do you ask for a map? Do you go in with guns blazing or sneak through the air ducts to bypass the guards? Do you look for a password or just hack into the computer? To be successful, you have to become J.C. Denton and do some creative problem-solving. The outcome of each situation depends on your ability to think on your virtual feet and find a practical solution. There are no cuckoo clocks to hide in potted plants. In Deus Ex, you get past a guard by studying his movements until you discover a blind spot. At its core, Deus Ex is an action game. However, it is not a kill-fest that throws an endless stream of bigger and badder monsters at you, with survival as your goal. It is a "thinking person's action game" where you execute missions using real-world strategies. The fact that there are a number of ways to solve each problem turns this game into a very personalized experience. Deus Ex has strong replay value, as the story and character interactions shift based on your behavior. If you are too slow to arrive at a meeting point, your partner will accomplish the mission without you. If you mow down all the bad guys in the street, your superiors will comment about your heavy-handed approach. Or, if you accomplish your mission without errors, you'll be rewarded for a job well done. Since levels can be completed without actually succeeding at all mission elements, you might replay the game just to experience what you missed the first time through. A Brave New World Deus Ex is a 3D game that is played from a first-person perspective. You have full freedom of movement and can interact with most everything in the environment. You can look under objects, climb over obstacles, and hide behind furniture. You have a typical inventory interface plus a number of screens for viewing your health, augmentations, goals/missions, notes, and maps/files. During each mission, you receive regular transmissions from headquarters to brief you on interesting facts or critical information. All in all, the game interface provides you with everything needed to face the challenges at hand. You use both the keyboard (to control your person) and the mouse (to control objects) in Deus Ex. My personal history of pointing and clicking has simply not prepared me for using keys to duck, jump, swim, and run. As a result, my initial performance under pressure was less than stellar, and J.C. had to spend a lot of time in the opening training sequence. Within a few nights, however, I was clicking and keying like a professional and only needing an occasional peek at the keyboard map. The graphics are very dark and blocky and felt like a step backwards from other games I've played recently. While the voices are very well-suited to the characters portrayed, the dialog scenes reminded me of an old Japanese science fiction movie where mouth movements are not quite synchronized with the conversation. Throughout Deus Ex, music sets the mood. The sound track is timed to create a wonderful atmosphere of suspense and intrigue. This, coupled with songs by Reeves Gabrels, make the audio experience a real treat. The game also has a lot of ambient sounds like footsteps and conversations that drift in from your perimeters to provide valuable clues during game play. Character Basics When starting Deus Ex, you get to choose from several basic appearances (all with sunglasses) and allocate your initial "credits" to improve the skills you want to rely on. These include computers, electronics, lock pick, swimming, medical, and the ability to use different weapons. As you complete missions, you earn additional credits that can be applied to upgrade your skill proficiencies. If you are paying close attention, you may also find augmentation packages along the way. These can be added (uploaded) to your person in order to improve specific abilities or give you additional powers. Once installed, these are powered by bio-energy and may need to be recharged on occasion. Unless you are really an exceptional action gamer, you are likely to take physical damage along the way. Thus, the search for Medkits and Medbots is a key element in game play. Those who seek a more realistic experience have the added option of scavenging for candy bars, alcohol, and sodas to improve their physical well-being ;-) The world of Deus Ex is littered with tools, weapons, and ammunition. You can arm yourself with pistols, shotguns, grenades, land mines, napalm, crossbows, etc. and are only limited by how many items can fit into your inventory. Unlike Gabriel Knight, J.C. Denton has limits to the amount of stuff he can put in his pockets. The Bottom Line It is not likely that Deus Ex will appeal to the adventure purist. It is an action game with adventure and RPG elements and, as such, is best suited for those who embrace genre hybridization. For those who are willing to grab a weapon and duck for cover, I would highly recommend this game. Although the graphics are not quite up to par, the story and characters are very engrossing, and you are likely to find yourself fueled by adrenaline and playing until the wee hours of the morning. Even if you are not a veteran virtual warrior, Deus Ex may still provide some great entertainment. The combat level can be set to "easy," and there are cheat codes available on the web to minimize the time spent recuperating from all the action. Final Grade: A- If you liked Deus
Ex: System Requirements:
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