Deus Ex

The Good
The appeal of Deus Ex is that the game can be played however you want to play it. The developers have even stated it's possible to go through the entire game without killing a single person. This feature combined with a gripping storyline and fantastic atmosphere make for quite possibly one of the greatest games of all time. If you want to go more in-depth with the games good features, the reviews of the PC version will be able to go into more detail than I can.

The Bad
The game is a port to an inferior system, so obviously it will have its flaws. For starters, the graphics, while improved in some ways, are lacking in others. A few areas have been cut or modified from the original game to improve framerate. You won't notice this if this is the first time you've played Deus Ex, but if you've played through the PC version these exclusions will be apparent in a few places. The framerate will also suffer if you're involved in a fairly heated battle. It's not too bad, but it is noticeable.

The controls have been modified, since the Playstation 2 doesn't ship with a keyboard and mouse. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on how you like your FPS controls to be set up the Playstation 2 controller. I found the setup a little rough at first, but it will be second nature within a few hours of play.

A problem with the original game that wasn't fixed in the port is the "free-form" gameplay. There are few "unique" ways to go through missions. When the game says you can solve problems any way you like, it usually means "hack this", "go through this vent", or "kill this enemy". It's not a big problem, and likely not one you'll notice until a few playthroughs.

The Bottom Line
Deus Ex: The Conspiracy is a pretty good port of an already classic game. If your PC lacks the power to play Deus Ex at a reasonable speed, the PS2 version is a good substitute.

The Good
Where should I start? Okay, first, the graphics are totally awesome (but the mouths are jerky). The sound is excellent, as well as the music, and the alarm is totally freaky. The story...well, I can't praise it highly enough. I got a tingly feeling by the end because of the greatness of the twisted plot. I never got that feeling from any other game. Everything is very non-linear, and you can customize anything, and I mean anything: pathways, side quests, decisions, augmentations, skills, inventory: you name it! The game world is extremely detailed, with a network of vents and tons of different pathways in every level. Will you: sneak through the vents, wasting a lockpick; go in using the all-action approach; hijack the security; go through the backdoor elevator, using a multitool; sneak out using another path; etc. There are practically an infinite amount of paths you can take, and there are tons of buildings and characters that you don't have to visit! WOW! Finally, the game has a sort of real-world/cyberpunk feeling: a gritty feeling which I REALLY liked...it really helped the game along.

The Bad
I didn't like the fact that it was set in the night. Also, the AI doesn't instantly see you, it always has to say something stupid, even if you're in front of their nose ("Who's there, I know you're around here somewhere!"). In addition, you have limited inventory space (this isn't bad...I just didn't like it). The loading times are waaaaay to long, and you die too often. There are also loads of ammo shortages in the beginning. Finally, after you beat the game once, playing it again isn't as surprising. But that is nothing!

The Bottom Line
Damn! This is, hands down, the best game I have EVER, EVER played, and I played LOTS of games!

The Good
Deus Ex is perhaps the most interactive game since System Shock 2. The game uses the unreal engine for some stunning visuals and really enhances the gaming experience.You play as J.C. Denton (at least that’s his code name), a nano-augmented agent who is a member of UNATCO (United Nation Anti-Terrorist Coalition). After a few missions battling the National Secessionist Forces, NSF for short, you realize that UNATCO may not be all that it seems, the line between good and evil is blurred as the light and the dark blend into a shade of gray. The story takes place in a variety of places including Battery Park (NYC), Hong Kong, Liberty Island, Paris, Vandenburg Air force base, and even Area 51. The story to DeusEx is simply amazing, and will keep you interested to the end. The game contains 13 missions but expect to spend at least 1 to 2 hours on each mission. Best of all, you can play however you want. The missions allow you to play any way you want and there are always at least 3 solutions to any problem. Don't want to fight with the guards, hack a computer and release poison gas into the enemy barracks or turn the security system against itself. Feeling confrontation, you could bust open the door and shoot everyone. You can complete the whole game without killing a single person or you could kill as many people as you want. The story keeps up with your actions, and decisions you make have visible consequences.

The Bad
The entire game takes place at night, so colors may seem drab in certain areas. Another weak point in the game is the voice acting. Your character's voice shows no emotion whatsoever, in fact he kind of sounds like Joe Friday from Dragnet (the show, not the movie). There are also a few bugs and AI glitches but nothing serious.

The Bottom Line
Deus Ex is a first person role playing game that beats System Shock 2 hands down. The revolutionary game play system allows you to play the game any way you want. The plot includeds twists and turns to keep anybody interseted. Buy it.