Played Deus Ex for the first time in 2024, having heard nothing but good things about it. It turned out to be right up my alley.

Mechanically, I loved nearly every aspect of this game. I loved the variety of methods to tackle encounters, weapons, and pathways. I personally stealthed my way through nearly the entire game, using the stun-gun, sniper rifle, and baton to get by most enemies. That is, until the late game when I got the laser sword , which made most enemies trivial, but oh well...
The RPG elements were perfect. It was clear that every skill had its uses, and there was never enough to be overwhelming (yes, even swimming). I just wish the pistols could oneshot people from behind. I never really used the augmentations beyond the flashlight and healing ones.
However, I think my single most favorite feature is that I never fought a single boss in the entire game (aside from one, sort of). Every single boss fight can be circumvented or skipped. There was a moment in a later level, where I saw a villain charging towards me in a large open room and I just... turned heal, and sprinted for the exit. And left. (I had to fight him eventually in the final level, but I LOVE that thats an option for basically every major enounter).

Deus Ex is one of the best stories I have every experienced in a video game. On its surface, it steals the aesthetic of The Matrix and runs with an "Eat the Rich" plot, but almost immediately the game shows far more depth than I think any other game would have the balls to go into. This games motto is, what if everything Alex Jones has ever said was 100% true? In fact, in 2024, the plot has aged like fine wine. This game has everything, Evil Big Pharma, evil UN, The Illuminati, Aliens, Chinese Labs producing viruses, Chinese Military Control of Hong Kong, AIs, the Rothschilds, the War on Terror, Transhumanism and more. Just about the only things missing are the Federal Reserve, Epstein Island, and the WEF to be relevant to current events.

I can't praise Deus Ex higher. I don't play video games nearly as much as I used to, and I thought it was because I'd outgrown them. Turns out, my tastes have just changed, and Deus Ex grabbed me in a way I didn't think video games could anymore.

9.8/10 - the 0.2 taken off for the jankiness in getting the game to work on modern hardware.

Sure He he.....

Best