DEUS EX

                 Reviewed by Stefan Herber

My friends in the popular computer press rate this the best RPG
available at present. For once they seem unanimous on this point.
Now I've taken their advice too many times and regretted it -
Diablo or Half-Life anyone?  - and knowing yet again that this was
set in the normal computer games future which is a depressing
world filled with corruption and evil organisations I was
certainly hesitant.  I've also come to hate games that rely on
largely keyboard control.

But enough about that and my biases - what is this like for an
adult game player?

Well to be honest there were times I thought it was the best game
I'd ever played. It's not a traditional RPG but as you rise levels
you do get a chance to improve various skills like lockpicking,
weapon specialisation etc. To become master at any one means
others will be ignored and in the end I just aimed at being an all
rounder.  The controls proved to be less confusing than usual in
this type of game and although a number of things really bugged me
such as the arcade sequences you can save at any time to be fair.

I suppose what really makes Deus Ex stand out is the very strong
plot which takes you to a number of exotic locations like Hong
Kong, the NY subway (!), a deserted desert garage and numerous
others.  There are a number of ways of solving each problem and
attacking each scenario - going in gung-ho effectively never works
- stealth and subterfuge are the order of the day. Graphics are
well above average, the acting is good and it certainly keeps you
coming back for more. There are quite a few bugs only partially
addressed by patches and the game did crash a number of times for
no reason but I doubt these are universal.

So why isn't it the greatest ever? I think it outwore my patience
- i.e. it was just a bit too long and consequently repetitive for
its own good. Not excessively so mind you, and it was certainly
never a chore to play but effectively creeping up on enemies or
waiting for them to appear while in sniper positions does pall
after a while.

Nevertheless I can't wait for the sequel.















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