It sure feels somewhat unreal that it´s been 15 years since Ion Storm and Eidos Interactive released Deus Ex 1 (2000-06-17). But it´s true, as Warren Spector´s cyberpunk FPS/RPG turned 15 years old on the 17th of June this year. Sadly enough, I didn´t find out about this until today. Oh well, better late than never, I guess. Anyhow, when Deus Ex 1 got released it was way ahead of its time on so many different levels. Like the fact that you could indeed change the outcome of the game (alternative endings), complete missions in more than one way, and there were tons of dialogs in the game as well (with plenty of different options to choose from).
And back in the year 2000, Deus Ex 1 offered the best video game graphics that you could buy for money (thanks to Unreal Engine 1). So Deus Ex pretty much dominated everything and everyone on the market at that time. However, Deus Ex did not sell all that well (despite all the positive reviews), but I feel like Deus Ex has built up a strong fan base, community and legacy since its release (there are still people who mod the game, create new maps, weapons and even expansion packs for Deus Ex 1). So in a way, Deus Ex 1 is “almost” more relevant today than it was 15 years ago.
Sure, not everyone may agree with me now, but I still think that Deus Ex 1 is bloody great even today (no matter if you play the game with, or without mods and enhanced graphics). That´s the reason why I tend to return to the world Deux Ex at least one time per (I´ve been doing that for 15 years now). It seems like I’m far from the only one who does this though. As I have noticed that there is quite a few really young Gamers that have just started to play Deus Ex 1 as well.
I can´t blame the kids of today for doing so though, as games such as Deus Ex are a rare breed of today. Most new games are dumbed-down that it´s “almost” laughable (not all games are like that of course, but many are). I think that’s also one of the reasons behind why old games are selling really well now. As the young Gamers of today have started to realize that they have missed out on some super awesome games from the past. Speaking of which, Warren Spector, Sheldon Pacotti and Chris Norden (the creators of the original Deus Ex) made a play through video for Deus Ex 1 just recently (to celebrate the games 15th anniversary).
I have watched the video, and I really enjoyed it. So I hope that you guys and girls will enjoy it as well =) And oh! Happy birthday Deus Ex!
Robin “V-Act” Ek
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheGamingGround
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Tags: Deus Ex, Eidos Interactive, Engine Unreal Engine 1, Ion Storm, Warren Spector