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Gameplay
Graphics
Sound/Music
Controls
Replay value

Deus Ex Machina, or Deus Ex Classic as it’s usually called, is a cult classic game that became a Game Of The Year title and inspired a successful prequel and a sequel that may be considered more invisible than its subtitle suggests. Through the last fifteen years since its release Deus Ex had a fair share of mods made by the community, ranging from graphical enhancements to the ModDB Awarded total conversion The Nameless Mod. But for its 15th anniversary, a brand-new mod has been released with the support of the series’ current publisher Square-Enix, and it looks amazing. Caustic Creative takes many of the current mod projects along with their own modifications to create a wholly new augmented experience, Deus Ex Revision.

The original Deus Ex game is now better than ever before thanks to the Revision mod.

Deus Ex Revision has been updated to the very core of the game using the Unreal Engine to improve and fix various elements and bugs. Much of the general gameplay of the default game is touched up by a modified version of the Human Renovation mod, all to ensure things work the way they should with Revision. The most notable addition to the game settings is the option to switch between the default gameplay, the normal game with tweaks made by Caustic Creative, and two other types. The Shifter mode gives the player more weapon options, skill point awards, and changes to augmentation, including the option to replace. An augment as seen in Deus Ex: Invisible War. The BioMod mode focuses on augments by making them more balanced and easier to manage, including a modification where energy consumption is used only when the augment is actively used opposed to just being switched on.

JC Denton is once again ready to kick out the jams in Deus Ex.

The most noticeable changes made in Deus Ex are the graphics and environment design. Lighting is overhauled in the game, creating a realistic light and dark contrasts within the levels. Project HDTP has been incorporated in the game to replace the original character textures with 256 resolution skins when turned on under its settings. Revision also throws in New Vision, along with some of Caustic Creative’s own work, to replace the environment textures with more detailed surfaces. To ensure the game runs smoothly on modern PCs the team has bundled Chris Dohnal’s Direct3D 9 renderer to the mod. The level designs have been completely reworked and not just for mere aesthetics. The architecture of the levels now has a complex design to them, creating new experiences and surprises for fans of Deus Ex Classic. With the addition of brand new 2D graphics, such as computer screen displays and advertisements (a troupe in cyberpunk), the mod gives a more cyberpunk immersion. Among the 2D graphics are new Datavault images to replace the originals with new maps to go with the levels and images that go in-hand with the changes made in the game.

So, we meet again mr Bob Page. Long time no see.

Controls are much of the same as Deus Ex Classics. All controls are done by mouse and keyboard to operate the numerous functions in the game. But thankfully, like all classic PC games, every button on the keyboard and mouse can be rebinded to the player’s style, whether it’s the Half-Life modern setup or a left-handed configuration.

Yep, it´s the JC Dentont´s good old geek friend Alex Jacobson.

The music has been recreated for the entire game. The majority of the tracks, including the recognizable Deus Ex intro theme, has been changed to have a deep, modern soundscape, sounding like a fantastic modern cyberpunk album. The original voice acting, even JC Denton’s mono robot acting, remains in the game so fans can still enjoy the dialogue from the classic, even Cliff Stephens’s performance as Bob Page.

Pros:
+ Visually remastered with new texture and level designs.
+ New gameplay options adds variety and more replayability.

Cons:
– Minor issue: Some character models do not have an HD skin update.

tgg grade 4 out of 5

Verdict: 4.5/5
Deus Ex Revision is a fantastic fan modification for the classic game with a possibility of a future update to come. While the original is still worth playing after 15 years, there’s nothing wrong to have it augmented to be the King of Games. Or better than a king. God.

Title: Deus Ex Revision
Developer: Caustic Creative
Format: PC (Requires Deus Ex Game of the Year)
Genre: First Person RPG
Resolution: PC’s best performance
Release date: 2015-10-13
Difficulty: Difficulty varies by settings
Spent time: 6+ hours
Average grade internationally: 91.03% (Original game on Gamerankings.com)
Mod rating: 6.2/10 (Community rating on ModDB.com)
PEGI/ESRB age rating: PEGI 16/Mature
Price: Free (Deus Ex GOTY: $6.99-$9.99)