Deus Ex
| Deus Ex | |||
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| Studio |
 Ion Storm Austin
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| Publisher |
 Eidos Interactive Square Enix
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| Senior Developer |
Warren Spector (Project Director) Harvey Smith (Lead Designer) |
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| composer | Alexander Brandon , Dan Gardopée, Michiel van den Bos | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
Microsoft Windows: June 26, 2000 macOS: July 7, 2000 PlayStation 2: March 27, 2002 June 7, 2002  |
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| platform | Microsoft Windows , macOS , PlayStation 2 | ||
| Game engine | Unreal Engine | ||
| genre | Action RPG | ||
| Subject | Cyberpunk , dystopia , conspiracy theories | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard , gamepad | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
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| medium | CD-ROM , download | ||
| language | Voice output: English Text: German |
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| Current version | Windows: 1112fm (2001) Mac: 1.0.3 (2001) |
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| Age rating |
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| information | Playable on PlayStation 3 as PS2 Classic version | ||
Deus Ex [ ˈdeːʊs ɛks ] (based on the Latin expression deus ex machina ) is the first part of the video game series of the same name from 2000 and was developed by the US studio Ion Storm Austin and launched by Eidos Interactive . The futuristic action role-playing game with stealth and first-person shooter elements was released for Microsoft Windows and macOS . An adapted version for the PlayStation 2 followed in 2002 . Due to the freedom of action of the player, Deus Ex is now considered a milestone in video game history.
action
The game is set in a near, dystopian future and is considered one of the few games that belongs to the genre of cyberpunk . The change in the human race represented in the game through nanotechnology and many other aspects of the plot also reflect ideas of the philosophical line of thought of transhumanism . The player visits locations based on original locations, such as New York, Hong Kong, Paris, the Vandenberg Air Force Base and Area 51 .
The plot of Deus Ex picks up on many conspiracy theories and combines these elements into a deep story in which the player, as a nanotechnologically improved agent, has to get behind the machinations of an underground organization and prevent it from taking over the world. Towards the end, the plot expands into a philosophical trilemma in which the player has to decide how the history of the world should continue - either in the style of 20th century capitalism with all its flaws, a relapse of the world into an age of prehistoric times Anarchy, or peace offered to a benevolent dictatorship by an all-powerful and all-knowing computer AI.
Deus Ex builds on a large amount of scientific background information. One of the central topics is nanotechnology - the main character, JC Denton, serves as an agent under the flag of the fictitious UN organization United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition (UNATCO), improved with symbiotic, microscopic biomechanical computers (so-called nanites , see nanotechnology ) . Integrated in the game are numerous texts about nanotechnology that describe the science behind it very precisely. There are also many allusions to the influences of classical literature (in emails, books, mottos and notes) throughout the game environment.
Actions and decisions of the player have a minor impact on the further course of the game and the player receives appropriate feedback. JC Denton is not only reprimanded by the woman present at the UNATCO headquarters when he enters the ladies' room, but is also admonished in a later cutscene by his superior not to do so in the future.
Gameplay
Deus Ex combines the action elements of a first-person shooter with the character development of a role-playing game . The success in handling weapons is therefore not only dependent on the skill of the player, but also on the talent values of the main character. Deus Ex is characterized above all by great freedom of action. For almost every task in the game there are several possible solutions, but every action has consequences in the further course of the game. Essentially, the player is always faced with the choice of whether he wants to reach his goal by force of arms, with technical aids or by sneaking and infiltration. If all available options are used, it is possible to play the game almost continuously without firing a single shot or killing an opponent (with your own hand). However, there is also a large arsenal available.
Development history
The game is based on the Unreal Engine and was produced by Warren Spector , who was also responsible for System Shock . The motivation for developing Deus Ex , according to Warren Spector, came from his dissatisfaction with Dark Project: The Master Thief he briefly worked on and the way it forced the player into the fights. He therefore wanted to develop a game in which both sneaking and fighting should be possible as equal solutions. He also hoped that it would have an industry-wide impact on future game design. The soundtrack was composed by Alexander Brandon , Dan Gardopée , Michiel van den Bos and Reeves Gabrels and includes various styles of music such as techno, jazz and classical, whereby the music can seamlessly adapt to the prevailing situation (conversations, fight scenes, level transitions, etc. .).
The game sometimes ran slowly on computers at the time that were not compatible with the corresponding 3D-accelerated graphics cards with e.g. B. Nvidia GeForce 1/2, 3dfx - Voodoo 3/4/5, or S3 Savage 2000 chipset.
After the game was released, the manufacturer Ion Storm released a few patches . In addition to various bug fixes, the PC version of the game has been expanded to include a multiplayer mode with the game modes Deathmatch , Basic Team Deathmatch, and Advanced Team Deathmatch. Several other issues were later fixed by fan patches .
In 2002, an adapted version of the game was released under the title Deus Ex: The Conspiracy for the PlayStation 2, but without multiplayer mode. A port for the Linux operating system was almost finished, but was not published because the executing company Loki Software filed for bankruptcy before the work was completed . On May 16, 2012, the PS2 version of the game was released as a downloadable title for the PlayStation 3 .
For Deus Ex , there is an unofficial DirectX 10 - renderer and several modifications that enhance the game with high-resolution textures and technical adjustments graphically. Extensive mods such as GMDX (since 2013) and Revision (since 2015) for Deus Ex are developed and published to this day.
reception
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Metacritic gives an average rating of 90 out of 100 points for 28 reviews for the PC version, GameRankings a total of 91.03%. The numerous different possible solutions were positively highlighted. The graphics were rated as contemporary, but at the same time also described as a little dreary and functional. Criticism was expressed about the lack of the originally announced German dubbing.
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences recognized the game at the 2001 awards in the categories of Innovation and Best PC Game Action / Adventure . It was also nominated in the categories Game of the Year , PC Game of the Year , Computer RPG of the Year and Sound Design . At the Game Developers Choice Awards 2001 the game was honored for the best game design and with a Game Spotlight Award, it was also nominated in the category Game of the Year. In Germany, the PC game was awarded the Gold Award by GameStar magazine and the PC Player Gold Player . In a survey of professional readers of the industry magazine Gamasutra in September 2006, the game was voted fourth in the Quantum Leap Awards, as one of five games that would have advanced the role-playing genre the most.
The PS2 version also received positive, but significantly worse, reviews. (Metacritic: 81 / GameRankings: 82.97%)
As of April 2009, approximately one million copies of the game had been sold.
Play and film adaptation
Even in non-gaming circles, Deus Ex received attention as one of the few computer games of its time due to its plot and its cultural claim. In 2002, in consultation with publisher Eidos, a stage implementation of the topic was planned at the Kassel State Theater. An essential element of the play by director Christian Suhr and his co-author Herbert Debes about the anti-terrorist agent was the interaction with the audience, who were to decide at key points how the plot would proceed. Two weeks before the premiere, however, the publisher Eidos withdrew the approval because it collided with the exploitation rights of a film license that had already been granted.
A film adaptation of the first two parts of the game was planned by Columbia Pictures, but production was discontinued in May 2004 for reasons unknown. Rumor has it that this also had something to do with the quarrels at Ion Storm at the time, which manifested themselves in the departure of studio founder Warren Spector and designers Harvey “Witchboy” Smith and Randy Smith , among others . In early 2005, Ion Storm was finally closed by owner Eidos.
Sequels
Deus Ex: Invisible War
The direct successor to Deus Ex by Ion Storm Austin was released in 2004 for Xbox and PC. Invisible War takes place 20 years after the events of Deus Ex . The player controls Alex D., another Denton clone. For the plot of the game, all possible solutions of the predecessor were combined with one another. The world is in the process of being rebuilt after the so-called Great Collapse, with several religious organizations and secret societies vying for supremacy. Alex D. grew up at the Tarsus Academy in Chicago, which was killed in a terrorist attack at the beginning of the game. Alex is evacuated to the Tarsus Academy in Seattle, from where he tries to uncover the background of the attacks.
The successor was designed from the beginning for a release on the Xbox and therefore designed for the weaker hardware of the console. The associated restrictions, such as reducing the levels and simplifying gameplay, have been criticized many times. Nevertheless, the game also received very good, albeit worse, grades than its predecessor and, with 1.2 million copies, sold significantly better than its predecessor.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
In 2007, publisher Eidos opened a new development studio in Montreal, which was entrusted with the continuation of the Deus Ex series. After the takeover of Eidos by the Japanese publisher Square Enix in 2009, the game was finally released on August 26, 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The action of the game is set 25 years before the events of Deus Ex and is about the advent of mechanical augmentations. The player takes on the role of Adam Jensen, the security chief of a leading company for augmentation. Jensen is seriously injured in an attack on the company and is equipped with augmentations himself. After his recovery, he was given the task of uncovering the background to the attack and the people responsible for it.
The elaborately produced and advertised sequel received very good reviews, not least because of its clear orientation towards the first part of the series.
Deus Ex: The Fall
In July 2013, a fourth game was originally released exclusively for mobile devices ( iOS , later also Android ). It is an accompanying prehistory to Human Revolution and follows on from the pre-narration in the accompanying novel Deus Ex: Icarus Effect by James Swallow. The former Belltower mercenary uses it to track down illegal drug tests by his old employer. In March 2014, the game was ported for Windows PCs. In comparison to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the game performed rather poorly in various ratings.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
With a cover story for the May issue of the US game magazine Game Informer and the release of a CGI trailer designed by Visual Works on April 8, 2015, Square Enix announced a continuation of the Adam Jensen story in 2015. The title is set in 2029, two years after Human Revolution . The social situation is tense due to the events described in the previous section, a form of "mechanical apartheid " has emerged. Augmented people are persecuted and marginalized, and unrest ensues. Adam Jensen fights for the Interpol special unit Taskforce 29 augmented terrorists, at the same time he tries to discover the identity of the Illuminati with the help of the activists of the Juggernaut collective. Jensen's path leads him to Prague, where the augmented people were interned in a suburb of their own, now only known as Golem City.
The game was based on the Dawn engine, a further development of the Glacier 2 engine from Hitman: Absolution , with support for DirectX 12 and TressFX 3.0. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was released on August 23, 2016 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Play action title before release on gamestar.de (accessed on July 30, 2017)
- ↑ Deus Ex Mankind Divided on gamereactor.de (accessed July 30, 2017)
- ↑ The course of the game forces the player to kill the NPC Anna Navarra, she cannot be stunned. In addition, the NPC Howard Strong must be killed or stunned. If the player wants to prevent the death of secondary characters, at least one MJ12 trooper and one mechanic must also be killed or stunned
- ↑ Edge editorial team: The Making of: Deus Ex ( English ) In: Edge magazine . Future, plc. September 11, 2009. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved on April 8, 2011.
- ↑ Thief limitations inspired creation of Deus Ex - Spector ( Memento of December 21, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Interview with Alex Brandon. deusex-machina.com, accessed on January 10, 2009 .
- ↑ Sebastian Rosendorfer: New Deus Ex multiplayer patch is here . 4players . April 28, 2001. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ↑ TheRenegadeMaster: More DXMTL! . dxcbp.deusexgaming.com. September 3, 2002. Archived from the original on November 23, 2003. Retrieved on April 10, 2011.
- ↑ deusexv2 . code.google.com. November 26, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2011: “ This is an unofficial patch for Deus Ex, addressing bugs left in the v1112fm and Game of the Year editions of the game. "
- ↑ Storn A. Cook: Deus Ex: The Conspiracy overview ( English ) Retrieved on July 10, 2011: "There is no multiplayer mode in the game - just you against the computer."
- ↑ http://www.computerbild.de/artikel/cbs-News-PS3-Playstation-Network-Square-Enix-PS2-Klassiker-Deus-Ex-7500078.html
- ↑ a b David Stöckli: Test: Deus Ex . In: 4Players . freenet AG . August 9, 2000. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- ↑ a b Deus Ex in the test . In: GameStar . IDG . August 1, 2000. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- ↑ a b Andreas Sauerland: Test Deus Ex: Sneaking or battles (article scan) In: PC Games . August 2000. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- ↑ Reinhard Fischer: Test genre mix: Deus Ex . In: PC Joker . No. 8/00 . Joker-Verlag, August 2000, p. 56-59 ( kultboy.com [accessed August 31, 2019]).
- ↑ a b Udo Hoffmann: Action-Adventure for professionals and advanced users: Deus Ex (article scan) In: PC Player . August 2000. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- ↑ a b GameRankings : average PC rating , based on 31 articles, accessed on November 21, 2012.
- ↑ a b Metacritic : Average PC rating based on 28 articles, accessed November 21, 2012.
- ^ Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences : 2001 award winners . Official website. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- ↑ http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/archive/gdca_1st.html
- ↑ Brandon Boyer, Frank Cifaldi: The Gamasutra Quantum Leap Awards: Role-Playing Games . In: Gamasutra . UBM, plc . October 6, 2006. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
- ↑ Metacritic : Average PS2 rating based on 25 articles, accessed November 21, 2012.
- ↑ GameRankings : PS2 average rating based on 52 articles, accessed November 21, 2012.
- ^ Andrew Burnes: Eidos & Square Enix Sales Figures Revealed . In: Voodoo Extreme . IGN . April 23, 2009. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved on September 7, 2011.
- ^ Paul Kautz: Deus Ex - the play . In: 4Players . freenet AG . October 31, 2002. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ^ Andreas Wilkens: Computer game "Deus Ex" is not listed . In: Heise online . Publisher Heinz Heise . November 1, 2002. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ↑ Metacritic : Average rating of the iOS version , based on 43 articles. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
- ↑ Gamerankings : Average rating of the iOS version , based on 24 articles. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
- ↑ May Cover Revealed - Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ( Memento of the original from April 8, 2015 on WebCite ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Deus Ex: Mankind Divided's Amazing CG Trailer Shares the Japanese Soul of Final Fantasy
- ↑ Dennis Reisdorf: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - author wanted to let Adam Jensen die . Article from pcgames.de , October 10, 2015, accessed June 7, 2016
- ^ Colin Campbell: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and the problem of 'mechanical apartheid'. In: polygon. July 6, 2016, Retrieved September 3, 2016 (American English).
- ↑ Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - What we know about Deus Ex 4 so far
- ↑ Deus Ex: Universe - Based on the new »Dawn Engine«
- ↑ Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: DirectX 12, Tress FX 3.0 and AMD's Gaming Evolved confirmed
