Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Deus Ex Is Deus Ex an RPG?

Self-Ejected

an Administrator

Self-Ejected
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Messages
4,337
Location
Where expecting basics is considered perfectionism
First time i played Deus Ex, it was after finishing up Thief and Hitman series. Being an enthusiast for stealth games, i picked it up and played it as a typical stealth game.

Then i came across some 'hardcore' gaming(RPG-related, mostly) sites that labeled Deus Ex as a Role-Playing Game.

I wondered, what makes Deus Ex a Role-Playing Game. It was never sold as an RPG back then.

I don't want to start an age-old discussion about what an RPG is. But we all know some basic things about the subject.

What makes Deus Ex an RPG:

Skills and Augmentations:

There are skills in Deus Ex than can be increased. They have an actual impact on the gameplay.
The augmentation system is also simulates some sort of character development, your power increases as you acquire more augs and since you can't take all of them, it makes char dev a little more functioning.

Choices and Consequences?

Words around the interwebz say Deus Ex has "choices and consequences". In the gameplay, yes, it's some sort of "Should i kill these guys? Stun them? Or just sneak past them?" yeah there are some moments, for example, in Paul's apartment where you can fight alonside him and savw him or flee and later found his dead body. Multiple endings are not counted as C&C as we all know.



What Doesn't Make Deus Ex an RPG:

Lack of Proper Character Creation and Weak Character Development

You can't create your own character, you are always JC Denton, all customizing options available for you summarize in just choosing the skin color of JC!
No armors, helmets and boots, only items you can equip are weapons.

Lack of RNG

How many RPGs are out there without having random number generator being implanted within them?
 

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,228
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
I wondered, what makes Deus Ex a Role-Playing Game. It was never sold as an RPG back then.

As it happens, I have my original Deus Ex box right here

kXfyJJq.jpg
 

Scroo

Female Quota Staff
Patron
Staff Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2010
Messages
1,865,340
Location
Too far away from the sea
Codex 2014 Codex Year of the Donut Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2
Of course it is ;)

Since we aren't the watch and don't have weird checklists to go through to find out if smth is an rpg or not it basically comes down to this age old question - what defines an rpg :P

Personally I define DX as a genremix btw, not a fully fledged rpg, not a fully fledged shooter, a mixture between
 

Ash

Arcane
Joined
Oct 16, 2015
Messages
6,226
It straddles the line, yet there's enough RPG elements to define it as an RPG (hybrid). There are plenty games out there with far fewer role-playing elements that claim to be an RPG.
It's not a traditional RPG, but it is an RPG.

Dialogue options
Character creation and progression
C&C
Role-playing potential
RNG elements in core gameplay (accuracy system)

It has the majority. It may not go to the depths of some RPGs, yet it's not enough to discredit it.

And for the record it does have an armor system too, it's just primitive.

But I don't really care what is or what is not an RPG. I'll play whatever consists of very good design like Deus Ex does.

Infinitron do you think DX MD or HR are RPGs?

Who cares? they're not very good.

In all seriousness they're less of an RPG Deus Ex is. They straddle the opposite side of line, barely holding on. I barely consider them RPGs while Deus Ex passes confidently enough.
 

Haraldur

Augur
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Messages
308
As far as I am concerned, Deus Ex felt like a CRPG when I played it, and that is enough. (Playing on 'Realistic' difficulty) I started weak, sneaking everywhere to stop myself from getting quickly killed, but I felt myself becoming stronger until I was almost invincible at the end. I spent a lot of time in dialogue with characters, going from character to character (sometimes in order to compete quests) to piece together the story of the game world -- a mode of operation I associate with CRPGs. I also spent a lot of time just exploring the world. I generally do not get these from FPSs (certainly not Doom or Unreal) or stealth games (well, Thief 1&2, not played others) or strategy games or adventure games or GTA-likes or roguelikes or puzzle games.

I suppose games that feel like CRPGS have: challenges, power progression so identical challenges get easier, exploration (of story, geography, systems -- exploration that can result in power progression) and some kind of motivation to even get onto the treadmill (find a water chip, escape from Irenicus' dungeon, find Caius Cosades, defeat Lord XEEN, bring the orb to Ellinger, infiltrate the Statue of Liberty), usually with more motivations branching off the first one (stop mutant invasion, er... defeat Irenicus?, become messiah, er..., er..., what is going on with UNATCO?).
 

pippin

Guest
I see it as the trademark LGS hybrid with rpg elements. The kind of game everyone is trying to recreate yet fail miserably because everyone else are just illiterate retards.
 

Shin

Cipher
Joined
Jan 5, 2015
Messages
677
The real question is... are action RPG's really RPG's? I always argue they're not really part of the genre, despite the name.
 
Self-Ejected

Excidium II

Self-Ejected
Joined
Jun 21, 2015
Messages
1,866,227
Location
Third World
The real question is... are action RPG's really RPG's? I always argue they're not really part of the genre, despite the name.
There's all sorts of tryhards on these forums that think the same way so they can pretend they're monocled for having deteriorated reflexes and coordination.

All CRPGs are hybrids, if it's hybrid with action, cyoa, strategy, urmum or any combination is another story.
 

deama

Prophet
Joined
May 13, 2013
Messages
4,352
Location
UK
I wonder if we're gonna be still debating this stuff in like 50 years? Though isntead of calling each other retards, we'll go on skype 9.459 and just slap the camera with our long, white, well-groomed (hopefully) beards...
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom