Game News GameSpy Hall of Fame: Deus Ex

[Sol Invictus]

Tags: Deus Ex; Ion Storm; Warren Spector

The fatties at GameSpy have entered John Romero's Ion Storm's Warren Spector's Deus Ex into their so-called Hall of Fame, which is more or less a hype feature no doubt sponsored by the various companies they receive pay-offs from.
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Here's some of the stuff they had to say about the title:
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<blockquote>The deep, engaging storyline is linear -- make no mistake about it. The path to the destination is where Deus Ex gives you a <i>freedom of choice never witnessed before</i>, and arguably not surpassed since (with the Grand Theft Auto series and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic being possible exceptions). The problems are set in front of you, but how you choose to reach and deal with them is wide open. Every situation has at least two solutions to it. A specific room in a stronghold may be reached by sneaking through an air vent, jumping across rooftops, or just blowing up the front door.</blockquote>
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Now, it isn't even remotely true that Deus Ex gives you a <i>freedom of choice never witnessed before</i> because as I recall, games like Planescape Torment, Fallout, and especially the Ultima series of games were offering that <i>freedom of choice</i> to gamers if not to a much greater degree than Warren Spector could have ever hoped to see implemented in Deus Ex.
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Also, having a bunch of pointless vents to provide the player with a "variety of solutions" doesn't exactly enhance gameplay in any matter of speaking relative to the depth of a game. What it does, however, is make the game look cheap by offering bullshit 'alternative' solutions to quests which inevitably lead to the same conclusion. As an intelligent person I'd seriously expect to find different outcomes based on my actions rather than having the same outcome occur regardless of what I do as that could hardly be considered 'free-form' gameplay, to quote the so-called professional who composed the aforementioned dreck of an article.
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For more of the same kind of pain, enjoy <a href="http://www.gamespy.com/halloffame/december03/deusex/" target="blank">this</a>.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.rpgdot.com">RPGDot</a>

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Now, it isn't even remotely true that Deus Ex gives you a freedom of choice never witnessed before because as I recall, games like Planescape Torment, Fallout, and especially the Ultima series of games were offering that freedom of choice to gamers if not to a much greater degree than Warren Spector could have ever hoped to see implemented in Deus Ex.

I think this is the part where we are overwhelmed by the whoring of the term RPG. The thing is, i agree with you. I don't think Deus Ex was particularly great or ingenious in providing alternate routes or possibilities to goals, and it certainly did not have the much-touted freedom. However, my guess is that many people claim it had a larger freedom of choice than other FPS hybrids in the past. Thief and System Shock paved the way, but Deus Ex expands on some of the gameplay presented in them (even if i prefer both the SS and Thief series), in terms of various paths to the same objective. The point is, that as an RPG, its quite a limited experience; as an FPS/RPG hybrid, it was possibly an advancement (not the best one, but still).

Also, having a bunch of pointless vents to provide the player with a "variety of solutions" doesn't exactly enhance gameplay in any matter of speaking relative to the depth of a game. What it does, however, is make the game look cheap by offering bullshit 'alternative' solutions to quests which inevitably lead to the same conclusion.

I agree with this. I thoroughly disliked all these 'alternative' vents everywhere i turned, that conveniently led me to mission objectives. The best (or worst) example of this is in the MJ12 base in Hong Kong, where we can release toxic fumes into the vents. The ventilation systems led every-frickin'-where. There were two leading to the barracks, one leading to the bathroom near the barracks, to the two sentry bots, etc.

One example which i find extremely ridiculous is the alternate route to save the hostages in the subway station. There's a ventilation system (who would've thought so?) right outside the subway. By navigating trough it you can come up behind the hostages. What's more aggravating is that the hostages are like, right next to the subway door switch which *I* have to activate to have them leave. Survey says - WTF?

As an intelligent person I'd seriously expect to find different outcomes based on my actions rather than having the same outcome occur regardless of what I do as that could hardly be considered 'free-form' gameplay, to quote the so-called professional who composed the aforementioned dreck of an article.

One of the glaring examples would be killing Lebedev. There's such a build-up to that scene, then it doesn't matter. Kill him, don't kill him, kill Anna instead, or kill both. Screw that, you're still bound to the next level. The other glaring example of how our actions don't really matter, or have a very weird way of being taken into account, is that i can go on a killing spree in Battery Park and Hell's Kitchen - that includes children, assorted bums and everyone at the Free Clinic - but no one cares; yet, the minute i step into the women's bathroom and Shannon gets offended, Manderley tells me to not do it again. Amazing how i, the best agent of a world-reknown anti-terrorist organization, can slay civilains but cannot enter women's bathrooms! Truth be told, if i kill anyone at the Underworld bar, or let the hostages die i'm criticized, but they're scripted events.

 

[Elwro]

Hell, I think ADOM gives one more freedom of choice than Deus Ex.