Critical responseEditReceptionAggregate scoreAggregatorScoreMetacritic(PC) 90/100[72] (PS2) 81/100[73]Review scoresPublicationScoreGame RevolutionA−[74]GameSpot8.2/10[75]GameSpy88/100[76]IGN9.4/10.0[77]PC Gamer (UK)95/100[78]
Deus Ex received critical acclaim, attaining a score of 90 out of 100 from 28 critics onMetacritic.[72] Thierry Nguyen from Computer Gaming World said that the game “delivers moments of brilliance, idiocy, ingenuity, and frustration.”[79] Computer Games Magazinepraised the title for its deep gameplay and its use of multiple solutions to situations in the game.[80]
Former GameSpot reviewer Greg Kasavin, though awarding the game a score of 8.2 of 10, was disappointed by the security and lockpicking mechanics. “Such instances are essentially noninteractive”, he wrote. “You simply stand there and spend a particular quantity of electronic picks or modules until the door opens or the security goes down.”[75]Kasavin made similar complaints about the hacking interface, noting that, “Even with basic hacking skills, you’ll still be able to bypass the encryption and password protection … by pressing the ‘hack’ button and waiting a few seconds.”[75]
The game’s graphics and sounds were also met with muted enthusiasm. Kasavin complained of Deus Ex‘s relatively sub-par graphics, blaming them on the game’s “incessantly dark industrial environments.”[75]GamePro reviewer Chris Patterson took time to note that despite being “solid acoustically,”Deus Ex had moments of weakness.[81] He poked fun at JC’s “Joe Friday, ‘just the facts, deadpan,” and the “truly cheesy accents” of minor characters in Hong Kong and New York City. IGN called the graphics “blocky”, adding that “the animation is stiff, and the ditheringis just plain awful in some spots,” referring to the limited capabilities of the Unreal Engine used to design the game. the website later on stated that “overall Deus Ex certainly looks better than your average game.”[77]
Reviewers and players also complained about the size of Deus Ex‘s save files. An Adrenaline Vault reviewer noted that, “Playing through the entire adventure, [he] accumulated over 250MB of save game data, with the average file coming in at over 15MB.”[82]
The game developed a strong cult following, leading to a core modding and playing community that is still active over 15 years after its release. In an interview with IGN in July 2015, game director Warren Spector said he never expected Deus Ex to sell many copies, but he did expect it to become a cult classic among a smaller strong community, and he continues to receive fan mail from players to date regarding their experiences and thoughts about Deus Ex.[citation needed]
Awards and accoladesEdit
Deus Ex received over 30 “best of” awards in 2001,[34] from outlets such as IGN, GameSpy,PC Gamer, Computer Gaming World, and The Adrenaline Vault.[83][84] It won “Excellence in Game Design” and “Game Innovation Spotlight” at the 2001 Game Developers Choice Awards, and it was nominated for “Game of the Year”.[85] At the Interactive Achievement Awards, it won in the “Computer Innovation” and “Computer Action/Adventure” categories and received nominations for “Sound Design”, “PC Role-Playing”, and “Game of the Year” in both the PC and overall categories.[86][87][88][89][90][91] The British Academy of Film and Television Arts named it “PC Game of the Year”.[92] The game also collected several “Best Story” accolades, including first prize in Gamasutra‘s 2006 “Quantum Leap” awards for storytelling in a video game.[93][94]
Since its release, Deus Ex has appeared in a number of “Greatest Games of All Time” lists and Hall of Fame features. It was included in IGN’s “100 Greatest Games of All Time” (#40, #21 and #34 in 2003, 2005 and 2007, respectively), “Top 25 Modern PC Games” (4th place in 2010) and “Top 25 PC Games of All Time” (#20 and #21 in 2007 and 2009 respectively) lists.[95][96][97][98][99] GameSpy featured the game in its “Top 50 Games of All Time” (18th place in 2001) and “25 Most Memorable Games of the Past 5 Years” (15th place in 2004) lists,[100][101] and in the site’s “Hall of Fame”.[102] PC Gamer placed Deus Exon its “Top 100 PC Games of All Time” (#2, #2, #1 by staff and #4 by readers in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2010 respectively) and “50 Best Games of All Time” (#10 and #27 in 2001 and 2005) lists,[103][104][105][106][107][108]and it was awarded 1st place in PC Zone‘s “101 Best PC Games Ever” feature.[109] It was also included in Yahoo! UK Video Games’ “100 Greatest Computer Games of All Time” (28th place) list,[110] and in Edge‘s “The 100 Best Videogames” [sic] (29th place in 2007) and “100 Best Games to Play Today” (57th place in 2009) lists.[111][112] Deus Ex was named the second-best game of the 2000s byGamasutra.[113] In 2012, Time named it one of the 100 greatest video games of all time,[114]and G4tv ranked it as the 53rd best game of all time for its “complex and well-crafted story that was really the start of players making choices that genuinely affect the outcome.”[115] 1UP.com listed it as one of the most important games of all time, calling its influence “too massive to properly gauge.”[116]List of awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryRecipientResultRef.2001Game Developers Choice AwardsExcellence in Game DesignHarvey Smith, Warren SpectorWon[85]Game Innovation SpotlightDeus ExWonGame of the YearDeus ExNominatedInteractive Achievement AwardsComputer InnovationDeus ExWon[86] [87]PC Action/AdventureDeus ExWonGame of the YearDeus ExNominated[88] [89] [90] [91]PC Game of the YearDeus ExNominatedPC Role-PlayingDeus ExNominatedSound DesignDeus ExNominatedBritish Academy of Film and Television ArtsPC Game of the YearDeus ExWon[92]
Legacy
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