E

very couple of years I
like to remind myself
why Deus Ex is my
favorite game. Most
PC games I loved in
the late ’90s haven’t held up that
well, but Ion Storm’s pioneering
immersive sim remains eminently
playable. It’s also a relic of a time
when videogames were much,
much bigger, to a degree you just
couldn’t match with the production
values and visual fidelity expected
of modern games.

Mankind Divided had one hyper-
detailed city, Prague, but in the
original game you visit New York
City, Hong Kong, Paris, and a dozen
other locations including Area 51, a
submarine base, and an airport. It’s

an irresponsibly huge game, and

some of it is even optional. Today’s

games are terrified that you’ll lose

interest or miss something, but early

in Deus Ex, during your first visit to

Hell’s Kitchen, it’s possible to skip a

massive chunk of the level.

A character called Smuggler is

holed up in the sewers, protected by

a network of mines, turrets, and

security bots. If you manage to sneak

or hack your way around them you

ANDY KELLY

THIS MONTH

Infiltrated a top secret

government facility.

ALSO PLAYED

Rage 2

can pick up a mission to rescue his

friend, Ford Schick, who has been

captured by an unknown force hiding

out in a secret facility beneath the

city. The facility is protected by even

more traps and security systems than

Smuggler’s hideout, and there are

multiple ways to infiltrate the place.

I remember visiting this location

the first time I played Deus Ex and

being baffled by its existence, and

why it was being guarded by

scary-looking guards in black armor.

Now I understand that these are

Almost 20 years later, DEUS EX is still one of the best games on PC

“Ion Storm’s pioneering immersive

sim remains eminently playable”

MAJESTIC 12 IS PUMPING

NEW YORK’S WATER

SYSTEM FULL OF CHLORINE

CONTINUED ADVENTURES IN GAMING

EXTRA LIFE

Rescuing Ford Schick from the lab.