PC Gamer - USA 2019-09)

(Antfer) #1

I


’ve been dropped off
at The Hotel
Norwood. Why? I’m
not sure. It appears to
be as part of some
mysterious scheme that I’ve not
been made aware of. Still, I do have
a coupon for a free room, so what
the hell. I walk the meandering
path past arguing unicyclists, a
giant apple and a lonely turtle.
Finally, near the hotel car park, I
meet a couple of corporate suits
from the Modulo group. They’re
plotting to buy the hotel. I think
they might be the bad guys.

They demand I fetch a six-pack of
Blue Moose energy drink.
Coincidentally, as part of a
sponsorship program, each guest is
handed a free pack upon check-in. I
smell a quest. Instead I get a
cascading series of menial tasks.
Problem #1: I need to register my
voucher before I can claim my Blue
Moose. I find the computer in a
corner of the reception area and,
after fiddling with some plugs, turn it

on. Problem #2: The wi-fi is down. I
tell reception and they explain that
the router is playing up again. It’s in
the library. I should go and reset it.

TURTLE IN A PICKLE
I go to the library. I reset the router.
But on my way back I overhear a
conversation between two members
of staff. One, the chef, is being
trounced in a game of Zo—a
boardgame that appears to involve a
chess board and a series of
multicolored building blocks.
I could ignore them, but—in a
game full of funky musical riffs—I’m
particularly enjoying the song that’s
playing on the radio next to them.
And so I’m roped into another quest:
Searching the library for a Zo strategy
guide that might rescue the chef.
I find the guide upstairs. The
chef ’s victory now assured, he
hands me the key to his room and
asks me to fetch his jar of pickles.
Sure, man, whatever.
When I enter his room, I find the
pickles marinating in tragedy, the jar
smashed on the floor. Still, the room
is interesting. There are lots of
buttons and switches. I flip a lever
and a door opens. I press a button
and a terrarium rises. The turtle
crawls into a food delivery pipe.
This quest for pickles has gone
very wrong. I leave, quickly. A
businesswoman asks me to make a
sandwich. Here we go again.

Majestic 12 troops, encountered long
before they’re officially introduced in
the story. And the underground
facility is enormous, even having its
own self-contained storyline, which
is uncovered by talking to Schick,
hacking computers, and reading lost
datapads. You don’t have to rescue
Schick, of course. This is Deus Ex
after all. But if you do, Smuggler will
lower the prices of the items he sells.
Exploring the facility, JC Denton
learns that Majestic 12 is pumping
New York’s water system full of
chlorine in order to justify rationing.
And that the lab is being used to test
the manufactured Grey Death virus.


EX MARKS THE SPOT
Deus Ex is, let’s be honest, a pretty
hideous game. It didn’t even look that
good back in 1999. But discoveries
like this, which reward inquisitive
players for poking around in every
corner of the map, make its blocky,
muddy world a delight to explore.
I’ve reached Hong Kong in my
replay, which is a dramatic tonal shift
from the bleak streets of New York
City—and there are even more
optional missions and locations to
discover there too. One day I might
return to Deus Ex and find it too old
and creaky to enjoy, but it hasn’t
happened yet—and the game is
almost 20 years old at this point.
Every year it makes it into our top
100 list, and rightly so. There’s
something timeless about Deus Ex.
Long may it reign.


PHIL SAVAGE
THIS MONTH
Forgot to check in.

ALSO PLAYED
Baba is You, Destiny 2

Paying a visit to THE NORWOOD SUITE


“I think they might


be the bad guys”


The main chamber of
the secret facility.

THE GAMES WE LOVE RIGHT NOW


NOW PLAYING


I’d given up on being a Also, I found this dog.
pacifist by this point.
Free download pdf