I say that but, of course, I have no idea how many of you have actually played it. I'd wager quite a few, given the subject matter, but if not I must
insist you do so.
A product of late '90s anxieties about the evolution of communications technology, the internet, AI, cybernetics, corporate power, government power
creep, and the flourishing of supranational organizations, Deus Ex tasks you with stopping (prepare yourself) the trillionaire CEO of a Hong Kong
biotech firm turned leader of Majestic 12 (which has evolved from an investigatory committee on Roswell to the R&D division of the Illuminati) from
merging his mind with an AI that controls the internet (which is now entirely routed through Area 51 due to an overhaul of the internet's main
protocol to "Aquinas", which gives MJ12 access to all information on the internet) which, combined with the connection of all communications
technology on the planet to the internet and control of all the world's nanotech manufacturing devices, will allow him alone to totally rule the
world as a global monarchy.
This game was warning people of the dangers of the police state, government surveillance of the internet, the deep state, permanently classified
information, black sites, AI, and doublethink in the media back when such things were considered utterly ridiculous and worth nothing but a cheap
laugh or ironic entertainment. It's quite ridiculous, but strangely poingnant; indeed, the final choice as to how to handle the world post-victory
against Bob Page will make you second guess and contemplate every aspect of what you think your principles are, because there are no easy answers to
what is a true mess of a situation. There's no "go back to the way things were" - technology and society have changed forever, and there are no
perfect or nostalgic answers to it.
Couple that with true play-your-way gameplay (you can be anything from a break-and-enter hackmaster thief to a bullet-shrugging sound-barrier-breaking
rocket-firing juggernaut) and a kickass soundtrack and you've got yourself a splendid time. Some of the gameplay mechanics are admitteldy really
outdated by now (this is a 2000 game); luckily we have the
GMDX Mod
To facilitate more smooth sailing for the modern gamer.
The only weakness, unless you count the numerous plotholes (which no one cares about because it's just too cool besides), is the atrocious voice
acting, but you can just turn that off.
Now don your trench coat, put your sunglasses on at 3 in the morning, take out your glowing nanotech energy sword, and save the world.