4 DEUS EX

Release year 2000 Last position 5

Andy The first game I played that gave me a real feeling of freedom. Deus Ex rewards exploration and experimentation, with huge, detailed levels that are rich with things to do, AI to exploit, secrets to find and vents to crawl through. Phil There is a guy acting suspiciously near Jock’s helicopter. I have noticed that he is acting suspiciously, but I don’t do anything about it. I figure there’ll be a clearly marked moment in which to register that I have noticed him acting suspiciously. There isn’t. In Deus Ex, unlike in other games, action speaks louder than cutscenes.

Tony Human Revolution has the looks, but Deus Ex is the better game. It’s more freeform, it’s more untidy and open-plan. The sheer scale of its environments enables a level of freedom modern games just don’t seem able to repeat.