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Deus Ex

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This article is about the video game series. For the first video game of the series, see Deus Ex (video game). For the dramatic device from which its title is derived, see Deus ex machina.
Deus Ex
The current logo for the Deus Ex series
Genre(s)Action role-playing, first-person shooter, stealth
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)
First releaseDeus Ex
June 23, 2000
Latest releaseDeus Ex: Mankind Divided
August 23, 2016

Deus Ex ([ˈde.ʊs ɛks] ⓘ) is a series of action role-playing first-person shooter stealth video games. The series was developed by Ion Storm for the first two games and Eidos Montreal for later entries in the series. The series, set during the 21st century, focuses on the conflict between secretive factions who wish to control the world by proxy, and the effects of transhumanistic attitudes and technologies in a dystopian future setting.

The series currently consists of six games: Deus Ex (2000), Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003), Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011), Deus Ex: The Fall (2013), Deus Ex Go (2016), and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016).

Eidos stated in October 2013 that future entries in the series would go under the umbrella name Deus Ex Universe.[1][2] The series has received much critical acclaim over the years, and sold over 4.5 million units worldwide.

Series overview

Main articles: Deus Ex (video game), Deus Ex: Invisible War, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Deus Ex: The Fall, and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex
chronology
2026-2027 – Icarus Effect
2027 – The Fall
2027 – Human Revolution (The Missing Link)
2028-2029 – Black Light
2029 – Mankind Divided
2052 – Deus Ex
2072 – Invisible War

Note: given the freedom of choice found within each game, the section below only gives the general outline of the world and the individual plotlines.

While each game has a distinct story, they are all set within the same world: an Earth of the future which has evolved a dystopian, cyberpunk society. In this setting, several organizations compete for overall control of the world.[3] Several of the societies mentioned or shown are inspired by real-world and invented secret societies and conspiracy theories. The one constant through the series is the Illuminati, although FEMA, Majestic 12, and the Knights Templar are also featured. The main characters in the series possess artificially acquired superhuman abilities, generally referred to as "Augmentation", and more specifically called "Human augmentation" in the third game.

Deus Ex takes place during 2052,[4] while the world is facing a crisis caused by a mysterious nano-virus called the Gray Death. In the midst of the crisis, JC Denton, a nano-augmented rookie agent for the United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition (UNATCO), is sent to eliminate terrorist cells, but ends up drawn into the various schemes of rival factions and secret societies, who are responsible for the epidemic. Once he arrives in Area 51, Denton has the choice between neutralizing technology and plunging the world into a second dark age,.[5] allying with the Illuminati,[6] or merging with an advanced AI so as to impose a benevolent dictatorship.[7] Invisible War takes place twenty years later, after a massive economic depression and period of war called the Collapse[8] that was indicated by Denton's actions and a combination of possible events from the first game.[9] The game's protagonist, Alex D, a clone of Denton, is drawn into a conflict between two seemingly opposing factions, and learns of conspiratorial factions which seek to drastically change the world, including JC Denton: Alex can perform missions for any of them, and eventually becomes able to choose which organization should rule the world.

Human Revolution is set in 2027, twenty-five years before the first title, where corporations have extended their influence past the reach of global governments and the development of bio-mechanical augmentation by a few elite and powerful companies threatens to destabilize society. The game follows Adam Jensen, the security chief for bio-tech company Sarif Industries. After a devastating attack on Sarif's headquarters which leaves him near-death, Adam is forced to undergo radical augmentation surgery, and he becomes embroiled both in the search for the attackers and the political and ethical repercussions of augmentation technology. The Fall is a parallel story, set after the spin-off novel Icarus Effect.[10] It follows the story of Ben Saxon, an augmented former British SAS mercenary, who is on the run from his former employers, a group of augmented mercenaries that play a crucial part in the plot of Human Revolution.[11] Mankind Divided is set in 2029, 2 years after the events of Human Revolution in a world dealing with the consequences of the previous game's events. Regardless of the choice made by Adam at the end of Human Revolution, the Illuminati have twisted his message and augmented individuals are now persecuted and feared. A disillusioned Adam now works with an international taskforce (hinted to be a precursor to UNATCO in Deus Ex) designed to stop the rising wave of terrorism brought on by the disenfranchised and desperate augmented while working to uncover the perpetrators of the events that led to the current state of the world.

Gameplay

A unifying element across the series is the combination of gameplay styles from several different genres, including RPGs, shooters and adventure games.[12][13][14] Role-playing elements are mostly linked to augmenting the character in a specific way, spending skill points to create characters that can be focused either on stealth or combat, or a balance of the two.[15] Player choice is a key feature of the series, with the actions of the player character affecting both the world around them and the way NPCs react to the character: depending which faction they belong to, NPCs might praise and be helpful, chastise, ignore, or even attack them.[12] This emphasis on player choice is most evident in Invisible War, where players can choose the gender and skin color of the main character before starting, and have the option of running quests for and allying with four possible factions within the game.[16]

Development history

The original Deus Ex was conceived in 1995 by Warren Spector in 1994 under the working title Troubleshooter.[17] The main drive behind Deus Ex was Warren's growing dislike for straight fantasy or sci-fi video games, and the want to create something new and different.[18] In an interview, he stated that he wanted to emulate the immersive playing styles of games like Ultima Underworld, and eventually, after being rejected by Origin Systems, the company he was working with at the time, and Looking Glass Studios, Spector's project was picked up by Ion Storm, who, according to Spector, asked him to "make the game of [his] dreams".[19] The title Deus Ex was meant to both represent aspects of the plot in the game and to poke fun at the design techniques that were prevalent in the majority of games at the time.[20] The second game in the series, Invisible War, was first unveiled at E3 2002.[21] For this game, the designers chose to allow the players to choose which sex their player character would be, an idea conceived for the original game.[22][23] After the release of Invisible War, both Harvey Smith, the main designer for Deus Ex, and Spector left Ion Storm in 2004, with the former citing health problems[24] and the latter saying he wished to pursue his own projects.[25] Later, because of restructuring at Eidos Interactive, Ion Storm was closed down the following year.[26] A multiplayer-focused third game titled Deus Ex: Clan Wars was originally being made at Crystal Dynamics, but because of the commercial underperformance of Invisible War, it was distanced from the Deux Ex series and renamed Project Snowblind.[27] Human Revolution was announced in 2007 under the working title Deus Ex 3.[28] The game's creation was handled by Eidos Montreal and the developer's parent company Square Enix, whose Visual Works department created the CG movies for the game.[29] The game became the first entry in the series to receive DLC in the form of The Missing Link, an extra episode designed to fill a narrative gap in the game.[30] In 2013, a new title was created for iPhone and iPad. Titled The Fall and set within Human Revolution's timeframe, the game was created by the previous game's core team and a team from mobile phone developer N-Fusion.[11] In October 2013, Eidos Montreal announced that they were working on another title in the series for PC and next-gen platforms, and that it would be the first part of a larger, transmedia project called Deus Ex: Universe.[1][2]

Main article: List of Deus Ex media

CBS Films has acquired screen rights to Deus Ex, after Eidos was purchased by Square Enix.[31] An announcement was made for a film adaptation of Deus Ex: Human Revolution in July 2012.[32][33] In 2015 Adrian Askarieh told IGN in an interview that the film will be based on the third game and he may oversee a film universe with Just Cause, Hitman, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex[34] and Thief.[35]

Human Revolution inspired a tie-in comic book, a spin-off novel,[36] and action figures.[37] Alongside the announcement of a next-gen entry in the franchise, Eidos Montreal announced Deus Ex: Universe, a multimedial project involving video games across all platforms, books, graphic novels and other unspecified mediums.[1]

Deus Ex Go is a mobile game for iOS and Android systems developed by Square Enix Montréal, released in 2016. It is a puzzle-based game in the same fashion as Square Enix Montréal's previous mobile titles, Hitman Go and Lara Croft Go.[38]

Reception

Aggregate review scores
As of June 21, 2015.
Game Metacritic
Deus Ex (PC) 90[39]
(PS2) 81[40]
Deus Ex: Invisible War (Xbox) 84[41]
(PC) 80[42]
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC) 90[43]
(PS3) 89[44]
(X360) 89[45]
Director's Cut[46]
Deus Ex: The Fall (iOS) 69[47]
(PC) 45[48]
Deus Ex Go (iOS) 81[49]
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PS4) 84[50]
(PC) 83[51]
(XONE) 83[52]

Overall, the Deus Ex series has received critical acclaim, with its storylines and freedom of choice being the main point of praise.

The first game won multiple awards from various video game publications,[53] and was lauded by critics at the time, although its graphics came in for some criticism.[54][55][56]

Invisible War was also well received, but did not enjoy the success of its predecessor, with many elements of its gameplay and story being targets for criticism, but many praising its branching gameplay and the high level of paths the player could take through the story.[57][58][59][60]

Human Revolution received high critical praise roughly equal to the first game, with many reviewers praising the open-ended nature of the game and the weight of social interaction on the outcome of events.[61][62][63]

The Fall was slightly more mixed, with praise going to the game's attempt to bring the Deus Ex universe to a portable platform, but many other aspects coming in for both praise and criticism. The PC version was criticized for being a bad mobile-to-computer port.[64][65][66][67]

Sales

Sales as of September 2011:

References

  1. ^ a b c Nunneley, Stephany (October 2, 2013). "Deus Ex title in the works for PC and next-gen, Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director's Cut releasing this month". VG247. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Karmali, Luke (October 2, 2013). "Next-Gen Deus Ex Universe Announced". IGN. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  3. ^ Sheldon Pacotti, Lead Writer for Deus Ex Invisible War (November 6, 2003). "Deus Ex: Invisible War Developer Diary". IGN. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  4. ^ The Deus Ex Team. "DX1 Continuity Bible: Part I". Gamespy. Archived from the original on January 26, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  5. ^ JC Denton: If we destroy the Aquinas Hub, we'll take down the global network. / Tracer Tong: Exactly. They dug their own grave, JC. We're going to eliminate global communications altogether. / JC: I don't know... sounds like overkill. / Tong: As long as technology has a global reach, someone will have the world in the palm of his hand. If not Bob Page, then Everett, Dowd... / JC: Another Stone Age would hardly be an improvement. / Tong: Not so drastic. A dark age, an age of city-states, craftsmen, government on a scale comprehensible to its citizens. Ion Storm Inc. (March 25, 2002). Deus Ex (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  6. ^ Everett: No, JC. Spare the facility. Spare Helios, the power station. They can be made to serve us. / JC: Us? / Everett: You and me, JC. We'll rule the world in secret, with an invisible hand, the way the Illuminati have always ruled. Ion Storm Inc. (March 25, 2002). Deus Ex (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  7. ^ Helios: You are ready. I do not wish to wait for Bob Page. With human understanding and network access, we can administrate the world, yes, yes. / JC: Rule the world...? Why? Who gave you the directive? There must be a human being behind your ambition. / Helios: I should regulate human affairs precisely because I lack all ambition, whereas human beings are prey to it. Their history is a succession of inane squabbles, each one coming closer to total destruction. Ion Storm Inc. (March 25, 2002). Deus Ex (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive.
  8. ^ Load screen message: JC Denton's destruction of Area 51 plunged the world into a period of depression and war known as the Collapse. Deus Ex: Invisible War. Ion Storm, 2003
  9. ^ Shoemaker, Brad (September 6, 2003). "Deus Ex: Invisible War Hands-On Impressions". GameSpot. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
  10. ^ Wesley Yin-Poole (June 5, 2013). "Deus Ex: The Fall is an iPhone and iPad game out soon". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Eidos Montreal Tells Us All About Deus Ex: The Fall". Siliconera. June 11, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  12. ^ a b Spector, Warren (December 6, 2000). "Postmortem: Ion Storm's Deus Ex". Gamasutra. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
  13. ^ "Interview with Harvey Smith". GamePro. September 17, 2003. Archived from the original on March 15, 2004. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
  14. ^ Sillmen, David (November 24, 2008). "Deus Ex 3 – do sveta kyberpunku a renesance". Bonusweb (in Czech). iDNES. Retrieved November 24, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Gillen, Kieron (2005). "Kieron Gillen's Workblog". Retrieved October 13, 2006.
  16. ^ James Au, Wagner (December 2003). "New Gun in Town". Wired. Retrieved May 21, 2007.
  17. ^ Spector, Warren (December 6, 2000). "Deus Ex - nuwen.net". Retrieved July 27, 2007.
  18. ^ James Wu, Wagner (2000). "A Spector Haunts Gaming". GameSlice. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  19. ^ Sefton, Jamie (April 26, 2007). "PC Zone votes Deus Ex the best PC game ever!". PC Zone. PC Zone. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
  20. ^ Webber. "Deus Ex Interview!". Rpgfan. Retrieved December 20, 2006.
  21. ^ Dan Adams (May 20, 2002). "E3 2002: Deus Ex 2". IGN. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  22. ^ Butts, Stephan (February 18, 2003). "DX: Visible Interview". IGN. Retrieved September 28, 2006.
  23. ^ "Warren Spector Interview - Q11 - 20". DeuxExGaming.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved July 24, 2006.
  24. ^ Curt Feldman (April 6, 2004). "Q&A: Invisible War's Harvey Smith". Gamspot. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  25. ^ Tor Thorsen (November 8, 2004). "Warren Spector exits Eidos". Gamespot. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  26. ^ Devid Adams (February 10, 2005). "Ion Storm Closes". IGN. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  27. ^ Thorsen, Tor (June 16, 2004). "Snowblind was Deus Ex: Clan Wars". gamespot.com. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  28. ^ Robinson, Andy (October 4, 2008). "Deus Ex 3: First Details". PC Zone. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  29. ^ Martin, Joe (November 25, 2009). "Deus Ex 3 is Eidos and Square Enix joint effort". bit-tech. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  30. ^ Eidos Montreal confirms downloadable content plans for Deus Ex: Human Revolution Johnny Cullen, VG247.com. Last accessed August 18, 2010.
  31. ^ Fleming, Mike. "CBS Films Targets 'Deus Ex' Video Game For Feature". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  32. ^ "Deus Ex Movie in the Works". Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  33. ^ "CBS Films Targets 'Deus Ex' Video Game For Feature". Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  34. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2265890/
  35. ^ Krupa, Daniel (September 9, 2015). "JUST CAUSE MOVIE WILL TAKE CUES FROM JUST CAUSE 3". IGN.
  36. ^ "Deus Ex; Icarus Effect at Amazon". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  37. ^ Poe, Heidi (August 27, 2011). "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Play Arts Kai Action Figures Released". Game Swag. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  38. ^ Makedonski, Brett (June 8, 2016). "Deus Ex GO is the new mobile game from Square Enix Montreal". Destructoid. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  39. ^ "Deus Ex Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  40. ^ "Deus Ex: The Conspiracy Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  41. ^ "Deus Ex: Invisible War Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  42. ^ "Deus Ex: Invisible War Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  43. ^ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  44. ^ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  45. ^ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  46. ^ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  47. ^ "Deus Ex: The Fall Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  48. ^ "Deus Ex: The Fall Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  49. ^ "Deus Ex Go Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  50. ^ "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  51. ^ "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  52. ^ "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  53. ^ "Deus Ex: Invisible War PS2 Back cover". EIDOS Interactive.
  54. ^ Patterson, Chris. "Deus Ex for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro. GamePro. Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
  55. ^ Blevins, Tal. "Deus Ex Review". IGN. IGN. Retrieved November 6, 2007.
  56. ^ Harding, Chris. "Deus Ex review". Adrenaline Vault. Retrieved December 18, 2006.
  57. ^ "Deus Ex: Invisible War review". PC Gamer: 81. January 2004.
  58. ^ Fielder, Joe; Intihar, Bryan; Hsu, Dan (February 2004). "Deus Ex: Invisible War review". Electronic Gaming Monthly: 124.
  59. ^ "Deus Ex: Invisible War review". Official Xbox Magazine: 74. December 2003.
  60. ^ Biessener, Adam (January 2004). "Choose, But Choose Wisely". Game Informer: 152.
  61. ^ "GameSpot review". Gamespot.com. August 23, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  62. ^ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review". Ign.com. August 23, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  63. ^ "World's first Deus Ex Xbox 360 review in new OXM". Oxm.co.uk. July 30, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  64. ^ Christian Donlan (July 10, 2013). "Deus Ex: The Fall review". Eurogamer. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  65. ^ Justin Davis (July 10, 2013). "Deus Ex: The Fall Review". IGN. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  66. ^ Jared Nelson (June 10, 2013). "'Deus Ex: The Fall' Review - Console Gaming Stuffed into a Mobile Package". Touch Arcade. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  67. ^ Scott Nichols (June 11, 2013). "'Deus Ex: The Fall' review (iPhone): A faithful but broken spin-off". Digital Spy. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  68. ^ a b Burnes, Andrew (April 23, 2009). "Eidos & Square Enix Sales Figures Revealed". Voodoo Extreme. IGN. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  69. ^ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution sells 2.18 million". Eurogamer. November 4, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
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