Thinking of playing the original Deus Ex.

[Continuity]

Okay, so if anyone has seen my recent posts, they know I'm excited for Deus Ex Human Revolution. Why? Because it's a modern version of the Deus Ex games, a game series where the only thing that was holding me back was the age of the franchise.

A couple months ago, I did try it, and it kicked my ass. Multiple times. So, I gave up. It was clearly an old-school shooter and beat me down much more than Doom and Duke Nukem did.

So, now I want to go back and try it once more. But, I'm uncertain about spending the money for the Steam version (if I play it, I'm not playing a pirated version).

Can someone maybe tell me the appeal of it? Maybe a bit how the game works level up wise? Or if I should just play with cheats and play it for the story?

First of all Deus Ex is an RPG, therefore the main attraction is the leveling you seem dubious about. Yes there is a good story there, though it will seem clichéd now with hindsight. To be frank if you can play though the first few areas and not love the game then there is no point using cheats just to see the story... the story isn't the gameplay its just the context of the gameplay.


If its just the first level that is "kicking your ass" then I suggest you spam all your initial points into pistol/computer and stealth it with the minicrossbow tranquilliser darts. Additionally I suggest you either get a walkthough or watch a lets play on youtube.

Really its not that hard though, just have a little patience! and most importantly dont treat it as a shooter (like doom or DN3D), deus Ex is not a shooter, its an RPG with some FPS mechanics.

 

[Zorpheus]

I'm going to go with the others in this case: On the first mission, be very careful about which guys you choose to mess with. Most of them can be avoided. If you do end up going the shooty-route, make sure you arrange it so you only fight one at a time. Sneak up on your targets if at all possible: Unaware targets can be taken out more easily if you aim your shots right.

If you're still having trouble, I suggest playing the tutorial to brush up a bit on the mechanics.

HARD MODE: Shock/Police Baton every single human enemy on the island. Yeah, I've done it.

 

[sniddy_v1legacy]

For the love of all that's holy take the rocket launcher

If not it will be ages before you pick one up (or at least it was for me 2nd play through)

I hate shooters and I love this game, there are multiple paths, explore take time and enjoy it is an awesome game

Spoiler

Oh and you CAN save your brother,

but don't try that 1st play through (and yeh open spoiler at own risk but about 1/3 way through when it all goes to hell in a hand basket you'll know what I mean)

 

[Littlee300]

I got it during the steam sale ^.^

I got a lot of games so I haven't gotten around to it but it doesn't look too bad when I went through training.

For the love of all that's holy take the rocket launcher

If not it will be ages before you pick one up (or at least it was for me 2nd play through)

I hate shooters and I love this game, there are multiple paths, explore take time and enjoy it is an awesome game

Oh and you CAN save your brother, but don't try that 1st play through

So curious what happens if you save him... Must save him. Also, that is pretty spoilery.

 

[horkrux]

i have finished my first and only playthrough last year and i've got to say: if the first level doesn't catch you, you should forget about it. it's typical for old games to be hard on the rookies who are used modern, more appealing games and it didn't take long before i was like 'i will never reach the top of that statue', because the level design offers so much freedom it gives you the creeps. but hell, i was so surprised by the fact that the crates i just jumped on offered me a nice route inside, my opinion of the game suddenly changed in the blink of an eye. i must also say that i didn't find the first level especially challenging, it was just a completely new situation for me. from then on i kept pushing and the game became my absolute favourite up to the point that i wondered how limited todays shooter really are in comparison to this masterpiece.

don't force yourself through it, that could turn out to be a real pain in the arse. the game will drag on and on and before long bore you to death. it's twice as long as it should be which is the game's major flaw. i had also used guides later on to keep track on how far i've gotten and help me if i struggled to move on. but since i was keen about the story and sucked in every piece of information from the several computers, notes and terminals, well, it was a joyful ride despite its length. just save like a mad man and you will eventually make it. to prevent impossible situations you could create two separate saves, one for safe progress and the other for trying whatever you are up to.

 

[Phlakes]

The exact same thing happened to me. I got raped on the first level and gave up, but then came back a month or two ago. A little hint, always go for stealth, and always look around for different paths. Some of the levels are huge, and if going in one way doesn't work try going all the way around to the back.

 

[bladecuttersedge]

I remember it kicking my ass a hell of a lot when I first started playing. I found that the stealth option led to less of the being smeared on the walls, and I think I actually managed to get the whole way through only killing one guy (but he deserved it....).

OT: For the first play through I would definitely suggest the stealth option plus a ton of quick saving. Also with regards to leveling up, lockpicking, hacking, and your chosen weapon are a good idea, and when you get the choice, the power recirculator and the health regen upgrades are very helpful.

 

[Natasha_LB]

Sounds interesting.

I tried to play this a few months ago but gave up after only about 15mins, I might go back and try again, because I really did want to like it. I love stealth games, and I love open endedness, so it should have been perfect for me. I'll pick it up again soon.

 

[Dumori]

Dues Ex is a hard game but I wish there where more like it every game I love seems to be unforgiving to start.

I mean Dues Ex and TESIII: Morrowind are perhaps my two most played games ever at least none RTS games. For RTS I have the Homeworld games and a good few more: Black and White, Dungeon Keeper 1&2, Evil Genius and a few more. I also have a huge soem fro the X games X2: the threat and both X3's and they can be quite unforgiving to start.

I wish more games had the feel of Dues Ex and it's none linear style. Not in story as much as how you can do things. I don;t mind a linear story/plot but I much prefer an open route though it. I'm quite disfranchised by modern shooters and that play like they are almost on rails in how quite often there is only one route or way to do any thing. Ignoring those semi platformers games or games where enclosed nature adds to atmosphere in places.

Though quite honestly I'm more feed up with wall hugging regenerating health and narrow tracked worlds. LA noir did the health and cover WELL (at least from a good game play mechanic and feel point). Cryis 2 didn't.

Back OT:
Give Dues Ex a good try. It's a game worthy of fustation and perseverance. Save often and quick save between major and minor saves. Make your own checkpoints in that sense. Remember to explore heavily this game has "secret" item stashes and such.

 

[sniddy_v1legacy]

I got it during the steam sale ^.^

I got a lot of games so I haven't gotten around to it but it doesn't look too bad when I went through training.

For the love of all that's holy take the rocket launcher

If not it will be ages before you pick one up (or at least it was for me 2nd play through)

I hate shooters and I love this game, there are multiple paths, explore take time and enjoy it is an awesome game

Oh and you

Spoiler

CAN save your brother,

but don't try that 1st play through

So curious what happens if you save him... Must save him. Also, that is pretty spoilery.

....Not really it's fairly obvious from the start about mission 2 it's clear that's going down BUT

And it changes fairly little like most things, you get a few more rewards but the actual doing of it was a pain

Spoiler

and a hell of a lot of meta gaming involved or was the way I did it, knowing whats about to go down I saved all the mines, gas and explosive, with the intent on taking as many of them down with me as possible (it's a good story so I felt it when they killed him 1st time) no idea you could win, you need to be a good shot and ready to head shot the men in black left right and center and mine out the entire building entrance - eventually the game kinda fades to black as if you've been taken out when you come too he's still alive

 

[evilneko]

After the first mission, make sure to follow that lady into the bathroom when you get back to base.

 

[ParkourMcGhee]

You guys just confused the HELL out of me! I never found that game difficult :S

All you do is go for headshots and individual takedowns where possible. EMP nades against robots.

Ok, I'll give that their land mines are unforgiving, but they wouldn't be any better in the real world.

Go play it man. it was a great game. The only thing I have to ask is: Why don't you have a physical copy proudly displaying itself on your shelf?

... actually come to think of it I'm not sure if I lost mine now or something because I was recently moving stuff around, and I couldn't see it.


If you ever have issues, just quicksave and stealth around... and never EVER use the poison darts unless you know EXACTLY how they work. Many a foe has summoned reinforcements on my ass because it wasn't fast enough.


Oh, and just saying: you totally missed the GAME sellout of deus ex period. You might still be able to find some in CEX or something.


PPPPPS: Put LAMs on the door before talking to Lebedev for a 'bug' conversation.

 

[thenamelessloser]

Just replayed the first mission in deus ex and it is amazing how easy it is if you actually know what you're doing. Just crouch you leave the dock area go right staying far away from enemies and sticking to shadows till you go to the part with the ladders. Climb up the ladders do some jumping. Avoiding enemies just keep going up. Be careful cause there is a gas grenade in one hallway click on it before it goes off. Just keep going up and then done... Was going this on easy mode which I think only effects how strong enemies are... If it doesn't effect AI then this could be done pretty easily on any difficulty. And note I generally suck at video games such as stealth and FPS.

Was amazed how easy it was to do this but I usually try knocking out or killing all the enemies first and doing the sub goals such as rescuing gunthar. But I have played the game multiple times... . I mean the first level if played like a stealth game is much easier than Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell, Hitman, etc.

 

[Uncreation]

The thing about Deus Ex, is that it's not really a FPS, or not that much anyway. If you just go in head first, all guns blazing, it will be very difficult, and in the first few missions more so. You should try to just complete your mission, not to kill everyone on the map.
And, no, it doesn't matter how many enemies you kill. You just have to complete the objectives. There are people who have finished the game without killing anyone. Well, apart from the few scripted kills that can't be avoided.
You get points for completing objectives, exploring the map, finding secrets. Those points you use to increase your skills.

 

[DigitalAtlas]

Deus Ex is officially my favorite game of all time. I've finished it three times, and I have save files for every mission in the game so that I can replay a specific passage. And yet... the first time I tried to play it, I also didn't get past the first mission and quickly gave up. Then trailers for Human Revolution started coming out, and I decided to give it another go. This time, I beat the first mission and the game had me. I wondered why I enjoyed it so much more than the last time, but then I realized it was the approach I had chosen. When I first tried Deux Ex, I had recently played the original Half Life, and was expecting a similar experience. It was inevitable that I would be disapointed, Half Life was a precursor to the thrilling roller coaster sripted sequence shooters such as the Call of Duty series. But Deus Ex has a much more measured pace. You can shoot your way in and out of situations if you want, but you must always, ALWAYS think and analyze said situations before you act. If you play it as a straight up shooter, it wont be much fun, the shooting mechanics are stiff and the enemy AI is pretty dumb. Combat is simply not Deus Ex's strong point. But if you play it as a stealth game, thats when it becomes something special. I believe the game "only" costs ten bucks on steam, definitely give it a try.

Sadly, $10 a bit much at the moment when it's food or game and as much as I want to try Deus Ex, if it's not a definite LOVE then I need to hold off on it.

Just replayed the first mission in deus ex and it is amazing how easy it is if you actually know what you're doing. Just crouch you leave the dock area go right staying far away from enemies and sticking to shadows till you go to the part with the ladders. Climb up the ladders do some jumping. Avoiding enemies just keep going up. Be careful cause there is a gas grenade in one hallway click on it before it goes off. Just keep going up and then done... Was going this on easy mode which I think only effects how strong enemies are... If it doesn't effect AI then this could be done pretty easily on any difficulty. And note I generally suck at video games such as stealth and FPS.

Was amazed how easy it was to do this but I usually try knocking out or killing all the enemies first and doing the sub goals such as rescuing gunthar. But I have played the game multiple times... . I mean the first level if played like a stealth game is much easier than Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell, Hitman, etc.

Thanks for the quick walkthrough.

I'm personally better at Metal Gear and Splinter Cell because I'm well equiped from the start and I'm much better at TPS games.

 

[Shinotama]

I just replayed the DEUS EX original again, I tried to use my copy I still have with the box on CD, no luck, so the steam edition it had to be.

If you cannot understand why you should play it, actually if you are unsure then, sir, you should disconnect your Internet until you get yourself in order and appreciate these gems of gaming, the 2nd version of this series was a pathetic console port, this version, with its outdated looks and its badly lit zones, is gold, digital gold.

 

[The_Vigilant]

Original Deus Ex is one of the finest games ever made. It's unforgiving, but not unreasonably difficult. I stomped the hell out of that game when I was twelve, and at that age I was pretty novice.

 

[Daemonate]

If the age of the engine frightens you (I believe it's the Thief engine?), be sure to get the HD mod that someone made. It really makes things look a bit nicer.

 

[DigitalAtlas]

If the age of the engine frightens you (I believe it's the Thief engine?), be sure to get the HD mod that someone made. It really makes things look a bit nicer.

And how do I do that?

 

[Weaver]

If you play it, quicksave before every encounter.