It's a really great game and still holds up amazingly well (I first played it in 2009). Never completed it though, still need to get round to doing that.

Deus Ex is a game everyone needs to play at least once. The plot takes notes from the real world and parallels what could be a possible future on top of not coming off as too unrealistic. The level design allows for 4 to 6 ways to accomplish any given task whether it be sneaking, talking, shooting or hacking. There are two types of people: those who love this game and those who haven't played it.

Make up your damn mind, Vagabond ;-p

Every time you mention it, someone will reinstall Deus Ex. At least that is what they say
There also are ways to HDize the game (not that it is bad without it, but it helps)

Glad someone saw this! :D

Hehe, given your (deserved) obsession with Crusader, it seemed like a kind of adultery for you to claim that another game was the best ever ;-)

I don't normally go for answers like this but seriously: Play it and find out why.

I am that confident in it.

***ABSTRACT SPOILERS***

I remember the raving at the time of this game's release and I wasn't really bothered. I picked it up cheap a few years later after having read a lot of reports of 'immersive gameplay' and 'realistic environments' and 'open-ended play' and blah blah blah...

Well, what did I find? At first it was a detailed first-person shooter/RPG experience that appeared to offer the option of doing whatever: kill dudes, knock dudes out, avoid dudes altogether, manipulate security systems to kill dudes ... Ok, cool...

I enjoyed the music and the tone of the game, and as I played on I thought that the raving was based solely on the combat possibilities and the large (for the time) playing areas (some based on real locations).

Without trying to spoil anything (and Deus Ex is a game that needs you to play it the first time without spoilers) I only realised how important and amazing this game was when I found out that more than any other game before it, your choices and perception shape the subsequent gameplay in a completely tangible way.

Out of the blue, here was a game (with many flaws - that don't matter) that managed to bring together a great soundtrack, an engaging story, believable characters, brilliant level design and an intricate attention to detail to unbelievable effect. From the back-stories of the main characters to the minutiae of the environment (hidden newspaper articles relating to your previous actions for example), there's a deep feeling of care and attention running through each moment.

A game which expertly balances the cerebral with the visceral and allows you to tip the scales - if you wish. It allows you to play through each situation how you choose. It's a game that offers multiple choices within an impressive universe communicated through an ever-twisting narrative.

But the appeal of Deus Ex is not just variety and choice (within its set environment) but how the way you play it affects your overall experience of the game. The greatest asset to the experience is how several major decisions (and many minor ones) directly affect later play.

I've played and re-played this game like no other (apart from Jagged Alliance 2), and each time I'm drawn in to the atmosphere, characterization and story - but the thing that always amazes me is the brilliance of its tiered possibilities.

Without question, this is my favourite game and one of the best games of all time. The weak points only serve to boost my love for it. This is the sort of game that should have been halied as the release that realised the legitimacy of the medium , much like Watchmen did for comics (to a wider audience and after the fact mind you).

I may be accused of pretension, but to me, Deus Ex is one of the most prominent examples of (later-generation) computer game art. If you've never played it, you should.

If you're playing it now, don't expect some life-changing extravaganza, instead let it slowly seep into your being. Take your time over it, read everything you can and get involved in the world. Understand your power and your potential as the protagonist of the game, and if you let yourself get involved, each decision will really mean something.

It still amazes me that this game has the power to invoke feelings of care for its inhabitants and each time I play it, there's the same feeling of awe there was the first time I discovered the true identity of ... well, play it and find out!

Deus Ex is loaded with the sort of spirit that too many contemporary games have forgotten.