Deus Ex (series)

This article is about the video game series. For the first game in the series, see Deus Ex. For the dramatic device from which its title is derived, see deus ex machina.

Deus Ex
Deus Ex logo (since 2010)
Genres	Action role-playing
Developers	Ion Storm Inc. (2000-2004) Eidos Montreal (2011-present)
Publishers	Eidos Interactive (2000-2004) Aspyr (2000) Square Enix (2011-present)
Platform of origin	Microsoft Windows
First release	Deus Ex June 26, 2000
Latest release	Deus Ex: Human Revolution August 23, 2011

Deus Ex is a series of action role-playing video games, consisting of three games: Deus Ex (2000), Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003), and Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011).

Games

Deus Ex (2000)

Main article: Deus Ex

Deus Ex is an action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive in the year 2000. The game received almost worldwide critical and industry acclaim, including being named "Best PC Game of All Time" in PC Gamer's Top 100 PC Games^[1] and in a poll carried out by UK gaming magazine PC Zone.^[2] It was a frequent candidate for and winner of Game of the Year awards,^[3][4][5][6] drawing praise for its pioneering designs in player choice and multiple narrative paths.^[7][8] It has sold more than 1 million copies, as of April 23, 2009.^[9]

Set in a dystopian world during the 2050s, the central plot follows rookie United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition agent JC Denton, as he sets out to combat terrorist forces, which have become increasingly prevalent in a world slipping ever further into chaos. As the plot unfolds, Denton becomes entangled in a deep and ancient conspiracy, encountering fictional versions of organizations such as Majestic 12, the Illuminati, and the Hong Kong Triads throughout his journey.

Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003)

Main article: Deus Ex: Invisible War

Deus Ex: Invisible War is an action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive. Released simultaneously for Windows and the Xbox video game console on December 2, 2003,^[3][10] the game is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Deus Ex. Invisible War was well-received commercially, holding 80 and 84 scores at Metacritic for the Windows and Xbox versions, respectively, and selling more than 300,000 copies in North America.^[3][10][11] Despite this, the game's critical reception was not as positive as its predecessor's—for example, PC Gamer gave Deus Ex a score of 94%,^[12] while Invisible War received a score of 83%.^[13] This was in part due to a number of design choices which led some critics to label the game as being "dumbed down" relative to its predecessor. It has sold more than 1.2 million copies as of April 23, 2009.^[9]

Invisible War takes place twenty years after Deus Ex, in a world being rebuilt after a catastrophic event called the Collapse. Following a terrorist attack that destroys the city of Chicago, the player assumes the role of Alex D, a trainee at the fictional Tarsus Academy, whose support is sought by several organizations. As the game progresses, the player learns of conspiratorial factions which seek to drastically change the world. Invisible War was designed to allow player choice in both plot and gameplay, with branching plot lines and emergent gameplay elements.^[14] This freedom of choice was widely praised by critics.^[15][16][17]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011)

Main article: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution^[18] is an action role-playing game developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix, the game is a prequel to the award winning Deus Ex video game.^[19]

Human Revolution is set in 2027, 25 years before the first title, where corporations have extended their influence past the reach of global governments. The game follows Adam Jensen, the security chief for one of the world's most powerful human augmentation corporations, Sarif Industries. After a devastating attack on Sarif's headquarters, Adam is forced to undergo radical surgeries that fuse his body with mechanical augmentations, and he is embroiled in the search for those responsible for the attack.

Synopsis

Plot

While all three games have distinct settings and story lines, together they explore the methods used by the world's elite to control and manipulate society. Human augmentation also factors heavily in the stories, being introduced in Human Revolution and explaining the main characters super human abilities through all three games.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution
2027 A.D.
This game takes place when the development of bio-mechanical augmentation by a few elite and powerful companies threatens to destabilize society. The main story follows Adam Jensen, a private security officer for one of these companies, as he attempts to figure out who is behind recent attacks on his company. The events in the game lead to the formation of UNATCO, a global anti-terrorist organization formed by the United Nations.

Deus Ex
2052 A.D.
This game takes place after a rogue organization Majestic 12 (MJ-12) attempts to take over the world by secretly releasing a virus only they have a cure for. The game is played through the eyes of rookie UNATCO agent J.C. Denton, who through the course of the game discovers the true identity of MJ-12 as a rogue offshoot of the once powerful Illuminati. The story ends with a final confrontation with Bob Page, leader of MJ-12, and a moral decision for J.C. Denton to seize power for himself, restore the Illuminati to power, or destroy the work of MJ-12 entirely and possibly create a new global dark age.

Deus Ex: Invisible War
2072 A.D.
This game takes place after an event known as The Collapse, where several global organizations offer competing ideologies for how society should function. The story follows recent trainee Alex Denton, sibling of J.C. Denton, as he (or she) completes missions for these organizations, learns their true identities and intentions, and in the end decides which organization should rule the world.

See also

• Major Deus Ex characters
• Deus Ex: Invisible War characters
• Organizations in Deus Ex
• Organizations in Deus Ex: Invisible War
• Deus Ex mods
• Project Snowblind

Reception

Aggregate review scores
As of April 18, 2011.

Game	GameRankings	Metacritic
Deus Ex	(MAC) 94.00%[20] (PC) 91.57%[21] (PS2) 82.97%[22]	(PC) 90[23] (PS2) 81[24]
Deus Ex: Invisible War	(Xbox) 85.36%[25] (PC) 83.52%[26]	(Xbox) 84[27] (PC) 80[28]
Deus Ex: Human Revolution	(PC) 90.42%[29] (PS3) 89.88%[30] (X360) 89.40%[31]	(PC) 90[32] (PS3) 89[33] (X360) 89[34]

References

1. ^ "PCGamer Top 100". PC Gamer. Future Publishing. 2009-12-16. http://www.pcgamertop100.com/editorial/10-1. Retrieved 2009-12-16. 
2. ^ "Deus Ex named "top PC game of all time (pc: 2007):Reviews". gamesindustry. http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/deus-ex-named-top-pc-game-of-all-time. Retrieved September 7, 2007. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Deus Ex (pc: 2000):Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/deusex?q=Deus%20Ex. Retrieved December 13, 2006. 
4. ^ "Deus Ex for Windows". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/deus-ex. Retrieved December 13, 2006. 
5. ^ Trey Walker. "Deus Ex Receives British Award". Yahoo! Games. Yahoo!. http://videogames.yahoo.com/newsarticle?eid=357210&page=0. Retrieved 2006-07-24. 
6. ^ "Archive/1st Annual Game Developers Choice Awards". Game Developers Choice Awards. Archived from the original on October 16, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061016193916/http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/archive/gdca_1st.htm. Retrieved December 15, 2006. 
7. ^ "Why Deus Ex Is Importance". Double Buffered. http://doublebuffered.com/2008/10/20/why-deus-ex-is-important/. Retrieved March 15, 2009. 
8. ^ "Remembering 'Deus Ex' — One Of Modern Gaming's First Titles Offering Real Player Choice". MTV. http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/06/06/remembering-deus-ex/. Retrieved March 15, 2009. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Burnes, Andrew (April 23, 2009). "Eidos & Square Enix Sales Figures Revealed". Voodoo Extreme. IGN. http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/46400/Eidos-Square-Enix-Sales-Figures-Revealed. Retrieved September 7, 2011. 
10. ^ ^{a b} "Deus Ex: Invisible War for Xbox on Metacritic". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbx/deusexinvisiblewar?q=Deus%20Ex. Retrieved May 21, 2007. 
11. ^ "Eidos resurrecting Deus Ex?". GameSpot. 2007-05-17. http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=25638028&part=rss&subj=6171079. Retrieved May 26, 2007. 
12. ^ "Deus Ex review". PC Gamer: 82. September 2000. 
13. ^ "Deus Ex: Invisible War review". PC Gamer: 81. January 2004. 
14. ^ Bishop, Stuart (2003-10-07). "Deus Ex: Invisible War - exclusive interview!". Computer and Video Games. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=97205. Retrieved June 4, 2007. 
15. ^ Fielder, Joe; Intihar, Bryan; Hsu, Dan (February 2004). "Deus Ex: Invisible War review". Electronic Gaming Monthly: 124. 
16. ^ "Deus Ex: Invisible War review". Official Xbox Magazine: 74. December 2003. 
17. ^ Biessener, Adam (January 2004). "Choose, But Choose Wisely". Game Informer: 152. 
18. ^ "Deus Ex Prequel Gets a Title". GameSpy. 2010-02-10. http://au.pc.gamespy.com/pc/deus-ex-3-unofficial-title/1068333p1.html. Retrieved 11 February 2010. 
19. ^ http://wireninja.com/deus-ex-human-revolution-leaked-video/
20. ^ "Deus Ex Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/mac/562944-deus-ex/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
21. ^ "Deus Ex Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/250533-deus-ex/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
22. ^ "Deus Ex: The Conspiracy Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/516499-deus-ex-the-conspiracy/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
23. ^ "Deus Ex Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/deus-ex. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
24. ^ "Deus Ex: The Conspiracy Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/deus-ex-the-conspiracy. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
25. ^ "Deus Ex: Invisible War Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox/561456-deus-ex-invisible-war/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
26. ^ "Deus Ex: Invisible War Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/528588-deus-ex-invisible-war/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
27. ^ "Deus Ex: Invisible War Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox/deus-ex-invisible-war. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
28. ^ "Deus Ex: Invisible War Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/deus-ex-invisible-war. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
29. ^ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/944090-deus-ex-human-revolution/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
30. ^ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/944088-deus-ex-human-revolution/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
31. ^ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Reviews". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/944089-deus-ex-human-revolution/index.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
32. ^ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/deus-ex-human-revolution. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
33. ^ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/deus-ex-human-revolution. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
34. ^ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/deus-ex-human-revolution. Retrieved April 18, 2011.