Deus Ex just turned 25 this year. The phenomenon that, back in 1999, made its way into PCs, telling tales of cyberpunk conspiracies, player choice, and with a voice by JC Denton never heard in any other game, must now celebrate with the great Warren Spector himself, the legendary director who forever changed what an immersive sim means. The occasion was marked in a salute from the official Deus Ex Twitter account, triggering a flood of loving nostalgia and loudly echoed “WE NEED A NEW ONE” from gamers old and new.
So what made Deus Ex such a big deal? For one thing, it was not just a shooter. It was an irritating action RPG, in which every single decision mattered: from how you would upgrade JC’s augmentations, to whether you went in heels-above-groundly heavy or more like a cyber-ninja through vents. The story? A mad stew of Illuminati silliness, government conspiracies, and some really deep philosophical ideas about transhumanism. And the score? It has to be said, Alex Brandon’s synth-heavy score slaps harder than most of today’s game scores.
Reactions to the big anniversary tweet are bubbling with the feels. People like Matt Shields (@SplinterShields) were reminiscing about the college days, thinking about current events, and all the different ways to approach any given mission. Then there’s @Ballard____ who, he says, credits the game for starting his love affair with cyberpunk as a genre. And then there is that one guy yelling, “THIS SHIT MEAN SOMETHING TO ME MAN” (@ABAK3D_POTATO), and honestly? Mood.
But what’s still more than just nostalgia is the content of the replies. So many are begging for a new Deus Ex now, since Mankind Divided ended on a horrid cliffhanger. “Do the sequel of mankind divided !” screamed @Skelevra2, while @MrRJDio fully agreed by yelling, “We need new Deus Ex with Adam Jensen !!!! 😢😢😢” (Same, dude.). Warren Spector has teased coming back to the series as well, so who really knows?
Meanwhile, some players are merely discovering the OG themselves. @DekeChaoz admitted that the anniversary made him/her want to “have a go at the original classic” while @Chasodey1 and @ZaiusEx debated the best approach today (patch PC version or nothing, seemingly). Not to mention the random dude who casually switched lanes announcing he’s replaying Mankind Divided today (@JoeyDeck1425)—that is just in.
And what would an anniversary be without some good old “greatest-ever” debates? @slider8600 said it “hasn’t been bettered,” with @omegacloud adding it’s their “2nd favourite game of all time,” and @kids_solid sincerely thanking Spector for “such a masterpiece.” Even the memes were put on a pedestal, with @smytsidian81154 quoting a legendary JC Denton line: “My vision is augmented.”
So, where from here? With the Embracer Group scooping up the property in a Square Enix sell-off, hope lingers amidst sweaty nervousness. Do we get a proper sequel to Adam Jensen’s story? A reboot? Or more radio silence? For now, though, fans scour the classics, crank up the OST, and dream of a world where not only is “I never asked for this” a meme but an actual tagline for a modern-day game.
Happy 25th, Deus Ex. Here’s to 25 more. Or, y’know, at least a new one. Please.
