After layoffs had been issued at Eidos Montreal at the beginning of 2024, hopes of ever seeing a brand new Deus Ex recreation went out the window (thanks, Embracer Group).

It’s a disgrace, actually. The final entry – 2016’s Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – led to a means {that a} follow-up made sense. To drop the sequence so abruptly whereas it was having fun with a resurgence seems like a large center finger to the followers.

However we’re not right here to speak about that. As an alternative, I’m going to point out you what the gaming media at massive considered every Deus Ex entry. To take action is to point out that – with the attainable exception of 1 – the video games had been fairly lauded. Among the later ones weren’t precisely thought-about good, however then what’s (attainable exception: Pink Lifeless Redemption 2)?

As at all times, this listing will comprise the mainline entries within the sequence. I’m additionally chucking within the one spin-off and a cell title. So….all of them aside from Breach, mainly. I’ll even be basing them off their PC scores the place attainable. With that in thoughts, let’s get into all of the Deus Ex video games as judged by Metacritic.

Deus Ex: The Fall (2013) – 45%

We’ll begin with one thing that’s a little bit of an outlier. Not solely is The Fall a spin-off to the Deus Ex story, however it’s additionally the one entry that wasn’t developed by both Ion Storm or Eidos Montreal. That and it was initially a cell launch. That doesn’t essentially imply it was destined to be a not-so-favorably-received recreation, however…nicely…you’ve seen the rating.

Now, in equity, the above Metacritic quantity relies on critiques for the PC model. Who knew taking a cell recreation and porting it to a different system wouldn’t go down so nicely? I might think about lots of people. PC Gamer described it as “one of many worst PC ports” again in 2014.

So, okay, what if we had been to make use of the rating from the unique iOS launch? Nicely, that will put it at 69%, which isn’t horrible, however it’s not nice both. It might additionally nonetheless imply that The Fall goes useless final on this listing.

Deus Ex: Invisible Warfare (2003) – 80%

There are inevitably going to be a number of considerations on the developer facet on the subject of doing a sequel to a critically acclaimed launch (extra on that later). Invisible Warfare got here simply three years after the unique Deus Ex, which had obtained fairly common reward from reviewers and players alike. That’s a tricky act to observe by anybody’s measure.

Regardless of notable criticisms, the Metacritic rating speaks for itself, actually. With a glowing 80% on PC (and 84% on Xbox), Invisible Warfare was a stable follow-up to its 2000 predecessor, even when it was flawed. I might think about at the least a few factors acquired knocked off for calling the protagonist Alex D. Regardless of conspiracy theories and cyberpunk themes rampant all through, I can’t assist however image the world being saved by somebody who presumably moonlights as a techno DJ sporting frosted ideas, and who has a penchant for John Woo movies.

I haven’t truly performed this one, so I can’t make any judgments. What I can let you know is that it was an early adopter of Unreal Engine 2, which meant it might make use of some hilarious “ragdoll” physics that was beginning to develop into all the fashion at that time. Possibly that’s not too spectacular lately, however I do fairly like the truth that this Deus Ex recreation was made utilizing the identical dev toolkit as Postal 2. I dunno. There’s simply one thing barely amusing about that.

Deus Ex GO (2016) – 81%

Let it by no means be mentioned that cell gaming isn’t value a hill of beans on this cutthroat business. Whereas not each studio can produce a Sweet Crush, Indignant Birds, or…I don’t know…Weapons of Growth, we will nonetheless get some high-quality gaming for our morning commutes. Deus Ex GO is such an instance.

This was mainly a follow-on from Eidos Montreal’s different installments in its cell GO sequence, with video games resembling Hitman GO and Lara Croft GO following the same format to this one. It’s fairly far faraway from the opposite entries within the sequence so far as gameplay is worried, however its puzzle-based, hexagonal grid, touchscreen mechanics evidently labored.

I truly did play this one a few years in the past, and it had its moments. Sadly, like quite a lot of cell video games, Deus Ex appeared short-lived. With a good Metacritic rating of 81%, it appears a Home windows port was launched not lengthy after the iOS model. Nonetheless, it seems prefer it’s onerous to come back by lately.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016) – 83%

I completed replaying Mankind Divided simply the opposite day, which is what prompted me to write down this text. You in all probability didn’t have to know that data. I simply thought it was value mentioning. Anyway, this was the final Deus Ex recreation we acquired, and it’s quick approaching its eighth birthday. The place does the time go?

I really feel it’s rather a lot simpler to look again at this one with a way of pleasure and surprise. Recreation Informer (RIP) gave it a meaty 8/10 however criticized Eidos Montreal for disguising “hot-button points as speculative fiction” whereas sacrificing “an fascinating story to hammer residence its messaging.” Nonetheless, The Guardian referred to as it a “half-baked cyberpunk sequel,” giving it a middling 3/5 stars.

Look, what I’m attempting to do right here is shoehorn in a “fan-kind divided” joke, which I’m optimistic nobody else has ever mentioned when speaking about this particular Deus Ex recreation. No sirree. So to summarize: I truly actually like Mankind Divided (83% on PC is to not be snubbed), however I’m evidently not excellent at attempting to arrange punchlines.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011) – 90%

Human Revolution is steeped in cultural significance, and I don’t say that frivolously. It had been eight years since a Deus Ex recreation was launched, and this one was made by a special studio than the unique developer, Ion Storm. That meant the sequence was experiencing one thing of a rebirth which, in line with artwork director Jonathan Jacques-BelletÍte, drove the crew to seek out inspiration in Renaissance artwork for the visuals.

Regardless of the hiatus (or, maybe, even due to it), Human Revolution was a triumph. I acquired a duplicate of it not lengthy after its launch, and I used to be entranced. Its emphasis on stealth and a narrative wealthy in political and societal turmoil, all of which was wrapped up in company shenanigans, appealed to 2011 me.

Human Revolution was one thing of a triumphant return for the sequence, and whereas we’ll by no means know what the John Romero-founded Ion Storm might have performed with a 3rd Deus Ex recreation, Eidos did a mighty high quality job.

It wasn’t good, thoughts you. Earlier than the Director’s Minimize was launched, the sport pressured you into boss fights the place homicide was a requirement, even should you had been gunning for a stealthy, no-kill playthrough. This was a kick within the tooth for folks like me, marring what ought to have been a stealth-lover’s near-flawless recreation. This was finally mounted, although, leaving Human Revolution a formidable a part of the Deus Ex arc.

Deus Ex (2000) – 90%

When you haven’t performed the unique, you is perhaps questioning why Deus Ex sits simply forward of Human Revolution when each video games have a rating of 90%. In spite of everything, Deus Ex is almost two and a half a long time previous, seems fairly ugly by at present’s requirements, and its old-school gameplay mechanics makes it much less accessible to fashionable players.

However when Deus Ex hit recreation shops, there wasn’t very similar to it. Its refined role-play parts are what made it so immersive. It’s usually thought-about to be one of many first video games within the immersive sim style, which might finally result in standard titles resembling Dishonored and Prey.

Deus Ex additionally had an extremely complicated narrative centered round international politics and worldwide terrorism. These themes are standard now, however they weren’t the norm in 2000. Deus Ex earned IGN’s Better of 2000 Award for Greatest Storyline because of that daring political narrative.

It nonetheless has its criticisms and detractors, however Deus Ex went down as one-of-a-kind for its technology. To at the present time, it recurrently seems on lists of the very best PC role-playing video games of all time, even supposing it’s fairly dated now. However even should you can’t get into the unique Deus Ex 1 / 4 of a century later, it’s unattainable to disclaim the impression it had at the beginning of the brand new millennium.