Deus Ex Maybe not exactly Deus ex, but not too far off at the same time

Maybe not exactly Deus ex, but not too far off at the same time
I have re-played the entire Deus Ex saga after many years. Here's my report.
Editing DXMD new_game_plus.bin
How do you want to see the story continue after MD and into the events of DX1?
GMDX vRSD Beta 2.0 - New update featuring inventory rotation, playthrough modifiers, radial aug menu, HDTP toggle menu, new/reworked perks, expanded systems, balance changes, bugfixes, and more!
Surprisingly accurate political undertones in Deus Ex

Maybe not exactly Deus ex, but not too far off at the same time

Posted: 22 Feb 2020 05:29 PM PST

submitted by /u/TimWitt_1
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I have re-played the entire Deus Ex saga after many years. Here's my report.

Posted: 22 Feb 2020 06:37 AM PST

Hey guys! As the title says, in the last couple of months I have played every title of the Deus Ex saga once again. I've been a huge fan of the series since the release of the first title in 2000, and since I have finally managed to build a PC last November after 15 years of console gaming only, it was the right time to play the entire saga following a a certain order that I will explain in a bit. Keep in mind that I've originally played Human Revolution and Mankind Divided on Xbox 360 and PS4 respectively.

So here's the (kinda weird, I know) order I have followed: Deus Ex > Human Revolution: Director's Cut > Mankind Divided (w/DLCs) > The Fall > Invisible War.

Here are my impressions after years of not playing these games:

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- Deus Ex (with GMDX mod): After 20 years, it's incredible how this game is still so relevant. Yes, Deus Ex predicted A LOT of the current global situation. It's almost scary. But this is, now more than ever, a proof of the courage Warren Spector and the amazing Ion Storm Austin team put into this game in terms of narrative. While in HR and MD we see parallels of problems that plague the real world (racism, segregation), Deus Ex was a straight up critique of the powers that be and of global governments (think of the dialogue with the terrorist leader at the end of Liberty Island), and that's why it predicted so much: it analyzed the global situation and its possible consequences. There's so much knowledge, so much study of politics and many other subjects behind this game it's incredible, an unmatched attention to details still to this day. No need to tell you about the story: amazing as usual.

Gameplay wise, the game aged very well. Yes, the GMDX mod helps a bit, but the gameplay core still feels as good as when it came out. I went lethal Stealth for the entire game, and it was just loads of fun as usual. And the exploration, good god, i's still so fun to explore every nook and cranny to find secret stash, biomod canisters and upgrades, and weapon mods. The level design is just legendary, it really brings you to explore every corner and talk to everyone to find every detail composing these areas. Hong Kong is still my favorite part of the game when it comes to this, but Hell's Kitchen and Battery Park are fantastic too.

I'll love this game for all eternity. And yes, it's still the best in the series. An absolute classic that influenced videogames permanently.

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- Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Beautiful, beautiful game. I've always loved the respect towards the original title. The story is great, hints at characters and structures of the original game perfectly, and the whole context is just fascinating. Adam Jensen is straight up one of the best game characters of the last decade (so underrated), and the whole cast is just well done. It's all people you actually care about.

Gameplay wise, it's really well done. I played the game with a Pacifist/Stealth/Hacker approach, and it was a lot of fun, a flawless mix between weapons (stun gun/tranquilizer rifle), melee (knockouts) and mods (cloak/hacking). The only thing I don't like are the annoying cutscenes everytime you knock out enemies or use the Icarus Landing, they kinda break the flow of the action. But for the rest, man... so much fun.

The game design is top notch. The hubs are huge and extremely well done, it's just so beautiful to get lost in Detroit and Hengsha and explore every corner and discover secrets, in a very similar way to the original game in that sense. The story progression is the best in the series in my opinion, and the game brings you in a lot of different places that are all fascinating. The Pocket Secretaries are a godsend, and here's what I like the most about the new games: the IMMENSE lore hidden in eBooks and PS's. I get lost in reading everything, and it's just fascinating how things connect between each other according to WHERE you are in the world in that moment. Just beautiful.

DLC: The Missing Link. Meh... some nice moments, but it's still an annoying part of the game in my opinion.

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- Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: Gameplay-wise, the best in the series. Like, it's not even a question. The new augs give a lot more mobility and variety to the gameplay (the remote hacking, the Icarus Dash, the Tesla mod just to name a few): exploring has never been this fun, and the freedom in approaching every situation is just stellar. It's just a joy to play. Plus, it's also the first game that doesn't punish you for a Lethal approach (but I still went full Pacifist/Stealth, as per usual). Still don't like the takedown cutscenes, they really need to get rid of them in my opinion.

Story-wise, the game is very much a middle chapter of a trilogy. We see and feel the actions of our main enemies more than ever, but we can't still do much about it. We're almost there, but still not quite there. The narrative is ok, the progression too, but it's nowhere near as exciting as the above-mentioned titles. The characters are hit and miss, but Marchenko is a great villain. The Pocket Secretaries are once again amazing, as they intertwine with the main story perfectly, and give so much background to what's happening and why. Playing the game without reading them would be like experiencing half of the story (and that's both a good and bad thing imo). There's SO much going on behind the scenes, it's amazing.

I like Prague, it's a great hub filled with stuff to do and places to explore (the Palisade Bank is an exciting place) but I don't love it. What I really didn't like when I first played this game, and still don't like to this day, is the lack in variety of places. Prague is fine, but we're there 85% of the time there, and knowing how the Deus Ex always brought us in every corner of the world, this was disappointing. Garm was meh, Golem was beautiful though.

All in all, great game, but I still prefer HR as it hits a better balance between gameplay, narrative and design.

DLCs:

Desperate Measures: Meh... it's ok.System Rift: it's pretty great, I loved the Palisade Bank, and infiltrating the Blade was exciting. Still not a huge fan of Breach. Seeing Pritchard again was super nice though, I love that asshole.A Criminal Past: Best DLC for sure. Great story, nice characters, loved the design and the variety of places despite taking place in a single structure. Nice ending too.

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Deus Ex: The Fall: Ok, so I originally played this game on an iPhone 5, and thought it was great for the platform it was released on. All the Deus Ex blues are here, just in miniature, and I appreciated it a lot. It was fun, and kinda cute. I liked it.

For this re-play, I decided to try it on PC where it's been pretty much crucified... but I couldn't understand why.

Well, now I know. Mother of bugs is this port horrifying.

I stopped after 30 minutes and downloaded it on my iPhone 8 Plus. That was way better. Anyway, it's a small Deus Ex hub with some series classics, like the Night Club with the secret rear entrance, hacking, dialogue choices... I really like how they packed many things in such a little game. I also like the background it gives regarding the Tyrants, and Ben Saxon is an interesting character. I still haven't read the books, maybe I could appreciate it even more if I did (and I will, one day).

All in all, it's a great mobile game (impressive at times) and a nice Deus Ex spinoff. I like it. Just... not on PC.

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Deus Ex: Invisible War: Here we go... I gotta say, I made a HUGE mistake by playing this as last game for my re-play. It's like eating a huge, delicious chocolate cake, and then rotten vegetables with a glass of bleach.

Let me get this straight: Invisibile War is an ok game from a general standpoint. But it's a terrible sequel, and a bad Deus Ex game.

Look, it's not easy being a sequel to one of the best videogames ever made. But this game could and should have been better. We all know the drill: endless loading screens due to the Xbox version, unified ammos, Alex Denton, embarrassing dialogues, impossibility to play Stealth, stupid Biomods management, uninspired art direction, and just an overall watered down Deus Ex experience. Warren Spector admitted all of this, so yeah... that's just how it is. He's right in saying that they listened to the publisher too much (and they got what they wanted, since the game sold more than the original).

The story is ok, nothing special in my opinion. The factions thing is cool though, but it wears out after a bit. I couldn't play Pacifist Stealth cause the game doesn't want me to, so... there you go. Also, the whole game aged just badly, even worse than the original, and I can't wrap my head around it.

An ok game, a very bad sequel.

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That's it folks, sorry for the wall of text, but I really wanted to share with you my Deus Ex saga re-play. I had LOADS of fun and, now more than ever, I realize (once again) why this is my favorite videogame series of all time, even after all these years. It just hits all the right notes for me as a gamer. And I really, REALLY hope we get to see another game in the next few years. Adam Jensen needs closure.

Anyway, what are your thoughts? :)

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Editing DXMD new_game_plus.bin

Posted: 22 Feb 2020 08:57 PM PST

I'm trying to edit the new_game_plus.bin file in order to unlock all augs.
I found the relevant part listing all unlocked augs, and it seems to list them all in the form "s_Augmentation_[number]":"[name of aug]". You can see the full list in my file here: https://pastebin.com/H2uVKBZ7

Where can I find a full list of all aug names that can be used here? Some of them I think I can guess, but they don't all seem to be straightforward.

submitted by /u/____meta_____
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How do you want to see the story continue after MD and into the events of DX1?

Posted: 22 Feb 2020 12:14 AM PST

Hopefully there will be another game coming soon, but I wanted to hear all of your takes on how you'd like to see the story continue. Personally I think there are really two more stories to be told - the conclusion of Jensen's story and the events that led Paul Denton to oppose MJ-12.

For Jensen's story. I'd like to see Jensen visit some of the places we see in DX1, maybe ending up in Paris for a face off with the Illuminati. I think Jensen's final battle with the Illuminati should precipitate the events that allow Bob Page to take power - perhaps Jensen's actions weaken Everett's grip on power enough for Page to make his move. That would set up the next game, in which we would play as Paul and which would conclude with the mission to Hong Kong which leads to his defection, with the game ending right as DX1 begins.

What say you?

submitted by /u/JCD_007
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GMDX vRSD Beta 2.0 - New update featuring inventory rotation, playthrough modifiers, radial aug menu, HDTP toggle menu, new/reworked perks, expanded systems, balance changes, bugfixes, and more!

Posted: 22 Feb 2020 04:58 PM PST