Sorry Tom. :-)

Have a look at http://www.gamesdomain.co.uk/gdreviewcup/index.html

Deus Ex beat out Baldurs Gate II to win the GamesDomain Readers Awards.

DISCLAIMER : I'd like to state that I have never owned or played Deuce Sex. :-)

I'm waiting for Falco to produce his next big hit, "Amadeus Ex".

Too bad he's dead. :o

wumpus http://www.gamebasement.com

"Deus Ex beat out Baldurs Gate II to win the GamesDomain Readers Awards."

What was it H.L. Mencken said about no one going broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public? I suspect that goes for the international public as well. :)

"DISCLAIMER : I'd like to state that I have never owned or played Deuce Sex. :-)"

Some guys have all the luck.

-Tom

You know, I actually understand and appreciate both Tom's position on the game, and the general public's position.

I think Tom didn't give the game enough credit for what it tried to do. It was a noble failure. Conversely, I think the general public was so enamored with the cool RPG elements and plot that they were too willing to overlook the gaping holes in the foundation.

Overall I am ambivalent towards the game. Am I glad it exists? Absolutely. It moves us forward, which is all I ask of any game. And that's really the bottom line. Here's hoping that developers learn from the things that Deus Ex got right instead of the many things it got wrong.

wumpus http://www.gamebasement.com

p.s. Tom, it could be worse. For example, there's a prominent movie reviewer at Mr. Showbiz who gave Sixth Sense a rating of "6/100". Ouuuucchh. I'm sure the furor over Deus Ex is nothing compared to what that guy gets on a daily basis.

"I think Tom didn't give the game enough credit for what it tried to do. It was a noble failure."

I don't think games should get credit for *trying* to do something. This was my main beef with Falcon 4.0. It was often evaluated based on its potential rather than its released form. A developer's ambition has no effect on whether I like a game. It's the game he actually *creates* that I play, not the game he *wanted* to create.

"Here's hoping that developers learn from the things that Deus Ex got right instead of the many things it got wrong."

I'm not just trying to rabble rouse, but I'm curious what you think it got right that developers should learn from. I'd be curious what you guys would put in this category.

-Tom

"I don't think games should get credit for *trying* to do something. "

A reasonable position, but many games don't even bother trying anything new in the first place. Raven's last 2 games immediately come to mind, as does Westwood's entire product catalog.

I'd rather play an innovative, but flawed, game than a simple regurgitation of "what works". If you penalize developers for trying and failing, soon enough they won't try at all. And then where will we be?

"It's the game he actually *creates* that I play, not the game he *wanted* to create. "

That's an awfully black and white position to take. Either a game succeeds completely or fails completely? Can't say I agree with that. I think the real art of game reviewing is figuring out semi-objectively what the pros and cons of the game are, and communicating those to readers. It's up to the reader to make an accurate inventory of his/her likes and dislikes, and to use your review to determine if the game merits a purchase.

For example, Rune. I think Rune was a great game. But I understand the criticisms from people who didn't like it. And I think I can give you a pretty good idea of whether or not you will like the game.

First of all, the combat. Hand to hand combat is impossible to model well in a FPS. If you can't deal with the "Joust" melee combat model that every developer ends up with (no, Die by the Sword doesn't count-- another noble failure), you'll dislike the entire game.

Second, the level design. They're huge, there are a ton of them, and they are all riffs on themes you've seen in previous games. I thought the guys at HumanHead did a great job of building beautiful and interesting levels, with lots of different situations-- but they're not radical departures. If you look at the game and say "great, another dungeon crawl" you're not going to like it. If you don't move through games quickly, you'll get bored with the pacing because the levels are so big (example, George Broussard's love of the game, obviously a veteran gamer).

It's a shame the way Rune got reamed by OMM. The game simply didn't match up to the reviewer's preferences. Too many reviewers fall into that trap. If they don't enjoy it, well then by God it must be a "bad" game! Granted, being objective is difficult, but it's possible. And that's what seperates the really good reviewers from everyone else.

Check out Steve Bauman's review of ONI for a stellar example, IMO, of the "good reviewer" category.

http://www.cdmag.com/articles/031/133/oni-01.html

wumpus http://www.gamebasement.com

"I'm curious what you think it got right that developers should learn from. I'd be curious what you guys would put in this category." -Tom

Well the much publicised (hyped?) freedom of expression for the player was almost good. You know you could blow up a door, pick its lock or find the key or (sometimes) find another way.
Or you could go in guns blazing or ..ahem.. not?

If there was so much freedom then why couldnt I become an athletic ninja-assasin able to climb walls, excel in unarmed combat and martial arts etc etc, Surely a perfect ability for nano-augmentation.

However I did enjoy playing it immensely, it just could have been so much more. It did prove that the first person immersive type game has a *huge* amount of potential.

What a messy topic. I loved the game, but found it ultimately unplayable. How's that for mixed messages? I agree that reviews are a very subjective thing, and that it can be troublesome trying to assign a rating to a game which in some ways enthralls you, but in other ways falls short.

I personally like to encourage developers to try new things and generally improve the way games are designed. For this reason alone Deus Ex gets my thumbs up.

- Alan

SPOILER OF PC GAMER'S BEST GAMES OF 2000!!!


Well, I figured I'd tag on to this discussion the note that PC Gamer has named Deus Ex their Game of the Year. I think they should release a new edition and call it "Devisive Ex."