60 Second Review of...

Deus Ex

Tom's review: If you walk into the ladies room, your boss will reprimand you. But if you repeatedly bounce a basketball off his head, he's got nothing to say about it. This sums up Deus Ex, a maddeningly inconsistent game with a clunky engine, threadbare AI, and cliches coming out its ears. But everyone else loves it, so just ignore me and get it.

Mark's review: As much as I wanted to just sink into this game and enjoy the dark world of whispers and conspiracies, there were just too many goofy, jarring elements that got in my way. For instance, apparently in the world of Deus Ex no one ever looks below belt level, because if you crouch you become invisible. Also, in the world of Deus Ex everyone is deaf. A courtyard swarming with enemies seemingly can't hear gunfire. I'll give the game top marks for manners, though. One time a terrorist came up behind my character and politely waited for me to finish my conversation with an NPC before he opened fire. Finally, games with Latin titles dredge up harsh memories of forced, painful conjugation. So to the legion of Deus Ex fans let me simply say, "Te audire no possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure."

November 25, 2000

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