#1: Deus Ex (2000)

One of the greatest joys of video games, is being able to take you on extreme adventures. There's certainly nothing more extreme than this. Set in the future, everything is similar, although not-quite the same. It takes you on a journey that thrills every sense that humans possess.

Let's start with Alex Brandon's attempt at a soundtrack. Quite simply, let's not talk around the main point here... It's the best ever. It's absolutely delightful. Anyone who can listen to “DX Club Mix” and not be completely thrilled, well they're probably the type of vegetarian who does it not to save animals, but to deny themselves pleasure. Or a monk committing to a life of celibacy. “UNATCO”, “Enemy Within” and “Mission Eight” are just some of the many marvels. Seriously, I can't tell you how good this is. Forget Crusader: No Remorse, any Nobeu Oematsu creation or even Command & Conquer. This stands out above all others.

So, what about the story then? Any good? Fuck. There's nothing better. Not in this arena, certainly. Events like emerging on the level of UNATCO where previously you just wondered “What the hell's behind there?”, or saving Paul Denton when mercenary's come for his ass, fighting Anna Navarre (the psycho-bitch), they'll stay with me for the rest of my life. Joseph Manderley reprimanding me for spending time in the women's bathroom...Maggie Chow, Tracer Tong, Daedalus, Walton Simons, Bob Page...so many to remember fondly, or with intense hatred. Those who have played this, will know what I'm talking about. The future created is staggering. Somewhat realistic, but just a blast of fun. You play J.C. Denton, a nano-augmented secret agent working for the United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition (UNATCO).

This description of Walton Simons gives great insight into the dark tone of this game: "His past is not known but he is known to the public as an important government official and the Director of FEMA. He was appointed to FEMA through Page's manipulation of an unnamed senator infected with the Gray Death, and went to work immediately. A cloak-and-dagger man, Simons was the first higher-up on the scene after JC Denton's capture of NSFoperatives in Battery Park; his interrogation ended with Simons personally executing both prisoners."

Speaking of those who have played it, I wasn't convinced when R.C. mentioned to me that this was the best game he'd ever played in Physical Science when we were...16? Actually I thought “What bullshit.” “Better than Half-Life?” I asked, thinking I'd prove him wrong. “Yes,” he said. I thought he was an experienced and knowledgeable gamer. Surely not. I think it took me the better part of a week to get around to trying it out. A month more or so to fully experience the grandeur of it. Once it stuck its claws in, it certainly didn't let go.

But it must have one failing...? What did I say: Fun, Production, Story & Gameplay. What about gameplay, then? Get this – the gameplay was the most revolutionary part for me. I realised later that X-COM partly inspired it. From a very simple task like entering a pass-code into a keypad, to accessing a computer terminal, nearly everything was a realistic action. With the pass-code, a little keypad popped up where the code had to be entered. With a computer, often you had to hack it or find the password somewhere. Perhaps someone had written it down in a journal, or scratched it on a used cigarette-pack. Very little is as satisfying as hacking into a terminal, noticing a bunch of soldiers guarding a bot through cameras you can access, to taking control of the bot through the same terminal and mowing them down. You had to be smart, you had to be sneaky, you had to use every resource available. 

Not to mention the RPG-elements in the game. Becoming a master sniper, or a techno-hacker the Chinese would be envious of, this game defies classification. Not an FPS, not quite an RPG, simply a cyber-punk rollercoaster-ride of orgasmic bliss. For me, it's in a world of its own. From where you start, in the terrorist-ravaged (including the twin towers, before 9/11) confines of New York, to the branching ending...you'll never be bored. If you are, video games weren't meant for the likes of you. The best ever.