Played Legendary Edition

Still a bonafide classic from beginning to end. One of the all time great space epics in any medium - worldbuilding, alien design, setting, and overall cast of characters remains unmatched, and a story that's as equally thrilling and entertaining as it is thought provoking and morally grey. Deftly balances between popcorn blockbuster action setpieces and smaller, introspective science fiction with ease.

Any small nitpicks (some repeated side quests and janky gameplay) are negilable here when everything else just works so well. It also helps that the remaster fixes much of the original's smaller, nagging issues. A must play - one of the best RPGs of the 2000s.

A prime example of how to do a great sequel - builds on every plot point from it's predecessor masterfully, feeling like an extension of that story as opposed to a simple retread while also standing on it's own a great, engaging narrative. It's somehow both bigger and smaller then the original, and it's willingness to go to unexpected places with it's plot showcases the willingness of the writers to actually deconstruct it's lead characters - these are complicated, flawed individuals and that's what makes them so compelling.

It also helps it's just a blast of a game. The Dragon Engine just leaps off the screen, and it's simply a gorgeous looking experience with numerous side missions that are all tons of fun and continue the series trend of mixing drama and comedy, the mundane and the surreal. Just a fantastic experience and one of the best games in the series, and a stone cold classic.

Wonderfully stylish and addictive. Curious to see how much it has in terms of legs, but other then that small quibble this is a great multiplayer experience and one of the most accessible as well. Easy to pick up and play, I can totally see this becoming a favourite of many friend groups in the future if it continues down this path.

It also helps the game is actually surprisingly complex for such a simple premise and basic controls. Strategy is key here and your quality of teamwork will make or break your game. Ranked is one of the best in a while as well, definitely a must play for anyone looking for a fun multiplayer experience.

Probably my favourite straight battle royale on the market right now. A stellar mix of team strategy, exploration, and hero shooters that also manages to have a unique set of characters that are all likable and worthy of playing. No matter who you main or focus on, they have their strengths and weaknesses and it makes things always interesting to play.

The gunplay is also fantastic as expected. Respawn knows their way around a good FPS and by incorporating the flowing movement of something like Titanfall into the mix battles are always fast paced and never tedious. Instantly addictive and a ton of fun.

Feels a lot like a expansion for 0, but this isn't a bad thing when you take into account the fact the original game needed an update desperately. As such, it's a significant improvement gameplay wise from that game even if the 0 gameplay doesn't always mesh fully with the bosses from the original which border on frustrating at worst, but cinematic and compelling at their best.

And while the story is more a standard revenge thriller then the original, it's emotional heft is strong and ends on a stellar, impactful note. The added impact of the plot from 0 is felt as well as several events are recontextualized in fascinating ways. Great stuff.

Simply a triumph from every single perspective. Could have simply gotten by simply due to the vast amount of things to do in it's world, as well as it's historical authenticity, which is nothing short of spectacular in it's detail as well as it's immersion. You genuinely feel like you are in Japan during in this time period - the outfits, the look of the world, the way everyone speaks, it feels real.

But it also has a spectacular gangster tale at the heart of it, one with extremely likable characters, nail bitingly tense cliffhangers, and an unexpected thematic and emotional punch. It balances the absurd with the deadly serious so well that it's impossible to look away. Just a masterpiece from top to bottom.

Purely sensory - an audio and visual marvel from top to bottom with some of the most striking imagery you'll ever see. Industrialization made tangible, the braindead, repetitive daily grind personified as a visceral, horrific nightmare. And by the end of it, you are left nothing but a blob or nusk, with nothing inside.

Puzzles are inspired, and the simple gameplay makes this one easy to just pick up and enjoy. It's not hard and that's beauty, instead allowing you to go your own pace and experience it - the final images will be seared into your memory for a while. Masterful.

The closest thing gameplay wise to the original Deus Ex since that game - higher focus on stealth, some truly nail biting sequences, and the amount of options presented to the player make this a highly polished, entertaining affair. The new augs are fantastic as well, and the open world has never felt more alive and looked better.

Shame the story is such a mess, failing to explore any it's themes in interesting ways. Jensen is still interesting thankfully, and the side cast is mostly likable, but the game feels less compelling then prior efforts due to the change in focus and it's ending is abysmal. Still, a solid game and worth playing.

Everything I actually wanted in a Deus Ex follow-up - gameplay is refined to a tee, the options are literally endless here. The game evolves along with you, so you never feel unimmersed here. The boss battles aren't great, but frankly that's not enough to ruin the experience.

An excellent story as well here. It takes a bit to get going, but once it does it's thought-provoking and gripping. The visual design, aesthetic, and general look of the thing is aces too, almost looking like a painting at points. Great game and well worth multiple playthroughs.

Gets the important things right - it's worldbuilding, characters, and tone are all exceptional, and it makes the otherwise (at least right now) standard anime-esqe story work. There is a likability to the world, and the level of detail that goes into every aspect of it's universe is impressive. It feels alive in every sense and filled with history.

Solid RPG mechanics too. Endgame is messy but when it's this solid in terms of gameplay it's hard to complain. And while the gatcha mechanics won't be for everybody, they aren't required to enjoy the world and story. Addictive stuff - I can't wait for more.

A massive step down in pretty much every way possible, though certainly ambitious. Visually stunning at points and has good ideas, but doesn't execute them correctly and instead feels gutted of anything potentially interesting in an attempt to dumb everything down.

Story is complete nonsense - attempts to explore terrorism and how it's created, manipulated, and warped, but it undermines it making each faction completely incomprehensible in their motivations. Side stories are actually solid though which almost saves it. A disappointment.

Every design choice here matters - not a single oversight in terms of it's gameplay, letting the player have complete freedom from top to bottom. It's ridiculously enthralling, with the game shifting and morphing with your own play style while at the same time allowing for a ton of replay value.

Deus Ex is a game about a lot of things: how censorship grips the media, capitalism's slow eroding of society, and how a corporation can manipulate governments for it's own monetary purposes, but it's also, first and foremost, a rock solid, nigh perfect RPG. It's so good and deserving of pretty much every level of hype that has been put on it.

Solid survival game, if rough around the edges. Clearly a labour of love from a small team however, and for a small team it's scope is impressive and the level of customization in what you can do allows for a ton of replay value. Multiplayer is really where it's at for this as well - playing with a group is a blast.

There are some small issues though. The game has obvious latency problems, and while more content is coming the main narrative of the game is pretty bare bones. Overall though it's a fun time! Recommend as a great one to play with friends.