I have to admit that compared to Deus Ex, I actually prefer the earlier Looking Glass games like Thief and the original System Shock. There are a few reasons for this, but only one of them is relevant to this review. Basically, while I do abstractly admire action RPGs that accommodate a variety of different builds and playstyles, in practice this often results in a compromise where the individual components are less robust than they could be if the development honed in on just one of them, or a few closely related ones. Balance issues are a side effect of this. Of course, the response is that I'm just nitpicker who misses the forest for the trees, and sure, I'm willing to concede that perspective to an extent. I suppose it's just a philosophical difference I have with hardcore fans of RPGs. (And don't get me wrong, Deus Ex is a really cool game, it's just not near the top of my favorites list.)

Then again there's GMDX, a mod that purports to fix a lot of Deus Ex's balance issues and generally add a layer of polish. Turns out this is the last thing the game needed to retain any kind of personality. I got to Paris by the time I gave up, but I realized the problem early on: if the sniper rifle isn't a better weapon at close range than an un-upgraded shotgun, what is even the point of Deus Ex?