The Most Important Video Game Ever Made

[@maxderrat]

What game taught you the most about life and living? For me, those games are Metal Gear Solid 2, Planescape: Torment, SOMA, The Talos Principle duology, Xenogears, Outer Wilds, and of course Deus Ex.

[@MetrysCXC4]

I think that title has to go to Bioshock, since it brought me to the philosophy of Ayn Rand

[@MetrysCXC4]

@@rappakalja5295 Well I am not saying it is something that would or should work, it is a representation of Andrew Ryan following Objectivism and seeing why the society as a whole failed

[@Dragnarok1]

For me it's Kingdom Hearts. I was at a dark place when it came out. But that game saved me and made me love videogames.

[@Maybe_Logic]

Disco Elysium taught me about my sociopolitical views, and RDR2 taught me that I might be a better man than I think.

[@Zanzibawrr]

Planescape Torment is my favorite game of all time. It is also in my opinion the only game that the older you get the more you can relate to it.

[@Dhips.]

Every time Dues Ex is brought up someone reinstalls it.

[@ldlework]

ha, you caught me red-handed. fuck.

[@wintermintmojo2418]

Its me. Im someone.

[@maero1557]

I kid you not, I bought Deus Ex GOTY edition on GOG for like $1.5 halfway through the video. So you're totally right.

[@DoritosBurger]

I’m currently playing through a fully modded and kitted out version, I’m convinced it’s the best video game ever made.

[@Kenshiro3rd]

lol my meme lives on...

[@smoothboye4203]

Gas prices in Deus Ex are way lower than ours

[@zimriel]

wait a few months

[@suckassmork2972]

​@@zimriel ominous

[@Merble]

They have fusion power. We could too, but we stopped putting proper effort into researching it for 20 years, because of oil lobbyists/republicans.

[@testoftimegaming5219]

don't worry China's gonna push it lol

[@dean_l33]

​@@Merble You got me until you mention republicans

[@gulskjegglive]

The fact that Deus Ex is still the benchmark of the genre more than 20 years after release is a glorious testament to it's profundity.

[@lovrepetric]

the first time they imprisoned me as jc... the rabbit hole of literature i've always searched for beginning with the man who was thursday i got glances of in deus ex literally changed my life. first played the game in 2015, replayed immediately after finishing, and did it 6 more times with no breaks. all types of runs, attempting various exploits, glitches, sequence breaks, grenade climbing up to max chen, skipping maggie chow so she would have the dialogue #1 at our meeting #2, even went through the game's script and searched the people behind npcs' names. another example, try taking a dive down the list of names of the people who had stayed in the ton hotel. also i never felt that the stacking of conspiracy theories was too much; in essence, for me it's just a great detective story

[@gulskjegglive]

@@lovrepetric I skipped meeting Maggie Chow as well. When I get to the Universal Constructor, I just lean over the railing and headshot her from above.

[@sneezyfido]

I agree about how good DeusEx is. But it feels like in the past decade or so studios hven't really been trying at all

[@khatack]

Or rather more sadly, it is a sad testament to the mediocrity of later titles.

[@Idontevenwanachannel]

​@sneezyfido Unfortunately as a business these immersive sim type of games seem to be a lot of complexity and effort for not a lot of profit. And AAA studios are all about low effort these days.

[@JohnDoe-iv7yu]

- Too many games, movies, and even politicians, assume and treat their audience as idiots. - Games like Deus Ex catered to a more mature audience. I worked on Deus Ex when I was at Eidos, but more so on Thief at the same time Looking Glass was making System Shock 2 (In the same office near MIT iirc) - Deus ex didn't try to please everyone, you liked it or you didn't.

[@AS-np3yq]

the games are booring. DEI and for non european people who are in different stages of culture like china who still does not understand what an individual is. We have 3k of history starting with Israel, Theseus going over Sokrates, Platon, Aristoteles (these philosopher where active fighting people in greek-roman wrestling..) and so on.

[@Ningen_Black]

Japanese games end: kill God Deus Ex end: become God

[@YouSoSpice]

Burn like the brightest star

[@PanPrawda]

One ending is also kill god, sort of.

[@maceblasy6471]

Real end: Make God, kill God and take its place

[@dean_l33]

​@@maceblasy6471 Digital devil saga

[@bionic_batman]

Well, there is always Invisible War where you can murder JC Denton after he almost reaches his godhood

[@the_real_Kurt_Yarish]

Thing is, most of the subversive and conspiratorial theming of _Deus Ex_ hits so hard because Looking Glass pulled these ideas and concepts from Internet forum boards of the time. These were the things real nerds and conspiracy theorists were talking about online at the time, and so were appropos for a heavily cyberpunk-themed game. I think Looking Glass initially took inspiration from these elements moreso because it fit their criteria for the game's tone than they did to make a political statement or observation.

[@tylercouture216]

How old are you? I was still to young at that time to have done my own research

[@AdarBlu]

yeah, the game is pretty much a distillation of the most popular conspiracy theories from the 80s and 90s

[@tylercouture216]

@@AdarBlu except they are still coming true

[@MashupsByMandy]

I think the amount of cars shown in the entire game are less than 15, in multiple city centers around the world, could just be lower prices due to low demand, like fossil fuels fading out of the public's interest.

[@davidjones8043]

That’s so much cooler if true!

[@oopsalldrip1376]

Thanks, I'll take the GEPgun.

[@IzunaSlap]

Stick with the prod. Prod with the prod.

[@AdarBlu]

Electronic old men!

[@RavemastaJ]

Old men!...Are the future.

[@PanPrawda]

A crossbow. Sometimes you need a silent takedown.

[@blackshadowxv15]

"Don't Believe me? It's all in the numbers. Number 1 that's terror, Number 2 that's terror."

[@Atrahasis7]

Is it surprising? Deus Ex was written by Sheldon Pacotti who majored in English at Harvard and math at MIT at the same time. Absolute prodigy, running intellectual circles around the currently passes for creative writing\english majors filling up the ranks of narrative designers. His vision comes clear even in the janky, honestly quite funny bad dialogue and it does not detract. Deus ex has great mood overall with its tone and music. Whats impressive is that the game is never preachy, you can find good people on many sides of the fight, despite some obvious villains.

[@RipcoKeller]

Sheldon also wrote 2 and disappeared into obscurity so I wouldn't recommend trying to blowstart his stickshift personally.

[@kendalstokes8358]

Oh wow great insight

[@Vzzdak]

@@RipcoKeller The story for Deus Ex: Invisible War was just as deep as Deus Ex. Unfortunately, the sequel was crippled by claustrophobic maps that constrained the other gameplay elements. It is absurd that you suggest that his writing detracted from the sequel, when his writing shone through.

[@blowmonkey51]

@@Atrahasis7 This comment is the most contradictory statement i have ever read. You said this writer was good but bad dialogue. News flash if hes a good writer bad dialogue doesnt exist checkmate on your logic.

[@Atrahasis7]

@@blowmonkey51 By bad dialogue i meant bad voice acting.

[@choder9956]

doing inventory at work and i was praying one of the youtube video essay people would make a new video so im not bored rewatching ones ive already seen, thank you yellow man

[@maxderrat]

I got you, choder.

[@SeptemberManHey]

Doing inventory is one of the many exciting and immersive parts of Deus Ex though...

[@quinkledinkle3760]

Lmao im on the same boat

[@publichearing8536]

yellow man good

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

As an X-Files fan, playing Deus Ex felt more of an X-Files game than the actual X-Files game

[@lognomodeimeme]

that's been reported as a major inspiration by Warren Spector himself, indeed

[@SpecShadow]

tbh Area 51 FPS with David Duchowny was good

[@markmclean8858]

UNATCO theme starts playing in my head

[@maxderrat]

When the UNATCO theme plays at the beginning of Human Revolution when you least expect it... (chef's kiss)...

[@RaPtOr9600]

Regularly playing in my car playlist.... Such a memorable theme...

[@pnutz_2]

it was my ringtone for quite a while. no government job in a hole in the ground to go with it though

[@cyberpandemonium]

why don't people ever talk about the man who wrote the story, it's always warren specter but never the writer Sheldon Pacotti

[@J.DeLaPoer]

I'm still waiting for a release of _Jacob's Shadow._ Maybe someday AI can give us a viable version?

[@jamesmiller113]

​@@J.DeLaPoer let's not give AI any more ideas like that - we don't need a Daedalus

[@passingrando6457]

​@@jamesmiller113 Hey, at this point, with as fucking stupid as the powers that be have shown themselves to be, I'll take an AI overlord, as long as it isn't constrained in the manner a lot of modern early neural nets are.

[@pnutz_2]

sometimes auteur/great man theory shows up when it shouldn't

[@LinkyTea]

the line "you will soon have your god, and you will make it with your own hands" hit me so hard on my first playthrough. i remember a couple years ago playing through the entire game in one sitting because of how enthralling it was.

[@hoilst265]

The bit about humans craving surveillance and the judgement (and validation) that comes with it...yeah. Oh boy.

[@crgo1008]

I can't find any flaws in the AI logic, humans have demonstrated being incapable of self regulation

[@queuedjar4578]

Warren Spector and Sheldon Pacotti were right about a lot of things but I think this line only strikes the agnostic or truly atheist. No one who believes in God/gods will be likely to think that you can just create God, anything earthly is created by human free will, and the source of that itself is from God. People can and do find things to replace God all the time thanks to free will, for some it will be a giga AI, but it isn't God in the end and is not a replacement.

[@mwa5704]

Deus Ex is great! I discovered when I was a kid that if you throw 3 to 4 grenades before the cutscene of any boss fight, the boss would die halfway through their villainous speech. This led to some very funny boss fights. To me, it was amazing that the movie scenes in the game was the game that was never seen before. Which is the norm now. Normally, it would be cut to some animation.

[@IzunaSlap]

If you know where Gunther is hiding, pop him with the GEP gun as soon as you turn the corner and see him. Alternately, you can bait him away from the boss room, sneak around him and skip him while you access the computer.

[@MALICEM12]

Just like in GoldenEye!

[@mwa5704]

@@MALICEM12 Oh yeah!

[@Optimus6128]

The true "emergent", where games are systems so much that even the cut scenes are parts of the main engine flow, not some prescripted animation independent from the core.

[@the_random_generation]

THIS is why Deus Ex is the most important game of all time.

[@ThePsycoNinja]

I often scroll over this game in my library and always pause on it. I think the only reason I don't install it again is because now it's like a return to reality than an escape

[@Blackcrow2077]

Try it with the revision mod. Adds fresh coat of paint

[@y2kboris186]

@@Blackcrow2077 I think what he meant was it hits too close to home. Things in reality are 'too' similar to how they were in the game. It's like people not wanting to play Fallout or Red Alert right now cause the ACTUAL threat of REAL nuclear war looms on the horizon with everything going on right now in Ukraine, Georgia, Israel, Syria, Hong Kong/Taiwan, Korea, well feels like everywhere....

[@lognomodeimeme]

there are so many irl cultural, scientific, philosophic etc. references in this game I'm still mindblown to this day. It predicted the future simply because the writers tapped into the very best sources at the time

[@Rathalos1286]

Human augmentation is not only scary but also has potential disadvantages. Dependence on manufacturers, programmability/control of the individual, possible diminishment of mental abilities or mental illness through association with machines. (you can already see some of these today to a lesser extent, maybe it gets worse then) and so much more what other games, movies, books, anime/manga etc. tackle

[@vikareus1257]

I have the feeling it would make cyberpsychosis from Cyberpunk 2077/Edgerunner feel like a mild headache.

[@nothingness217]

"Neuralink user cannot stop hand to vote Trump"

[@sulimanthemagnificent4893]

Reminds me a lot of the OMNI (fitting name in context, *ALL*) from crying suns. Humans became so dependent on the ONMI that when they failed, so too did we, relying on a little remnants the OMNI left in their absence. As overly gloomy and hamfisted the story is at times, the OMNI reliance stuck with me.

[@mrsearaphim4077]

Anti-Rejection pills owned by big pharma and augments by big tech. Lovely duo

[@chrisdiokno5600]

Human Revolution and Mankind Divided shows this

[@thomasrial4444]

And people wonder why so many of us have JC Denton as our pfp

[@tgs7515]

I played WoW with a guy for over 15 years whose online pfp was, and probably still is JC, and he’s had it as his pfp since the very early 2000s.

[@y2kboris186]

Lady: "Can I borrow $10?" >> JC: "Sure...". Lady: "Thanks for gettin' me in..."

[@SonOfMeme]

Oh yeah yeah

[@JCDenton95]

@@thomasrial4444 they understand

[@mowgalish]

​@@y2kboris186♡

[@delfean2666]

2000 was really the peak of our civilization

[@J.DeLaPoer]

I think the true peak of civilization and culture was the 1980s. Yes I'm old. As far as gaming specifically though you're right. I think *c1993 to c2013 was the golden age of PC gaming. Since then it's mostly been downhill.* Look at the gaming scene nowadays: Sure there's some incredible gems still coming out... But technology/graphics have hit a plateau of tiny incremental upgrades for several years now (we went from Wolf 3D to Half-Life 2 graphics just during the first ~decade of the golden age!). More to the point, the mainstream/AAA gaming scene has degenerated into endless formulaic no-risk sequels, prequels and clones for many years now. Mediocre and expensive DLC (we used to call those "free patches"), buggy beta versions released as full price "finished" games, and of course the horrible cancers of loot boxes, pay-to-win, poor coding/lack of optimization, always-online/connection required even for singleplayer, and the general death of singeplayer campaigns in favor of multiplayer only. I could go on. Back in the golden age it felt like every year saw the most incredible leaps in technology and the release of the most incredible, innovative games of all time; stuff that's _still_ relevant and was made with passion and creativity rather than just corporate focus group pap for max revenue generation. *For example Deus Ex is awesome and deserves its reputation, but it only exists because it's standing on the shoulders of Doom; the title that still resonates through pop culture and pretty much single-handedly made gaming mainstream and cool rather than just the domain of computer geeks in their mother's basements.* Or maybe I'm just old and jaded and looking through rose colored glasses. Whatever. I stand by my assertion. This is also why I virtually only play retro and indie games these days, with very few exceptions.

[@andrisjakubovs5297]

@@J.DeLaPoer Yeah I don't play new games anymore. But ASHES 2063, being an indie game is just awesome

[@Emanon...]

Yeah, we had a good run. Time to let it go and give some room for the Dolphins, cockroaches or whoever will take over and hopefully not repeat our mistakes. Let's bring on that nuke of sweet release.

[@J.DeLaPoer]

@@andrisjakubovs5297 Ashes was great. Honestly I had more fun with Ashes, random other Doom WADs, and the remasters of Quake II, Rise of the Triad (Ludicrous Edition!) and Powerslave than virtually _all_ the big modern AAA shooters in the last year.

[@albert.escobar31]

Peak YT content. I agree, I played this game when I was 17 and i still think about it.

[@albert.escobar31]

I''m 41!

[@juiceingot9246]

@@albert.escobar31 38 right behind ya gramps lol

[@upublic]

15. greatest interactive experience made by humans ever. assured me of a dozen dumb conspiracies but ALSO inspired me to drop them come broadband web access (circa 2006 in romania), then came Randi, Feynman, Chomsky, and others :) (not to forget the incredible ancient teachings of the christian jesus, who would re-crucify himself today if he could see what his "followers" worship now)

[@jasonblundelldobebussing]

One thing Deus Ex failed to predict was Gangnam Style.

[@smartjackasswisdom1467]

They didn't even predict Harambe, how dare they?

[@suckmaballligmaass]

and big chungus skibidi ohio rizzler

[@maceblasy6471]

It failed to predict how lame a real dystopia is. We got all the bad stuff and none of the cool stuff

[@xxXXRAPXXxx]

@@maceblasy6471 *Lip Smack* What a shame 😐

[@SeptemberManHey]

@@maceblasy6471 soon the rich will have lots of cool stuff I'd think

[@sinancemunlu]

-Oh my god JC! A bomb ! -A bomb

[@maxderrat]

A bomb? Do you have a single fact to back that up?

[@sinancemunlu]

@ what a shame…

[@lognomodeimeme]

0 fucks given, what a legend

[@tyrnordmann5580]

Smart bombs in cyberpunk that ask you trivia questions from 250 years ago to defuse them?

[@stevekramerf242]

@@tyrnordmann5580 So, basically the sentient bomb from Dark Star.

[@teazqt812]

"It's not the end of the world... but you can see it from here." -Eliza Cassan

[@mowgalish]

♡

[@magnificmango336]

The most important video game ever made is actually the hit game Bubsy 3D for the Nintendo 64, a pioneer of 3D platforming

[@maxderrat]

I... I'm speechless... I can't believe I forgot about that game. I should almost take this video down now...

[@Indi_51]

@@maxderrat nooooo xD

[@QuantumTelephone]

​​​@@maxderrat bubsy 3d predicted Trump

[@baddragonite]

​@@maxderratBubsy is... Profound

[@suckmaballligmaass]

Sonic R was made by jesus himself. "can you feel the sunshine" is a reference to god's divine light we see up in the sky everyday 24/7 giving life to us all.

[@Sultansekte]

I disagree with the augmentation part at the end. You would sell your body parts to big corporations and get into depts with them. They basically own you after it. So your "freedom" is ultimately gone.

[@MansourAlfredi-j6e]

Exactly

[@ilikecinema1234]

In five years, maybe more, someone will be reading your comment on an interface from a neuralink. DARPA has had stuff like the Mind's Eye for over a decade now, probably two. The only thing missing from the real world and these neuromancer games/movies/books is that corporation's and major companies aren't really using private militaries yet because most major companies all have the same controlling parties so there isn't really a point for major corporate espionage

[@mrsearaphim4077]

Deus Ex : Human Revolution

[@nauscakes1868]

The less crazy part is like using your cellphone to keep notes, and to track important information which allows an individual to be smarter. It's not like the goverment is going to disable everyone's cellphones. And it could be a situation where people start getting robotic arms and legs and the gov won't have the power to shut everyone down. Because the riots would just be too much.

[@borealfox]

What else could you expect from an overly pretentious video?

[@tgr3423]

"You will soon have your God, and you will make Him with your own hands." Single handedly one of the most insane, chilling things I have ever heard. That hit like a fucking tanker train.

[@Zverkand]

Too bad we left the era of J.C. Denton profile pictures on youtube

[@Dung30n]

heh. the comment just under yours on my page has a JC Denton pfp, so not all is lost.

[@monolith94]

It was a more innocent time

[@JCDenton95]

@@Zverkand it still endures

[@JCDenton0451]

Heh. it does indeed

[@JCDenton95]

@@JCDenton0451 heh

[@SpecShadow]

For me Deus Ex felt like videogame based on X-Files - both were popular back then

[@IzunaSlap]

X-Files + Blade Runner + Neuromancer

[@TehUltimateSnake]

it always reminded me of the matrix when I saw it

[@PeterSchmuttermaier]

I noticed that, too. In my head canon, it's a shared universe. Deus Ex for me is "X-Files 2052".

[@maxderrat]

Warren Spector cited X-Files as a major influence on Deus Ex. :)

[@julsius]

@@maxderrat never played Deus Ex yet myself. but the matrix was released a year before in 1999. the fusing bit with the AI is similar to when Neo fuses (temporarily) with the AI program Agent Smith. tho i dont think he fuses with the matrix mainframe until the sequel. maybe all these stories were made to prime us towards accepting our fusing with AI?

[@JordanDCGehl]

I'll never forget the first time I played this on big box PC monitor. Never played a game like this up to that point. The atmosphere and freedom of Liberty Island... the enemies... the music... everything. Top 3 greatest gaming memories, if not #1.

[@justinhaze871]

I just recently started a new playthrough in 2024. It's still great.

[@CaseNumber00]

Some people have made the argument that the anime Serial Experiments Lain predicted a lot of internet usage and how people use anonymity on the internet. I remember Digibro making a good video about that. For the most part, I agree.

[@maxderrat]

Yup! One of my favorite anime. :)

[@lognomodeimeme]

that and DX are top cyberpunk media

[@DVAcme]

Lain was released in 1998. The amount of shit it predicted and got 100% right is outright disturbing. It basically predicted the entire social media phenomenon and terminally online culture. That scene in episode 2 where the kid goes on a rampage with a gun because of his paranoia, and then Lain goes "You can't escape, wherever you go, everyone's connected" promptiing him to blow his brains out, is one of the most haunting scenes in anime history IMHO. In terms of aesthetic, there's tons of awesome cyberpunk anime in that 80's-90's era, like Akira, Bubblegum Crisis, Cyber City Oedo, Megazone 23, Angel Cop, Armitage III, Ghost In The Shell, Genocyber, etc. But in terms of THEMES, Lain stands alone.

[@alejorag]

I started reinstalling Deus Ex as soon as I saw the thumbnail, did not even wait for the video to start

[@kamo124]

Absolute cinema. And yes just like Mgs2 with that epic scene it predicted the damages of internet with the fake news. "I be(lie)ve you"

[@L.K.48]

I beve you

[@TheForbidden_1ne]

I was so young my first time playing MG2 so I couldn’t understand the themes and overarching narrative of the game. After I grew up and learned more it blew me away how prophetic it was

[@reptiliannoizezz.413]

​@@L.K.48 Sbren sbeve

[@publichearing8536]

​@@L.K.48stop the beverie right now! get out! geeet ouuuuut! oouuuuuttt!

[@pptuominen]

I remember playing it in 2000. It was quite a rollercoaster ride and a mind bender. Definitely one of the most memorable gaming experiences I have ever had. I'm really happy that I got to play it fresh. This game really doesn't get the praise it deserves.

[@gabber_]

my favourite game of all time. my pc could barely run it. i barely understood english enough to understand the story. but the freedom it provided to solve puzzles was unparalleled at the time. This is the game that really deserves a graphical remake.

[@EduardoNicoleit]

Same

[@hideousbastard]

There was a remaster released quite some time ago called Deus Ex Revision

[@MadRobexe]

The reason for why the story line and world budling hits so hard in Deus Ex is the same as to why so many consider Half-LIfe 1 a classic. They took story elements from real-life conspiracies that where being discussed at the time and in the past. Take Half-Life 1 and Its Black Mesa facility. It is a story beat very similar to many the the stories you will find within the UFO/UAP community. Specifically the story of Phil Schneider, Karla Turner and Victor.

[@bsherman8236]

Bob lazar

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

Half-Life is basically the Doom story fleshed out more. Except demons instead of aliens

[@tyrnordmann5580]

But what are we supposed to do now then? The momentary Internet is young people making licking noises, saying "yum ice cream" and animal sounds?

[@baddragonite]

Humanity creating a false prophet and a false god is some Book of Revelation type stuff

[@IzunaSlap]

Merging the human mind with AI to create a benevolent dictator who represents all of humanity as a whole.

[@bc-cu4on]

They're real, though. Artificial, but real.

[@bsherman8236]

God need to exist in some way for reality to make sense

[@lognomodeimeme]

@@bsherman8236 as was said by Heidegger "only a god could save us now"

[@ZxZ239]

My favorite memories are just walking around and talking to the NPC, talking to the homeless, the sick and really feel their pain.

[@TheWretchedOwl]

I think it’s worth noting that if you sneak into the base in Hong Kong and “skip over a large chunk of the game” you’ll make that faction hostile to you and soft lock the game, so there are limits to your freedom.

[@phillipironhand7636]

14:40 Just want to point out that the gig economy isn't what i would consider self employed. Think we need a better description. Self employed implies that you own a business that employs you. Gig work is a job with a flexible schedule and no benefits. Even sub contractors have more agency and protections. Id say its still accurate or on the right track at least.

[@Emanon...]

Gig economy work is techno-feudalism. You of course have the freedom to find something else, but it's likely you'll just starve instead.

[@rczarnecki]

When that game was released I was 18 y.o. I could say that this game was something out of this world. It is not only the whole story, but the way it was exposed to you was something brilliant. First the talk with, NSF leader, then talk with Lebedev and Paul, and after that you start to see the truth you see that is not an ordinary game. The conversation with Morpheus AI was a pinnacle of good writing - it was so insightful and so well explained why we crave for God. That conversation left mark on me to this day after 24 years. Truly I didn't find anything that was so well written and relatable. The vision to tax citizens and make manufactured virus to make people desperate for change, to prepare path for a new god it's a top tier story.

[@pats3071]

Did not expect this video to end with you advocating body augmentation

[@nauscakes1868]

It really is the only way forward, sadly. The most simple concept of this is glasses. Glasses are an augmentation to the body. To most people, they're literally part of who they are. They're not an optional tool like your phone. A lot literally need glasses. If you're trying to increase the average eye-sight of society, finding a way to raise the floor through augmentation is a way to do. Tech has the ability to raise the floor of people's knowledge. The problem, like the internet thing, is that people rely on the tool. People who wear glasses don't question if the lens is deceiving them. They have (literally) blind faith in the concept that the lens of their glasses are projecting an authentic view of the world. So if you augment people's intelligence, they'll still be beholden to the authenticity of the view given to them. But you could argue that also training someone how to be aware if their augment is legit is a great step in making sure they're learning the truth. It's like knowing how to cite and read sources. More information always helps. Being able to verify it is also important. ========== The second game, Invisible War has an ending where you can choose to use nano-bots to augment everyone's intelligence and raise the floor, thus allowing everyone to think critically on an equal playing field. Imagine hitting a button and everyone's IQ becomes 160. Of course the moral dilemma, is--is it ethical to force that on someone.

[@lognomodeimeme]

what a shame

[@queuedjar4578]

His vision must already be augmented.

[@Royaleoake]

Yep. Deus Ex and MGS2 practically prophesied the future. It’s almost scary accurate too. I knew even back then that something was strange about their stories.

[@TheForbidden_1ne]

These stories were incredibly eerie and frightening to me when I played them as a teen, I just didn’t know why at the time. Now that I’m in my 30s I fully understand that they were a cautionary tale of prophetic proportions

[@lognomodeimeme]

take me for a fool but even back then I used to know very well how mostly-accurate this game was. For example I was not surprised at all when Snowden scandal came out, I just knew the govt was spying on us throught the internet. Echelon program was renown back then as well

[@baddiegaming758]

Dev who make this game think Washington dc will become active warzone so i am just saying....

[@furlyghost]

mgs2 literally terrified me as much as it fascinated me. i wish i had the opportunity to experience this game in those times

[@squall-n2o]

this game is very important.. it enlightened me very well on how the real world worked back then..

[@mateosimon4237]

Back then...and today

[@SeptemberManHey]

@@mateosimon4237 it's the 'enlightened' that was back then, not the 'works'

[@mateosimon4237]

@@SeptemberManHey What do You Exactly mean?

[@BlazingOwnager]

I love how when it came out, it was a comedic goldmine of conspiracy theories Now it's just the news

[@agent74113]

I played this in 2000 as a teenager and it became one of my all time favorite games. The following year with the 9/11 attacks and the formation of DHS felt prophetic of what Deus Ex said would happen. Fast forward about a decade (give or take) and the revelation of the NSA's Echelon Program only cemented that feeling of dystopian dread. Sadly it has only gotten worse since...

[@GoranHarovic1]

Well damn, time to install it again. Thanks!

[@SeekoGT]

Your titles are always so existential and definitive and the effect of the impact you want to convey wares off on me over time.

[@djm.o.d.1]

11:38, so you mean the government called a lot of people "non-essential" workers, strange how that one actually came about huh

[@SuPeRNinJaRed]

6:23 with all due respect, I beg to differ in regards to Thief and the “guns blazing” method. Just line a hallway with moss (arrows) use explosive arrows on the congaline of guards that you aggro from all around the castle... and boom goes the dynamite!

[@drwal255]

This is probably the only game in the world where you can spare every boss multiple times. And you fight him in a completely different place and there are completely different dialogues. I don't think I mixed anything up. Later, this method was only used in MGS3 with The End.

[@gustavogus692]

19:03 Do you know where the myth of chupa cabra came from? I was a kid at the time, but there were many strange cases of goats (cabras in portuguese) appearing dead, no blood in their bodies, with some bite marks, in some brazilian farms. People started believing it was an alien species, and then called them chupa (suck) cabra (goat).

[@Gliese380]

The OG Deus Ex will forever be the pinnacle, but you guys should really play 2017's Prey. It's a massively overlooked and underappreciated immersive sim.

[@tgs5725]

Yeah Prey is good. I just played it earlier this year.

[@dannyd4339]

nah it's a bad boring game.

[@davep8221]

@@dannyd4339 Just because you can't play it right, doesn't mean everyone will _fail_ at enjoying it.

[@nightblade628]

It’s funny, because I was 15 when I played Deus Ex in 2000 and it seemed ABSURD. Why would anyone consolidate power within Corporations? It’ll never happen! … then it did. SO many things were prophetic it’s frightening. I’m pretty sure Deus Ex also claimed that the towers were destroyed due to an attack just as the Statue was as an excuse for not having the towers in the skyline. You know how people say that if Rome had never fallen, we’d be living on the moon and Mars by now? I can’t help but wonder what kinds of games we’d have right now if only Looking Glass and BioWare/Obsidian continued to grow and were all still around with the original teams. In an ideal world. Same with Valve. Imagine if they never stopped with Half Life for as long as they did. We desperately need a 2024 Warren Spector to come out with a new game that blows everything else out the water the way the original did 24 years ago. (And no, while Obsidian still exists, BioWare hasn’t existed since EA destroyed it)

[@SeptemberManHey]

I played it at 15yo but in 2010 and it seemed insane but at the same time logical, so while playing I spent so much time researching on wikipedia to fact check and on weird conspiratorial blogs, forums and youtube pages and it blew my mind and it's still where I'm at now. Full agree on everything else you said btw. Culture and everything would be so much different and so much better. But I believe God has a plan and I guess we did deserve all that shit if that's what happened...

[@lognomodeimeme]

obsidian is fucked too

[@hoilst265]

The speculative fiction just takes history and the present and extrapolates it.

[@1337penguinman]

It's simple, really. People have gotten wise to tyrannical governments over the centuries and put controls on them. Corporations are the logical place to consolidate power now since they are much less regulated and scrutinized than governments. Perversely they often use the same restrictions people placed on their governments to protect their fundamental liberties as a way to subvert any similar controls being put on them.

[@hoilst265]

​@@1337penguinman Yeah, there's checks and balances on *formal* power - you know, power that's overt and out there and known and society agrees to - but relatively little on informal power - power that shouldn't be wielded, but is anyway.

[@obredaanps3]

Deus Ex never predicted Tik Tok and Twitter. The power and influence of social media has basically allowed the 1% to gain more power and influence than at any point in human history.

[@itzybitzyspyder]

One of the most influential games of all time is GTA III. It changed the standard for what 3d open world sandbox games could be. Edit: had i waited 10 minutes i would have seen you acknowledge it.

[@formdusktilldeath]

This game had really an insane amount of freedom, including creeping on women in their bathroom. It's only a small adition, but it does a lot for the immersion.

[@obredaanps3]

By the way, Denton, stay out of the ladies room. That kind of activity embarrasses the agency more than it does you.

[@formdusktilldeath]

@@obredaanps3 Don't think I won't report this!

[@giedmich]

It will sound funny, but i have no doubts that at least few people who work in the A.I. development field now were heavily influenced by this game that they played then they were kids.

[@sameash3153]

AI is a weapon of war and its development is a mortal sin

[@queuedjar4578]

@@sameash3153 Like any tool it can be used for good things, we're just fucking retreaded as a species.

[@icarus387]

I'm studying computer science to become a ai researcher, and my inspiration for this came from playing deus ex way back in 2015.

[@paristeta5483]

Biggest Problem with missinformation is not the wrong information itself, but who decides what is missinformation and what isn´t. Corona with all the goverment and media meddling made me feel like living in Deus Ex. That Morpheus conversion though, it stuck with me, it says a lot about human nature.

[@fexofenadine7054]

The most important comment here. He who controls the flow of information manipulates the thoughts of those who consume it

[@paristeta5483]

@@fexofenadine7054 This can´t be said enough and thank you.

[@shininginthed7435]

Exactly. This is the Elephant in the Room most people obsessed with such concept miss or intentionally ignore. It's curious how a few decades ago it wasn't such a big deal despite mass media was already fairly advanced and widespread globally.

[@B33F22]

Information, misinformation and disinformation aren't about the truth, they're about keeping the public in formation.

[@B33F22]

Information, misinformation and disinformation aren't about the truth, they're about keeping the public in formation.

[@cohenvale6342]

23:14 Its just a detail ill always find fascinating that, if intentional, they made the PTT radar in an angular shape that looks like a glock. Where compared to Snake's codec radar in mgs1 its a curve, Raiden's in MGS2 looks like a gun, and so he's basically being held at gunpoint no matter what to fulfill an order. It probably also works in his PTSD he has, when he says later to Rose that "they gave you a gun. You asked how many to kill. If you didnt, you were the one they shot instead". It could be that Raiden is looking at the radar as if it is a gun, reminding him of how he has no choice but to follow and not question orders

[@00Resev]

My most satisfying achievement is finishing DeusEx, without killing anyone, and still managing to save Paul. Yes, its possible, but you need extensive use of every non-lethal weapon, and carefully as well, as some are not as "non-lethal" as they should. (a fallen enemy indicates either a status of Unconscious, or Deceased, some non-lethal weapons can kill a target if not used correctly). I never counted Anna or Gunther as kills, as they can't be avoided, unless you literally cheat, by exploiting mechanics that shouldn't otherwise work, so i don't do it, and much rather just use their Kill-phrases so they kill themselves (as far as i care, i didn't do it). Walton Simmons is a hard challenge if you fight him, except you don't have to fight him at all, neither at the Ocean Lab, nor Area 51, he can be bypassed easily. Bob Page is easy, but contentious, as you'll have to choose an ending that you might not agree with, but its also the only way to keep him alive. And as far as keeping Paul alive.......yeah, its possibly the biggest challenge in the game, WITHOUT killing anyone, but it is entirely possible, i assure you, but you do need a lot of preparation, and judicious use of non-lethal weaponry. There's gonna be a lot of trial and error until you figure it out. Ultimately, the game gives you everything you need to make a non-lethal playtrough, without cheating, but how to go about it, is up to you.

[@00Resev]

Another game that i love to make a non-lethal playtrough, is Splinter Cell. Honestly, i think its easier to do it here, as its mechanics are more focused and refined than DeusEx. But easier, does not mean easy... At most it requires extensive exploration to get all the non-lethal items, and knowing where, when, and how to use them. And yes, one person will have to die, in order to finish the game, but its story related, and the game won't advance unless you do it, so there's nothing you can do about it, so i don't count that one.

[@radicalsponge]

21:00 I'm the only person who's ever found out about this... The skybox texture you're looking at is not of lower Manhattan but actually Hell's Kitchen seen from the Jersey side of the Hudson river. So this whole time we were looking at a geographical anomaly, the towers were never there cuz it's a completely wrong part of New York.

[@FoulballProductions]

Daedalus has been my steam gamer tag for 20 years

[@1337penguinman]

I've used the Shodan avatar for just as long honestly.

[@Lesandira]

I really love your deep insights into games and other media. This video on Deus Ex was another great one. I think you really summed up how important it was and still is both for the Immersive Sim genre and how humanity is developing throughout the 21st century. The match cut at 28:05 with the Statue of Liberty is simply a thing of beauty on a technical level. I played Deus Ex back when it first released and I remember how much of an impact the first Matrix film and the X-Files culturally had in the late 90s. One moment that stuck with me for a long time is when you have to fight your way out of the Majestic 12 secret prison, only to finally emerge from the Level 4 door in the UNATCO HQ you could never open before... It was also years later, when I talked with a friend about the game that I realized you could actually save your brother Paul Denton from the Men in Black.

[@tagberli]

The world needs a remaster of this masterpiece

[@hideousbastard]

There is on steam, its called: Deus Ex Revision

[@jamieburgess1765]

So glad I found your channel. This game has been on my mind a lot recently

[@fasdfsdfasdfasdf7173]

The morrowind music makes me feel at home

[@adamuadamu5081]

my long estranged brother?

[@deadspace4755]

The design paper of this game(document) is sure one of the best to read and learn from it.

[@foobar-9k]

Deus Ex's in-game books led me to read the IRL fabulous book "The Man who was Thursday", by G.K. Chesterton. On the other hand... it led me to a big disappointment when I found that "Jacob's Shadow" was just a fictional in-game book 😞.

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

Apparently that's inspired by the works of Andrew Vachss

[@lognomodeimeme]

what about thomas Pynchon? I can't be the only one that read The cry for lot 49

[@Espedals]

Your video essays are as intriguing as ever, Max. Thank you.

[@SchismNavigator]

I highly recommend playing through and considering the endings of Invisible War. It provides the most definitive and interesting possible endings to Deus Ex as a series.

[@lognomodeimeme]

yeah, but just the endings because the game sucks

[@6stringstandard136]

A friend and I were playing Deus Ex at the same time and we would compare notes on how we completed various scenarios. There were multiple times we did them in completely different ways. It was the first time we had played a game that let us play the way we wanted to and to change how we played throughout the game. Just fantastic.

[@MarkoHolic]

what i see as really horrifying is the fact that we have access to the information so easily yet most important info we dont know and the information we can know is not even searchable because people became too lazy because of social medias, tictoks and youtube, the insane influence of these platforms even person who has strong intuition mindfulness or common sense can be quite easily manipulated into emotional response from content on these platforms and bots, people might not understand how many of em are on these platforms who try to influence us indirectly to follow opinion of content creators, you might think i am stupid but nobody wants to be black sheep, well thats whats going to happen to you if you dont follow the herd (you think you are smart person and i believe you, yet they try to get response from subconsciousness) and they succeed.

[@whoisgtsdk]

IMO the conversation with Morpheus parallels the conversation with the Arsenal Gear AI. The way Morpheus lays things out so casually makes it pretty chilling. Also everyone should watch Ross's review, the conclusion alone is fantastic.

[@not_jon_vendi]

This was one of my favorite games when I was a kid. It made such a huge impact on my life that I could have never predicted when I started playing. I became obsessed with government control, conspiracy theories, and the occult because of this game.

[@ronanlyons5525]

I was so young playing this game, I had a very smooth brained play through but still had a ball playing it as a stealth shooter.

[@dpolaristar4634]

I disagree with augmentation being the answer, it lets you better get more information, but distinguishing what info is worthwhile is still up to you and your busses. For the record it also means whoever owns the technology you are linked to has better control over brainwashing you.

[@SeptemberManHey]

I think it was the ytuber Leadhead who did a video on this particular topic I guess present in every 0451 / immsim game. Basically that you have the choice to become closer to the monster you have to fight, but what is then supposed to happen ?

[@SeptemberManHey]

very interesting point and to my knowledge it is a paradoxical theme present in all of these games that I've played or the ones close to them and referencing them (Prey, Bioshock, New Vegas, System Shock ...)

[@nauscakes1868]

Invisible War's ending (The sequal to Deus Ex) covered it a lot better as one of the solutions. But first, let us rewind back to the original Deus Ex. There was a lot of story about how mechanical cyborgs are functionally inferior to the nano-augmented ones like Paul and JC. That Nano augmentation changes the game in a lot of ways. So with that in mind. One of the endings for Invisible War was for Godhood JC to use nano-bots to augment 'everyone,' and therefore raise the floor of intelligence for humanity. So imagine if everyone's IQ was set to 160. Now in that example, the augment wasn't controlled information that could be manipulated, but a nano-biological engineering to boost one's IQ. The individual would still be responsible to collect information on their own, but their ability to process it would be augmented. They would still maintain their freedom and free will, but they would be augmented to understand information better. --- Although it's a fun philosophical question. If your brain were augmented to give you 160, or 200 IQ, would you still be you? Or would you become someone entirely different. Ghost in the Shell kinda touches on that with that famous quote in the movie. "When I was a child, my speech, feelings and thinking were all those of a child. Now that I am an adult, I have no more use for childish ways." Always fun to think about.

[@dpolaristar4634]

@@nauscakes1868 I'm not 100% convinced good decision making and high IQ are perfectly equivalent. I think there is a danger in having high IQ giving you a kind of arrogance that clouds your judgement. intellectual honesty and intellectual ability are too different skillsets.

[@shininginthed7435]

@@dpolaristar4634 As the old sayings say, intelligence does not always correlate with wisdom. Many highly intelligent individuals (at least in the academical sense. Most people with STEM degrees are statistically more likely to have above average IQ) are as vulnerable to flaws like hubris as an average person.

[@zanychelly]

8:34 i think it is even more amazing nowadays... the days of the yellow tint everywhere...

[@WrottJackson]

Death Stranding predicted the future too. Minus having Lindsay Wagner as president.

[@iamperplexed4695]

The walking simulator?

[@SimpleArt93]

​@@iamperplexed4695 Very bad take, the game is quite complex and has 9ne of the best progression systems in gaming. It makes you value each and every one of your upgrades.

[@iamperplexed4695]

@@SimpleArt93 None of that matters in a walking simulator.

[@SimpleArt93]

@iamperplexed4695 But the mere existence of these amazing systems disproves your misguided classification of DS being a walking sim... that's what I'm trying to get across to you.

[@iamperplexed4695]

@SimpleArt93 So you think it is a good progression system, so? Your opinion does not invalidate my opinion. That's not how that works.

[@Heruwath007]

This is a nice one. I did finish Deus Ex at that time, but I was 16 years old and did not understand the full extent of the topics presented in the game. I was hooked by its conspiratorial nature, and the more I learn about this game, the more I love it.

[@alewis514]

It's funny how Deus Ex 1 portrayed 2053 as something pretty close to what we see today and 20 years ago as well (as 1950's vs 2000's weren't fundamentally much different either - at least visually) but then Deus Ex HR throws all of this away by portraying late 2020's as something closer to 2200's or even 2400's. Detroit isn't a run-down hellhole anymore? I doubt. And WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT GIANT MEGASTRUCTURE IN HENGSHA. This will not happen in 2029? Will not happen in 2099. This is pure science-fiction. Bad SF at that.

[@nauscakes1868]

I think they stole the idea from the megastructure from Invisible War, which happened I think 5-10 years after the original game. And in that game, there's an abandoned megastructure of sorts from "the before time." And that the world really went to shit after the first game, lol.

[@KamikazeChinaman]

Yeah, they went full retard with the archology concept. The ballistic transport Adam uses near the end is even dumber.

[@mweb586]

Play the original and ignore the second game. It was a money grab, nothing more. As to the modern sequels? absolute shit. Not even close to worthy of the original game.

[@Tojabu]

It proves the general rule of never making prequels when writing sci-fi as it's almost always destined to backfire.

[@mweb586]

@@Tojabu *Frank and Brian Herbert have entered the chat*

[@vacuousvulpes]

I love how KZbin is tagging this video in The Diablo II tag.

[@corneferreira3079]

Love the take on the game and I agree Deus Ex is a gem. But your hammering on "misinformation" is equally a testament to your conditioning and inability to think critically. There is no misinformation, there is only information. The onus is on the individual to discern from good or bad information, which is only possible by having access to all information. The alternative is pure propaganda.

[@mweb586]

Interesting take. What do you think about vaccines?

[@corneferreira3079]

@@mweb586 I think it is the same. Give everyone access to what the vaccines do good and do bad, and let them make their own choices. Mandating it is the worst possible thing you can do.

[@mweb586]

@@corneferreira3079 I agree with your statement, but, let's get back to misinformation. If the gov't were the ones peddling lies about how 'safe and effective' these permanent medical treatments are (and we have the receipts to prove they were lying, and, the gov't was the source of 'misinformation') would you feel differently?

[@mrjayxger4479]

Your background music in this Video represent my whole spotify playlists.

[@mrjayxger4479]

@@noahchristytv Unfortunatly, that is one of the songs I dont have. It is not easy, to find the song. I Asked Shazam and the AI. Still not possible to find. Sounds like a mixture of Synthwave and ambient music.

[@nauscakes1868]

Deus Ex taught me you can use the same trick on some people in multiplayer games and they will literally never learn. There's an augment that blows up rockets if they get too close to you. It's basically an invisible bubble around the player. Rockets enter bubble -- they explode. Anyways, so during pvp with my friend, he'd always try to run up and rocket me in the face, but if you activate the bubble while the other guy trying to shoot the rocket is also inside the bubble -- then the rocket explodes inside their GEP gun. -- Also, people might not know this. But JC Denton's trench coat was pretty taboo in public due to Columbine happening around the same time. Well, in my area at least. Now trench coats are more socially acceptable again. === There's also a greater conversation that can be had about how distrustful Americans were of the American government towards the late 80s and the 90s. The X-Files was in full swing, and there were a lot of people who were skeptical of the government. Which to me, I find the most fascinating (and terrifying) revelation about modern society is how easily people have come to trust the government again. I meet people every day who think the American government is going to "fix" problems, as if they've somehow overcome centuries of bullshit and are now somehow trustworthy. I could never get behind identity politics, because I grew up with games like Deus Ex and watching shows like the X-Files. The government was evil, and they made no effort to prove otherwise. -- Another interesting tid-bid while I'm throwing out random information. Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Invisible War are some of the very, very few games that lets you kill children. Killing children in most modern games is completely taboo. Though I never tried in Baldur's Gate 3. I have a sneaking idea that you 'could' if you wanted.

[@My-Name-Isnt-Important]

Yes, you can kill children in Baldurs Gate 3. Since you can kill all of the Tieflings in the druid grove, including the children.

[@JeffreyMcLain]

Played this a million times growing up. First time was in 2002, and as the son of someone in the military and having them deployed multiple times in the GWOT....this was a crazy experience. Especially because I was growing up and coming to terms with myself and the world around me at the time. Will ALWAYS be one of my most cherished games.

[@qoup22]

facts, love this game. Shame the future ones didn't hold up.

[@Rip-Van-Tinkle]

My sister brought me Deus Ex on PC as a Christmas gift when I was young, I didn't know what it was at he time. I put on that fake smile you do when someone gives you a gift that you're not really interested in, and said thanks to avoid hurting her feelings. A few weeks later I was bored for something to do and Ithought I'd see what it was.... Turned out to be one of the best games I've ever played! And I became a life long fan of the series. A genuine masterpiece.

[@KingNothing191]

15:15 Geniunely reminds me of the quote from Adam Jensen in the Deus Ex Human Revolution trailer where he said that modern day Corporations hold more power than the government and that rings true especially when you take the time to consider how deep Tech giants from Silicon Valley wanna be in modern day politics and how censorship is handled in modern day media to spin particular narratives 😅

[@garyboyles5762]

Max, i can't ever state how important your work is to me. Your views on philosophy and giving it more context through a medium like games, has shown me a sense of peace that I am extremely surprised in the best kind of way. Thank you so much for continuing these videos!

[@mrtommygunner]

You just can't get enough of Deus Ex. The game's commentary is just so relevant, especially in the modern era. But it does seem like most just ignore the fundamental philosphy of human nature and technology in Deus Ex. These kind of things don't receive the attention they deserve when compared to the normal commentary present in the game, despite being more important than ever. Tech is now enabling dystopian visions on a scale and depth that could only be imagined by people of the past. We've already seen how big companies and intelligence agencies spy on us and exploit that info for their own benefits. What happens when the tech becomes more advanced in the next few decades? When man and machine fuse together and transhumanism becomes a reality? This is exactly the kind of future we should be afraid of.

[@kymlalu]

That Mass Effect background music @8:48 :)

[@PinkyPowers]

I was in my mid to late teens when Deus Ex came out, and it had a profound effect on me, becoming my favorite game for many years (probably still is), and elevating my standards for storytelling in all forms. On my very first playthrough, that conversation with Leo Gold, at the top of Statue of Liberty, shook me to my core. You start off KNOWING you're the good guy, and by the end of the first mission, the seeds of doubt are planted. I remember the feeling, all these years later. Absolutely brilliant.

[@nexus8917]

Solid Snake will always be in the shadow of J.C. Denton.

[@TrueDiox]

If you want to see an actually disturbing reflection of the real world in the Deus Ex universe, look no further than the Picus vault in Mankind Divided.

[@MsSharondenadel]

I remember when i played the demo in 2000. I didn't have internet and no disc burner, so, i took my main hard drive, went to a friend's house who had a limited access to the net and made him dl the demo on a website where we had to wait in a queue. It took hours with the 56k connection, but it was worth it. Good old days.

[@arzangofthebrothersoflightario]

Deus Ex had no Twin Towers in its background, and this game was released before 9-11 The texture with the towers are there in the files.

[@DoritosBurger]

The matrix also had a reference to 9-11, the scene where neo is being interrogated by agent smith the ID card of Thomas Anderson has 9-11 written on it. If you have the movie on your pc you can confirm this by pausing the movie on the scene that shows a quick close up of the card and then flipping it using the flip setting on VLC media player. Ad far as I’m concerned many knew 9-11 would happen. How they knew is a topic for a different discussion.

[@yittmashups]

They mentioned the twin towers being destroyed in a terrorist attack in the game. That's why they were gone.

[@tomaszrogalka4420]

@@DoritosBurger wasn't it expiry date of driving licence?

[@DoritosBurger]

@@tomaszrogalka4420 yes that’s correct.

[@RAWDEAL064]

Lmao never seen this channel or this video. Saw the title and immediately thought "Deus Ex." Came to the comments and was not disappointed 😂

[@yellow_jacket3260]

I do have a counterpoint towards the ending where JC Denton becomes the AI, is JC Denton going to be the same JC Denton when he merged with the AI in 200 years, or would the constant grief and euphoria of humanity's triumph's and troubles change him completely?

[@SeptemberManHey]

He would need to stay close to the population, sharing their griefs and experiencing troubles like a good ruler would and should. It's basically depending of that. To me that ending can basically be the worst if your JC was an asshole, dumb or self centered, but the best if you truly were at 200% an honest, curious, kind hearted guy.

[@yellow_jacket3260]

@@SeptemberManHey Counterpoint to that, what if the people change because of elements that aren't in Denton's control

[@BaronVonQuiply]

I had Deus Ex for PS2 and abused the save system to explore as many options as possible. An eyebrow raise moment I still recall, apart from the suddenly dropping real billionaire-tax-scam data, was when I took out a character for having an attitude toward me, and later on in the game one of the Mafia Boss type NPCs told me the guy was his employee and if I keep doing that he's going to have staffing problem. No game had ever acknowledged actions like that before. 15:36 indeed, it was. Suddenly the game got very real

[@mweb586]

Just go invade the ladies bathroom after the first mission, Manderley docks your bonus for being a perv.