When I first played the original Deus Ex (Deus Ex: GOTY now), I was young, I was naive and I didn’t even know what made a game good.
But I still remember it like it was yesterday (pardon the cliché); opening up that secret door in Maggie Chow’s apartment, hacking into the computer at the bottom of the chamber and retrieving the Dragon’s Tooth sword. I was immersed to the point where all my worries melted away.
Those are the moments in a video game we all want to experience; they’re the reason we play games. Eleven years later and there I was thinking to myself “Here we go, another one of my favorite games is about to crumble away into nothingness, tearing a massive void in my heart.” (Okay maybe that’s a little extreme.)
From the moment I started Deus Ex: Human Revolution I was hooked, immersed and loving every second of it. The controls were smooth, the RPG elements were interesting and there’s nothing like having blades that come out of your arms!
So let’s take a look at both of these games and find out which one is better. Which one you should play, if you haven’t already?
So what make each of these games good?
Let’s first take a look at the original Deus Ex: GOTY. This was one of the first games to bring me into PC gaming back in an age when Xbox was still a futuristic black box we’d only dreamed of. This game has it all: skills, powers, a stealth system that still holds up well today and an amazing storyline.
When playing this game now it’s still an enjoyable experience–with around 30 hours of gameplay for a single playthrough, it has to be engaging. The graphics are obviously outdated, but there are plenty of mods to get it up to a relatively attractive look by today’s standards.
The controls feel somewhat old, but that’s one of the beauties of PC gaming: key-mapping! Like I said before, the story is amazing, you go from assaulting low ranking resistance groups to breaking out of your own headquarters hunted by the very people you work for. It’s incredibly well planned and written. While some missions will have the odd frustrations to them, most missions are unique and enjoyable.
The gameplay in itself is amazing for its time. You can play the game however you want, stealth oriented or more action oriented. The game also allows the player to choose certain dialogue options, this becomes very important at the end of the game where the player chooses the worlds fate.
But what makes Deus Ex: Human Revolution any different?
Human Revolution obviously looks better due to the newer graphics and style. As well as having an interesting cover system never before seen in a Deus Ex game. In Human Revolution there are no skills to improve in the game. The original Deus Ex you had certain skills such as swimming or weapons skills which would make your character better at certain aspects of the game. In Human Revolution however, the skills and augments (or powers) were rolled into the same system, which streamlined leveling up.
One of the positives Human Revolution had is a focused approach on side missions which allowed for more exploration outside of the main storyline. Another improvement was the refined dialogue mechanics that now made each choice interesting by giving the player some sort of consequence based on their decisions.
Which one is better? Which one should you play?
Although both games are very similar by design, Deus Ex: Human Revolution has one brilliant aspect I haven’t mentioned, the storyline. Human Revolution’s story revolves around a Sci-Fi concept I find incredibly intriguing, the augmentation of humans and the forced evolution of a species. It’s so thought provoking that I find myself thinking about it even when I haven’t played the game for months. It’s one of those concepts that draws you into a game and keeps you there. It’s true that the original Deus Ex focuses on this but it’s not driven home as well as it is in Human Revolution.
In conclusion You don’t find yourself considering the consequences of your actions in Deus Ex: GOTY as deeply as you do in Human Revolution. That alone is why Human Revolution is a superior game. That coupled with better graphics and controls it makes the true victor in this battle.
However don’t be scared off of Deus Ex: GOTY it’s still an amazing game and can be a very, very enjoyable experience. If you have a couple bucks and perhaps you’ve already played Human Revolution I strongly suggest you check out Deus Ex: GOTY.
While Deus Ex: GOTY is only available on PC, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is available for PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and coming soon for Wii U.
