2024
Persona 3 becomes one of the best games of all time
I have had a very long, very strange journey with Persona 3. I love Atlus games. I adore them. Even when I want to tell myself I don't and that I'm "above" them or something, I just can't make myself ignore that even with all their flaws... I treasure Atlus games more than anything else in the entire medium. I first ventured into Persona 3 in 2020 with FES. After I finished the game, I sat back in my chair and stared at my PS2 for about all of five seconds before I finally came to the conclusion;
"Wow. That was the biggest piece of shit I've ever played in my life."
Persona 3 FES was, for a very long time, my least favorite game ever made. I fucking LOATHED it, to the point where it became a running joke with friends. There was so much I hated about it. The incessant displays of horniness from Operation Babewatch, Kenji's social link, and the cutscene of Yukari showering, the mindnumbing and vomit-inducing gameplay that made me want to tear my hair out, the awful balancing, the shockingly bad villains, the ugliness of the game's visual style, everything about Persona 3 FES was like poison to me at the time. I hated the game so fucking much that I don't think I actually have the right words to convey what I mean by that to you. After my playthrough I did what anyone would when they've developed feelings like that, I threw my copy of FES in a drawer where I wouldn't see it again and promptly went on with my life. So needless to say, when Reload got announced... I wasn't really thrilled. I kind of just rolled my eyes. Sure, the game needed a remake desperately, but it wasn't one I was hoping for, especially when the original Persona seems to be rotting away in a corner, desperate for someone to give it the facelift it rightfully deserves. I didn't even pick Reload up on launch, which outside of a few releases that I didn't have much interest in (Soul Hackers 2 and P5 Tactica) was something I hadn't really done with a major Atlus release before. I don't know. It just never seemed necessary to me. Would it make the game enjoyable? Maybe, hell probably. Did I have any interest? Not enough. Atlus has had 3 chances (technically 4 if you count the Portable remaster) to get this game right. Nearly 20 years later, they're still trying? That seemed ridiculous to me.
And then they finally got it right.
Persona 3 Reload is kind of a masterpiece. Reload gives Persona 3 all the bells and whistles and love and care it deserves, and coming away from it now I'm fully convinced this is not only the best Persona game by an extremely large margin, it's among the very best releases Atlus has ever given us. Hell, if you don't believe me, take it from a guy who fucking hated this game so much it nearly became a part of my personality that I went out of my way to platinum this game and do and see everything in it outside of the secret super boss, which I do intend to give a fair shake sometime eventually. That's the kind of experience this was. An unforgettable one that has completely changed my life.
Reload takes nearly every problem I had with the original and either softens the blow or completely corrects it, and in some cases, takes what was in its place and runs with it. When I tell you the last fucking character I ever expected to come out of this game caring about was god damn JIN and yet the game somehow pulled it off? It's flooring, honestly. Now, let's set the record straight, this game is not flawless. Social links are still a bit rudimentary, the dialogue stumbles on itself sometimes (par for the course with modern Persona), and the horniness is still there, albeit a little bit less intrusive. There's plenty of other things I can mention that I think are silly, but cmon now, very few games are without their flaws. What Persona 3 Reload is able to get away with considering its source material is astounding. The new translation is massively appreciated, as it makes the dialogue feel a lot more robust and organic which is helped to an exponential degree by the fact that Reload may very well have the best voice acting I've ever heard in a JRPG. Every character's voice feels exceedingly real, with real inflections and mannerisms that grant them such a sense of place and personality and seldom does it feel like you're listening to characters, and rather real people. I think that really made me appreciate this game a lot more, as certain characters I couldn't stand before (Aigis, Fuuka, Mitsuru, etc.) I found myself not only appreciating more, but fully falling in love with.
Reload isn't without its controversy though. Persona 3 has always been liked by a very opinionated bunch and that's certainly put a dampener on this game's reputation. The biggest complaint I've seen is that Reload "Persona 5-ifies" Persona 3, to which I say... okay? Frankly I think the game is all the better for it. Reload isn't interested in following Katsura Hashino's vision for Persona 3 to a 100% degree. If that were the case there'd be no point to a remake. And let's face it, love it or hate it, Hashino's vision for Persona 3 was flawed at its best and fucking moronic at its worst. Smoothing over the rough edges like a bunch of AIs playing the game for you or the game punishing you for interacting too much with Tartarus I think helps the game a great deal. You can tell a potent story and leave an impact on your players without having to revoke control and punish them simply for interacting with the game's systems. Is that a controversial statement? I'm sure it is, but frankly if that's the direction this game needed in order for me to care so deeply about it then I couldn't give any less of a fuck. The gameplay is the best the series has ever seen. Battles are snappy, flashy, and fun. The addition of limit breaks via the Theurgy system is a great call, one I was excited to see carried over from SMTV's Magatsuhi system. While they certainly can be a bit much, they're always useful for breaking you out of a pinch in particularly tough fights or being put into a checkmate scenario. Not to mention the overhauls to Tartarus! It's still a bit draining and it does wear out its welcome, but the additional variety gives the game so much more to work with in what was arguably one of its most frustrating and contentious points. Each block of Tartarus is its own thing, both visually and in layout, and it's a much needed break from how formulaic and exhausting it was in the original game.
All that said, the real draw of Persona 3 has always been, and still is its story and characters. The first time I played Persona 3 I really thought it was a case of a game having great concepts and just executing on them poorly. Maybe it was the bad voice acting. Maybe it was me being exhausted from the awful gameplay. It could've been a lot of things. But whatever it was, clearly I was wrong. Persona 3 tells one of my favorite stories I've ever seen in a game. A profoundly deep and moving story of loss, triumph, and celebration. I think a lot of people like to make fun of the idea that "the piece of media says life is worth living therefore it's peak!!!!" which yeah, fair enough. If executed poorly, it can be a bit trite and cliche. I get it. Persona 3 is not that though. Persona 3 makes you feel the weight of your own life clashing against the lives of others and changing them, making them better. I've always thought of Minato Arisato (that is his name I WILL NOT HEAR OTHERWISE YOU FUCKING FIENDS) as this sort of omnipotent, ghostly being whose purpose is to give meaning to others' lives. The ending of this game being his last moments in this world, checking in on everyone and making sure they're doing alright, before passing on and fulfilling his role as the savior of humanity being one of the most profound and emotional moments of any game I have ever played. Maybe this game just came at the right time, maybe now that I'm older I found myself relating to Minato's disposition as someone who sort of exists to give other people purpose, but the last hours of this game made me cry like few things in this world ever have. I bawled endlessly. From seeing Junpei reunite with Chidori, or watching the party react to losing Minato, to checking in on your friends and hearing about the ones who have passed on or go on to do other things with their lives, to the very moment you pass away on that school roof and Memories of You starts playing... it just fucking broke me. I sobbed and sobbed and I couldn't stop sobbing. Writing this review right now I can quite literally feel that same lump finding its way into my throat as I type these words. I don't know what else to say, really. The story is incredible. Every emotional beat hits exactly the way it should. It's not flawless (looking at you Ikutsuki) but my god if it isn't impactful. And that's not even mentioning the characters. Minato, Junpei, Akihiko, Shinji, Mitsuru, Ken, Chidori, Ryoji, hell even some of the social links like Tanaka, Mutatsu, Akinari, Nozomi (yes I'm serious), Bebe, Odagiri, I'm dead serious when I say I love nearly every character in this game. Even the sucky ones have their moments. I love these characters so much. This all goes without mentioning how Reload goes out of its way to give more love and attention to characters who were ignored like Jin and Takaya, or even giving the male party members social outings that help to bring more out of their characters, including a particularly devastating set of interactions with Shinji that really broke me. Previously I thought Persona 1 was my favorite cast in the series but I've since come to realize that the cast of Persona 3 is one I have a near endless love for. Mitsuru Kirijo best girl btw.
Honestly I don't think anything I can say about this game is something that hasn't been written a billion times before. It's beautiful. It's a masterpiece. Reload is everything it deserves to be, and so much more. Writing this review is funny. Playing the game I found myself wanting to talk about so much, even little things, things like how the game so perfectly encapsulates its own time period of 2009-2010, or how hearing Memories of the City again put a god damn pit in my stomach, but sitting here now I find myself blanking on all of that and all I can think about is just one simple fact; I fucking love this game. I genuinely treasure and adore this game, and that's something I never thought I would be saying. This goofy fucking game went from being something I hated so much it pretty much became a part of my personality, to now chilling in my top 10 favorite games of all time as of writing this. It's been a long journey. Four years in the making, yeah. I finally get it. And I'm really glad I do. I will forever be grateful that I got to take the plunge into this game and experience it in the way that I did, and I will always be sad that I won't ever get my first playthrough of Reload back. I was so hesitant to even play it, and as every in game day passed, I felt myself give in more and more to the fact that I was falling in love with something I once hated so intensely. What a powerful feeling. Truthfully though, nothing I say about this game will be some mad revelation or break new ground. No, if anything, I think nothing will ever do this game as much justice as watching that final cutscene and hearing Memories of You play. There's just nothing else like it.
Yes, indeed. The arcana is the means by which all is revealed...
I have had a very long, very strange journey with Persona 3. I love Atlus games. I adore them. Even when I want to tell myself I don't and that I'm "above" them or something, I just can't make myself ignore that even with all their flaws... I treasure Atlus games more than anything else in the entire medium. I first ventured into Persona 3 in 2020 with FES. After I finished the game, I sat back in my chair and stared at my PS2 for about all of five seconds before I finally came to the conclusion;
"Wow. That was the biggest piece of shit I've ever played in my life."
Persona 3 FES was, for a very long time, my least favorite game ever made. I fucking LOATHED it, to the point where it became a running joke with friends. There was so much I hated about it. The incessant displays of horniness from Operation Babewatch, Kenji's social link, and the cutscene of Yukari showering, the mindnumbing and vomit-inducing gameplay that made me want to tear my hair out, the awful balancing, the shockingly bad villains, the ugliness of the game's visual style, everything about Persona 3 FES was like poison to me at the time. I hated the game so fucking much that I don't think I actually have the right words to convey what I mean by that to you. After my playthrough I did what anyone would when they've developed feelings like that, I threw my copy of FES in a drawer where I wouldn't see it again and promptly went on with my life. So needless to say, when Reload got announced... I wasn't really thrilled. I kind of just rolled my eyes. Sure, the game needed a remake desperately, but it wasn't one I was hoping for, especially when the original Persona seems to be rotting away in a corner, desperate for someone to give it the facelift it rightfully deserves. I didn't even pick Reload up on launch, which outside of a few releases that I didn't have much interest in (Soul Hackers 2 and P5 Tactica) was something I hadn't really done with a major Atlus release before. I don't know. It just never seemed necessary to me. Would it make the game enjoyable? Maybe, hell probably. Did I have any interest? Not enough. Atlus has had 3 chances (technically 4 if you count the Portable remaster) to get this game right. Nearly 20 years later, they're still trying? That seemed ridiculous to me.
And then they finally got it right.
Persona 3 Reload is kind of a masterpiece. Reload gives Persona 3 all the bells and whistles and love and care it deserves, and coming away from it now I'm fully convinced this is not only the best Persona game by an extremely large margin, it's among the very best releases Atlus has ever given us. Hell, if you don't believe me, take it from a guy who fucking hated this game so much it nearly became a part of my personality that I went out of my way to platinum this game and do and see everything in it outside of the secret super boss, which I do intend to give a fair shake sometime eventually. That's the kind of experience this was. An unforgettable one that has completely changed my life.
Reload takes nearly every problem I had with the original and either softens the blow or completely corrects it, and in some cases, takes what was in its place and runs with it. When I tell you the last fucking character I ever expected to come out of this game caring about was god damn JIN and yet the game somehow pulled it off? It's flooring, honestly. Now, let's set the record straight, this game is not flawless. Social links are still a bit rudimentary, the dialogue stumbles on itself sometimes (par for the course with modern Persona), and the horniness is still there, albeit a little bit less intrusive. There's plenty of other things I can mention that I think are silly, but cmon now, very few games are without their flaws. What Persona 3 Reload is able to get away with considering its source material is astounding. The new translation is massively appreciated, as it makes the dialogue feel a lot more robust and organic which is helped to an exponential degree by the fact that Reload may very well have the best voice acting I've ever heard in a JRPG. Every character's voice feels exceedingly real, with real inflections and mannerisms that grant them such a sense of place and personality and seldom does it feel like you're listening to characters, and rather real people. I think that really made me appreciate this game a lot more, as certain characters I couldn't stand before (Aigis, Fuuka, Mitsuru, etc.) I found myself not only appreciating more, but fully falling in love with.
Reload isn't without its controversy though. Persona 3 has always been liked by a very opinionated bunch and that's certainly put a dampener on this game's reputation. The biggest complaint I've seen is that Reload "Persona 5-ifies" Persona 3, to which I say... okay? Frankly I think the game is all the better for it. Reload isn't interested in following Katsura Hashino's vision for Persona 3 to a 100% degree. If that were the case there'd be no point to a remake. And let's face it, love it or hate it, Hashino's vision for Persona 3 was flawed at its best and fucking moronic at its worst. Smoothing over the rough edges like a bunch of AIs playing the game for you or the game punishing you for interacting too much with Tartarus I think helps the game a great deal. You can tell a potent story and leave an impact on your players without having to revoke control and punish them simply for interacting with the game's systems. Is that a controversial statement? I'm sure it is, but frankly if that's the direction this game needed in order for me to care so deeply about it then I couldn't give any less of a fuck. The gameplay is the best the series has ever seen. Battles are snappy, flashy, and fun. The addition of limit breaks via the Theurgy system is a great call, one I was excited to see carried over from SMTV's Magatsuhi system. While they certainly can be a bit much, they're always useful for breaking you out of a pinch in particularly tough fights or being put into a checkmate scenario. Not to mention the overhauls to Tartarus! It's still a bit draining and it does wear out its welcome, but the additional variety gives the game so much more to work with in what was arguably one of its most frustrating and contentious points. Each block of Tartarus is its own thing, both visually and in layout, and it's a much needed break from how formulaic and exhausting it was in the original game.
All that said, the real draw of Persona 3 has always been, and still is its story and characters. The first time I played Persona 3 I really thought it was a case of a game having great concepts and just executing on them poorly. Maybe it was the bad voice acting. Maybe it was me being exhausted from the awful gameplay. It could've been a lot of things. But whatever it was, clearly I was wrong. Persona 3 tells one of my favorite stories I've ever seen in a game. A profoundly deep and moving story of loss, triumph, and celebration. I think a lot of people like to make fun of the idea that "the piece of media says life is worth living therefore it's peak!!!!" which yeah, fair enough. If executed poorly, it can be a bit trite and cliche. I get it. Persona 3 is not that though. Persona 3 makes you feel the weight of your own life clashing against the lives of others and changing them, making them better. I've always thought of Minato Arisato (that is his name I WILL NOT HEAR OTHERWISE YOU FUCKING FIENDS) as this sort of omnipotent, ghostly being whose purpose is to give meaning to others' lives. The ending of this game being his last moments in this world, checking in on everyone and making sure they're doing alright, before passing on and fulfilling his role as the savior of humanity being one of the most profound and emotional moments of any game I have ever played. Maybe this game just came at the right time, maybe now that I'm older I found myself relating to Minato's disposition as someone who sort of exists to give other people purpose, but the last hours of this game made me cry like few things in this world ever have. I bawled endlessly. From seeing Junpei reunite with Chidori, or watching the party react to losing Minato, to checking in on your friends and hearing about the ones who have passed on or go on to do other things with their lives, to the very moment you pass away on that school roof and Memories of You starts playing... it just fucking broke me. I sobbed and sobbed and I couldn't stop sobbing. Writing this review right now I can quite literally feel that same lump finding its way into my throat as I type these words. I don't know what else to say, really. The story is incredible. Every emotional beat hits exactly the way it should. It's not flawless (looking at you Ikutsuki) but my god if it isn't impactful. And that's not even mentioning the characters. Minato, Junpei, Akihiko, Shinji, Mitsuru, Ken, Chidori, Ryoji, hell even some of the social links like Tanaka, Mutatsu, Akinari, Nozomi (yes I'm serious), Bebe, Odagiri, I'm dead serious when I say I love nearly every character in this game. Even the sucky ones have their moments. I love these characters so much. This all goes without mentioning how Reload goes out of its way to give more love and attention to characters who were ignored like Jin and Takaya, or even giving the male party members social outings that help to bring more out of their characters, including a particularly devastating set of interactions with Shinji that really broke me. Previously I thought Persona 1 was my favorite cast in the series but I've since come to realize that the cast of Persona 3 is one I have a near endless love for. Mitsuru Kirijo best girl btw.
Honestly I don't think anything I can say about this game is something that hasn't been written a billion times before. It's beautiful. It's a masterpiece. Reload is everything it deserves to be, and so much more. Writing this review is funny. Playing the game I found myself wanting to talk about so much, even little things, things like how the game so perfectly encapsulates its own time period of 2009-2010, or how hearing Memories of the City again put a god damn pit in my stomach, but sitting here now I find myself blanking on all of that and all I can think about is just one simple fact; I fucking love this game. I genuinely treasure and adore this game, and that's something I never thought I would be saying. This goofy fucking game went from being something I hated so much it pretty much became a part of my personality, to now chilling in my top 10 favorite games of all time as of writing this. It's been a long journey. Four years in the making, yeah. I finally get it. And I'm really glad I do. I will forever be grateful that I got to take the plunge into this game and experience it in the way that I did, and I will always be sad that I won't ever get my first playthrough of Reload back. I was so hesitant to even play it, and as every in game day passed, I felt myself give in more and more to the fact that I was falling in love with something I once hated so intensely. What a powerful feeling. Truthfully though, nothing I say about this game will be some mad revelation or break new ground. No, if anything, I think nothing will ever do this game as much justice as watching that final cutscene and hearing Memories of You play. There's just nothing else like it.
Yes, indeed. The arcana is the means by which all is revealed...
2023
This review contains spoilers
Often when we have these decades long waits for the things we care about we kind of end up deluding ourselves as to what kind of experience is going to be awaiting us.
I speak from experience. Pikmin 3 was the first time I had experienced that.
While I love Pikmin 3, and in hindsight I appreciate it more now, it had a lot riding on it that it simply was just never going to live up to. After that we had a long silence in terms of Pikmin news and games. It was agonizing. Truly, genuinely, agonizing. I have never been in such pain waiting for something in my life. So when I tell you that those long arduous 10 years I spent waiting for Pikmin 4 were by some miracle actually worth it…
god damn you best believe it.
This game absolutely stunned me. I cannot believe what I have just spent the past month playing. This game is every stupid fanfic tier idea the Pikmin community had circa 2009 and shoved all into one glorious unforgiving package that is willing to give the fans everything they have ever dreamed of. This kind of a game is a miracle the likes of which are not usually seen these days. Pikmin releases are always a homerun but with Pikmin 4, Nintendo swung the bat, hit the ball, and sent the ball flying so hard it cracked open the damn ozone layer. It’s unbelievable what this game has to offer. 6 fantastically fresh and unique areas that are all massive, return of the Piklopedia and the Treasure Horde, 2 new types for a combined 9 ALL WITH ONIONS, a brand new companion character that surprisingly helps improve gameplay, and an emphasis on strategy that elevates this game’s feel far and above the rest of the series. This game has it all. Not to mention it has an entire side mode where you basically get to play Pikmin 1 but with your time limit cut in half and in remixed areas from Pikmin 4? This game has so many ideas and modes and content it is literally struggling to contain it all in one game.
I can’t even begin to describe to you the sheer look of stupid glee on my face seeing all the callbacks to Pikmin 2. There’s a lot of love for Pikmin 1 and 3 here but Nintendo finally showed some love to the real crown jewel of the series and they went above and beyond. I refuse to spoil it for any Pikmin fans here but just know that if you have any favor with Pikmin 2, this game is gonna floor you.
I don’t have the words, man. A game like this does not happen very often. A game that does not falter in its identity and instead reinvents itself to appease old fans while welcoming new ones with arms wide open. Pikmin 4 through and through is the next evolution of Pikmin. This is the game we didn’t just wait 10 years for, but 20 years for. This is the game we deserved and I still do not believe it’s even real. There is a god and this game is all the proof I need because the only explanation for this game’s existence is some damn divine intervention.
I speak from experience. Pikmin 3 was the first time I had experienced that.
While I love Pikmin 3, and in hindsight I appreciate it more now, it had a lot riding on it that it simply was just never going to live up to. After that we had a long silence in terms of Pikmin news and games. It was agonizing. Truly, genuinely, agonizing. I have never been in such pain waiting for something in my life. So when I tell you that those long arduous 10 years I spent waiting for Pikmin 4 were by some miracle actually worth it…
god damn you best believe it.
This game absolutely stunned me. I cannot believe what I have just spent the past month playing. This game is every stupid fanfic tier idea the Pikmin community had circa 2009 and shoved all into one glorious unforgiving package that is willing to give the fans everything they have ever dreamed of. This kind of a game is a miracle the likes of which are not usually seen these days. Pikmin releases are always a homerun but with Pikmin 4, Nintendo swung the bat, hit the ball, and sent the ball flying so hard it cracked open the damn ozone layer. It’s unbelievable what this game has to offer. 6 fantastically fresh and unique areas that are all massive, return of the Piklopedia and the Treasure Horde, 2 new types for a combined 9 ALL WITH ONIONS, a brand new companion character that surprisingly helps improve gameplay, and an emphasis on strategy that elevates this game’s feel far and above the rest of the series. This game has it all. Not to mention it has an entire side mode where you basically get to play Pikmin 1 but with your time limit cut in half and in remixed areas from Pikmin 4? This game has so many ideas and modes and content it is literally struggling to contain it all in one game.
I can’t even begin to describe to you the sheer look of stupid glee on my face seeing all the callbacks to Pikmin 2. There’s a lot of love for Pikmin 1 and 3 here but Nintendo finally showed some love to the real crown jewel of the series and they went above and beyond. I refuse to spoil it for any Pikmin fans here but just know that if you have any favor with Pikmin 2, this game is gonna floor you.
I don’t have the words, man. A game like this does not happen very often. A game that does not falter in its identity and instead reinvents itself to appease old fans while welcoming new ones with arms wide open. Pikmin 4 through and through is the next evolution of Pikmin. This is the game we didn’t just wait 10 years for, but 20 years for. This is the game we deserved and I still do not believe it’s even real. There is a god and this game is all the proof I need because the only explanation for this game’s existence is some damn divine intervention.
2000
This review contains spoilers
Normally I don’t write reviews because I find it increasingly difficult to word my feelings about a game properly. I can point out things that are good, things that work, yet I struggle to find what I truly love. But alas, ever since I first started playing this game this month it’s been on my mind nonstop and sitting here at 4 AM, it’s worked its way back into my brain for a while longer. These past few weeks I’ve been trying to sell everyone I know on this damn game and trying to convince them why it’s a god damn masterpiece.
And I’m about to do it all over again.
christ on a cracker what the hell is this game. Deus Ex has served as my introduction to the world of Western RPGs and good god what a tour guide. Where other games go right, Deus Ex goes back, up, and to the left. Nothing about this game is made simple, even the damn controls at the start of the game feel like their own little war. Every single aspect of this game has been meticulously crafted to be as perfect as possible and everything has a sense of purpose. For a game made nearly 23 years ago this shit STILL feels like it’s from the future.
Deus Ex puts you in the role of JC Denton, an augmented terminator man working his first shift at UNATCO, the United Nations Against Terrorism Coalition. Immediately upon booting the game you get one of the most iconic moments of any Western game ever made with Bob Page and Walton Simons discussing the current status of the world and talking about a whole bunch of things that to a new player will sound like complete nonsense. It’s almost a little comedic listening to Page talk his own ego up, he sounds incredibly one dimensional, and in a few ways he is, but his goals and his methods of reaching them is what makes him interesting. More on that later. Your first mission is to meet up with your brother Paul Denton and after attaining your weapon of choice, fight through the terrorist group of the NSF on Liberty Island and find the leader holed up in the Statue of Liberty in order to regain access to UNATCO HQ. Which leads me to the first real point of discussion;
The gameplay in this game is a tad bizarre. At first it was honestly overwhelming. The game dumps pretty much everything on you all at the start, which coupled with some janky controls and AI, can make for a weird learning barrier. Break that barrier though, and you will stumble into one of the most endlessly customizable and intuitive games ever made. Your first goal is to find the NSF Terrorist Leader and take back Liberty Island. Now, you could play the game like a dumb fucking caveman chimpanzee (me) and blow up all the guards and security bots, fly through the front doors, walk up to the leader and blow his brains out, or you could do what Deus Ex does best; experiment. Deus Ex is an immersive sim, which in case you’re unfamiliar, basically means that any problem you’re supposed to solve with a gun you can probably solve by stacking a bunch of boxes and going over it instead. Liberty Island is a pretty massive first level, and you’re rewarded for exploring it. You’ll find codes that unlock doors around the site, you can go into a shed or UNATCO’s bunker to get some extra goodies, you can even head to the docks and meet up with some double agents that’ll give you the means to get into the Statue of Liberty by either going in front or back. You’re also given the option of taking down enemies passively or lethally. It’s not just you getting from point a to point b however you like, how you get there affects the story and affects the game. It’s incredible. For instance, if you kill Anna Navarre in Lebedev’s plane, she doesn’t show up for the rest of the game despite having major roles and boss fights and Gunter Hermann will become increasingly suspicious of you for killing her. The game even accounts for you killing NPCs in dialogue options. Finishing Liberty Island also gives the player some insight into one of the most haunting things I’ve ever experienced in media.
Deus Ex is a weird game. It’s weird in that 23 years ago, it was a fictitious world with insane ideas and crazy politics. But what’s so strange and haunting about that… is that today it feels less and less fictitious than it ever has. I mentioned previously that you don’t have to kill the NSF Leader like a chimp person, you can spare him and talk with him, and if you do, you get one of the most iconic and haunting conversations ever held in a game. After that conversation, something becomes clear; there is nobody in this world you can trust to take at face value, and there is nobody in this world you can trust to be your friend. Deus Ex is a world that is being destroyed by a man made plague called the Black Death, one that was not initially meant to be harmful but was later altered to attack those with nano augmentations, and is now attacking people even if they lack said augmentations and is killing them indiscriminately. It’s a world populated by the hopelessly rich, the elite who keep the rich in their pocket, the puppeteers who work from the shadows, terrorists and criminals trying to keep themselves alive, drug traders and party goers, and the homeless and soldiers who walk the city streets at night. There is no middle class working man, there’s only the rich and famous, and the poverty stricken flocks of urban citizens. People have begun to make homes underground, creating factions in those underground homes and having wars with each others, entire new cultures have been born from this migration to abandoned train stations and sewers. Yet all the same, we’re working for a coalition that seems to be in touch with some of these richer folks, and we can’t relate to these people even if we wanted to. Things get even weirder when it’s revealed that UNATCO isn’t just kept in the pocket of these rich people, but is also a massive front for said rich people’s secret terrorist organization; Majestic 12.
Majestic 12 is terrifying. Getting captured in New York and fighting your way through the hellish MJ12 Prison Facility only to open the blast doors and realize you were in UNATCO the whole time is something I do not think I will ever be able to describe properly. Not to mention that after you leave the facility you exit to Hong Kong with only 24 hours left to live and are fighting the clock to uncover their secrets and keep yourself alive. Majestic 12 is a group that is manufacturing the virus and infecting people, while also manufacturing the vaccine and distributing it only to the wealthy to make money and push their agendas. It’s insidious and yet it’s both smart and mirrors our reality so effortless. This is what Bob Page’s reality is. It is a reality where everyone is kept in his pocket and he gets to have his way with reality. Even Walton Simons seems to be at his mercy. The Majestic 12 operate everywhere, and in Paris, have gained so much control that they operate in the open and are seen as a cult that forces young children to join at risk of being killed otherwise. They also perform human experimentations and create this horrible chimera monsters that populate some areas of the world. It is shocking how much of this game cane true in the years that have passed. It predicted 9/11, it predicted COVID, it was well aware of how much of a scam all these corporations and government facilitations were. Deus Ex was so far ahead of the curve that it makes every other game I’ve played nearly seem childish in comparison. It is haunting how much of this game panned out. Deus Ex is a story that talks about conspiracy, that talks about humans replacing gods for AI, that talks about our inherent need to feel governed and controlled. God was a dream of good government, and now we can fulfill that same dream with machines and computers. We can literally become the god of the machine, the deus ex machina.
One thing I’ve gone without mentioning somehow, is how everything comes together in this game. What I mean is, as I’ve explained the story it’s easy to gather that this game is oppressive and cruel. It’s so endlessly hopeless and yet it constantly combines the familiar and mundane with cyberpunk horror and fantasy and that makes it feel weird and interesting yet so close to home. There is no feeling quite like walking the streets of New York City, completely abandoned and empty thanks to the pandemic, as that ambient synthwave music kicks in, and it’s magic. The imagery in this game is stunning. The Statue of Liberty’s head has been blown off, Hong Kong is lit up by neon signs and advertising and is accompanied by one of the best songs in all of gaming to emphasize how lively it is, and Paris… oh dear god Paris. Walking the completely empty and dead streets seeing MJ12 units and security bots patrol the streets so openly as bakeries and offices have been shut down and booby trapped for robbers just screams nothing short of a world that is completely fucked. This all goes without mentioning moments like the DuClare Chateau, a moment where you get to take a break from all the fighting and stealth and explore the mansion of a former Illuminati while her daughter tells you stories of her childhood and growing up in this massive house, all while arguably the best song in the game plays. It’s such an incredible piece of world building.
I love this game. I don’t even have the words to describe how much I love this game. I went into this game expecting to really like it and what I came out with was a strong contender for one of my favorite games ever made, let alone media. Nothing I say will ever describe this game as well as simply walking the desolate streets of its desolate and destroyed cities. Deus Ex is a masterpiece. It is a one of a kind experience that comes once in a lifetime and anyone who’s fortunate enough to meet it on its own terms and really let it have its way with them will find themselves walking out of it feeling like they’ve been completely and totally transformed. I don’t even have the right words. There is so much to say and yet after all I’ve already said I think it best to just say; I love this fucking game.
oh also “why contain it?……… s’cool”
And I’m about to do it all over again.
christ on a cracker what the hell is this game. Deus Ex has served as my introduction to the world of Western RPGs and good god what a tour guide. Where other games go right, Deus Ex goes back, up, and to the left. Nothing about this game is made simple, even the damn controls at the start of the game feel like their own little war. Every single aspect of this game has been meticulously crafted to be as perfect as possible and everything has a sense of purpose. For a game made nearly 23 years ago this shit STILL feels like it’s from the future.
Deus Ex puts you in the role of JC Denton, an augmented terminator man working his first shift at UNATCO, the United Nations Against Terrorism Coalition. Immediately upon booting the game you get one of the most iconic moments of any Western game ever made with Bob Page and Walton Simons discussing the current status of the world and talking about a whole bunch of things that to a new player will sound like complete nonsense. It’s almost a little comedic listening to Page talk his own ego up, he sounds incredibly one dimensional, and in a few ways he is, but his goals and his methods of reaching them is what makes him interesting. More on that later. Your first mission is to meet up with your brother Paul Denton and after attaining your weapon of choice, fight through the terrorist group of the NSF on Liberty Island and find the leader holed up in the Statue of Liberty in order to regain access to UNATCO HQ. Which leads me to the first real point of discussion;
The gameplay in this game is a tad bizarre. At first it was honestly overwhelming. The game dumps pretty much everything on you all at the start, which coupled with some janky controls and AI, can make for a weird learning barrier. Break that barrier though, and you will stumble into one of the most endlessly customizable and intuitive games ever made. Your first goal is to find the NSF Terrorist Leader and take back Liberty Island. Now, you could play the game like a dumb fucking caveman chimpanzee (me) and blow up all the guards and security bots, fly through the front doors, walk up to the leader and blow his brains out, or you could do what Deus Ex does best; experiment. Deus Ex is an immersive sim, which in case you’re unfamiliar, basically means that any problem you’re supposed to solve with a gun you can probably solve by stacking a bunch of boxes and going over it instead. Liberty Island is a pretty massive first level, and you’re rewarded for exploring it. You’ll find codes that unlock doors around the site, you can go into a shed or UNATCO’s bunker to get some extra goodies, you can even head to the docks and meet up with some double agents that’ll give you the means to get into the Statue of Liberty by either going in front or back. You’re also given the option of taking down enemies passively or lethally. It’s not just you getting from point a to point b however you like, how you get there affects the story and affects the game. It’s incredible. For instance, if you kill Anna Navarre in Lebedev’s plane, she doesn’t show up for the rest of the game despite having major roles and boss fights and Gunter Hermann will become increasingly suspicious of you for killing her. The game even accounts for you killing NPCs in dialogue options. Finishing Liberty Island also gives the player some insight into one of the most haunting things I’ve ever experienced in media.
Deus Ex is a weird game. It’s weird in that 23 years ago, it was a fictitious world with insane ideas and crazy politics. But what’s so strange and haunting about that… is that today it feels less and less fictitious than it ever has. I mentioned previously that you don’t have to kill the NSF Leader like a chimp person, you can spare him and talk with him, and if you do, you get one of the most iconic and haunting conversations ever held in a game. After that conversation, something becomes clear; there is nobody in this world you can trust to take at face value, and there is nobody in this world you can trust to be your friend. Deus Ex is a world that is being destroyed by a man made plague called the Black Death, one that was not initially meant to be harmful but was later altered to attack those with nano augmentations, and is now attacking people even if they lack said augmentations and is killing them indiscriminately. It’s a world populated by the hopelessly rich, the elite who keep the rich in their pocket, the puppeteers who work from the shadows, terrorists and criminals trying to keep themselves alive, drug traders and party goers, and the homeless and soldiers who walk the city streets at night. There is no middle class working man, there’s only the rich and famous, and the poverty stricken flocks of urban citizens. People have begun to make homes underground, creating factions in those underground homes and having wars with each others, entire new cultures have been born from this migration to abandoned train stations and sewers. Yet all the same, we’re working for a coalition that seems to be in touch with some of these richer folks, and we can’t relate to these people even if we wanted to. Things get even weirder when it’s revealed that UNATCO isn’t just kept in the pocket of these rich people, but is also a massive front for said rich people’s secret terrorist organization; Majestic 12.
Majestic 12 is terrifying. Getting captured in New York and fighting your way through the hellish MJ12 Prison Facility only to open the blast doors and realize you were in UNATCO the whole time is something I do not think I will ever be able to describe properly. Not to mention that after you leave the facility you exit to Hong Kong with only 24 hours left to live and are fighting the clock to uncover their secrets and keep yourself alive. Majestic 12 is a group that is manufacturing the virus and infecting people, while also manufacturing the vaccine and distributing it only to the wealthy to make money and push their agendas. It’s insidious and yet it’s both smart and mirrors our reality so effortless. This is what Bob Page’s reality is. It is a reality where everyone is kept in his pocket and he gets to have his way with reality. Even Walton Simons seems to be at his mercy. The Majestic 12 operate everywhere, and in Paris, have gained so much control that they operate in the open and are seen as a cult that forces young children to join at risk of being killed otherwise. They also perform human experimentations and create this horrible chimera monsters that populate some areas of the world. It is shocking how much of this game cane true in the years that have passed. It predicted 9/11, it predicted COVID, it was well aware of how much of a scam all these corporations and government facilitations were. Deus Ex was so far ahead of the curve that it makes every other game I’ve played nearly seem childish in comparison. It is haunting how much of this game panned out. Deus Ex is a story that talks about conspiracy, that talks about humans replacing gods for AI, that talks about our inherent need to feel governed and controlled. God was a dream of good government, and now we can fulfill that same dream with machines and computers. We can literally become the god of the machine, the deus ex machina.
One thing I’ve gone without mentioning somehow, is how everything comes together in this game. What I mean is, as I’ve explained the story it’s easy to gather that this game is oppressive and cruel. It’s so endlessly hopeless and yet it constantly combines the familiar and mundane with cyberpunk horror and fantasy and that makes it feel weird and interesting yet so close to home. There is no feeling quite like walking the streets of New York City, completely abandoned and empty thanks to the pandemic, as that ambient synthwave music kicks in, and it’s magic. The imagery in this game is stunning. The Statue of Liberty’s head has been blown off, Hong Kong is lit up by neon signs and advertising and is accompanied by one of the best songs in all of gaming to emphasize how lively it is, and Paris… oh dear god Paris. Walking the completely empty and dead streets seeing MJ12 units and security bots patrol the streets so openly as bakeries and offices have been shut down and booby trapped for robbers just screams nothing short of a world that is completely fucked. This all goes without mentioning moments like the DuClare Chateau, a moment where you get to take a break from all the fighting and stealth and explore the mansion of a former Illuminati while her daughter tells you stories of her childhood and growing up in this massive house, all while arguably the best song in the game plays. It’s such an incredible piece of world building.
I love this game. I don’t even have the words to describe how much I love this game. I went into this game expecting to really like it and what I came out with was a strong contender for one of my favorite games ever made, let alone media. Nothing I say will ever describe this game as well as simply walking the desolate streets of its desolate and destroyed cities. Deus Ex is a masterpiece. It is a one of a kind experience that comes once in a lifetime and anyone who’s fortunate enough to meet it on its own terms and really let it have its way with them will find themselves walking out of it feeling like they’ve been completely and totally transformed. I don’t even have the right words. There is so much to say and yet after all I’ve already said I think it best to just say; I love this fucking game.
oh also “why contain it?……… s’cool”
A FUCKING SNAIL