I started playing it a week or so ago and I'm finding myself becoming more and more fond of it. However, there was a barrier of entry in the early part of the game. I haven't pinpointed exactly what it was, but I think it has to do with figuring out just what to do with your initial attribute points (called Praxis points in the game).
The game is very daunting at first; like Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but it is far more focused. You start out in a given map. Within that map is the main mission you're on, but so are some side missions you can do. When you're finished with the map, you leave and usually don't come back.
The difference from Skyrim, though, is that those side missions are contained to just that map. You'll not spend the next 10 hours of game play going down rabbit hole after rabbit hole that has nothing to do with your real goal. This is somewhat a relief after playing Skyrim since you'll get back on track pretty quickly. Of course, the inherent randomness and vastness that came with Skyrim is lost. It makes me wish that there were a consequence for neglecting the main mission in Skyrim. Or some mechanic in the game that will guide you to do those missions without it simply being because you say, "hey, I haven't found out what's happening with those dragons yet! Where am I supposed to go again?" Yes, your quest log in Skyrim will tell you where to go next (as will markers on the map), but you, as the player, seek those out rather than the game giving you a little nudge in that direction. To do this would be very difficult in Skyrim, since it's one massive map, but a little guiding of the player toward the main quest would do wonders to how well the player receives it.
I've basically turned this blog into a Skyrim blog. It's actually a microcosm of the experience of playing Skyrim because I fell down a rabbit hole into discussing the structure, or lack thereof, in it; when my intention was to talk about how I'm liking Deus Ex quite a bit (despite it's own flaws).
Back to Deus Ex.
The area of the game with the most room for personalization is how you level up your skills. And, it's also the area of the game that leads to the oddest thing about it.
You can level the skills any way you want; whatever best suits your play. However, early on it seems that the best thing to do is initially pocket the points and then play as a slealthy, hacker type. Hacking will yield you more money (you can buy more stuff) and exp (you'll level up quicker). I didn't understand the hacking at first, but then I got the hang of it and it's really satisfying.
But here's the perplexing thing about Deus Ex. It'll let your spend each mission sneaking around, hacking a bunch of stuff, and neutralizing every enemy NPC through non-lethal means. You can put all of your attribute points into "stealth" categories, but when it comes to boss fights (yes, boss fights in a slighty non-linear RPG. It is a curious choice. It reminds me a bit of Alpha Protocol.) you must kill the boss. You can't really make use of skills you've spent the entire mission using. If you use just a tranquilizing rifle, since you don't want to kill dudes (did I mention you also get more exp, if you only incapacitate the enemy NPCs too?), you can't beat him this way. Luckily the game leaves ammo, guns, grenades, and even explosive barrels to throw at the boss.
It's a strange design choice to say the least.
I'm anxious to see how the story plays out. Now back to Deus Ex.
"The Rockafeller Shank" - Fatboy Slim
