Deus Ex (and maybe Deus Ex: Invisible War)

If you want more: Unbridled developer ambition, cyberpunk vibes, augmented abilities, questionable fashion sense
Notable differences: Much more detailed world simulation, charmingly ‘90s politics and conspiracies, actually lives up to its hype
Availability:
Deus Ex: Windows (Steam Deck: YMMV*), macOS, PlayStation 2
Deus Ex: Invisible War: Windows (Steam Deck: YMMV), Xbox

Deux Ex’s reputation precedes it. It is the immersive sim of record, pulling together ideas first broached in previous landmarks like Ultima Underworld, System Shock, and Thief in service of a sprawling, globetrotting adventure of surprising scope. It is breathtakingly ambitious, a supremely satisfying game experience, the birthplace of countless memes, and really quite jank by today’s player expectations. If you can push past the initial friction, you might just love it.

The original Deus Ex is the most Deus Ex, Deus Ex. All the sequels that came after sought to simplify, condense, and refine, so only 2000’s opus affords you the full spectrum of Ion Storm’s weirdness and brilliance. It makes plenty of mistakes: The voice acting is legendarily bad, the writing often dorky and overwrought, the augments kinda cumbersome, and the gunplay lifeless. Cyberpunk 2077 actually bests it in a few of those categories. But if you’re the type of first-person enjoyer who loves to get lost playing in a world and its overlapping systems, Deus Ex is a must-play.

Its 2003 sequel, Invisible War, got a lot of flack for beginning to simplify its predecessor’s formula and kowtowing to the original Xbox’s limiting 64MB RAM. It’s not near as audacious, and understandably left many fans disappointed. But temper your expectations and you can still have plenty of fun, and if you’re looking for an imsim to enjoy, well, Cyberpunk 2077 certainly won’t scratch that itch. — Alexandra Hall

*Your Mileage May Vary