History Videogame / DeusEx

* DoubleMeaningTitle

* UncannyValley: Due to disc space, the twin towers in NYC had to be cut out of the final game. That alone is weird enough, until you realize when the game was released.

** You'd think that Maggie Chow would know that making your birthday your password is a bad idea. Also, Chow's computer passwords are the names of her favorite novels.

*** Ask anyone that works in or adjacent to IT Security, and you'll know this is a sad TruthInTelevision.

** In the game's engine, the default username and password for any locked computer is [=USER/USER=]. A large number of computers in the game still use this combination; most have very little or literally nothing on them, but a small number hold access codes, control buttons, or other such things.

* ResearchInc: Versalife

* SequelHook: The cloning tanks at the very end of the game include [[spoiler: a clone of JC himself]]. In a CallForward, a nearby computer screen even gives their name as Alex.
* SequenceBreaking:

For major storyline mods, 2006 saw the release of the ''VideoGame/{{Zodiac}}'' mod, a fan-made {{Interquel}} that allows you to play as Paul Denton. In 2009, the most notable of the game's total conversion mods, ''VideoGame/TheNamelessMod'' was released, featuring an original non-linear plot and fully voiced dialogue. A fan-made prequel, ''[[VideoGame/TwentyTwentySeven 2027]]'' featuring UsefulNotes/DirectX 9 graphics, and a non-linear plot was released in 2011. ''[[VideoGame/DeusExNihilum Deus Ex: Nihilum]]'' was released in 2013, and is set in an alternate continuity few years before the canonical start of the game.

* GameMod: A few, such as ''VideoGame/{{Zodiac}}'', ''Shifter'', ''[=Redsun2020=]'', ''VideoGame/TheNamelessMod'', ''[[VideoGame/TwentyTwentySeven 2027]]'', and the ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-faAQIjbJZE Malkavian Mod]]''.

* HollywoodSilencer: Available weapon mod, that can be attached to the assault rifle and sniper rifle. It doesn't change the weapon's appearance though.

* DumpStat: The Swimming skill is considered to be absolutely worthless. There are only ''two'' instances where it'll really make a difference, and both are optional.

* AdultFear: The player has the option to read the emails of a cyborg government agent. In one email he expresses fears about new innovations in cybernetics that will render him obsolete and useless thus forcing the government to fire him and leaving him without specialist care he requires to function.[[note]]Though his request for a "skul gun" makes it a little campier than it should have been.[[/note]]

*** Ask anyone that works in or adjacent to IT Security, and you'll know this is a sad TruthInTelevsion.

* KatanasAreJustBetter: In this universe where people can pay to have the ability to level a building and reduce an entire town full of people to mush by just ''thinking'' at them, or can carry enough firepower to make the US Army blush, the strongest weapon in the game is a sword.

** Police will attack you if they catch you picking locks, and in some places, picking locks will cause unarmed [=NPCs=] to panic, and armed ones to attack you.

** There are a few instances where playing a PacifistRun makes things easier. One in particular is in mole people tunnels. Getting to the exit without a fight might be difficult, but making a beeline for a hidden room on the other side and confronting the commander of the group there causes him to surrender, causing the other NSF soldiers in the area to stand down as well. At that point it's trivial to loot the place, talk to {{NPC}}s, and continue on at your leisure.

** Deconstructed in Paris when [[spoiler:Icarus contacts JC via infolink while he is breaking and entering people's houses and implores, in a very deadpan manner, the player to consider his motivations for violating "arbitrary laws" and to not miss the chance to join a new world order]].

* OptionalStealth: Stealth is possible. While certain {{NPC}}s will react positively or negatively based on whether you primarily use lethal or nonlethal force, it usually doesn't matter if you take a stealthy approach or not (although playing stealthily makes nonlethal runs easier for obvious reasons).
** However, there's a mission near the end where you have to rescue a scientist's daughter from the Majestic-12, in which getting caught results in an [[TheMenInBlack MIB]] killing her, causing you to fail the mission and miss out on a reward. It is still possible to complete the game, though.

The game is also known for its relatively active modding community. [[http://www.moddb.com/mods/gmdx GMDX]] ('''G'''ive '''M'''e '''D'''eus E'''X''') is perhaps the most notable today, having a stated goal of attempting to "stay true to the original design principles that define ''Deus Ex'', and seeks to improve all aspects of design", such as more advanced AI, more detailed level design, enhanced physics engine, updated graphics and audio design, and extensive bugfixing, but without touching the plot and soundtrack. It is consistently given the title "The Definitive Deus Ex Experience" by players.

* AdultFear: The player has the option to read the emails of a cyborg government agent. In one email he expresses fears about new innovations in cybernetics that will render him obsolete and useless thus forcing the government to fire him and leaving him without specialist care he requires to function.[[note]]Though Gunther's request for a "skul gun" makes it a little campier than it should have been.[[/note]]

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Deus Ex is on the harder end of the scale, with only the [[spoiler:universal constructors in the end game]] and [[WritersCannotDoMath super sonic black helicopters]] tilting to implausible.

** Paul rents two movies: ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/See_You_Next_Wednesday See You Next Wednesday]]'' and ''[[StarWars Blue Harvest]]''.

* ShownTheirWork: With UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories in general. For Example: EnemyChatter in one level has an "Informed Guard" telling a "New Guard" the various [[http://echelonii.tumblr.com/post/47257268654/fema-orders Executive Orders]] that give FEMA the power to do what it's doing, assuring him that it's all legal. Said Executive Orders are cited by conspiracy nuts to mean these things.
-->'''Informed Guard''': Executive Order 10990. It lets us take over all modes of transportation.\\

** In classical mythology, Helios is the Sun and Daedalus was the father of Icarus. ''Of course'' something bad happens when you put them together.

* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler: There's an e-mail in that game that says the Denton clones are named after the apostles. If JC is the pinnacle of the project...]]
** [[spoiler: Saul became Paul after he changed sides. That should be a major clue as to Paul's loyalties.]]

* {{Chupacabra}}: Gʁeen gʁeasy gʁeasels, strange blood-sucking chicken-reptile green things, as befitting of some of the popular descriptiosn of Chupacabra.

* ConspiracyKitchenSink: One of the best sinks around. All conspiracy theories are true, and all are true at the same time. The game even has references to ''Literature/TheManWhoWasThursday'' -- one of the earliest grand conspiracy thrillers. The WordOfGod is that they wanted the game to take place in the kind of world {{Conspiracy Theorist}}s ''think'' we live in. However, the game's version of Majestic-12 seems to have nothing to do with its (supposed) real-world namesake apart from being a secretive group in general and having handled aliens -- which are, in actuality, a FalseFlagOperation trying to lure crackpots away from the ''real'' conspiracy, and were an attempt of making genetically-engineered {{Super Soldiers}}.

* CreepilyLongArms: The Grays have these extra long arms that let them haul their scrawny asses with much more speed than their thinness suggests.

* CyberPunk: The series crosses the whole spectrum between this and PostCyberpunk. ''Deus Ex'' itself straddles the dividing line. One of the endings is the latter, assuming [[spoiler: Helios can be trusted.]]
* CyberPunkIsTechno: The soundtrack for certain areas reflect this, along with the nightclubs.

* DumpStat: The Swimming skill is considered to be absolutely worthless.

* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Smuggler.

** This can be seen when you look at a few world maps. Southern California and the Baja California peninsula are nowhere to be seen.

* SubliminalSeduction: Although "subliminal" probably isn't the word to use for it. In the Hong Kong [=VersaLife=] offices, over the programmers' heads are message boards that continually flash one-word messages such as "OBEY", "TRUST", and "LOYALTY".

* ShinyNewAustralia: The BigBad offers you Europe to stay out of his way.

* ConspiracyKitchenSink: One of the best sinks around. All conspiracy theories are true, and all at the same time. The game even has references to ''Literature/TheManWhoWasThursday''--one of the earliest grand conspiracy thrillers. The WordOfGod is that they wanted the game to take place in the kind of world {{Conspiracy Theorist}}s ''think'' we live in. However, the game's version of Majestic-12 seems to have nothing to do with its (supposed) real-world namesake apart from being a secretive group in general and having handled aliens - which are, in actuality, a FalseFlagOperation trying to lure crackpots away from the ''real'' conspiracy, and were an attempt of making genetically-engineered {{Super Soldiers}}.

* EmergentGameplay: Deus Ex is often cited as responsible for promoting the concept of Emergent Gameplay, with players able to solve problems with unique and unforeseen solutions, often involving abuse of the game's physics or advanced level skills that developers did not anticipate being upgraded to that extent during a certain stage of the game.

* EnemyScan: [[MemeticMutation His vision is augmented.]]

* EverythingIsTryingToKillYou: The final fight with Page is not a traditional boss fight so much as MalevolentArchitecture mixed with FlunkyBoss. On the three floors of the massive room in which he's being held, he's got swarms of repopulating minions (you can rush the nanoreplicators creating new creatures and turn their failsafes on, fortunately). He's also able to selectively blow up some of the computer banks and what-not where you travel to block your progress.

* GenreBusting

* SniperPistol: You can make one if you add a scope to a pistol. You'll never see the actual scope in-game though.
* SniperRifle

* SpoilerOpening: The opening cinematic not only identifies the BigBad and TheDragon and their current spheres of influence, but also that a certain woman in a dragon dress is affiliated with them, UNATCO has a puppet leader in place and the conspirators are investing in, amongst other things, an electronic sentience. The developers seemingly realised they were giving away a bit much, as the intro for the later-released [=PS2=] version of the game cuts out all of the spoilers mentioned except for the Big Bad and Dragon's identities.