Line #32 VideoGame/DeusExNihilum


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_5384.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300: That is one weird-looking [[{{TheIlluminati}} Eye of Providence...]]]]
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4	''DXN - Deus Ex: Nihilum'' is a [[http://www.moddb.com/mods/nihilum/ 2013 total conversion mod]] for ''VideoGame/DeusEx''. Set in an AlternateUniverse of ''Deus Ex'' in the year 2049, it follows the first nano-augmented UNATCO agent Mad Ingram as he heads to Hong Kong in order to solve the mystery of a terrorist attack committed in Shenzhen, and stumbles upon a [[{{TheConspiracy}} conspiracy]] in the process. It won the [[http://www.moddb.com/mods/nihilum/features/mod-of-the-year-2013-editor-choice 2013 Single Player Mod of the Year award]] and is generally considered to be one of the best ''Deus Ex'' mods, up there with ''VideoGame/TheNamelessMod''.
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7	!!This game provides examples of:
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9	* AmericaSavesTheDay: Subverted. After [[spoiler:the capture of David Yoon]], the MPS doesn't want to have the press giving any credit to the American UNATCO agent who actually did all the work.
10	* AlternateUniverse: The game is set in an alternate timeline of the ''Deus Ex'' universe. While most things are the same, the most notable difference is that Mad Ingram, not Paul Denton, becomes the first nano-augmented UNATCO agent. [[spoiler: The Sacrifice ending leads into a similar, but slightly different beginning of the original Deus Ex however, and heavily implies the original game is going to come out from it, and the XVA ending explicitly shows JC coming on board with UNATCO.]]
11	* BadassLongcoat: Mad Ingram.
12	* BadGuyBar / CoolestClubEver: The Forichi Club. It's done in a groovy, black-and-gold ''Human Revolution'' style and is a front organization for the Luminous Path triad, particularly David Yoon.
13	* BigApplesauce: You get to visit Queens during the later part of the game. The same Manhattan skyline from the original can been seen off in the background.
14	* BigBadEnsemble: [[spoiler:Number One from [=MJ12=] and Alexia Novikova from XVA.]]
15	* TheCameo: In the introduction, [[VideoGame/DeusEx Joseph Manderley, Gunther Hermann, and Anne Navarre]] can all be seen briefly on Liberty Island before Ingram's helicopter takes off. [[spoiler: A couple of the endings have Bob Page, Walton Simons, and JC Denton making appearances.]]
16	* TheConspiracy: Wouldn't be a ''Deus Ex'' story without one.
17	** ConspiracyKitchenSink: [[spoiler:All the good stuff from the first game - Majestic 12, TheGreys, TheIlluminati, United Nations, etc.]]
18	* ConspiracyTheorist: Yakedo isn't really one, but he is the first to suggest that [[spoiler:the Chinese government might behind the attack]]. He's actually wrong. The attack was done by [[spoiler:XVA Corporation]] so that they could [[spoiler:get their hands on [=MJ12=]'s nano-augmentation tech.]]
19	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: [[spoiler:Alexia Novikova, CEO of XVA.]]
20	* CuttingOffTheBranches: [[spoiler: The sacrifice ending is probably the ending that will lead into the original game, or some resemblance of it being that this mod is set in an alternate continuity.]]
21	* CyberPunk: Just like the original ''VideoGame/DeusEx''.
22	* CyberPunkIsTechno: The Forichi Club of Kowloon, just like the Lucky Money in the original game, plays techno music in the style of "retro-2020s", just like its architecture. The whole club is an homage to the aesthetic of ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution''.
23	* DaChief: Robert Chen of the MPS.
24	* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler:David Yoon]]. Not so much a boss, but a puzzle. You have to deactivate the 4 security tiers of his penthouse in order to [[spoiler:bring him into custody]]. After that, it appears the plot is all wrapped up and Ingram is ready to leave back for New York, but [[spoiler:he is captured by XVA and flown to Berlin, where the plot continues.]]
25	* DirtyCop: Vic Feng, who's trying to break into the Hong Kong drug business. Also counts as an example of KillerCop, as when Ingram tries to reason with him, he takes out a [[KillItWithFire flamethrower]] and torches you with it. Good thing there's a fire extinguisher near by...
26	** Also, the cops in Queens later in the game have sold out to the local Zyme Gang. Apparently, this is public knowledge and the people are fed up with it. One such citizen remarks that it would be better if the United Nations took up police duties across America [[{{Irony}} because they would be less corrupt.]]
27	* EvilVersusEvil: [[spoiler:Majestic 12]] versus [[spoiler:the XVA Corporation.]]
28	%%* GameMod
29	* GovernmentAgencyOfFiction: UNATCO.
30	* GovernmentConspiracy: Like in the first game, it's revealed that [[spoiler:UNATCO and the United Nations are really a front for Majestic-12]]. The game also seems to set up that Chinese Government is involved in one of these, [[spoiler:but it's really just the XVA Corporation who did the bombing.]]
31	* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: Mad Ingram solves conspiracies in style.
32	* FalseFlagOperation: What the terrorist attack in Shenzhen turns out to be, [[spoiler:by the XVA Corporation so that they could lure Mad Ingram out to Hong Kong after learning that Majestic 12 was planning a false flag op to [[VideoGame/DeusEx blow up the Statue of Liberty]]. However, this is a subversion because the building they blew up was controlled by the Chinese government, which by this time has been corrupted by [=MJ12=].]]
33	* FakeMemories: Turns out that [[spoiler:Ingram has these.]]
34	%%* FemmeFatale: Lien Takara.
35	* FilmNoir: Being cyberpunk, the game is primarily set in a dark cities at night, and involves a cop (albeit a "world cop" UNATCO agent) investigating terrorist activity and later, a conspiracy.
36	* FirstPersonShooter: Even the developer views the mod as more of this than an FPS/RPG hybrid like ''Deus Ex''. It still has RPGElements, but more of the gameplay is spent on stealth/combat sequences, even though there is a fair amount of exploration (particularly at the beginning of the game in Kowloon).
37	* MegaCorp: Page Industries, which owns [=VersaLife=]. Yumashev Industries could count for this, but it's appears to be only focused on manufacturing and is [[spoiler:really just a pawn in XVA Corporation's plan to obtain [=MJ12=] nanotech]]. XVA Corporation plays this trope straight.
38	* MissionControl: Lana Zavich is this for Act I in Hong Kong, while Number One serves as this for the first part of Act II in Berlin. [[spoiler:Lana takes it up again after she and Ingram head to New York.]]
39	* MultipleEndings: Per a ''Deus Ex'' game.
40	** [[spoiler:Illuminati Ending: Launch nuclear rockets from Dynamene Station and destroy key [=MJ12=] locations and kill Alexia, allowing the Illuminati to take over.]]
41	** [[spoiler:[=MJ12=] Ending: Kill Alexia, have your kill switch removed, and merge the Dynamene Station's AI with the [=MJ12=] networks, and join them as a high ranking member.]]
42	** [[spoiler:XVA Ending: After breaking into the Selected Individuals Unit, launch rockets at both [=M12=] and Illuminati locations, allowing XVA to take over the world. ]]
43	** [[spoiler:Sacrifice Ending: After breaking into the Selected Individuals Unit, rebel against all three factions and destroy Dynamene Station, preventing anyone from using its resources. This ending leads into the original game or a resemblance of it.]]
44	* MythologyGag: There are a few.
45	** The Chef in Kowloon has a hunch that keeping some Ambrosia around will be beneficial in the [[{{Foreshadowing}} near]] [[VideoGame/DeusEx future]].
46	** The Forichi Nightclub is done in a black and gold "[[VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution retro-2020s]]" style.
47	* OffScreenVillainy: [[spoiler:Bob Page and Walton Simons, who are the heads of Majestic 12. Another of their lead operatives, Number One, serves as part of the game's BigBadEnsemble. Bob Page appears in two of the endings, one if the player joins [=MJ12=], and the Illuminati ending, where he can be seen in prison.]]
48	* {{Prequel}}: Sort of, since this is an alternate continuity to the original game. However, [[spoiler: the Sacrifice ending cutscene ends with Bob Page and Walton Simons giving the speech from the ''Deus Ex'' intro, heavily suggesting the original game will come from this.]]
49	* RecycledInSpace: Sort of. The whole game is an homage to ''VideoGame/DeusEx'', but some striking similarities can be drawn between the plots. One of the first nano-aug agents at UNATCO sets out to find the culprits behind a terrorist attack, discovers a conspiracy, and goes on the run to put an end to it. Sound familiar?
50	** Although, this game is actually less of a conspiracy thriller, [[spoiler:especially once it delves into being a war between two shadow factions, [[AncientConspiracy Majestic-12]] and [[MegaCorp XVA]], rather than being about someone trying to go up against a OneWorldOrder-type conspiracy and put an end to it, like in the original.]]
51	* RPGElements: It features similar mechanics to the original game, such as branching conversations, the ability to upgrade your augmentations, and MultipleEndings.
52	* SunglassesAtNight: Like [[VideoGame/DeusEx JC]], Ingram wears sunglasses in public to hide his augmented eyes.
53	* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: There are two main Triads that run Hong Kong: The Red Arrow and the Luminous Path, from the original ''VideoGame/DeusEx''. In Kowloon, there's a direct divide between their turfs.
54	* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The story takes place in the year 2049.
55	* UnresolvedSexualTension: [[spoiler:In the [=MJ12=] ending]] is is implied there was some between [[spoiler:Lana and Ingram, or at least on Ingram's end.]]

Context VideoGame / DeusExNihilum