Liberty Island (a look at the first level of Deus Ex)

I recently finished Deus Ex(PC and a port on the PS2, Deus Ex: The Conspiracy) as a stealthy technical pacifist (only killing members of the Conspiracy) and seeing as Mankind Divided (which I am looking forward to) is on the way, I'm going to make a second playthrough where every hostile individual is fair game and for this level only, I am only allowed to kill with a crowbar. (Extra note: For this playthrough of mine, the other levels require me to kill them with melee weapons or via indirect means.) I will describe, with dark images, the main positive aspects of Deus Ex. The mods I'm using are New Vision (http://www.moddb.com/mods/new-vision) and Kentie's launcher (http://kentie.net/article/dxguide/). (It may not show on the screenshots here). If you are playing Deus Ex on PC using modern PCs, these mods are highly recommended (if not compulsory to play said game). This is not going to be a visual walkthrough (there is a superior pre-existing visual walkthrough available via the link provided and numerous Let's Plays online (http://www.visualwalkthroughs.com/deusex/deusexwalkthrough.htm).

Let's begin with the first level, Liberty Island.

This will be my JC Denton who comes with a tan formed by a tanning bed accident. As you can tell, I have utilised the Pistol skill exploit to give myself an unfair advantage. Unlike Yahtzee's Deus Ex song, I picked Rifle and Computer though out of loyalty, I did not pick Swimming (I am not doing a speed-run after all).

The opening cutscene to Deus Ex that spoils some of the early twists. As a veteran Deus Ex player, I am very familiar with the cutscene and can accurately tell what the speakers mean though I will not to avoid spoilers for newcomers. Not every moment in the cutscene will be here seeing as Youtube is available to peruse said cutscene. As for the pictures, there is a grim world that awaits me in this playthrough.

Welcome to Liberty Island and it seems that Steam's screenshot system does not capture New Vision's enhancements. This means that the reader will see how the unmodded game looked like around 2001.

Above, the reader can see the Infolink at work as it provides exposition, advise, information and blocks all attempts to quicksave. As seen in the picture, there is a wooden crate and a crowbar sitting side-by-side like the best of friends. Students of the Gordon Freeman class for opening wooden crates would no doubt figure out the best course of action.

Nearby to these crates are a staircase that leads under the platform. Lying below are these two crates that did not pray hard enough for JC not to notice them (or in this case, recall their location from previous playthroughs). This is probably the first hint to players that there are hidden items throughout the level and the game.

Above is a conversation with JC's brother, Paul who apparently had the same accident. I do like the fact that the player can directly influence Paul's appearance. The conversation eventually leads to Paul asking the player to choose one of three weapons to use and seeing as I played this before, I pick the one weapon that does not spawn on Liberty Island.

  

Here's a classic Deus Ex dilemma. Two opponents ahead and I have limited ammunition along with an untrustworthy skill level in Pistols. How do I minimize harm to myself while taking out both targets and preventing wastage of ammunition?

What is not pictured here is the location of the crate with the gas grenade inside. Thanks to it, I am able to take both opponents out with a crowbar and minimal health loss. Creativity is something that the game encourages to compensate for the RPG elements that have significant effects on gameplay(i.e a special operative being unable to shoot the broad side of a barn without putting some skill points into the appropriate gun skills). Additional solutions in such situations can include a fire-extinguisher, pepper spray or even a riot prod. This allows experimentation with the game and allows for differing playthrough rules (i.e non-lethal, only melee kills, only allowed to kill using firearms etc.)

To clarify, the above pictures depict me missing a shot (my skill level is only Trained at best) and being forced to rely on the allied bot on the docks. These little exploits are always fun to use which is something that is encouraged by the skill based system.

Throughout the game, there are dialogue options for the player to select. Certain dialogue options do benefit the player with more items to use or a clue to progress in the level.

Due to selecting the violent dialogue option for the trigger-happy soldier, I was given a code that most former members of Looking Glass Studios would recognize (along with fans of the works produced by said studio).

Observe the unconventional method to opening locked crates. As it turns out, explosives make a good substitute for lockpicks. Any player of Deus Ex should know the value of keeping some LAMs (Lightweight Attack Munition) at hand. Alternatively, one could also use a TNT crate to do the same thing. Once again, Deus Ex grants the player the freedom to choose the master thief routine or the Michael Bay approach.

Here is another example of using the environment against the enemy, namely luring a hostile NPC into the patrol path of a foul-tempered security bot.

Here is another example of dialogue options. In this case, Harley Filben is more than willing to give a key to the front door (which is pointless in my usual approach to this level)

Below the waters lies a sunken ship with a locked trapdoor. The picture depicts a TNT crate that I purposely moved into the shot. Remember what a rocket did to that locked crate?

Now this was a little tricky as key positioning and movement are required to get the TNT crate into position. The funny thing here is, judging by the difficulty in moving the crate under the water, the method I'm employing may not have been intended or should have been difficult to attempt.

Voilà! The door is open and the supplies in it are ripe for the taking. This is one example of exploration being awarded as a new player may not even see the boat beneath the waters (I think there is a line of dialogue hinting at it but I am not sure).

What was not pictured here was my near death by drowning. Luckily, a closer glance at this marked crate reveals some medbots that can heal me back to full-health. Full disclosure, I only know about this place thanks to finding it in a previous playthrough and prior to that, from a hint in a guide on GameFAQs.

Before finding the medbots, I went looking for supplies in a bunker. There are crates at the end of that bunker but my problem is the electrical arcs from this broken power box. The game appears to imply that I use a multi-tool to fix the power-box but multi-tools are a precious commodity, especially in the earlier levels. This is where the freedom of experimentation comes into play again.

I am sorry that the pictures are very dark but in actual gameplay, I was trying to conserve bio-electricity and using the light augmentation would have drained it. Using the forklift depicted in the second screenshot and the box in the third, I am able to jump onto the forklift and bypass the electricity by merely hoping onto the power-box itself.

Full disclosure: This took multiple tries as the pepper spray sometimes did not work. As seen in the third picture though, the approach was successful. The game often rewards creativity by allowing players to conserve resources that might be used normally. In this case, a simple pepper spray was able to stun all 3 targets allowing for a follow-up that involved a crowbar and a re-enactment of the first levels of Half-Life. No pistol ammo was used here.

These are the two main ways into the statue (aside from a super-jump exploit). I normally use the front door since it allows me to reach Gunther (a captured mechanically augmented soldier) quickly and allows me access to a turret. The crates take you closer to the main objective and I guess a speed runner could find some use with the back entrance.

One thing I like about Deus Ex is the keyboard input of passwords and codes rather than giving you an automated input. This adds more immersion as the player is involved in the process. Later levels require the player to piece together incomplete passwords from clues gathered around said levels which forces players to think about potential solutions or workarounds. Like I said before, I never needed the front door key since the security console can open the door for you.

There are two ways into Gunther's holding area. The doorway covered with laser trip wires or the ventilation shaft. I usually check the vent for supplies first before disabling the lasers.

Not pictured here is the TNT crate I shot to destroy the tripwires and the three guards I killed with a crowbar.

The humanoid mech in that room is Gunther Hermann, a source of show-stealing gags that fans will remember for years to come. Before I speak to him...

I discard my pistol at the side here. Before you ask, I have a reason for this and it has nothing to do with suicidal overconfidence.

The conversation leads to Gunther requesting you for a weapon. Refusing to do so will make him less friendlier with you in the early stages but the pistol is a very useful weapon and usually, most players have added upgrades to the trusty firearm. So, I took a third option and opted to hand over a measly combat knife to him. 

One nice feature of Deus Ex is the flavour text that occasionally pop up whenever you find a certain locale or object with your mission control providing comments that are within their established characters. New Vision also cleaned up the texture on the Liberty Island Sign here which is a nice addition.

Once again, two guards and I really wanted to conserve my supplies. The halls are lined with gas grenades planted as mines... An idea comes to me.

Voilà! And all I lost was some feeling in my left leg...

Meet the leader of the NSF (National Secessionist Forces) group here, Leo Gold. He looks unhappy to see me (at least that's what I think since he does not show any actual emotion on his face...)

Another dialogue choice (as I will refer to these from now on). I can choose to kill him out of spite or take him in alive and concious. Since I want to complete the mission properly (and avoid being killed as shown by my low health in the above picture), I take him in alive. 

Here is an augmentation canister. A basic collection system for ability progression though the abilities are useful for opening up options for the player.

For a terrorist leader, Leo is quite articulate. Something I have not depicted here is the intelligent conversations between the NSF forces, hinting that these terrorists are rational individuals and that there is something more underlying their motives for fighting. 

Since I am playing a homicidal JC Denton, I decide that I want this soldier's assault riffle (the explosive rounds I can get later on are useful for the excessively dutiful lock).

Here is a picture of me killing Leo just to hear Alex chastising me for my homicidal nature.

The fact that the game actually allows for these courses of action is amazing in itself. But there's more to it than that.

Here is an instance of the game acknowledging your in-game actions, a feature in role-playing games that I really like a lot.

The canister provides the two abilities: Microfibral Strength or Combat Strength. I usually go with the former as the ability to move large crates around is more useful to me as an explorer rather than the ability to hit someone harder.

One thing I realised here after a third playthrough is the different conversations that can arise from your actions. Here, Paul is chastising my high body count but in a non-lethal run, he praises me instead. He will also call you "a complete jackass" if you kill Leo after he surrenders.

When the power drops, go in and go in and go in like the US Marshals and his three daughters, and we lose the vaccine! (The Malkavian mod is a gem...)

This is the pay-off for killing that soldier. The game is smart enough to recognise your actions and call you out for it. It was always amusing to experiment around to find the hidden dialogue that your actions may trigger.

E-mails like these help remind the player that there is a living world that takes place in-game with new messages that appear at later stages. Not pictured here is Gunther's e-mail that adds a lot of depth to his character while highlighting some human flaws to the homicidal mech.

 Ah Gunther... Don't ever change...

 A quotable phrase by JC Denton. More will follow as you progress through the game...

Hello, Shannon! This will have consequences that the game actually notes in later stages.

This e-mail here is very useful to figuring out everyone's login and password. Most players will take note of it. I usually write it all down or take a photo of it with my phone.

 What is this? A fourth level to the UNATCO base? I'm sure it is not too important...

Similar to my murder of that soldier, my moment as a pervert was acknowledged by the game. It is always amusing to hear this line every time I replay Deus Ex.

One thing I have not shown is where skill points go. At this page, the player will be able to decide on areas to specialise in. This can vary throughout multiple playthroughs thus adding replay-ability. Since this playthrough will consist of melee kills only, you can guess what I choose. 

Another thing I failed to show is these ATMs. Using details found by exploration, a player can take money from other accounts. While this may seem heartless and cruel, you could argue that the unlawful confiscation of finances is used to ensure the effectiveness of a field agent. Alternatively, just accept the fact that you are a dick.

And now we set off! (unless you own a pirated copy that was never cracked) To the rest of the game and it never stops being good!

Personal opinion:

If you consider yourself a gamer or play video games regularly, this is a must-try at the very least and usually, is a must have. If there is a sale on Steam or GoG, GET THIS GAME! 

This is one of my top 5 games of all time due to how easy it is to get into (compared to System Shock 2), how interesting the story is (with the themes explored) and how fun it is. I could go on and on about what makes this game so good but if I did, I will probably be quoting so many game review websites and reviewers so instead, I will let the reader search for these critiques instead. A new playthrough is never boring and despite the modern graphics and certain improvements of Human Revolution; I consider this to be the best Deus Ex game of all time (Invisible War only gets a participation certificate at most). Despite some of the positive news I have heard about Mankind Divided, I highly doubt Mankind Divided can surpass Deus Ex but I welcome it to try. If it does, I will sing praises from the top of the KL Twin Towers to ensure all of Malaysia will hear it before panicking upon recalling my fear of heights.

Edit: The recent Mankind Divided pre-order campaign has soured my opinion of Mankind Divided entirely. The introduction of tier-based rewards for pre-orders only seems to encourage pre-order culture (as most pre-order rewards tend to do) which is upsetting to me as most people that buy into hype will pre-order and thus will encourage such behavior in other companies (while potentially allowing it to evolve for the worst). The system used by Mankind Divided sadly is worse than the typical pre-order scheme. The act of forcing limitation into one's pre-order copy (the tier 1, tier 2 and tier 4 awards) means that even with a pre-order, one is limited based on the options they chose and prevents access to the other content. Worse still is their idea for an ultimate reward for pre-orders: the game being released 4 days earlier which is rather pointless since people can be patient (or at least rational with their hype boners). The lack of a figure to show how much is actually required for each tier certainly does not help seeing as a percentage does not indicate much at all. This is a bad practice that merely seeks to incentivize pre-orders and trick gamers into buying a product that has locked content while possibly lacking in quality and content. I hope that Square Enix (who I suspect to be the main instigators for this bloody awful pre-order campaign and hopefully not Eidos Montreal (the actual developers)) will retract this campaign and proceed normally with basic pre-order bonuses that are not locked away content. Sadly, a world where that happens is probably not this world and thus all I can do is boycott Mankind Divided until the so-called 'Director's Cut' edition shows up on sale. For a better coverage of this fiasco, I recommend viewing the videos on this matter by Jim Sterling or Totalbiscuit. All I'm doing is voicing my disapproval of this campaign and my jaded opinions of Mankind Divided. I know that opinions will differ (and I have seen enough comments that reflect this) so feel free to express your opinions in the comments below.

The sad fact is that even if like-minded individuals do the same as me, it may not guarantee the failure of this campaign. If Square does this kind of behavior more, I may even expand this boycott to all Square Enix games and even I know the futility of that.

Edit to edit: Good thing Square Enix grew a brain! I guess this world is salvageable after all! No more pre-order campaign. Just a basic one that gives all the benefits to the relevant editions...