The PS2 Port Of PC Classic Deus Ex Is Highly Underrated

thegamer.com:

In the year 2000, as a new millennium dawned, Ion Storm unleashed Deus Ex on the world. This conspiracy-laden, X-Files-inspired cyber-thriller was and still is one of the most freeform, open-ended video games ever made. It's the peak of the immersive sim genre, presenting vast, intricate stealth sandboxes that encourage and reward creative, improvisational play. Ask someone to list games that define PC gaming and Deus Ex always makes an appearance high up the list. It's a classic in every respect, and still holds up today. The visuals have aged horribly, but the depth and scope of its design is as impressive as ever.

Related: Without The X-Files There Would Be No Deus Ex

Yes, I'm a fan. But my introduction to Deus Ex wasn't the PC version. My crappy old Pentium 2, with its on-board graphics and lack of any kind of 3D accelerator, couldn't run it at the time. So I was forced to find another means to play this groundbreaking game I'd read so many breathless, praise-filled magazine articles and forum posts about. In 2002, Ion Storm surprised everyone by bringing this, the most PC of games, to the PlayStation 2. Some sacrifices had to be made, but the developer managed to get its incredibly complex game running on a console a fraction of the power of the gaming PCs it was designed for.

The PS2 port launched as Deus Ex: The Conspiracy, presumably because publisher Eidos thought the name was a bit weird and off-putting for a broader PS2-owning audience. The blurb on the back of the box was notably more exciting than the PC version too. "Eliminate, elude, or extract information from those who hunt you down using stealth, strategy, or sheer firepower," it read. "Will you be the charismatic master manipulator, the shrewd