I think I've discovered why I like Dues Ex over the sequels
Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 11:47 am
I've given this quite a bit of thought over the years and replaying the original and then watching reviews for Deus Ex 4 (shit story and writing, basically), and watching some retrospectives on Deus Ex 3, here are my thoughts.
It's somewhat subtle, but in Dues Ex, events have happened. When you start, terrorists have already raided the island, Gunther has been taken hostage, orders have been given for UNATCO troops to pull back, and the commander is at the top of the statue. And so this essentially puts you in the role of an investigator, discovering the world, which is obviously important for an exploration-based game. Most events in the game in the game happen this way. Now is this due to limitations? Maybe, but it's the perfect pace the game needs. You're the explorer coming in and seeing how things have happened, and the changes you make will effect the game in events that will also have already happened by the time you're there.
One of the few exceptions here is the fight at battery park with UNATCO and the NSF, and the one in New York. But this underscores the battles happening, it's not meant to move the story along in any meaningful manner. Rather than just say that UNATCO is battling the NSF, you show it.
One of the big things is that it makes the enemies feel like actual people, and not just enemies to be mowed down or just simply in your way. They're not just obstacles. Of course it makes sense for people to be on patrol routes on Liberty Island since it's likely UNATCO will be sending in someone or a group to then resolve the situation. And maybe it's a limitation of the AI, but when they spot you, they don't shoot immediately. They react with dialogue. They're at first surprised to see you, since they're real people and they're waiting for someone to show up, but not you in particular. And so when Paul Denton tells you that they're real human beings, it's really sold by how you then experience the game. And then later in the game, the UNATCO soldiers will exclaim 'It's Denton!' because by then you're well known, at the start you're not. And so in the start it makes sense that you can get by the NSF since they really don't know about you in advance, and this helps sell the world as one that exists whether or not the player was there.
The narrative also supports this gameplay, and you believe it when characters tell you to hurry up to get to some objective, even if you literally can sit back and do nothing for a few hours, and then get to that objective and nothing will have changed. In the context of the game, I think this is forgivable.
So basically it made sense to explore the game as it had a lot of depth to it and you found out more of what was going on, at your own pace.
But in the sequels, many of the events are happening. So at the start you're escorting your girlfriend, and then terrorists attack right then and there. It's an event that's happening right now. So this might be more realistic, but this now it ruins the exploration element. Now that soldiers are attacking right now, you have to solve the situation immediately. On the spot. Sure, you don't technically have to move forward, but everything in the game is forcing you move forward. And so now the soldiers really are obstacles, since now you have to get to your objective (I forgot exactly what that was at the start). You're just being moved forward quickly, and then given information along with way by characters, and many times in a hamfisted manner.
The other thing highlighted in a video I watched was that after the prologue with the terrorist attack is that you're immediately plonked into your company headquarters. Okay this is fine since you can now explorer the building and talk to characters. But these actions aren't supported by the narrative, as at the same time there's a hostage situation that you have to take care of immediately. So there's an office to explore, but then there's a hostage situation that immediately has to get resolved at the same time. And you get messages to this effect. Now this might be realistic, but by asking the player to immediately head to the objective, you ruin the exploration element.
In the first game you sorted out the terrorist situation and then met your colleagues.
Also, once you start the game after the prologue, everyone knows you and has an opinion about you. And that's just after a prologue. In the first game the soldiers had an opinion on you because of your actions at the island, not after some fancy cutscenes and a railroad prologue. And so the soldiers and guards etc. don't feel real, and the game feels like it only exists because of you. And so it ruins the entire atmosphere of the game. I've only played Dues Ex 3 once, and will never play it again because there's really no soul to the game, despite the technical proficiency.
There's more to be said about the difference in writing and the characters, but a lot of that stems from the more action-orientated gameplay of the sequels, which then have to hand out information a lot faster and in smaller tidbits.
It's somewhat subtle, but in Dues Ex, events have happened. When you start, terrorists have already raided the island, Gunther has been taken hostage, orders have been given for UNATCO troops to pull back, and the commander is at the top of the statue. And so this essentially puts you in the role of an investigator, discovering the world, which is obviously important for an exploration-based game. Most events in the game in the game happen this way. Now is this due to limitations? Maybe, but it's the perfect pace the game needs. You're the explorer coming in and seeing how things have happened, and the changes you make will effect the game in events that will also have already happened by the time you're there.
One of the few exceptions here is the fight at battery park with UNATCO and the NSF, and the one in New York. But this underscores the battles happening, it's not meant to move the story along in any meaningful manner. Rather than just say that UNATCO is battling the NSF, you show it.
One of the big things is that it makes the enemies feel like actual people, and not just enemies to be mowed down or just simply in your way. They're not just obstacles. Of course it makes sense for people to be on patrol routes on Liberty Island since it's likely UNATCO will be sending in someone or a group to then resolve the situation. And maybe it's a limitation of the AI, but when they spot you, they don't shoot immediately. They react with dialogue. They're at first surprised to see you, since they're real people and they're waiting for someone to show up, but not you in particular. And so when Paul Denton tells you that they're real human beings, it's really sold by how you then experience the game. And then later in the game, the UNATCO soldiers will exclaim 'It's Denton!' because by then you're well known, at the start you're not. And so in the start it makes sense that you can get by the NSF since they really don't know about you in advance, and this helps sell the world as one that exists whether or not the player was there.
The narrative also supports this gameplay, and you believe it when characters tell you to hurry up to get to some objective, even if you literally can sit back and do nothing for a few hours, and then get to that objective and nothing will have changed. In the context of the game, I think this is forgivable.
So basically it made sense to explore the game as it had a lot of depth to it and you found out more of what was going on, at your own pace.
But in the sequels, many of the events are happening. So at the start you're escorting your girlfriend, and then terrorists attack right then and there. It's an event that's happening right now. So this might be more realistic, but this now it ruins the exploration element. Now that soldiers are attacking right now, you have to solve the situation immediately. On the spot. Sure, you don't technically have to move forward, but everything in the game is forcing you move forward. And so now the soldiers really are obstacles, since now you have to get to your objective (I forgot exactly what that was at the start). You're just being moved forward quickly, and then given information along with way by characters, and many times in a hamfisted manner.
The other thing highlighted in a video I watched was that after the prologue with the terrorist attack is that you're immediately plonked into your company headquarters. Okay this is fine since you can now explorer the building and talk to characters. But these actions aren't supported by the narrative, as at the same time there's a hostage situation that you have to take care of immediately. So there's an office to explore, but then there's a hostage situation that immediately has to get resolved at the same time. And you get messages to this effect. Now this might be realistic, but by asking the player to immediately head to the objective, you ruin the exploration element.
In the first game you sorted out the terrorist situation and then met your colleagues.
Also, once you start the game after the prologue, everyone knows you and has an opinion about you. And that's just after a prologue. In the first game the soldiers had an opinion on you because of your actions at the island, not after some fancy cutscenes and a railroad prologue. And so the soldiers and guards etc. don't feel real, and the game feels like it only exists because of you. And so it ruins the entire atmosphere of the game. I've only played Dues Ex 3 once, and will never play it again because there's really no soul to the game, despite the technical proficiency.
There's more to be said about the difference in writing and the characters, but a lot of that stems from the more action-orientated gameplay of the sequels, which then have to hand out information a lot faster and in smaller tidbits.