Ion Storm. (2000). Deus Ex [Video game]. Eidos Interactive.

Deus Ex is a 2000 action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm and published by Eidos Interactive. Set in a cyberpunk-themed dystopian world in 2052, the game follows JC Denton, an agent of the United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition (UNATCO), who is enhanced with nanotechnology. Denton's missions to combat hostile forces entangle him in a conspiracy involving organizations like the Triads, Majestic 12, and the Illuminati.

The gameplay combines elements from multiple genres, including first-person shooters, stealth, adventure, and role-playing. Players can approach objectives in various ways, such as direct combat, stealth, or hacking, leading to different outcomes and enhancing replayability. The game is presented from a first-person perspective, allowing players to customize Denton's abilities, including weapon skills and lockpicking, which opens up diverse methods of interaction and exploration.

As players complete objectives, they earn skill points to enhance abilities in areas like combat and hacking. Weapons can be customized with modifications such as scopes and silencers, and players can install nano-augmentations that grant superhuman powers. Interaction with non-player characters (NPCs) is significant, with dialogue choices affecting gameplay and plot progression.

The game received critical acclaim for its ambitious plot, immersive gameplay, world-building, and the diversity of character customization and choices. It was named "Best PC Game of All Time" by PC Gamer in 2011 and is regarded as one of the best video games of all time. However, its graphics and voice acting received mixed reactions. Deus Ex has sold more than 1 million copies as of April 2009 and led to a series of sequels and prequels, including Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003), Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011), Deus Ex: The Fall (2013), and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016).