Recent reviews by Synister_CASH

Deus Ex... What can I say, I can honestly say nothing else, other than "why do you not have it already?"

I might only have 3 hours into this game on Steam, but I've easily logged over 1000 on the PlayStation 2 version of the game.

For the price you pay, you're getting one of the best games ever created. A very large bargain if I do say so myself. Enough about the value of this game though, and on to the meat and potatoes of this review:

Graphics
Honestly, the only negative thing I can think of regarding this game. They haven't aged well at all. As graphic power and visual appeal of games has increased massively since 2000, the graphics of this game have looked more and more archaeic with each new game. Especially when compared to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which was an absolutely amazing looking game.

Gameplay
The game play of Deus Ex is absolutely sublime, much like the other 2 installments of the series, Deus Ex focuses heavily on your decisions in-game. Your use of lethal/non-lethal methods of incapacitating enemies is also heavily judged by certain NPCs. E.g. if you kill too many terrorists during the first mission, Paul scorns you for doing so, however, if you incapacitate them using non-lethal means, Manderly will be on your case about it. Honestly, this is one of, if not the best RPG shooter ever released to date. The RPG mechanics of the game are second to none, so much so that your decisions early on, can, and likely will have an impact on your story later on through the game.

Story
Deus Ex's story is like no other, incredibly immersive, unbelievably realistic, and so believable. It's the kind of story, that you could envision actually happening in the future, simply because the themes in the storyline, actually connect to real-life events/current affairs of modern times and since 2000. Actually being able to work your way through the storyline and finish the game the way YOU want, is incredibly satisfying, and it really empowers the player.

Setting
The actual setting of the game, and the areas you are in, just sing of a steampunk/cyberpunk world, as intended, but has an element of post-apocalyptic atmosphere as well, especially in the later levels, right about the last time you're in NYC for the storyline. As I said earlier, the levels may not look amazing, but the design of them, and the accessibility of certain areas is superb, multiple entrances based on your gameplay style and choices. E.g. On level 1, you can enter the Statue of Liberty via the front entrance (heavily guarded) or the back entrance (less heavily guarded but requires stealth and patience). So simply put, it is completely up to you how you manipulate your surroundings to play into your hands. The one thing I noticed when I first played the PC version of the game, after playing the PS2 one, was the lack of loading screens. Where the PS2 had small segments of the map, each a certain size, they were loaded in one by one as you entered the area, you were met by a loading screen then the game would continue. However, the advantage of the extra computing power of PCs means that the entire level for one area can be loaded at once, instead of sections of the area. Inherently, this does give the areas a slightly different layout if you're used to a console version.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack for Deus Ex is one of the most incredible soundtracks I've ever heard, fitting both the style and setting of the game perfectly. That, and the main theme is one of the most iconic pieces of music of its time.

Overall, I can confidently say that, in my opinion, this is one of, if not THE best game of the last 20 years and I wouldn't ever hesitate to recommend it if someone was looking for an inexpensive RPG shooter that they would keep coming back to time and time again.

Honestly, I enjoy the Diamond heist. I see it getting a lot of stick, but personally, I think it's a well thought out heist that, yes, isn't perfect, but if there was a perfect heist, it just wouldn't be fun.

Pros and Cons as follows:

Pros:
Tons of fun on loud
Awesome pressure plate trap puzzle to get to the Diamond
Good re-make of the original Diamond Heist song from PD:TH
The map is beautiful and very well thought out
Lots of tight hallways, chokepoints and CQB areas for loud shenanigans

Cons:
Too easy to go loud on, instead of stealthing
Heist is short, feels like there isn't as much depth as the previous DLC heists (Big Bank, Hotline)
Clover wasn't included with the pack, but as a separate DLC
There are more viable preplanning options for stealth, e.g. glass cutter. If your plan is to go loud from the start, then there's only really the standard dead drops that you can use (med, ammo, 'nades)

Great DLC, if you're unsure about it, play it in a public lobby, if you can't justify the $7 pricetag, wait until it goes on sale again, if you don't want it, don't get it. Simple.

If you want to support Overkill, buy it
If you want to have the complete game, buy it
If you want the mask for having all the heists, buy it
If you want the mask for having all DLC, buy it

If you don't want the DLC, don't buy it.

Unfortunately, as amazing a game as this is, I cannot in any good conscience recommend anyone buy this game.

First, if you've come from having this game on the Playstation 2 (as many of us have) and want a digital version to play on your pc, don't. Just download an emulator and use the PS2 disc. The main reason I say this is that the most recent update has not only removed 16:9 resolutions from the game entirely (despite a previous patch fixing 1920x1080p resolution) but they have also removed many of the songs which made this game's soundtrack absolutely iconic.

Songs removed from which stations:

RADIO X
Ozzy Osbourne - Hellraiser
Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name

K-DST
Joe Cocker - Woman To Woman

PLAYBACK FM
Ultramagnetic MCs - Critical Beatdown

BOUNCE FM
The Gap Band - You Dropped a Bomb On Me
Fatback Band - Yum Yum (Gimme Some)
Roy Ayers - Running Away

RADIO LOS SANTOS
N.W.A. - Express Yourself
2Pac - I Don't Give A F*ck

K-JAH WEST
Blood Sisters - Ring My Bell
Black Harmony - Don't Let It Go To Your Head

MASTER SOUNDS 98.3
Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - Express Yourself
The Blackbyrds - Rock Creek Park
The J.B.'s - Grunt
Maceo & The Macks - Soul Power '74
James Brown - The Payback

So as you can see, a lot of superb songs were removed, and the only good thing to come from this update? Xbox 360 controller support... which in consideration, isn't worth the tradeoffs. I'd rather stick with MKB and keep all my songs.

The only actions I can recommend regarding this game is to go onto Amazon and buy a new copy of the game (£4.99 at the time of this post(£5 cheaper than this poor excuse for a game)) and while your 1080p res will still be broken, it will exist, and you'll have the full compliment of the original songs.
The only downside to this? You have to have the disc in the disc drive to play it. I can live with that though, considering what's been done to the digital version.
Or you could just pirate the game.

First off, let me open by disagreeing with most people's statements of "it's just 2013 but with new engine sounds/team rosters/tracks" while yes, on the surface, it seems that way, however, when you dig a little deeper, it's oh so much more.

for this review, I'll begin with Pros/Cons, then go through each of the main focuses of negative comments about the game.

Pros:
-New Turbo engine sounds are awesome (in my opinion)
-The handling rework has made the game so much more about skill now. 2013 required a lot of skill to drive, but 2014 makes you re-learn all the tracks with added braking zones due to the new car physics.
-The AI is now extremely competitive, and will give you an even greater challenge while racing.
-Young Driver Test: out, single lap of Monza with the option to skip: in. Frankly, I found the test to be both rewarding and infuriating in 2013. most challenges in it were fairly simple and easy, however, when it came to getting that one silver medal converted into gold to unlock all the teams at the start of career, it got rather frustrating when it got to a point where I simply couldn't squeeze any more time out of the lap. This game, however, has you driving a single lap around the Italian GP circuit of Monza which you can even skip and select the game difficulty yourself.
-Career mode now has the option of Short/Medium/Long career featuring 7/12/19 races respectively. So if you want to race an F1 career, but don't have the patience for the entire calendar, then you can miss 7 or 12 races out if you like.

Cons:
-Codemasters is very limited (much in the same way as EA is with Fifa) that they are contractually obliged to release a new F1 game every season, no matter how much/little has changed, which explains why 2013 and 2014 are extremely similar.
-Some would've liked to see a new UI (I'm fine with re-using the old one, I'd rather not have to re-learn where everything is in menus as well as having to re-learn how to drive properly)
-Mercedes is stupidly OP compared to all other teams.
-Still no formation lap prior to the race and no podium scenes
-No F1 Classics this season

Now the Pros and Cons are out of the way, time for some issue addressing.

-"It's Exactly the same as F1 2013"
Wrong. it isn't. Why don't you go ahead and do a lap of Monza on F1 2013, then play 2014 and try driving the exact same lines at the exact same speed as the previous game. I guarantee that 100% of the time, you'll massively understeer at the first of the Lesmo turns. The lower downforce on the 2014 cars is really shown in the game, and credit to Codemasters for their execution of how different the handling has been this year. Additionally, as I stated above, Codemasters (or whoever holds the contract) is obliged to make a new game for the franchise EVERY year, no matter how much has changed within the sport, so you can't always expect a game that's drastically different to the previous installment.

-"There's no KERS"
Wrong again. What F1 2013 fans know as KERS, is now one half of the new ERS (Energy Recovery System) The KERS part is now known as MGU-K which draws energy under braking, and MGU-H draws energy from exhaust heat. While in 2013, the drivers could choose when to deploy their KERS energy, in 2014, from what I can tell, it's all controlled by the onboard ECU chip in the engine, which utilises the additional 33 seconds of increased horsepower as and when it needs to. So before you go moaning about the lack of deployable KERS, try watching an actual race and see if the drivers are even in control of their energy deployment.

-"The menus are exactly the same"
Yes... they are, but as the saying goes, if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

-"The Williams livery isn't right"
No, it isn't, this is because Codemasters were unable to secure the rights to use the Williams Martini livery, so they used the alternate livery from races where advertising alcohol is banned.

-"What happened to F1 Classics mode?"
This was asked on the official forums, and the response was "Because this year's cars are so drastically different in performance from the old cars, we have chosen not to include classics in F1 2014"

This is about all I can think of for now, but if I can think of anything more than just needs to be mentioned, then I'll be sure to edit the review (mainly after I start playing multiplayer more)

Answer me this: Why do you not have this game yet? You don't even have to buy it. Just go ahead and click that download button now... it's right up there. just one mouse click, go ahead.

2021 has breathed new life into this game for me. Previously, I had gone against recommending it due to the Microtransaction issue. This has since been fixed, with F2P ways of getting weapon skins with stat boosts. Additionally, there is now a plethora of mods available for the game, some of which make it feel less like an 8 year old shoot'em up, and more like a Modern FPS experience.

Frequently goes on sale, wait for one to pick up the Legacy Edition and any other non-included DLCs

Such a great game, awesome soundtrack, great storyline. insane voice cast.