Deus Ex doc looks back at 15 years

Deus Ex

The first entry in a four-party documentary about the Deus Ex game series called DX15: The Legacy of Deux Ex is now on IGN. The seven-minute video features original Producer and Project Director Warren Spector, Lead Programmer and Assistant Director Chris Norden, and Lead Writer Sheldon Pacotti talking about the origins of the game, its durability, and how the developers were able to successfully predict technologies of the future.

Spector credits none other than John Romero for enabling the creation of Deus Ex; Romero occasionally takes heat for the fast-and-loose way he ran Ion Storm, but that environment is what convinced Spector to actually get on with making the game he'd been thinking about since 1994. "I got a call from John Romero up in Dallas from Ion Storm, saying, 'How would you like to make the game of your dreams, with no creative interference? No one will ever tell you anything'," he says in the video. "Who says no to that opportunity?"

It's not any kind of deep dive, as you'd expect given its relative brevity, but it's fun, and I'm really looking forward to the second part, which will train its eye on the maligned sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War—not a bad game, but certainly an unlucky one.

Square Enix also announced today that gamers may now vote on some of the bonus loot that will come with the Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Collector's Edition. Ten different items are in the poll including an Adam Jensen statue, a replica Combat Rifle, a lunch box that looks like a Praxis Kit, a tattoo sleeve (please don't vote for that one), and a set of pins. And finally, Square and Eidos Montreal are offering a free copy of the Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut to anyone who donates $1 or more to the GameChanger Charity. Donors can direct their contributions to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Miracles for Kids, the Chordoma Foundation, or the Progeria Research Foundation.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.