SS2 and Deus Ex.. Which is better?

Shevers on 8/8/2006 at 13:36

Try a shop.

What? It worked for me.

Bjossi on 8/8/2006 at 13:49

Quote Posted by Shevers

Try a shop.

What? It worked for me.

Believe me, every time I pass by the local store (and many others), I deep scan the PC game section for anything interesting. ;)

Shevers on 9/8/2006 at 14:20

Well ok then :p Sometimes the easiest answer is the best - that was the SS2-buying equivalent of the IT guy asking if the PC's plugged in when you phone him.

polytourist97 on 9/8/2006 at 19:07

Quote Posted by michaelg

I've completed that 3 times now and even after the third time was STILL finding stuff...

I've played through DE at least 5 or 6 times and am still finding new stuff with every playthrough. I've lost track of how many times I've played through SS2, (I think it's been 8 but it could be more)and on the last playthrough I found something new...and believe me, I've been meticulous in my exploring of both since about the second or third times, so it always impresses the hell out of me to find something new.

My vote? SS2. The unbeatable atmosphere and immersion, the roleplaying mechanics are the best I've encountered, the "live" inventory management (which I've only ever seen in the System Shock games). Deus Ex beats out System Shock in making me think in it's world, but System Shock beats Deus Ex in having me believe I'm actually in it's world.

...and DX:IW isn't the worst game ever, but at it's best, it's a major disappointment.

michaelg on 10/8/2006 at 04:25

You're right Polytourist.

The live inventory mgmt. was perfect for the game. You never, ever felt safe. Good stuff!

My only gripe with the game (and a VERY minor one at that), was after all I went through, I thought the ending was a bit anticlimactic.

Still though, one of the best games ever made.

As far as DE IW, I too felt it was a major dissapointment compared to the original. But I still think it was one of the better games to come out in the last several years when compared to most other recent titles. At least it had some replayability and a decent story.

liquidfear on 10/8/2006 at 06:52

I'm like Shevers: my opinion changes depending on my mood. SS2 was immersive, but I found Deus ex to be a little more so.

Without a doubt, SS2 scared me (Yes, actually making me jump in my seat) more then DX. Just when I was getting used to some horrid creature, they'd pull a new one on me (Like the Midwife...). It was tense, and it was isolated. Those qualities help make it excel, not to mention the storyline and charactor developement.

DX spooked me every now and then, but it was rare. [SPOILER]Icarus' first transmission, and the first time I encountered a gray raised the hair on the back of my neck and gave me a bit of a rush. I do remember my jaw dropping when I first saw the ED-209-like machines guarding my equipment in MJ12[/SPOILER] The thing with DX is it's a wide open world, with very direct consequences, and it had a plot that unfolded masterfully. You can influence J.C.'s actions and dialogue, but he is still very much his own personality, whereas Goggles is another silent grunt. The RPG elements in DX were spread out a little more, whereas SS2 was more clustered together (not really a bad thing, just an observation)

All in all, at this moment, DX would win over, because I feel like being immersed in J.C.'s shoes and world. However, is someone asked me what order they should play the games in, I'd say SS2 first, no matter what game I like more at the time. Hard to put exactly into words why, but I would.

fetgalningen on 10/8/2006 at 14:44

I haven´t played Deus Ex too many hours, but i actually enjoyed Deus Ex 2. Many nice places, map design etc. And a good story. The ending was "crappy" tho. So i´d say System Shock 2!

By the way, is it worth trying out System Shock 1 ? Any good at all ?

abrasax on 10/8/2006 at 14:51

the original Shock is very good. : ) in fact, I think I like it more than the sequel.

FiveFingerDiscount on 10/8/2006 at 17:09

I always preferred SS2 to DX for two reasons:

1: Even though I've played DX four or more times, I still can't remember the name of the villian. Never had that problem with Shodan. :p It's not a good sign if you can't even remember who you saved the world from.

2: The way the character development was justified in SS2 was much more convincing. For instance, in SS2, you start out weak and defenceless because you've just been upgraded, and the drip-feed of upgrade modules is a good way for your "friend" to keep you under control. In DX, you're meant to be a hundred-billion-dollar, nano-augmented, ninja killing-machine - yet, when you play the first mission, you find that you can't hit at a moving target from more than 5 feet away, and you can be killed with a couple of shots by a weekend terrorist. SS2 makes you feel vulnerable, but DX just makes you vulnerable, even though the character's background imples that you should be the Terminator.

DX might be more effective as an RPG, but to me, I always felt like I was playing a game, rather than being in a world. SS2 (and Thief) did that kind of thing better.

ZylonBane on 10/8/2006 at 17:34

In DX, with no training you can operate ANY weapon, albeit poorly.
In SS2, with no training you can't operate weapons at all.

Give me the DX approach any day.