I was listening to The HotSpot this morning, and as they were busy feeding the torrent of diarrhea regarding John Romero, the panel made mention of his latest big-budget bust Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows, and that the only reason anyone cared about his involvement was because Midway made such a big deal about it. In contrast to the attention garnered (and begged for) by Romero, Midway had also at the same time snapped up the talents of Tom Hall, who had co-founded the over-promising, under-delivering Ion Storm development house back in 1996.

This got me thinking. It is obvious Romero’s most significant contribution to the gaming world was Doom II. But when you think about Tom Hall, it his contribution lies a bit deeper under the surface. See, his is more indirect. Although he designed the underrated Anachronox, he is also responsible for harboring the talent necessary to develop one of the most memorable gaming experiences to date.

That experience is called Deus Ex.

It isn’t much of a surprise Deus Ex was so innovative, and in context the Cyberpunk FPS/RPG/Stealth hybrid doesn’t sound that strange. This is wholly due to the involvement of Warren Spector and Harvey Smith, two gaming veterans from development house Looking Glass Studios, which produced FPS/RPG hybrid System Shock and stealth pioneer Thief. In addition, both have a history with developing for pen-and-paper RPGs. So Deus Ex is a virtual stir-fry of their experiences with other projects, and the result is just as tasty.

Released in 2000, Deus Ex seems to have aged like a fine wine. In 2003, it was #40 on IGN’s all-time list; in 2005, it was #21. It is a mainstay on all-time greatest lists from nearly every publication, large or small, independent or corporate. It is a game that appeals to gamers because of its greatness, not because of any commercialism or promotion. The reason for this is because even when gaming platforms have been increasing in ability, there hasn’t been a game to reach that level of immersion and innovation since. System Shock II, maybe, but these two games are head and shoulders above the rest. Yes, even better than Half Life.

I won’t go into the specific gameplay elements or scenarios that made the game so good. Partly because I am playing through it myself, but also because each gameplay experience is unique to the player. Simply put, it is a flawless execution from every aspect. I attribute this primarily to the genius of the developers, but also due to the period and environment in which it was created. Back in the late ’90s the world was different. Independence was contagious and spurred creativity of which the world had not seen. Dot coms were springing up by the minute, and employees were motivated by the thought of actually working for something, that they could get more out of their career than the annual 3% merit increase, and that there was hope that their careers would finally begin to pay them back. Ion Storm was such a startup, driven by the technology boom. Developers were as famous as rock stars, and quite frequently were given the freedom to create the type of game they wanted, the way they wanted.

Eidos Interactive, hot from the success of Tomb Raider, coupled with the high-profile Ion Storm as its publisher and later purchased the company, thereby aquiring the rights to its franchises. Ion Storm tried to take the title in another direction, under the watch of Spector and Smith, in the sequel Deus Ex: Invisible War. It was clear they saw the future of gaming in the hands of home consoles rather than PCs, and as such developed with them, specifically the Xbox, in mind. Fans of the original, primarily PC gamers, felt alienated by the simplified gameplay strategies and technical limitations of developing with the console as the primary development platform. Console gamers, the target audience, voted indifferent with mediocre sales. Critics were subsequently polarized. A third game in the franchise, Deus Ex: Clan Wars, was retitled Project: Snowblind, although it retained many of the similarities and story elements from its predecessors. It was critically well-received but also fell short of sales expectations, and became the nail in the franchise. It also lacked the involvement of Spector and Smith.

But is it the final nail in the coffin for Deus Ex? Eidos has been operating on hard times as of late. Future Deus Ex titles are not scheduled, and its creators have long since moved onto other endeavors outside of the company. But it would be a shame to dismiss the franchise completly. It is a world that is feature-rich as any in sci-fi, and could support many, many future plots and side stories. And advances in gaming platforms are able to support the complex and grand sandbox environments which a Deus Ex title would require. So the foundation is there.

What is not there, aside from Spector and Smith, is the freedom necessary to produce such a game. I blame this on rising development budgets. A game of Deus Ex’s pedigree would command a budget on the high end of current development costs, nearly $20 million. Undoubtedly a quality game could recoup these costs, but such breakout hits, aside from perennial sports titles, are becoming more and more rare. Also, Eidos simply does not have the flexibility to support such an ambitious development project, at least in conjunction with its Tomb Raider comeback waiting in the wings. The next high-profile title met with apathy by consumers would be the last time anyone would hear from Eidos. If Tomb Raider: Legend is successful, it might only be enough to fund the next Tomb Raider project. Eidos is clearly on life support here.

It is a shame that Deus Ex has met such a fate. Hopefully its dedicated fanbase will continue to preserve the franchise, through fan fiction and mods, for the day the world is ready for another Deus Ex title.