What Are The Best Games Like Deus Ex?
The gaming world has always had a healthy obsession with three things: stealth, spies and science fiction. Whether it’s sneaking past guards in Castle Wolfenstein or shooting down aliens in Perfect Dark, any combination of these genres can create an amazing experience. Yet, for the past eighteen years, the best game to feature all three has been Deus Ex. Released in the year 2000, this action RPG fascinated players with its complex stealth system, as well as its frightening depiction of a dystopic future. The game has spawned four successful sequels, and more are likely on the way, but if you’re looking for something else to play in the meantime, here are 11 of the best games for you to check out instead.
11. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Co-op Walkthrough Part 2
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell series has always represented the very best in stealth and espionage. This third installment, Chaos Theory, places you into the role of Sam Fisher as he looks to stop a deadly superweapon from causing World War III. The game features incredibly detailed stealth mechanics, forcing players to consider both lights and sounds in order to remain undetected. Make your way through banks, lighthouses, cargo ships, and more in this dark and gritty race against the clock.
Stealth transformed: Sneak your way across enemy lines or engage in hand-to-hand combat
Quiet as a mouse: Avoid alerting the guards by keeping track of light and noise sensors on your heads-up display
10. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Splinter Cell: Blacklist - Perfectionist Ghost Walkthrough - Mission #3
Picking up where Chaos Theory left off is Splinter Cell: Blacklist, the sixth installment in the fabled franchise from Ubisoft. When a terrorist group known as The Engineers threatens to attack the United States, it’s up to Sam Fisher to uncover their evil plot and put an end to it for good. Blacklist builds on the stealth mechanics from previous Splinter Cell games while also adding several new gadgets to the player’s arsenal, such as a miniature drone used to mark or kill enemies. The game also features more aggressive combat mechanics than previous titles, giving players the option to run-and-gun their way to victory. Travel the world, locate your targets, and stop the Blacklist in this fast-paced spy thriller.
Globetrotter: Help Sam track down The Engineers in a gripping adventure around the world
Two spies are better than one: Grab a friend and suit up for a brand-new co-op campaign mode
9. Hitman: Absolution
Hitman Absolution: Contracts Mode Gameplay Part 1
If there’s one stealth game series that can give Splinter Cell and Deus Ex a run for their money, it’s Hitman. In Hitman: Absolution, players take control of the original Agent 47, a ruthless killer on the run from his former employers at the International Contract Agency. Each mission can be approached in countless different ways, with everything from guns and disguises to bricks and posion at your disposal. Combine that with Agent 47’s “Instinct Mode”, designed to locate enemies and environmental hazards, and you have a recipe for the world’s most deadly assassin.
Plan your attack: Each new location offers unique opportunities to track and kill your targets
Trouble’s just around the corner: Use an extensive arsenal of weapons and disguises to catch your enemies by surprise
8. HITMAN™ (2016)
Hitman Walkthrough Part 1 (Hitman 2016)
2016’s HITMAN™ kicks the franchise’s signature style up to the next level, offering an unprecedented level of choice and freedom. Carry out contract kills as Agent 47 while uncovering the true motives of your mysterious “shadow client”. Each level within the game is completely non-linear, providing a massive sandbox for mayhem and murder. Drop a lighting rig onto a target at a fashion show, set off an explosive trap from a mile away, or disguise yourself as a surgeon to carry out your mission up close. Anything you can think of, you can do in this endlessly entertaining game from IO Interactive.
Scene of the crime: Explore massive environments complete with their own targets and mission objectives
Climbing the corporate ladder: Take out your target up-close or at a distance as you ascend the ranks of the ICA
7. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain Gameplay
As a pioneer of both the stealth and spy game genres, Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear series has been wowing players with its tactics and gadgets since the late 1980s. In Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain¸ that tradition continues, providing some of the best open-world espionage action you will ever see. Play as Venom Snake, a mercenary on the hunt for revenge during the later years of the Cold War. Use every tool in your arsenal to defeat your enemies, be it a pistol, a rocket launcher, an assault robot, or even Snake’s trusty cardboard box. With all kinds of advanced military weapons and equipment to choose from, the sci-fi world of Deus Ex won’t seem far away in this intense game of international espionage.
Heating up the Cold War: Join Venom Snake and his team in an expedition to the treacherous deserts of Afghanistan
Make the drop: Recruit soldiers and build-up supplies at your mobile base of operations
6. Hard Reset Redux
Hard Reset Redux Atlas Boss Fight
It’s clear that several games have come close to matching the exciting stealth gameplay of the original Deus Ex, but if you’re still itching for some of its flashy cyberpunk aesthetics, look no further than Hard Reset Redux. After a machine war leaves most of the world in ruin, the few humans who remain flee to the closed city of Bezoar. When the city’s walls are breached, it’s up to you to fend off the machines and save what’s left of humanity. Hard Reset Redux is an addictive first-person shooter featuring destructible environments, amazing boss battles and more within its dark and brooding cyberpunk universe. Grab yourself a gun and aim for the neon lights, for this is one sci-fi adventure you do not want to miss.
Putting the “cyber” in cyberpunk: Dark city streets and bright glowing lights set the mood in this battle for the fate of humanity
The bigger they are: Test your mettle during Hard Reset’s many challenging boss fights
5. Dishonored
Dishonored Stealth Gameplay
With intense stealth gameplay and a unique steampunk aesthetic, Dishonored clocks in as one of the better alternatives to a game like Deus Ex. Play as Corvo Attano, a supernatural assassin seeking revenge on the men who framed him for murder. Use Corvo’s powers to teleport, control minds and stop time while on the run from your dangerous pursuers. These special abilities combine with traditional stealth mechanics, such as hiding behind corners and sticking to the shadows, to create a gameplay style unlike anything you’ve seen before. Marvel at the steam-powered sci-fi world of Dishonored, a one-of-a-kind game from Arkane Studios.
Welcome to Dunwall: Every mission in Dishonored can be approached in multiple ways thanks to its deep and sprawling level design
Not your average mystery: Science fiction and the supernatural collide as Corvo searches for The Empress’s true murderers
4. Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077- Official E3 2018 Trailer
If CD Projekt Red’s newest sci-fi blockbuster lives up to all of the hype it has generated so far, it just might be the greatest game of this generation. Cyberpunk 2077 promises to be an all-encompassing cyberpunk odyssey, dropping players into a dark and dystopic future world. Play as V, a mercenary set on making a name for themselves in Night City, California. With first-person shooting elements, a fully explorable world, and an emphasis on player choice, Cyberpunk 2077 is ready to become the most compelling science fiction experience since Deus Ex.
The future is now: Jump into an amazing world complete with new technologies and new dangers
The tables have turned: With gangs running rampant in Night City, it never hurts to come prepared
3. Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2 PS3 Gameplay
Following the success of the original Mass Effect, the team at BioWare was hard pressed to outdo themselves the second time around. Yet, Mass Effect 2 did just that, creating a thrilling sci-fi adventure on a massive scale. Jump back into the action as Commander Shepard, a human military officer set on protecting the Milky Way from intergalactic invaders. Interactive dialogue, devastating firefights, and a captivating story make this an unforgettable journey across time and space. So, if games like Deus Ex don’t have enough spaceships and aliens for your liking, check out Mass Effect 2, and let the real battle begin.
Shoot for the stars: This action RPG pits you against a variety of intergalactic foes
Extra-terrestrial: Partner up with allies from all the different races in the Mass Effect universe
2. Prey
Prey- Fighting Off Phantoms Gameplay
For the very best in sci-fi and stealth, check out Arkane Studios’ 2017 hit Prey. After an experiment gone wrong, the alien collective known as the Typhon have taken over the Talos I spaceship. Morgan Yu, the last survivor on the ship, must take back control and stop the invasion before it’s too late. Set against the backdrop of an alternate world history, the game is rich with science fiction lore. Combined with a haunting approach to stealth gameplay, you’ll never know what to expect from the mysterious Typhon. Enemies can appear in the form of everyday objects, or even appear from nowhere, making for a tense and harrowing experience. Prey incorporates all of the best elements from the horror and sci-fi genres, making it familiar yet exciting for fans of Deus Ex.
A little too quiet: Enemies lurk around every corner inside the abandoned halls of the Talos I
The hunter becomes the hunted: Face off against creatures of all shapes and sizes in this terrifying sci-fi masterpiece
1. Syndicate (2012)
Syndicate Gameplay
With all the sci-fi shooters and cyberpunk thrillers that have hit stores in recent years, few are as underappreciated as Syndicate. Set in the year 2069, Syndicate follows EuroCorp agent Miles Kilo in his journey to hunt and kill his employer’s corporate competition. With over a dozen guns and other weapons to choose from, players can carve their own path through the waves of enemies before them. Miles can also use his “breaching” abilities to hack into the minds of augmented adversaries, forcing them to attack teammates or themselves. With crisp combat mechanics, a beautiful futuristic setting, and a few sensational boss fights, Syndicate proves to be a perfect companion piece to Deus Ex.
A vision of the future: Syndicate tells a powerful story of corporate greed in the age of cyberpunk
Breaking the glass ceiling: Use innovative breaching abilities to wreak havoc on EuroCorp’s corporate rivals
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