10 Underhyped Video Games That Blew Everyone Away
6. Deus Ex
The Non-Hype
There was no reason at all to expect much good from Deus Ex pre-release, given that it was the third title released by Ion Storm, the troubled outfit co-founded by hubris-riddled industry legend John Romero.
After the company's first game, Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3, received mediocre reviews, they released Romero's long-awaited, much-delayed FPS Daikatana, which was summarily pummelled by critics and remains one of the most disappointing video games of all time.
Why, then, would anyone expect anything from their third game, a sci-fi-themed action-RPG bearing the esoteric moniker Deus Ex?
The Big Reaction
Deus Ex's secret weapon was veteran video game designer Warren Spector (Wing Commander, System Shock), who was invited by Romero to make any game he wanted at Ion Storm with full creative control and a large marketing budget.
The result was one of the most critically acclaimed video games of the last 20 years, a dense, challenging, and highly innovative project which offered players a near-unprecedented level of freedom.
Deus Ex ultimately scored numerous Game of the Year awards and sold more than a million copies, resulting in three sequels having been released to date.