7. Shanghai Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex was released in 2000, the sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War, came in 2003 and that was the last we heard from the series until 2011, when a prequel game, Human Revolution, was released to critical acclaim, and which has reinvigorated the series. DE: HR was a great game that infused first-person shooting with stealth and RPG elements. The great gameplay, deep storyline and unique aesthetic made it a very memorable game. The setting of the game changed several times, from Detroit to Shanghai to Singapore to Montreal back to Detroit. Each setting was interesting, unique and diverse to keep the attention of the player. Of all the settings in the game the most memorable was Shanghai. As you can see from the picture above its really one of a kind and unlike anything else Ive ever seen in a video game. The poor people of Shanghai live in the dark, dirty and dank city on the bottom while the rich reside in the clean, modern district on top; class hierarchy in the most literal sense. The bottom layer of Shanghai was where the most time was spent and it felt realistically poor, dirty and unlawful; claustrophobic streets littered with neon signs, druggies and night clubs. Shanghai really came to life when you had to leave the meagre lower tier and ride the elevator to the, literal, high life. This is when the class divide became abundantly apparent. Deus Ex was a great game with a very unique aesthetic, none more so than the unusual Shanghai. It was interesting, fun to explore and memorable, much like the entirety of the game.