Back in the year 2000 a game was released that left players dumbstruck. This is because Deus Ex was a truly revolutionary game, fusing a variety of gameplay styles with a dark, dystopian Cyberpunk world.
Set in the year 2052, Deus Ex cast you as agent JC Denton, acting on behalf of an organization named UNATCO. And the game’s opening mission sure was memorable: terrorists had set up shop in the Statue of Liberty, and it was up to JC Denton to save the day.
I remember trying a variety of approaches, from stealth to all out guns blazing, as I made my way from ground level to the top of Lady Liberty. But it was also possible to engage in conversation and avoid combat altogether, with many routes of infiltration available – this was very much a thinking man’s game. After all, you can choose not to kill the leader of the terrorists, ending the mission in a non-violent manner, and he’ll deliver the line “you can’t fight ideas with bullets”, one of many little things that made Deus Ex special at the time.
This game by studio Ion Storm (which puzzlingly enough were also behind notorious video game flop Daikatana) is less famous for having predicted the 2020 pandemic, and the 911 terrorist attacks. The Twin Towers are notoriously missing from the New York skyline in the game (which was released in June 2000), but this was actually due to memory limitations rather than prophetic wisdom it seems…
It’s a good thing, then, that the 2000 classic is getting a remaster next year. Deus Ex Remastered will be releasing in February 2026, with the studio behind it (Aspyr) having put out an announcement trailer (see below) for the game.
Now Aspyr has some pretty big boots to fill here, as Deus Ex is an all-time classic and fans will be looking forward to a remaster that does the original proud. This is especially true taking into account that a plethora of user mods (short for “modifications”) have been released since 2000, which not only spruce up the visuals but also improve the gameplay in several ways.
This might be one of the reasons why reactions to the Deus Ex Remastered trailer have been pretty bad since it was first shown at Sony’s State of Play in late September (aside from PC, Deus Ex Remastered will also launch on Sony’s PS5 besides other platforms).
The gist of this criticism is that the remaster looks pretty bad, with some comments comparing the visuals seen in the video to 2003-era video game graphics.
Others have pointed out that while the graphics are technically superior to those of the original game (when it comes to textures, lighting, model detail and resolution) it still isn’t “better” than the original. The remaster looks too bright (Deus Ex was a pretty dark game), with a “plastic-like shine” on everything, with a Kotaku contributor saying that “it’s hard not to see the remastered Deus Ex as anything than an ugly mess”.
Reactions to Deus Ex Remastered visuals’ have been mostly negative so far.
Also, some commentators on the trailer’s YouTube page have pointed out that developer Nightdive Studios should have been in charge of remastering this classic game instead of Aspyr (Nightdive was responsible for the very good remaster of Star Wars: Dark Forces amongst others).
But maybe, just maybe one of the reasons Aspyr put out this trailer (besides announcing the game’s arrival next year, of course) is to gauge fan reaction to the visuals and this remastered version in general. After all, there’s still almost five months left until release, and Aspyr can put this time to good use improving the visuals so that these are more in line with what the public, and Deus Ex fans, are demanding before launch date comes.
And after watching the trailer personally I’m not so negative on Aspyr’s take on the Deus Ex visuals. I’ve been looking to replay the 2000 classic for a while, but have resisted installing much-vaunted mods like Deus Ex Revision, preferring to wait for an official remaster instead… So hopefully US studio Aspyr can improve things and deliver a final product closer to what those who love Deus Ex want, and newcomers can really enjoy too, come next year.
Note: Deus Ex Remastered will be released on February 5, 2026. Available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Nintendo Switch.