Deus Ex is still a better game than Cyberpunk 2077 even 20 years after its release. On the surface, they both appear to be similar games, but Deus Ex fully embraces the immersive sim genre, while Cyberpunk 2077 merely borrows from it. Even though it lacks in size compared to CD Projekt RED's sci-fi RPG, Deus Ex is a true genre classic and one that Cyberpunk 2077 was unable to beat.
Deus Ex - often considered a definitive cyberpunk series - is an immersive sim where players take control of the nano-augmented agent JC Denton. JC is tasked by the global anti-terrorist organization UNATCO to take down terrorist groups across the globe. JC’s first mission is to free the hostages held by the terrorist group NSF on Ellis Island. This simple mission quickly spirals into a worldwide conspiracy that has JC traveling to several locations to uncover the truth about the world, augmentations, and the major players who control everything from the shadows.
Deus Ex is still better than Cyberpunk 2077 for one simple reason: it gives the player agency. Player agency is about giving every player enough interactivity within the game world to affect and change that world. This usually means the player is dropped into a game, given a general objective, and is free to tackle that objective in any way they wish with the tools provided. Unlike Deus Ex, Cyberpunk 2077 allows V to explore Night City, but doesn’t let them interact with it in any meaningful way. There's plenty to ire in the world, but it lacks substance - like a fascinating painting with a sign hanging underneath that reads “Do Not Touch" in bold letters.
Deus Ex Had Better Gameplay Variety Than Cyberpunk 2077
Compare all of Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City to just one location in Deus Ex, Hell’s Kitchen. Both contain bustling streets and tall buildings with plenty of people to talk to. Night City is obviously larger and prettier, but there is so much more to do in Hell’s Kitchen. Night City gives players Gigs and ND Scanner Hustles as side activities that always task the player with eliminating every enemy, taking an item from A to B, or eliminating all enemies before finding something lying nearby to complete the mission. Cyberpunk 2077's repetitive mission structure turns Night City into a generic open world that lacks the unique tonal qualities of the genre it takes from.
The second players walk into Deus Ex’s Hell’s Kitchen they can, in no particular order: visit the Free Clinic for new augments, resolve a hostage situation at the Ton Hotel, find the Smuggler who grants one of two ways to access the sewers which leads to a secret bunker, go into the Underground Tavern and interact with the locals, or break into the Warehouse District in one of three possible ways. All of this in one location and that’s just the first time players visit. Unlike in Cyberpunk 2077, every choice has an effect and the outcome of certain missions can have lasting effects on the rest of the story.
Every object from cigarette packs to rocket launchers is fully rendered in-game. Players can stack trash cans on top of each other to reach a ladder, or just place everything in the game into a pile and blow it all up. Deus Ex simply gave players the tools to play their way, whereas Cyberpunk 2077 holds their hand through every single mission. In Deus Ex, everything has value because the player is the one in control. The game fully embraces player agency - it's why fans still praise Deus Ex as a must-play classic while Cyberpunk 2077 still languishes following its controversial launch.
