KnightofPhoenix wrote...
billy the squid wrote...
Deus Ex, can make excellent points on ideological issues relevant to society, without resorting to ham handed overdramatisation and simplistic portrayals like another game, which shall remain unamed.
Deus Ex: HR and TW2 currently rank top of my list of favorites, both mature complex games which don't pander or oversimplify.
I think there is a bit of oversimplification in DX, but that imo is axiomatic to any game that wants to deal with broad ideas and concepts. It's not a flaw in and of itself in this case, because they are oversimplified to some extent. I personally believe some issues and dynamics should have been explored with more depth, but overall I felt the main themes were portrayed well.
It's done in an intelligent and mature way, and agreed that it's not overdramatized. Suffice to say it didn't give me a headache and I felt it treated me with respect, on an intellectual level.
I think that there is some simplification, rather than oversimplification, which would imply a removal of detail which would distort the actual idea or concept. A semantic point perhaps, but I digress.
It is, as you have said, an inherent problem in the means of delivery, were a measure of berivity seems to be used in most games when applying concepts such as freedom, ethical boundaries, scientific advancement and the stratification of society. As those ideas are very broad and convoluted, so I don't think many games would be able to handle the full scope of such aspects effectively. I would favour that a game, such as Deus Ex, deal with the central issues of each one succesfully, rather than fragmenting itself in trying to cover everything superficially.
For instance the stratification of society between the non augmented and the augmented, and the inherent benefits as well as pitfalls is present if slightly simplified, but the world of Deus Ex provides detail if one looks for it, which I found satisfying when reading the E books and news articles. The augmented harvesters and no augmented gangs seem to be a world appart from the augmented Mr. Sarif, yet Hugh Darrow himself, is I believe not augmented, yet holds huge respect within society which seems to prize augmentation as a social status and means to prosperity.
So whilst the central theme implies that augmentation causes social stratification, which it does. looking at the details, conversations and the world of Deus Ex: HR it is not so simple as to imply that all augments have a superior social position. Characters such as Dr. Reed or Mr. Taggart I belive are all unaugmented, yet their own importance exceeds that of the more lowly augments, whilst in the case of Taggart and Darrow their political influence matches and supperceeds that of Sarif, who as an augment, and CEO of a augmentation corporation should, in theory, have an unassailable political position.
It would certainly have improved the game, for me at least, if there was more detail on the clashes between factions and ethics, who are the major and minor players within each one, why did they choose that position or how they got there etc, the roll of the UN in this, rise of corporate entities as a new identity binding societies together etc. actually within the main game rather than just E books or only mentioned
Personally one of my favorite conversations was with Darrow at the end of the game. Using Icarus and Daedelus, within the the discussion was good, maybe a little cliche, but I think it was apt for the purpose of drawing a comparison that was easily understood.
Modifié par billy the squid, 12 septembre 2011 - 12:02 .
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