the funny thing is i dont think the engine is old. i think they actually created it for this game… and all of the issues most people seem to have with the gfx (which i dont really share) were more design decisions then model deficiencies. from the interview Seb made it a point of noting that they tried going for the uber realism on the models but it didnt fit with the world they were making. Doing things the way they did allowed thto create much more diversity within the game while using only one texture set per enemy type… just using layered bits of the design so that one soldier gets arm pads one gets a different helmet… etc etc.
personally i think the game design works because the entire game seems like it exists within the same universe. nothing seems to be out of place in terms of design to me. and with a game with as many microscopic details in it as this one you really cant have everything be flawlessly realistic or you’re gonna be taking up 4 discs instead of 1. as far as the rest of the engine goes though… once you his Hengsha in the game and get to the Hive nightclub, you honestly cannot tell me of another game that pulls off as well the amazing live rendered lighting that this game uses on the front vidoe wall of the club. and that’s just one building. later on when you’re going through the laser gridded server at tai yong medical, and you can see every single individual laser beam in the entire room (something like 80 seperate beams) … all moving at the same time. its crazyness. but it’s puposeful too. you can plan out your attack of the entire room just by observing ALL of these lasers at the same time and knowing exactly where you can move and you cant.
most games like this you go a few in game meters at a time and decide your course of action… deus ex you really gotta plan it out well before going anywhere and all the little deisgn cues of the game make that possible
hoping to finish my first playthrough today 