So starts the first mission, you are dropped off on the harbour to New York's Liberty Island and another agent (who happens to be JC's brother Paul Denton) briefs you on your first mission. You are to secure the island, which has been taken over by a terrorist faction called the NSF, you are given weapons and off you are on your way to complete the given task. You can advance through the tight security of the NSF by standard FPS action, either the Quake way or trying to kill all or the stealthy thief route by sneaking up and hitting guards over the head with something very big and heavy. The guards are not well armed but unlike Quake you can't really go in gun blazing using the rocket launcher, because A) your are inexperienced B) Shots hurt a lot, medic kits don't lay around levitating in mid air C) You are outnumbered. Reality is very evident in this game; many decisions and actions in this game are typical to the real world, a step surely towards virtual reality? So the game pits you at a decision right there and then, try to fight them off, or try to sneak in. The latter is easier but risky, get noticed and even 2 guards will take you down easily but the first is just as hard! Sure you can take them on one by one but they might sound an alarm and it's game over. Tension, for example: take the Thief way of sneaking in, you will have to crawl behind people, stay very still in the shadows and generally piss your pants out, even then there are automated robot guards and cameras, imagine ducking there in a corner as a robot whizzes by announcing "Scanning Area".

Eventually you will evade all the guards and reach the top of the Statue of Liberty, to find the General of the NSF forces; you have a choice, kill him right there and then and get the ambush over with or interrogate him to find out why NSF took such a risk to take over the Liberty Island (which happens to be the headquarters of UNATCO). Choose to kill him and your boss is happier, choose to interrogate him and you will receive some interesting information about UNATCO. Through the following missions you will have to investigate by communicating to Deus Ex's huge cast of characters. Pimps, gangsters, soldiers, guards, hookers, bums, nurses, government officials and civilians: each one has something to say.

The dialogue also is very witty (written by Sheldon Pacotti), sharp and well acted to the situations, and there are a variety of conversation lines so people don't go around repeating themselves when you are talking to them. To find clues about UNATCO and the NSF, you can interact with your environment: Doors, locks, PDA's, Bullet-in boards, ATM's, Data cubes, Medical Bots, Boxes, Repair Bots, Personal Computers and even Books. Each can hold a clue; to gain access to computers you can search for their passwords from other characters or from Data cubes or take the quick way and hack them. You will take on missions given to you by UNATCO, breaking into NSF controlled areas fighting against detection by guards and the ubiquitous cameras .You will travel to and from New York, Honk Kong, Paris and the infamous Area 51.

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