Despite its age, the original Deus Ex still stands as my favourite game of all time. I played it through twice when it was first released and have replayed it at least once every year since, meaning that I’ve completed it around seven or eight times now. And the incredible thing is that it never feels stale. Every time I do a new run – and I mean every single time - I always discover something new to like. I’ll figure out a new way to solve a problem, or stumble upon some previously ignored snippet of dialogue, or unearth a clever reference that I didn’t understand before. For me, playing DX every year is like digging around in a box of old keepsakes: a rush of fond and familiar memories intermingled with the occasional pleasant surprise.

I also like Invisible War – which in some circles I understand is equivalent to saying that I like to kick little girls in the stomach. Frankly, the amount of vitriol IW receives from hardcore gamers is weird and unsettling. The game is obviously flawed, that much is beyond dispute, but people talk about it as though it’s the worst thing they’ve ever played, like Harvey Smith came to their home and took a shit in the mailbox or something. And really, it’s all because it wasn’t as good as the original. People got their hopes up, they were disappointed, and so they became bitter and angry. That’s the danger of making a sequel to the best game ever made, I suppose.

Happily for Eidos, expectations aren’t quite so high for the now-officially-confirmed Deus Ex 3. So pronounced is the general disgust with IW that DX3 would have to come packaged in a baby’s skull to be regarded poorly in comparison. And even then I suspect most people would be willing to forgive it so long as there weren’t any mid-level loading zones.

But that doesn’t mean that the dudes and ladies at Eidos can take it easy! Although nobody, least of all me, expects DX3 to be as good as the original, it still needs to be a Fucking Good Game. That’s why I’ve gone ahead and done this little list – this list of all the things that need to be in DX3 – which hopefully somebody at Eidos will read and memorise. Of course, I’m not saying that I’m some undiscovered game design savant whose opinions should be considered law; like every other gamer on the interwebs, I’m just a loud-mouthed fanboy with too much time on my hands. Doesn’t mean I’m not right, though.

So here’s the list...

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