Given their heavy emphasis on story and dialogue, I find it a bit strange that neither DX nor its sequel factored social skills into their character-development systems. These games emphasise choice as a means of self-expression, but then somehow forget that most meaningful choices take place in a social context. I want a Deus Ex where words are just as valuable as bullets – where dialogue is a problem-solving tool as useful as a LAM or lockpick. Basically, I want to talk my way out of shit. So please let me do that.

Jennifer Hale

If there’s going to be a lot of talking in DX3, then for God’s sake, do me a favour and hire some decent fucking voice actors. The amazingly awful voice acting was kind of cute in the first game, but the kitsch wore thin in the second, and now it would just be completely unacceptable. I mean, it’s not hard to find good voice actors: I even gave you the name of a great one right there. And here are some more, right off the top of my head: Armin Shimerman, Kari Wahlgren, Dwight Shultz, Gideon Emery, John DiMaggio, Susan Egan, that guy who played Irenicus in Baldur’s Gate II ... you see what I’m saying? There are lots of talented people out there for you to hire. Hell, you could even get Patrick Stewart if you wanted to. He’ll do pretty much anything these days.

Mutually exclusive choice

One of the big problems with IW – and to a lesser degree, DX – is that many of the big choices you have to make are rendered meaningless by their lack of significant effect on the narrative. In IW, you can switch between the game’s major factions at will, and in most cases your only reprimand for blatant backstabbery will be a snide Infolink message. Flexibility is fine, but when it gets to the point where the person whose lover I just beat to death calls up to offer me a job, well ... that’s where you start straining credibility. Big choices need to be mutually exclusive. Trying to have your cake and eat it too just means you end up with a plateful of regurgicake, and that’s totally gross. Don’t be gross, Eidos. 

Characters that are more than just walking ideologies

People are more than just their political opinions – sometimes they have values, interests, emotions, and needs that have absolutely nothing to do with their views on neo-classical capitalism or Foucaltian social discourse theory. As such, it would be nice if, in DX3, I could have a decent conversation with somebody who isn’t a bleating mouthpiece for some all-encompassing worldview. The original DX managed this just fine, but IW … God, everybody had an opinion. The police, the hobos, the coffee-shop owners, the fucking jukeboxes – everybody. It was obscene.

Shops!

This is one of those simple little things that would make the game just a bit more pleasant to play. Shops are nice: as well as giving you a venue to sell unwanted items, they also make the gameworld feel more robust and alive. Plus, having expensive-but-awesome shop goodies on display gives players something to strive toward, thereby maintaining motivation and interest. And then there’s the possibility of robbery! Who doesn’t like a bit of robbery, eh? If it weren’t for the fact that you can kill and rob shopkeepers in Arcanum, I very much doubt I would’ve got past the first town. Hell, I doubt anyone would’ve.

Okay, I think that about does it. This obviously isn’t an exhaustive list of things that should feature in DX3, but it’s a good start. Oh, and if anyone from Eidos ends up reading this and stealing my ideas, then don’t worry about thanking me – money will do just fine. Thanks.