Deus Ex: Aspyr Announces Remaster, Fans Concerned About Quality

During State of Play, Aspyr Studios unveiled Deus Ex Remastered, a remaster of Ion Storm's iconic cyberpunk thriller, promising updated visuals and modern amenities. The developers rebuilt textures, revised lighting and character models, added ragdoll physics, and refined facial expressions, making the game feel less like a 2000s title and more like a mid-2000s release. In addition to graphics, the developers also touted improvements to mechanics and controller-friendly controls, and Eidos-Montréal helped them develop the port.

The announcement was met not only with nostalgia but also with harsh criticism from the community. Many players compared the remaster to the controversial example of past remasters and pointed out the game's inflated system requirements—recommended PCs require 16GB of RAM. The online community also noted bugs and typos in the trailer and screenshots, obvious signs of AI-assisted art restoration, and the disappearance of reflections in the frame, raising questions about the restoration approach. Some fans are perplexed why Aspyr is working on the project instead of a studio with a proven track record for similar remasters.

Deus Ex Remastered will be released on February 5th for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. Meanwhile, the community continues to discuss not only the technical aspects of the update but also the very concept of restoring a classic: for some, it's a chance to relive the classic in a fresh guise, while for others, it's cause for concern based on the initial footage shown.