Not to be confused with either the Deus Ex cyberpunk-y franchise, or Alex Garland's sci-fi noir movie Ex Machina, Deus Ex Machina will be remembered by those of a certain age as one of the most ambitious and bewildering games of all time.
A ZX Spectrum multimedia extravaganza that was a good 15 or so years ahead of its time, it featured an ambient soundtrack and vocal appearances - via a bundled audio cassette - from the likes of Jon Pertwee, Ian Dury and Frankie Howerd
Far be it from us to start conspiracy theories, but all of the above artistes are now dead - can that really be coincidence?
To be honest, the young Mr Biffo didn't really know what was the Hell he was supposed to be doing when a friend lent him a copy of Deus Ex Machina, but now that the game has been awarded a Kickstarter-funded sequel, this might be his chance to give it another go. Or maybe he'll just continue to be tainted and embittered by his formative experiences, and ignore it.
A ZX Spectrum multimedia extravaganza that was a good 15 or so years ahead of its time, it featured an ambient soundtrack and vocal appearances - via a bundled audio cassette - from the likes of Jon Pertwee, Ian Dury and Frankie Howerd
Far be it from us to start conspiracy theories, but all of the above artistes are now dead - can that really be coincidence?
To be honest, the young Mr Biffo didn't really know what was the Hell he was supposed to be doing when a friend lent him a copy of Deus Ex Machina, but now that the game has been awarded a Kickstarter-funded sequel, this might be his chance to give it another go. Or maybe he'll just continue to be tainted and embittered by his formative experiences, and ignore it.
CROUCHER OF THE NIGHT
Mel Croucher, industry legend and creator of the original Deus Ex Machina, is once again responsible for this 30th anniversary edition, which stars no less a notable than Christopher "Evil Character" Lee.
For the uninitiated, Deus Ex Machina was a story of a life - from disgusting sperm to depressing death. Though often written off as an art house game, the original did boast Croucher's trademark humour. This is very much evident in the new version, which apparently features mini-games requiring the player to squeeze zits and "pluck pubes", during the adolescence sections. The overall aim is to reach the climactic old folk's home having made as few errors of judgement as possible. Or something. Who knows? We're as baffled as we ever were.
Already available on the iPhone and Android stores, Deus Ex Machina 2 is heading to PCs and Macs later this month. All versions include the original, utterly obtuse, Spectrum game. Further details can be found at the game's website.
Mel Croucher, industry legend and creator of the original Deus Ex Machina, is once again responsible for this 30th anniversary edition, which stars no less a notable than Christopher "Evil Character" Lee.
For the uninitiated, Deus Ex Machina was a story of a life - from disgusting sperm to depressing death. Though often written off as an art house game, the original did boast Croucher's trademark humour. This is very much evident in the new version, which apparently features mini-games requiring the player to squeeze zits and "pluck pubes", during the adolescence sections. The overall aim is to reach the climactic old folk's home having made as few errors of judgement as possible. Or something. Who knows? We're as baffled as we ever were.
Already available on the iPhone and Android stores, Deus Ex Machina 2 is heading to PCs and Macs later this month. All versions include the original, utterly obtuse, Spectrum game. Further details can be found at the game's website.
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