Alexander Brandon and company built one of the most iconic PC gaming soundtracks of all time, and it starts with that main title theme -- four notes of synth that instantly transport you back to 2000 and a conspiracy thriller that refused to talk down to its audience.
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"Liberty Island" sets the midnight infiltration tone from the very first mission, "UNATCO" gives you the illusion of institutional safety with its clean electronic pulse, and "NYC streets" is the sound of a near-future New York that feels uncomfortably plausible.
The globe-trotting structure of the game gives each location its own sonic identity. "The synapse (Hong Kong streets)" is neon-soaked and dense, "Paris streets" trades that for something moodier and more European, and "Area 51" brings the full paranoid weight of the endgame.
The action variants for each region -- "Airfield action," "Hong Kong action," "Paris action," "Ocean action" -- ramp up seamlessly from their ambient counterparts. The club tracks scattered throughout are their own reward, with "Dx club mix" being a legitimate standalone electronic track.
Three different endings get three different musical send-offs, which is the most Deus Ex thing possible. "The Illuminati" closes out the conspiracy thread with appropriate gravitas. This 2012 release compiles everything into one definitive package, and whether you merged with Helios, nuked Area 51, or sided with the Illuminati, the music made each choice feel monumental.