Were they? I’m pretty sure the original deus ex also had some pretty bland, generic fps bullet sponge bosses too. Especially near the end. But it’s probably been 20 years since I played it, so it might be blending with the prequels in my mind.

I totally stand by my comment about the level design getting more linear the further into the game you get. It has a great, ambitious promise of playing however you like and then it just didn’t really carry that promise through to completion. It seemed like they just didn’t have the budget or time to retrofit later levels once they figured out what made their game special and they just left it like that. It’s still a great game, which is what makes it such a pity it didn’t feel finished.

> I’m pretty sure the original deus ex also had some pretty bland, generic fps bullet sponge bosses too

I don't see how. That game really wasn't a FPS; firefights didn't last long before you were crippled in some way and then killed. Your arsenal was nothing but pellet guns with varying DPS. Realistic difficulty lived up to its name; the game really discouraged violence and Gunther's fight could be avoided altogether with a killphrase. I think there's even one or two bosses you can simply run away from?

> I totally stand by my comment about the level design getting more linear the further into the game you get.

I distinctly remember this being a thing for Deus Ex 2 especially. IIRC it wasn't even the same developer and everyone hated it. The first few areas were cool and sandboxy but by the end of that game it was basically Duke Nukem On Ice.