One of the games that did break the mold was Ion Storm's Deus Ex. At first glance, Deus Ex was just a cyber-punk FPS set in the near future, yet it was so much more than that. Deus Ex was the merger of FPS and RPG games. As you play through the game your character, JC Denton, he actually experiences stat growth that enables him to do certain tasks easier - such as pick locks, hack computers or survive in hazardous conditions. You'll gain experience points from completing mission tasks that you can apply to your specific skills. You'll also find bio-mod augmentation canisters that you can use to add useful abilities to JC's repertoire. Things like: move quieter, strength enhancement, weapon resistances, etc. - basically this game's version of better armor and spells. You can also upgrade your weapons with modifications that increase their range, damage, rate of fire, and ammo supply. You can also add laser sights and silencers. Once you start modifying your weapon you start to associate that weapon as being your weapon. You may find other sniper rifles, but this one is your sniper rifle. All of these elements combine to give you the feeling of actually leveling and advancing inside of an FPS environment, something that had not been done before.