Yeah, but you also have to judge games like this by the climate in which they came out. Games like Half-Life and Deus Ex were - of course - going to stand out more in a world of Quake and other run and gun high action, low story games. Today, games with engaging story lines that suck you in are not as novel as a concept, and thus if you go back and play the original - even once you adapt to the dated graphics - they are never going to feel the same as the first time around back in the late 90's or early 2000's
Gaming just seemed different back then. Technology was improving rapidly and it was just an exciting time to be a part of it.
Now it's just a bunch of corporate rehashed no-risk crap. It's similar to today's movie industry.