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Game Review - Deus Ex: Invisible War
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Contact Mr. Shade and make fun of him
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| Publisher: |
Activision, Inc. |
| Developer: |
Ion Storm |
| Rated: |
M for Mature |
| Length: |
12-20 hours |
| Genre: |
Action/Stealth FPS |
| Website: |
Deus Ex: Invisible War |
| System: |
Xbox |
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OVERVIEW
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This sequel takes place 20 years after the first game - the end of which caused the Great Collapse. All computer
systems worldwide were shut down and the world was plunged into a dark age. Now the world has risen back to the way
it was before - wars and power struggles using nanotechnology. You play through the game as Alex D., a secret
nano-agent in training. You start off by watching Chicago (where you're currently training) get destroyed by a nano-detonator
(basically a neutron bomb). Alex gets shipped off to another training facility and once again the facility comes under
attack. Now Alex must decide which faction to trust (if any) and get to the bottom of this "Invisible War."
Sci-fi conspiracy theories and disappointment ensue.
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MR. SHADE'S TAKE
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The first Deus Ex was a groundbreaking FPS that combined stealth and RPG elements with
a sci-fi conspiracy story. It won several GOTY (Game of the Year) awards and is still
my all-time favorite video game. That was 1999 and on the PC. Its move to the console (PS2)
in 2000 was unsuccessful mainly due to the fact that it was not designed for the console. The
sequel was designed from the bottom up for the console. I'll cover the improvements, non-improvements,
and things that went downhill. Don't worry; you need not have played the original to understand the
review.
Improvements:
The graphics in this game are much better than the original
and are some of the best for the Xbox. The only problem is that the game is dark - very dark. This
means that you have to turn up the brightness on the TV to be able to see in most areas. This can
be a big issue if your TV is prone to burn-in.
The new biocanisters are also a big improvement. For those who have never played the original, these
biocanisters are installed in your body and allow you to turn on special powers. They are limited by
your "bioenergy" which can be recharged by certain robots and batteries. These powers include invisibility
to humans or robots (2 separate powers), controlling robots, cameras and turrets, running silently, improved
strength and vision enhancement. There are also upgrade canisters that increase the power of these abilities
by either using less energy or adding additional properties. For instance, the level 1 vision enhancement will
show enemies in the dark. By level 3 you will be able to see enemies through walls and usable objects (ammo,
guns, etc).
Non-Improvements (Stayed Steady):
The story and non-combat gameplay are fairly similar to the first game - sci-fi conspiracy drama with RPG style
dialog and the ability to choose a side to work for. You get presented with different factions and what they believe in
and where they want the world to go, and you decide which world you would like to live in. For instance, the
Templars want an end to all biomodification, so all of their quests center on destroying biomod technology. On
the other hand the Omar are heavily biomodified and all link together to form a group consciousness. They see themselves
as the next evolution of the human race and their quests center on saving biomod technology. The other two factions,
the Order Church and the WTO have their own agendas. You also have the option to not help anyone. The story is much
the same as the first with double-crosses and secret organizations managing the world behind the scenes.
Like the original, there is not much in the way of music for the game. Sound effects are done well enough and the
voice acting is good, if a bit uninspired. Everyone seems to speak in an emotionless, monotone voice. You might think
that I just contradicted myself but there is a lot of dialog in the game with no bad accents and very little cheese.
The inventory system is somewhat improved by not making you play Tetris with your items. In the original you had to move
items into a grid system with larger weapons taking up more space. The problem was that there was no auto-arrange feature
so you would often have to move items around until you could fit a new item into the screen. The new game solves this by
having each item take up only one slot. What it does not solve is how to quickly change items and weapons without pausing
the game. You'll be in the middle of a firefight and then have to pause the game to get into your inventory and use a
medkit. This really kills the tension of long battles.
Downhill:
Unfortunately there are a number of things that actually decreased in quality in the sequel. The first is combat. I
used headshots extensively in the first game - this was my stealth style. In this game it usually took 4-5 shots with
the pistol to put someone down. This might not be a problem but ammo is scarce at the beginning of the game and half
my kills were by bludgeoning an enemy to death with my baton. At first I thought I was playing LAPD the video game,
but I double-checked the disc.
 The stealth was much worse in this
game. The stealth wasn't great in the original, but it was possible. Most of the areas in this game are so dark
that you need to turn on your flashlight to see - this really helps the guards find you. If you don't use your
flashlight you end up bumping into a guard because you couldn't see him. This can be remedied by the vision
enhancement biomod but the game should not force you to pick a particular biomod due to poor design.
The levels themselves also inhibit stealth. In one area I had no ammo and there were two enemies standing in
the middle of a large room. There were a couple of columns to either side that could be used to sneak past them
but they were behind rails. This was easily remedied by jumping over the railing, but then the sound of my
landing caused the two guys to come after me. Eventually I had to lure them into a side room and whack them to
death with my baton. This type of situation is quite common. The game does give you the option of cheese
stealth - there are two biomods that can make you invisible to humans and machines. The reason this is cheesy
is that there is basically no skill involved - just turn on the biomods and walk through the area. You ARE
limited by your bioenergy, but it's still not the stealth play that I want.
Another disappointment for me is the universal ammo. All the weapons in the game use the same ammo. This means
that you are always using the appropriate weapon for each part or you are using a baton. I know this will be a
plus to some people, but I like the idea of possibly having to use a pistol to kill a heavily armored guard
because I misused my shotgun ammo on an unarmored street thug.
This next problem is debatable, but I felt it detracted from the game. The skill system from the first game
was scrapped and partially put into the biomods. In the first game you got experience points from completing
missions and you could use them to upgrade your weapon or computer skills. If you didn't upgrade your sniper
skills then the scope on a sniper rifle would sway back and forth making it hard to hit a target. When you
maxed out your sniper skill your scope would have only a little sway. None of this is in the sequel because
it was deemed too complicated.
Overall this is still a fun game, but it is disappointing because it took a step back from the original. Fans
of the original will definitely enjoy this game. Players new to Deus Ex may get frustrated and bored during
the first stages of the game when you have plenty of quests but little ammo.
The length of the game (12-20 hours) and replay value makes this game hard to categorize as only a rental.
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| Category |
Description |
Score |
| Presentation |
Cutscenes are well done and the story is interesting. Interface can take a while to get used to. |
8.0 |
| Graphics |
Excellent! One of the best looking games on Xbox thus far. |
8.5 |
| Sound |
Sound effects are decent, music is almost non-existent, and the voice acting is underwhelming. |
6.0 |
| AI |
Not much here. Some enemies will just stand there while you shoot them and the rest run close to you and
start shooting. |
6.0 |
| Gameplay |
Gameplay seems much slower paced than the original and headshots don't seem to work very well. Level designs
seem to prohibit stealth gameplay. New biocanisters do add to gameplay but it's just not enough to match the original. |
7.0 |
| Replayability |
There are multiple side quests that have contradictory commands from the different factions, so these can
change each time through. You also don't have to complete every side quest. The problem is that your actions
don't have any impact on the end of the game - this is all tied up on the last level. |
7.5 |
| Overall |
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7.5 |
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