Deus Ex: Invisible War

"Never Played the Original, So Can't Say I'm Disappointed"

Never Played the Original Deus Ex, So Can't Say I'm Disappointed

Notes

A) At the time that I originally began and completed Deus Ex 2: Invisible War, I had neither seen nor played the original Deus Ex. The following review is thus based on my evaluation of Deus Ex 2 as a game, alone.

B) Immediately upon playing the game, I noticed horrendous slowdown that really shouldn't be have been taking place because the game's visuals were not really all that impressive. On my P4 1.6 GHz with 512 Mb ram and a ti4200, I basically was forced to turn everything down to the lowest settings so that the run would run decently. However, I am usually not picky about high settings and as long as the game can run fine, then I'm pretty much okay with it. The game ran fine (besides slightly long loading times with a 7200RPM HDD) on lowest settings from start to finish.

C) Initially I gave this game a seven. However, after playing through the game again, I have decided to update my review. There were some things I noticed that I had missed, and some extra pieces of the plot that I picked up; this just goes to show that some things might require a little more devotion to be fully enjoyed. Thus, the game now receives an eight.

Introduction and Game-Play

Deus Ex is a science-fiction first person shooter with some role playing and plat-forming elements all thrown together in an eclectic mix. It's really easy to learn how the game works after you've played for about half an hour, but the limited item space gets a little annoying as you get towards the end. Besides that gripe, the inventory/combat system was designed fairly well. All of the guns use the same type of ammo; it's just that they spend it at different rates (e.g. the flamethrower napalm blast consumes half a clip, but the pistol eats just a little per shot). Various ammo upgrades are available throughout the game. You can only open locked boxes with your multi-tools, which are conveniently placed on floors, under couches, behind boxes, etc. They are the only way to get into certain locked areas and treasures, so it's up to you to decide whether or not it's worth spending them (unlike a lock pick, it is consumed after one use). You'll also find bio modification canisters as you progress through the game. These are basically upgrades, and the equivalent of leveling up in an RPG. You use them to increase a certain area of your body, for example, you can install an arm bio-mod to increase your strength, or a leg bio-mod to increase your speed. You have energy (sort of like RPG magic points) that is consumed when you use a specific bio-mod. Dialogues with people are done in third person. The game has a main storyline that is broken down into many paths, choices, for you to take. They all lead to the same destination, but it's the way that you get there that's 90% of the fun. There's a lot to absorb in Deus Ex 2: Invisible War; but once you get through the “learning phase” that's part of every single video game, things will get surprisingly addictive.

Minor Problems

There are a few things that are wrong with the game, primarily the things that come up that aren't realistic at all—just plain annoying or weird. For example, when people get shot or hurt, a little bit of blood comes out and they twitch a little. That's normal, but how about when you semi-auto bullets into their head with multiple weapons and shots? They just don't die. It just seems kind of weird to me how it's much easier to take somebody down with a baton, beating them to submission, than it is with a firearm. That was pretty much my strategy both of the times I played through the game; smack them unconscious and ask questions later; maybe in the future, we've evolved and developed bullet resistant bodies? When someone gets shot in the head, even with a shotgun point blank, he or she flinches, and manages to turn around and get a couple of shots at you, which is what annoyed me throughout the game (How many shotgun blasts in the head can a single person take?—a lot, apparently). Just a note though: I've been informed that there is a patch that makes head shots count for more damage, but I'm unsure about this; I played twice without a patch. Anyway, another fun thing to do is to pick up items and chuck them all over the place. Pump up your strength and you can toss things for insanely long distances! Toss chairs and knock down random people! People don't really seem to do anything besides yell at you. In fact, you can basically steal items in front of people's faces and all that they will tell you to do is stop it. Stop it! I guess that realism doesn't seem to apply in these areas either. But they are minor issues, and you'll learn to ignore them.

The Graphics

There is nothing spectacular about the graphics, but maybe that's because all my settings were set on low. Nevertheless, the people that you interact with look fairly realistic, and so do most the objects scattered throughout the levels. Character models were constantly recycled, and that kind of down-played the game's realism factor. However, most of the cut-scenes are nicely done, as the gamer will notice immediately with the introduction movie. Everything has a slick futuristic look, and things you can interact with look very, very nice. For example, the fire effects are really nicely done, and the robot interaction/domination will surely impress. The graphics in this game kind of reminded me of those found in Unreal 2, but there aren't that many outdoor environments in Deus Ex 2: Invisible War. In fact, most of the game takes place indoors in tight, dark, metal buildings, giving the game an Orwell's 1984ish setting. Even when you're outside in Cairo, you might end up feeling a little claustrophobic. If the game was trying to achieve that eerie, dark, future apocalyptic Big Brother look, then it certainly succeeded.

The Sounds

There seems to be a complete lack of music, except in a few specific areas, and the sounds aren't really that impressive. The gunshots sound rigid and the robots repeat their programmed messages in a monotonous drone. The voice-acting, however, is done extremely well, and the gamer can have an almost complete and active conversation with many of the characters throughout the game; can anyone say dialogue tree? The gunshots, explosions, and most of the other sound effects are okay, but they could definitely have been better with a little more effort. The mood of the game could have been tremendously aided with some subtle music, but the game is pretty much too short enough for anyone to notice anyway.

The Plot/Storyline

Deus Ex: Invisible War doesn't really fall short in many areas. The plot is definitely no exception; there is just so much to uncover and discover. The sci-fi story of this game has surprisingly incredible depth, and requires a lot of exploring (and time) to learn exactly what is really going on. I suppose it would have helped to have played the original game, but I've heard that this game isn't anywhere near as good as the original—of course, I'm not one to judge or compare. Because Deus Ex 2: Invisible War allows a lot of freedom (the freedom to choose jobs, choose friends, allies, enemies, etc), the player can choose whatever quests he or she wishes to do. You can basically kill anyone you want as long as you can survive (you probably don't want to go around shooting everyone up early on, but it's very much doable when you're stronger), which gives the game a “true” sense of freedom (kind of reminds me of Fallout, one of the best PC RPG's ever). The best part is that you will be receiving quests from various people; you'll always get to choose who you want to work for and who you want to disappoint. The variety of choices that the gamer will make in the game can change a lot, so this is where the game shines the most.

Conclusion

Overall, a couple of areas in the game could definitely have been improved upon, brushed up, if you will. But then again, this applies to almost every single game—hence, patches. However, I do believe this game is definitely worth at least one play-through, and if you didn't really mind the loading times (let's say you have a beast of a PC) then you should definitely go through the game again. There are so many ways to get through the game and so many different ways to get through a certain job/event that just one play-through probably wouldn't be enough to fully enjoy what the game has to offer. Although the first person shooter elements weren't done particularly well, the RPG concepts and the freedom of Deus Ex: Invisible War really helps the game tremendously. This wasn't a bad game at all, and if the minor little details were patched up, it could probably have been a 9 or a 10. It's a good game, and you should try it no matter what kind of game you're into.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/28/03, Updated 05/28/04