We have the technology to rebuild him. (Deus Ex 2 - Invisible War (PC))

Member Name: The Duke

Product:	Deus Ex 2 - Invisible War (PC)
Date:	07/05/04 (77 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Makes you think and a good story., Looks very nice., Decent gameplay.

Disadvantages: Too short., Less complex than the original.

Here's a puzzle for you: how do you create a direct sequel to a game which itself had three distinct and possible endings? This was a problem which Ion Storm faced when trying to create the sequel to the original "Deus Ex". Deus Ex was, at the time, one of the most innovative games of recent memory and arguably one of the all-time great PC games and Ion Storm have a lot to do if they're to better the original.

The sequel takes this formula, adds it to some new technologies and adds a storyline which somehow makes sense after the previous multiple endings of the first.

It is twenty years since the events in Deus Ex plunged the world into a global collapse. The aftermath of J. C. Denton's involvement with a worldwide conspiracy has left the world devastated and a few groups are vying for complete control over the world's population.

You are Alex D, a trainee at a "Tarsus" facility in Chicago, destined to become a corporate mercenary or spy. For some reason which is unknown, the entire city is destroyed in a terrorist attack. You and your fellow trainees are evacuated to Seattle where you awaken to find that the "Tarsus" facility there has just come under attack from forces unknown. After reporting to the senior official of the facility, the attackers become invaders and you are ordered to evacuate the building, or you could listen to one of your friends who recommends that you investigate your room. Your escape from the Tarsus facility is not straightforward and once you're out on the streets, you have to fend for yourself. The first question you want answered is simply "What the hell is going on?" and so you step out into the Seattle night to try and find some answers...

Obvious comparisons will have to be made to the original game as there aren't really any comparable games on the market (Deus Ex and the sequel are FPS/RPG hybrids). FPS is a first person shooter much
like Quake or Doom and RPG means a role playing game where the emphasis is on character development. So, while the action takes place in a first person perspective, you do get a load of character development opportunities and you do have an effect on the unrolling story.

There are differences between the sequel and the original far beyond the storyline and technology used to create the game. The sequel is a far simpler (in terms of complexity, not difficulty) game than the original, and I thought that this was a bad point. Obviously, this opens it up to a wider audience and enables Ion Storm to port the games across to the consoles if they choose (which they have done).

Why is creating a simpler game a negative point? Well, the new Deus Ex is now no more than a glorified FPS game with a few RPG frills thrown in, and it's arguable that it's now no more of an RPG than No One Lives Forever 2 (which is a FPS with a rudimentary skill points system). Where before, you had to carefully juggle your inventory, which used a system based on size i.e. an assault rifle took up more space than a pistol, in this case one inventory slot carries one item whether it's a lockpick or a flamethrower. This is only one of the few ways in which the game has been dumbed down though. For devotees of the previous title, the dumbing down is a huge negative effect on the game compared to what it could have been if the complexities of the original had been left intact (or improved upon).


In a similar vein, the depth of the story in the first game was amazing as Ion Storm had carefully put together a complete world using many different sources. If you are aware of the amount of background material the actors in The Matrix were supposed to have read before filming, then you might have some idea of what went into the story of Deus ex. However, the second story just doesn't have that feeling to it. While I was playing through the first, it felt to me
like I was playing through a complete novel, influencing how the ending would turn out. During the second though, I simply felt like I was playing a computer game, albeit a very good one.

While I think the gameplay does suffer from the slimmed down console approach, there are still plenty of things going for DE: IW. For a start, there are plenty of goals to achieve for many of the different characters and groups. You won't be able to complete all of the goals during one game though because each of the three main 'sides' may give you an overall target for a specific level and they'll usually be in conflict with each other.

Like the original, there are usually many different ways to complete a goal. Gaining access to a room may involve picking a lock (if you have the right equipment), sneaking in through an air vent (if you can find it) or gaining the access code from one of the characters by doing them a favour or by finding a key somewhere. There's plenty here to make you think, although the problems aren't exceptionally difficult to figure out, actually achieving them can be quite testing.

If you are new to the series, then you'll find DE: IW quite easy to pick up. The GUI (graphical user interface) is easy to get to grips with (although again, it's been dumbed down for console users) and all the information you require is easily accessible without hours of tuition. The controls are configurable, so finding a setup which you find comfortable is very easy.

Unlike lots of other FPS games out there, there's not really a specific tutorial to speak of. You're really thrown in at the deep end, although anything which needs explained is generally explained via other characters and other in-game elements. If you haven't played Deus Ex, then you're not really going to be at any disadvantage with the exception that you might not fully 'get' the storyline which refers to the original
game quite a bit.

Graphically, the game looks very well. It uses a modified version of the Unreal Warfare graphics engine which is pretty much up to date and it looks excellent. Bolted onto this is a new dynamic lighting system which quite amazing (move a lamp or a light fitting and watch the shadows move to match) and the Havok physics engine which tries (mostly successfully) to accurately emulate the effects of gravity on the objects in the DE:IW world. Some of the characters animation isn't quite up to scratch, but you'll probably be too engrossed in the game to notice or even care.

The voice acting is of a high quality, although I can't say that the actual sound effects used in the game impressed me much, although they were good enough to do their job and add atmosphere to the game.

With the levels being designed to be playable in many different ways, it's no surprise to learn that the level design is excellent. You get to revisit some of the levels a few times and each time you do, it's nearly like playing a new level as your goals have changed and so has your method of completing the level.

Despite being a game with lots of guns in it, there's not a lot of blood or gore although there is some bad language and a few references to drug use. The puzzles aren't terribly difficult either and with this in mind, I'd probably not recommend it for young children, but teenagers could probably play this quite happily (despite the voluntary rating of 16).

Deus Ex: Invisible War requires a very hefty PC on which to run comfortably. If you don't have a DirectX 9 compatible video card then you're already in trouble and on top of that you'll need at least a 1.5Ghz processor, 2Gb of hard drive space and a DVD ROM (because DE:IW comes on DVD, not the usual CDROM). I'm playing the game with an Athlon XP 2500+, 512MB of RAM and I'd say performance was good without being outstanding.


My final point is that I played through the game quite quickly, and I thought it was quite short. I estimate that I completed the game in around 14 hours which I feel is quite short for a game of this type. You might argue that it's quality rather than quantity, and that this is a quality game. You might also argue that with numerous possible endings (and rumours of a secret ending) that you could play the game through a few times too, and this is all true, but I still felt that there could have been more to the game.

Overall though, your enjoyment of the game will probably depend on whether you've played the original version or not. If you are new to the series or if you thought the original was too complicated, then this will probably be a four or five star game (out of five) for you. If you played the first game and enjoyed the complex nature of the game, then you might find DE: IW disappointing and probably only around three stars.

I'd give it a (generous) four stars.

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