The Great Depression: Part II
The climax of Deus Ex saw the game's protagonist, JC Denton merge with the Helios AI and destroy the Aquinas hub; a device which managed communications across the entire planet. JC's actions set off a new era of depression - people refer to it as The Collapse. Nobody has heard from JC or his brother Paul (who is still alive, amazingly) since.
It has been 20 years since The Collapse. Alex D. is a recruit from the Tarsus Academy - a trainee equipped with the latest in bio-modification technology. Alex D. and his companion Billie are rushed from Chicago to Seattle after a terrorist detonates a nanite bomb in the middle of the city, effectively destroying everything. Tarsus' Seattle academy soon falls under attack from a fanatical group called The Order, and you're let loose onto the world to find answers.
Upon starting the game and choosing your difficulty, you'll be presented with the character creation screen. The limited creation tools are disappointing, but you are given the choice of creating a male or female character, and slightly different events in the game will take place based on your sex. The skill system from the original game has been streamlined, taking away some of your customization options. This isn't an entirely bad thing, but some players may not like the idea. There are a few more options when it comes to biomods, however, with 6 slots available, and three different choices for each (two legal and one black market per slot). Biomods include things such as thermal cloaking, regeneration, neural interface, vision enhancements, lighter footsteps and more. These mods are much easier to acquire and upgrade throughout the experience, and your choice of mods will have a much greater impact on the way you play the game than they did in the previous game.
Invisible War's greatest achievement is probably the tightening up of the gameplay engine. Ion Storm have utilized the latest Unreal engine and the Havok physics system, presenting a much tighter and therefore enjoyable play experience than Deus Ex. Combat is a lot better than the previous game, though there are still some questionable hit zones on the models. Guns use unified ammo - it may be tough to get used to, but that's they way things will work in the future. Players can still modify their guns, though the game presents a much neater screen which will tell you the mods available for fitting, and the mods you have installed. Those who prefer a more stealthy approach to the game will be pleased, as Invisible War has severely enhanced its stealth system. Players will find that hiding in the shadows and sneaking past enemies is much easier. The levels in Invisible War have been designed with this in mind, giving players a much greater array of choices for how they will tackle a certain situation.
In fact, one could say that choice is the main element of the Invisible War experience. You choose which jobs you want to take. You choose the mods you will install. You choose which group you will support. However, the only problem with the game is that it always leaves you open to renege on some of your choices. For instance, you could support the Order, who are despised by the WTO, yet the WTO will still ask you for favours, and won't turn on you in the game. It is better that you just stick to supporting one group throughout the game, as that will give you the maximum potential gameplay time, which should fall in the region of 10-20 hours each time through, depending on the difficulty you choose, and the way you play the game.
Ain't You Purdy
Arguably the greatest difference between the two Deus Ex titles can be seen in the graphics, with Invisible War utilizing the latest in Unreal Engine technology. This has allowed Ion Storm to produce much more realistic environments, which gives them access to effects such as bump mapping, pixel shaders and enhanced lighting systems. The environments in Invisible War are just gorgeous. Of course, the player models have their fair share of detail too, benefiting from much more realistic animation and the widely used ragdoll physics system. The only real problem with the presentation of Invisible War is the framerate, which readily slips from 25 frames per second to around about the 15 frames mark. No 60 Hz support has been added, which makes one wonder why we had to wait an extra three months.
The soundtrack of Deus Ex was one of its greatest strengths, and Invisible War continues the series' tradition of high quality soundtracks. The use of moody orchestral pieces intertwined with electronic music is exactly the sort of musical experience you'd expect in a futuristic game like Invisible War. The voice acting of Invisible War is also of an excellent quality, due to both talented actors and excellent writing.
Invisible Wallets
Deus Ex: Invisible War is a great follow up to Deus Ex, thoroughly addressing all of the problems of its predecessor, and throwing in a few nice elements of its own, as well as continuing one of the most intriguing stories in the history of videogames. Some fans of the first game may be unhappy with the streamlining of the skills system, but most people should be able to overlook this minor hiccup, and discover one of the finest releases of 2004. Highly recommended.
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