Deus Ex 2: Invisible War

As the title suggests, this is a console game. It was built for the OG Xbox first and foremost. In fact, it was the very first immersive sim ever built with consoles in mind, as only Arx Fatalis preceded it but was built for the PC and then had to be pared back in some ways to fit on console. Deus Ex Invisible War is the first true immersive sim built for console. So with that in mind, that's how I'll judge it. Judging it as a PC game in the same way you'd judge Deus Ex doesn't make much sense. The original Deus Ex could still be argued to this day as the greatest PC game ever made, so the fact that Invisible War doesn't live up to it as an immersive sim or a PC game should have been expected. First off, you'll probably have to mod this version of the game. The Xbox version has a pretty bad frame rate but is generally smooth from a technical standpoint. There aren't many bugs to speak of. The same can't be said for its PC port. As for the game itself, it's very good. Especially when you compare it to many console games at the time of its release. It's very unique in comparison to many of them. If you're coming from Deus Ex, expect a pared back immersive sim experience. Some of the design decisions attributed to its console origins don't even make sense in that context. The universal ammo system isn't something you'd see on console shooters at the time, so Ion Storm went a bit too far even for consoles in that situation. But ultimately, every scenario you find yourself in this game will have multiple ways through, which is what I personally think matters the most when it comes to a game like this. And though the play spaces are smaller, Ion Storm clearly went for density. Invisible War is a dense experience and it doesn't outstay its welcome either. The story itself is very much worthy of the series and has a far better presentation than the original Deus Ex. In the end, this is a console game and that isn't a bad thing. IW is absolutely worth playing.

Invisible War is worse than the original game in almost every way, and Deus Ex was far from perfect. The inventory is bizzare, the combat is repetitive, the story is confusing. However, Invisible War contains several open hub areas, full of side quests and exploration. I really enjoyed these sections, and they're unlike anything in the original game. Invisible War isn't a very long game, and I felt that it was worth playing for these sections alone, even if the more linear shooting sections are garbage.

This game took everything its Progenitor did and threw them out the window. Levels are small and figuring out how to get past security if you didn't take the black market hacking augmentation (there is no penalty for using illegal augs) is as easy as looking to the left of the door for the GIANT air vent. I wish this game had never been created.

This game is fucking awesome. You ca LIGHT KIDS ON FIRE and LAUGH at them! BUY IT NOW!

This is the single worst sequel to any game ever. When you take away everything that made the fiest game good and just make the graphics better and try to tell people its the successor to one of the greatest games of all time, your screwed from the start.