Deus Ex: Invisible War

meh.

In short: If you want more Deus Ex like the first one of the Jensen ones - NO. Only if you really really want a conclusion to Deus Ex 1.
A little longer: If you enjoyed the intriguing story of intrigues and large variety of playstyles (Give me the GEP Gun) that Deus Ex 1 offered you and hope for a similarly fun and replayable immersive sim, then turn around and download a Deus Ex total conversion mod instead.

This game is tiny, limited, and janky in very un-fun ways. Continuing from a perspective where all endings of Deus Ex happened simultaneously, you live in a high-tech future society where the entire game's running theme is division. The Poor and the Rich, the Economic and the Faithful, the nano-enhanced cybercoffee and the sustainable, ecological brew. I don't think opinions on the game are as divided as it's unequivocally inferior. DX benefits from a few fixes (deus exe, kentie launcher, fixed map pack) but to even get this to run you will need to install The Visible Upgrade. Then you can optimize your game's settings and even get a windowed mode to enjoy this game loading maps by closing and opening itself over and over again which it will do a lot.
If DX1's biggest maps were the size of a baseball pitch, IW's are the groundskeeper's shed. You can't walk three yards without the screen fading to black and asking if you want to load a new area, and even while you walk those three yards, bumping into the liberally placed physics props (enabled by revolutionary HAVOK integration) and sending them careening forwards at the breakneck speed of a half-deflated helium balloon will alert every NPC be they friend, foe or neutral and make them draw their guns. The AI in this game is so lumberingly stupid that it's hard to fight them logically, especially if the last quarter of the game throws almost exclusively mechsuit-wearing rocket-launcher extremists at you that have no spatial awareness and a teensy-tiny weak spot that Ion Storm might have made up for lore and not coded in because they take a lot of your universal ammo. Yes. Your ammo is ONE super limited stack for all guns, your inventory is twelve slots and a lot of shit gets stacked together unsortably, and some items you can't even pick up because they're in hidden spots?
Your RPG elements are gone and instead the game insists you stockpile biomods (formerly known as augments) and change out your installed augs situationally like sure, you have a level 3 healing head augment in a game where medkits don't do jack but right now i need you to hack computers which only works with your brain hooked directly to it, and while your legs are augmented to withstand a drop from the Burj Khalifa you MIGHT wanna install run silent instead because even crouched and crawling at the speed of a lethargic slug everyone in a groundskeeper-shed-radius will hear your footsteps.
The story is centered entirely on you choosing one of two sides: First economists or religious nutjobs and siding with one coffee house chain, later the remnants of the JC crew with way too much trust in a man who's 2/3 AI construct, the shadow government, or EXTREMIST religious nutjobs. It doesn't even affect the story whose stuff you do or don't (besides, missing entire objectives doesn't lose you skill points since there are no skills). Every playthrough I choose the ending where the entire world dies in a fiery anarchist holocaust giving rise to a supremacy of super-bio-augmented lobster men because they are the result survival of the fittest and barely anyone in 2072 is smart enough to brush their teeth without ragdolling to death and this cramped, underdeveloped, janky world was begging for destruction anyways.

EIDOS: a Greek term meaning "form" "essence", "type" or "species"

Now that's some Eldritch Lovecraftian Bullshit right here!

Also whoever thought releasing this thing on xbox was a good idea deserve to be shoved a duke controller in his bumhole

My first ever played DeusEx !
I remembered this way more longer and dull ! But instead was fast paced and also very fun to play !!!

Parece que a Ion Storm fumou CRACK pra fazer essa sequência, de top jogos já feito pra um bagulho eca.

Deus Ex: Invisible GOAT

Great game with horrible port

Even though, the game lacks a lot of features and gameplay mechanics which were presented in its predecessor - Deus Ex: Invisible War still holds up to it's name and offers a great sequal to a phenomenal game. Of course, in order to enjoy the game you must install The Visible Upgrade, get used to a lot of long loading screens (due to this game being on Xbox) and Seattle, after leaving you will notice how this game has a lot to offer, with a different ways to complete quest/objectives. This game is definitely worth your time, especially if you are in fond of the series.

If you have a thing for loading screens, you'll find your fun in this opus. If you are looking for a decent sequel to the first Deus Ex, however... Better play Human Revolution or Mankind Divided.

Not as good as the original. Not as good as the newer ones. But I still enjoy it.

After the phenomenal success of Deus Ex in 2000, expectations for a sequel were colossal. Deus Ex: Invisible War, released in 2003, thus found itself having to fulfill the excessive hopes of fans of bionic implants, global conspiracies and cyberpunk atmosphere. The problem? It's hard to compete with a legend. Invisible War tried... with mixed results. So let's take our cyber-VCR and analyze this video game curiosity with a good dose of humor and self-mockery.

Positives
Story still full of conspiracies: If you love conspiracies, Invisible War is once again a feast for lovers of convoluted scenarios. Illuminati, World Order, cybernetic rebellions, everything is there to titillate your brain. While the story isn’t as dense as the first game, it still has enough mystery to keep you hooked. We’re once again at the heart of a global conflict that will shape the future of humanity. And let’s face it, who can resist a good old rivalry between secret superpowers?

Freedom of approach: Even though Invisible War has simplified several aspects compared to its predecessor, it still has a certain freedom in the way you can approach situations. Whether you want to hack security systems, snipe from the shadows or sneak around like a ghost, the game lets you decide. Okay, some options are a little less elaborate, but the effort is there! It’s a bit like Deus Ex had a simplification cure.

Cyberpunk atmosphere still on top: Dystopian futuristic atmosphere is once again a strong point. With its dark streets and neon lights, Invisible War manages to capture that cyberpunk charm, even if the level of detail doesn't reach the richness of the first game. The environments, while smaller, are still immersive and conducive to exploration. You're still in a world where technology and corruption go hand in hand, and that's good for fans of the genre!

Negatives
Oversimplification: Often criticized for having "oversimplified" the winning formula of the first Deus Ex. The RPG elements that made the first game strong have been lightened, making the experience less deep. The unification of ammunition is probably one of the most questionable design choices. A single type of ammunition for all weapons? It's like putting ketchup on sushi: it works, but it ruins the flavor a bit.

Disappointing technical performance: In 2003, Invisible War’s performance was problematic, even on high-end PCs of the time. The game was unpredictable, with long loading times, framerate drops, and questionable optimization. And let’s not forget the oddly low default resolution that sometimes made it look like you were playing on a CRT TV. For a game that was supposed to be next-gen, it was a bit… blurry, both literally and figuratively.

Overly tight environments: One of Deus Ex’s greatest strengths was its vast, interconnected levels. Invisible War, on the other hand, suffers from much smaller maps that are fragmented by countless loading screens. This often breaks the immersion and fluidity of the gameplay. Want to run from one dark alley to the next? Sorry, you’ll have to wait between levels… again… and again. Fans of the first game’s wide-open spaces will feel like they’re living in a shoebox here.

Summary
Deus Ex: Invisible War is a game that tried to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor while simplifying the formula, but it stumbles on several fronts along the way. If you can get past the simplified mechanics and the few technical issues, the game still offers a captivating conspiracy storyline and a cyberpunk world that still looks great. But let’s be honest: for those who loved the first Deus Ex, Invisible War may seem like a sequel that doesn’t quite live up to expectations. It’s still an enjoyable ride for fans of dystopian sci-fi… as long as you’re not too picky about the details. So is it an invisible failure? Not really. But it’s definitely a lost war on some fronts. Thankfully, there are always a few hacks and augmentations to salvage the experience!

55/100

The game is great but the steam version did not run I got a black screen.

The main reason I'd suggest playing this game is to experience the weird design decisions and fun 2004 jank. It's not terrible, but as a successor to Deus Ex this game sits in a weird place. The game itself isn't bad on its own and there ARE some really nice features and elements that it shares with the original. I really enjoyed still finding lore everywhere, everything optional always had some utility or tradeoff, and the narrative still feels like it has that core Deus Ex structure to it. I still didn't get to the ending due to frustrating gameplay and stability problems. The game crashes upon level loads and when gathering items from time to time. I honestly find this game quite charming despite its never-ending flaws, and it's quite clear that a bunch of people on the development team cared. Check out Ross Scott's video on the game for more opinions I agree with!

fallout4 came from this game