When the original Deus Ex came out for PC (and later Playstation 2), it was heralded as a genre-defying game that mixed FPS gameplay with RPG elements and became an instant hit. Now the sequel has finally been released, and while PC gaming freaks have lashed out at the “dumbing down” of the sequel’s skillbuilding elements, anyone who plays games for entertainment and not for complex elements will love this game. In short, Deus Ex: Invisible War is every bit as good as the original, and in some places better than its predecessor.  

Taking place 20 years after the events of the original Deus Ex, players are thrust into the role of upcoming security agent Alex D. (male or female, you choose what s/he looks like), a student at the elite Tarsus Academy. In the first five minutes of the game, Chicago is wiped out after a terrorist attack seemingly aimed at Tarsus students, who have the honors of receiving biomodifications (or augmentations, as they were called in DX). Soon after, the academy you were transferred to in Seattle is attacked, and it’s up to you to figure out what is going on and who to trust. The game is much, much shorter than the previous game, but not as short as recent sequels like Max Payne 2 but every bit as engaging as the previous game. Saying anymore of the game would be criminal to those who have yet to play it.  

Graphics are, short and sweet, phenomenal. The lighting effects have to be seen in person to be believed, its just that good. The character models are great, and lip-synch is almost spot-on. The textures could’ve used a bit of work, but the game is a wonder to behold. The game using the HAVOC physics engine used in Max Payne 2 and the upcoming Half-Life 2, which allows for realistic interactions with people and the environment. Shoot a person with the shotgun and they will be knocked back and crumple realistically, or throw a crate down some stairs and it will bounce and tumble as it would in real life. The neat aspect of the gameplay comes from the biomods you receive, which when installed give you special powers. There are five slots for your biomods, and each slot has three choices of mods to choose from, but you can only pick one.  For example, your eye augmentation can either be; night vision, regeneration, or spy drone. There are two “legal” augmentations and one “black market” one, which if people catch you using will upset them.  

While the game is short (beaten in about 12 hours), it has none of the tedious parts like in Deus Ex. There were four or five locations I found in the original that really had no relevance to the game, and if cut out would not have affected the story at all. Not so with DX:IW, you never feel that where you are is insignificant to the plot. The only real con to the game is the bizarre ammo system, in which the ammo clips you pick up are used for any weapon you have so the ammo for your handgun can be used for your flamethrower. Bizarre, but it really doesn’t get in the way. Also, the load times can be somewhat long (about as long as in KOTOR) but again, it’s all worth it.  

This game belongs in every Xbox owner’s library. Even if you haven’t played the previous game, you should still head out and grab this game. This is one of the best games on the Xbox since Halo and Splinter Cell.