Forums > Game Forums > Deus Ex: Invisible War > It's not that bad!
Unicorn Lynx (181664) on 9/7/2011 11:41 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
In the midst of playing Deus Ex: Human Revolution, I suddenly understood that I never played this one. It's just that everybody hated it, I was almost afraid to try it out :)
So now I'm giving it a chance. Have completed Seatlle. And... well... it's not bad! No, really, it's quite an addictive, interesting game. There is exploration, great interactivity... why do everyone hate it so much? I mean, yeah, it screams "console port", and I HATE the stupid HUD (isn't there really NO WAY to disable it?), but honestly, does being less good than the original Deus Ex make it a bad game?
I also read an old thread here, in which Dr. von Katze compared it to Halo. Err... Doc, let's not get carried away :) This is to Halo what Stan Getz is to Kenny G.
vedder (73736) on 9/7/2011 12:40 PM · Permalink · Report
It's an o.k. game. If it hadn't worn the Deus Ex name I would've recommended it to people as a sort of shallow DX imitator, though I would sooner recommend Dark Messiah of Might & Magic.
- As you said the HUD is bad
- I was maxed out on augmentations halfway in the game, leaving 0 room for character development in the later half
- All of the later levels were terribly boring
- Everything was overly simplified. Focus shifted from "The player should always be able to do whatever he wants" instead of "The player should make do with the few tools he has", which sucked big time. It's also what makes DX better than Human Revolution, where in DX you were wondering "How do I bust myself out of this situation with just 1 lockpick, 2 multitools and 3 sniper ammo" in DX:HR you're wondering "How do I bust myself out of this situation with 60 hacking viruses, 40 sniper bullets, 20, tranquilizer darts, a rocket launcher and 12 grenades."
- You make no real interesting story related choices in the game, because the game is set up in such a way that you can always go either way
Accept for the graphics (which were better) and the music (which was about on par), everything was less good compared to its predecessor, so yes that makes it a bad game in the eyes of the fans.
Unicorn Lynx (181664) on 9/7/2011 3:01 PM · Permalink · Report
Hmm... I don't quite see the logic in "less good than the first game = bad"...
Based on my experience so far, I'd give the game a solid 82-83 out of 100. I'd give the first Deus Ex 95. That's a significant difference, sure, but... I don't know. I tried not to compare them, and somehow really enjoyed IW.
vedder (73736) on 9/7/2011 3:36 PM · Permalink · Report
Imagine someone gives you an ice cream cone. And it's the best most delicious ice cream you've ever had. Now he promises that next time you visit you'd get an ice cream cone again. But when you finally do 4 years later all you get is an empty cone. You'd be pretty pissed off, no?
Unicorn Lynx (181664) on 9/7/2011 3:41 PM · Permalink · Report
I don't think IW is an empty cone. Really, I'm enjoying it. Enjoying while realizing that the first one was better. What should I do, go to jail for that? :)
vedder (73736) on 9/7/2011 8:58 PM · Permalink · Report
Like you I'd rate Deus Ex 95/100, but I'd rate Invisible War a 75/100. Which is still a respectable score, so I wouldn't say it's a "bad" game, but I can understand where the "bad" sentiment comes from. I played through it twice, but each time I couldn't help but being filled with disappointments.
Patrick Bregger (306045) on 9/7/2011 3:57 PM · Permalink · Report
Don't forget the universal ammo. Bad idea, very bad idea. It also has a horrible engine with tiny levels, very long loading times even on modern PCs and bad physics.
Overall Deus Ex: Invisible War is not that bad. I played it multiple times which says something.
Slug Camargo (583) on 9/7/2011 5:12 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start vedder wrote--]
Unicorn Lynx (181664) on 9/8/2011 6:04 AM · Permalink · Report
turn it into a generic shooter
A generic shooter in which you can pick side quests, use different routes and approaches in every level, and physically interact with everything you see? I wish every shooter were so "generic".
The entirety of IW took place in like 4 ridiculously tiny rooms
Why do you always exaggerate so much? :) Hostile areas are reasonably large, with plenty of stuff to explore. Only the hubs are small.
I haven't yet played enough of the game to pass a final verdict, but so far IW is, in my opinion, much better than people make it out to be. I totally agree with Kadath Bird's review.
The truth is that Deus Ex was really too good. Seriously, it just did so many things at once that it was overwhelming. And it is very annoying that IW threw so much out of the window. Honestly, it's hard to overcome this original impressions of shittiness when you fire up IW.
But then the game grew on me. I got used to the interface. Universal ammo didn't seem like such a horrible idea any more. And the freedom of choice is just so addictive.
Zovni (10502) on 9/14/2011 3:48 PM · Permalink · Report
It's all about how it stacks up to the original, it can't be avoided. If the game where called anything else (like Project: Snowblind did to avoid any relationship to the franchise) I guess we would be giving it more of a pass. But as it stands its just an average game, devoid of the spark and soul of the original and with horribly consolified gameplay mechanics that diluted the experience. It's the McDonald's watered-down Coke Light version of Deus Ex, with everything scaled down and diluted to accomodate the console hardware (memory specifically, which is why the hubs in particular are so small and simple).
On a somewhat related note you can see the same engine and resources being used to a much better effect in Thief: Deadly Shadows. It felt much truer to the original and the simplified mechanics of the Thief franchise make for a better transition.
Patrick Bregger (306045) on 9/14/2011 5:20 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Well, as far as I know the engine programmer left the team midway into development and the code was totally undocumented. That is why the engine is so horrible. When Thief came, which is a very good game (but fails short to the greatness of Thief II, which is the second or third best game ever made after all), they learned how to handle it better.
Overall I don't think IW would have been much better as PC exclusive. The most stupid decisions came from their retarded designer friends (seen the Port Mortem on youtube?) and not consoles; and the engine problems also came from another direction.
Come one, which other game shuts itself down and restarts every time a loading screen occurs?
Slug Camargo (583) on 9/15/2011 2:07 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Zovni wrote--]like Project: Snowblind did to avoid any relationship to the franchise [/Q --end Zovni wrote--] And what is that one like by the way? Is it any good? Only recently I found out it was supposed to be somewhat of a DX spinoff and I'm kind of curious, but I sure don't want to waste 10 bucks on another IW-scale fiasco.
Adzuken (836) on 9/15/2011 2:48 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Dr. M. "Schadenfreude" Von Katze wrote--] And what is that one like by the way? Is it any good? Only recently I found out it was supposed to be somewhat of a DX spinoff and I'm kind of curious, but I sure don't want to waste 10 bucks on another IW-scale fiasco. [/Q --end Dr. M. "Schadenfreude" Von Katze wrote--] Project: Snowblind was one of the most generic first person shooters I've ever played. It was so incredibly bland, I don't know how I had the will to finish the whole thing. At the very least, I remember the gameplay being solid, if not completely uninspired.
Patrick Bregger (306045) on 9/15/2011 6:20 AM · Permalink · Report
There is a demo available. I own it but didn't play it yet.
Adzuken (836) on 9/7/2011 11:37 PM · Permalink · Report
I actually played Invisible War back in high school, which was before I played the original. I absolutely loved the game back then, but these days, I'm not so sure. For one thing, it's a lot shorter than the first game. I mean, that's not necessarily the mark of a bad game, and Invisible War isn't too short by today's standards, but it was short to a disorienting degree. I thought there were just gaps in my memory of the game, but it turns out I remember the whole thing start to finish, it's just that not a lot happens in it. All the levels and missions are just so small and you can rush right through them, and there aren't that many areas that you visit.
I also have to agree that there's far less choice in Invisible War. You get to pick who you side with, and everyone has a plausible argument that may sway you to their side, but that's about it. You can upgrade yourself to max extremely early, leaving you to stockpile mods, and some of the mods you can get are absolutely useless. Then there's the fact that in the latter half of the game, you face foes who can only be easily dispatched by certain types of weapons, so there's goes your stealthy silenced pistol.
I also hated how awkward everyone looked. They stare at you with these ceaseless gazes and their arms stick out away from their bodies. It's really creepy. I'm also having trouble thinking of a single character in the game that is likeable or can be sympathized with.
Like you said, it isn't a terrible game, but it does leave you unsatisfied and slightly irritated. On my most recent play through, I was pretty glad it was over. I'd say it's okay, which on my scale is a 3/5, or 60 as you guys are rating it. I had a good time with it in high school, but then, I don't trust my tastes from back then.
Unicorn Lynx (181664) on 9/8/2011 12:35 PM · Permalink · Report
Okay... now, after Egypt, I'm not that sure of my opinion anymore. It's just the level design... it's so... lifeless. And the story develops in a very weird way - looks like everyone forgive me no matter what I do.
Will this get better later? Or have I, after Seattle and Egypt, seen everything this game has to offer?
vedder (73736) on 9/8/2011 5:57 PM · Permalink · Report
Seattle and Egypt are the better parts of the game. After that you have Trier, which I remember hardly anything about. The next area is horrible, after that it's a rehash of Egypt with little left to do anymore and back to another horrible location for the conclusion. That's from memory though, might have forgotten some stuff.