Deus Ex: Invisible War

The second installment in the Deus Ex series, Invisible War, promises shooting action in abundance. See our full preview here.

	Version Xbox	Developer Ion Storm	Publisher Eidos	Genre FPS

By Rick Larson

Invisible War's predecessor, the original Deus Ex, was hailed by many in the gaming community and received many awards including game of the year. It's mix of several genre's including shooting, action/adventure, and RPG elements allowed gamers to experience a whole new style of gameplay. In the sequel, ION Storm hopes to go even further than the original, aiming to bring an even more realistic and engrossing experience than the first. DX2 has been completely redesigned from the ground up - the graphics, sound, and gameplay have gone through some major changes.

Set nearly twenty years after the events of the original, DX2 leaves gamers in a chaotic world that is rebuilding itself after a global depression. During this time several factions are struggling to gain power in order to shape the new world as they see fit. Gamers will take the role of a BioMod fitted soldier Alex D., a clone of the original game's hero, J.C. Denton. As Alex, gamers are left to find answers about the recent destruction of the Tarsus headquarters in Chicago. Other than that you are left clueless and must play through the game to gain more information.

ION Storm is going to great lengths to make this game as engrossing as possible. One of the main factors is the new graphics engine. Using a new version of the Unreal engine, they have made this game true eye candy - the world is beautifully detailed in a dark futuristic way. They amazing light and shadowing effects add a lot to this game giving it a realistic feel. On top of the graphics, a new physics system has been put in. Now every object in the game is interactive. Anything that is bumped, hit, or shot will react in a realistic manner.

The sound is also seeing an overhaul - everything has a sound. Any impact between two surfaces will create their real life counterparts sound. If you shoot a gun, not only will you hear a realistic gunshot, but you will also hear the rattling of shells against either metal, wood, or carpeted surfaces all with their own unique noise. If ION Storm pulls this off they might have something revolutionary on their hands in terms of how sound plays a role in the game.

The most important change of all is the gameplay. ION Storm knows fans of the original enjoyed the open ended gameplay, and DX2 will build heavily on that. This time around the game will be even more interactive and open ended. Gamers will be able to play through the game in so many different ways that no two people will have the same experience. Everything done in the game will have multiple consequences that will greatly effect the outcome. Gamers will have the choice of sticking to the shadows as a silent assassin, or can go all out and kill anybody that gets in their way. It's all left to the gamers' personal tastes. It is even possible to get through the game without firing a single shot, but where's the fun in that?

Adding to the gameplay, players will have an assortment of gadgets and weapons. The most important of these items are the BioMod enhancers Alex will be able to gain throughout the game. BioMods are used to upgrade various abilities that Alex has. They have numerous uses such as giving players the ability to use new types of vision such as infrared and x-ray. Other BioMods will allow Alex to see the hit points of adversaries. These items have all sorts of uses that will greatly help Alex in terms of vision, stealth, strength and speed. BioMods will also be available on the black market but may offer unwanted side effects. It is up to the player to decide which ones they want.

With all the improvements ION Storm is making on this sequel it is turning out to be a promising title. The only real question is will they be able to pull their goal off? Can they make a world that is totally engrossing and gives gamers a whole new experience, or will it remain a good game that just has some nice effects? If it is any better than the original it is bound to be an amazing game. ION Storm is really putting time and effort into making this game a pleasure for players.