Sequels are tough, especially when the first game walked away with more then a dozen Game of the Year awards. It's games like this that make me wish I had more then a one out of five scale or didn't even have to give ratings at all. Because DE:IW is ultimately a game that's hard to fit into a simple one to five scale...
Gameplay: Compared to other games of it's time, the game mechanics aren't that bad. Compared to IW's predecessor... WTF were they thinking? The skill system is gone and pretty much meshed together with the augmentation system. Given the success Bioshock would later have by letting the player do anything and only give bonuses for certain genetic powerups, this could have been handled to a satisfactory end, but wasn't.
Instead, the player is often forced to make difficult upgrade choices that don't often make sense. Computer hacking or invisibility? Enhanced Vision or regeneration? Decaf coffee or green tea? Can you see where I'm going with this?
In terms of weapons, the game takes both a step forward (some imaginative weapon mods and unique guns are thrown into the mix) and a step back (WHY do my rocket launcher and submachine gun both use the same ammo?)
Replay Value: On one hand I'd so want to replay this game to get the alternative endings. But then, one save at the last level would allow you to get all four endings. Also, there really is no real motive to go back and play again. Alex D is the cyborg equivalent of a modular swiss army knife, able to plug and play different mods on the fly with little consquence. This is a shame because the game world has so much potential and story (more on that later) that you'd end wanting more regardless of which side you worked for.
Graphics: Requirements are a little steep, and the graphics themselves have their moments. But ultimately if you were expecting a super-uber counter to Half-Life 2 (which wasn't even released yet) then you're better off elsewhere.
Fun Factor: I guess I should ask myself, did I have fun? The answer would have to be yes. Was it the most fun I had? No. Would I have forgiven the rest of the game's flaws had there been more to explore? Yes.
Story: First of all, in a interesting twist known only to those familiar with the debates going on regarding transhumanism (or anyone who could spend five minutes reading the Wikipedia article on the subject,) all four endings line up neatly with the four big arguements for and against the augmentation of the human body through technology, from JC Denton's Brave New World to the Omar's Neo Darwinism.
Second... for a game that prided itself on freedom, there were alot of things you couldn't do that made it frustrating. You couldn't join the Omar and pick up one of their suits, you were stuck being a favored customer till the end of the game. You also couldn't stay a free agent for very long. Even at the very beginning, you had to pick between the capitalist WTO and the fundementalist Order. In retrospect, this second point was as good as it was bad. You couldn't stay passive, you HAD to pick a side, you HAD to stand for something. Difficult decisions that could make or break your character are what makes a RPG different from an Action game.
Third, the characters and (in the case of the Omar in particular) the factions managed to be interesting, fairly memoriable, and gave you some personal satisfaction for either helping or screwing over.
If there was one plot I didn't like, it had to be the Coffee Wars plot line. Of all the stupid little side quests they could have put in, it had to be a petty feud between the hip and chic Pequads and the more blue collar QueeQuee (and I'm not even sure if I spelled them right.) It might have been interesting if like the rest of the game, your decisions in this little corporate spat could have had some impact on the game world. But no, like a side quest in Baldaur's Gate or Legends of Zelda, they only exist to give your character that little extra boost to make the game more of a breeze.
Conclusion: Invisible War isn't a BAD entry to the Deus Ex family, but it isn't a GOOD one either. This is a game that had a very high bar set by it's predecessor and only managed to limp along.
Overall score: 3.5 (since I don't feel comfortable giving the game a solid 3 or 4)
Learning Curve: Takes a second
Gameplay:
Graphics:
Replay Value:
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