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| Game: |
Deus EX Invisible War |
| Genre: |
First Person Shooter |
| Developer: |
Ion Storm |
| Publisher: |
Eidos Interactive |
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| Related Links: |
Coming Soon. |
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The PC has been flooded with First person shooters for as long as I can
remember. With the likes of Doom and Castle wolfenstein pioneering the style
many others have spawned from these. Xbox seems to be going the same route
with games such as Unreal, Ghost Recon and Halo being early examples of the
genre for the system. Between now and next year sees an influx of more first
person shooters, each proclaiming features that will make them stand out
from the ever increasing crowd. These days gamers need that something extra
from this type of game to hold their interest in what could quickly become a
stale and contrived genre.
Next year could be described as year of the
sequel as many developers hope that the name of earlier incarnations and the
huge fan bases gained from previous efforts will directly improve sales of
their forthcoming wares. It seems Doom 3 will boast an unparalleled level of
horror in its games approach. While Halo 2 will boast diverse and
unprecedented game play in twined with its hugely engrossing storyline. Half
Life 2 will also enter the arena with its incredible attention to detail.
All of these games having an unique approach to what is essentially the same
type of game ( run around large or confined areas armed to the teeth with a
huge arsenal of weaponry blasting anything that gets in your way). Well
maybe that is rather a vague description but you can possibly see where I am
coming from. Deus Ex :The Invisible War from Ion storm will also come to
Xbox next year. Yet another sequel, to the PC and PS2 smash hit Deus Ex.
Released on PC way back in June 2000 Deus Ex won awards across the board for
its ground breaking approach to the first person shooter genre. With its
subsequent release on the PS2 in March of last year fans have been crying
out for another dose of this freeform action/ adventure shooter.
Deus Ex Invisible War's story starts 15 years after the original game. Set
in a bleak futuristic world where corrupt governments control the masses and
technology reigns supreme. Following the depressive years of the original
where life saving drugs were controlled by government and given only to
those who could afford to pay. The world seems to be back on track after all
the plagues and depressing regimes had been eradicated or at least quashed.
A new world order has come into being and thus a rise in rebel, militant and
government factions all vying for power have started to act out their
visions of power. As an elite anti terrorist agent it appears that your job
will be one of eliminating those that do not agree with your agency's way of
thinking. Who do you trust who is right and who is wrong? It is these
choices as a player that you will be faced with as you enter an ever
increasing web of deceit and misinformation.
What I loved about the original game other than it's engrossing and
emotional storyline was its free form game play. At the beginning of the
game the player had to take out a group of terrorists who had taken over
Staten Island in New York city. From the offset the player was presented
with various choices as to how one should tackle the situation. Would you
take out the terrorists from afar with a sniper rifle? would you enter guns
blazing for the direct approach? Would you be more subtle and go for a
stealthy infiltration or even, not kill a single enemy. This usually was the
hardest method and meant sneaking up on enemies and with a damaging smack
from behind with a stick, knocking the enemies unconscious, then hiding the
bodies. The choices were vast and subsequently affected the story. These
features will make a welcome return in Deus Ex The Invisible War.
What was also great about the original were the Character skills that the
player could assign. Using a point system the player could distribute points
to various skills such hacking, light weapons use, demolitions, armor
proficiency and many more. Quintessentially making one player experience
different from the next. These features are going to be back, bigger and
better than before. If that was not enough there will also be more of the
Bio Mods which were present in the original. These extra modifications are
directly implemented into your character. Granting abilities that other
game characters can only dream of. Add a mod to your vision so you can see
in darkened areas and through walls. A mod to your legs which will enable
you to run faster than a car or move silently. Add a mod to your arms
granting you superhuman strength or quicker reflexes. These modifications
are not just quirks either. They will allow an extra level of depth to the
game in the form of reaching seemingly impossible areas or helping you
tackle a situation more effectively. These mods are numerous and again will
contribute to making one player experience different from the next and
offering plenty of replay value.
From what we have seen so far Deus Ex The Invisible War is shaping up
nicely. The graphics in particular are looking very impressive with some
excellent shadow and lighting effects which will aide in creating an
extremely rich and realistic looking world. The freeform nature of the game
and player choices both in conversations and approach to the game are second
to none in the first person genre. This groundbreaking game play approach
certainly lends itself to the incredibly interactive storyline and will
offer so much more than it's already excellent predecessor. This game is
going to be huge regardless of the many other titles that will appear
between now and next year. Initially penciled in for a late 2003 release,
reports show that unfortunately the release date has slipped to early next
year. Either way this game is going to be an excellent addition to your
first person library of games.
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