One very important thing needs to be said about Deus Ex: Invisible War "It’s deep Real deep" So deep, that as soon as you start a new game, the plot thickens. Five minutes into the game, and again the plot thickens. In fact, as you progress through the game, the plot continues to thicken and thicken until it’s so thick, that you won’t know who to trust or believe. Do you want to help the religious group known only as “The Order”? Should you side with the investor friendly WTO? Or do you continue to help Tarsus, those who gave you your power in the first place. It’s an understatement to say that Invisible War is filled with questions, but it may surprise gamers to find out just how many questions it has.

Playing as a male or female Alex D, questions of morality, ethicality, and loyalty abound as you travel from place to place in a world recovering from a brutal economic depression. It’s refreshing to be able to choose what’s more valuable to you…three hundred credits or a man’s life. And this is really where the game shines. Like it’s predecessor, Invisible War gives the player the truest freedom of choice seen in any game available for the Xbox today. You can kill all opposition or choose to use nonlethal methods instead. If you want, you can use the “Neural Interface” biomod to hack a computer terminal, or you can just look around for the password. How you treat an NPC may end up determining if you receive a payment or a death threat.

Nearly every facet of the game has multiple paths and options, and you can expect to have at least three or four objectives, or “side-quests”, at any given time. With a storyline that puts Hollywood to shame and so many ways to go about enjoying it, you might be tempted to think that visual flair was the last thing on Ion Storm’s mind. If you thought that, though, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find you’re dead wrong.

Invisible War features some of the prettiest textures and graphics you’ll see on the big, black box, and it’s especially evident with some of the older architecture showcased in the later stages of the game. It may not sound like much, but Deus Ex: Invisible War features some damn good looking cobblestone. NPCs are especially well detailed, with excellent lip-sync for the countless dialogue sequences in the game. The only problem with all this gorgeous eye candy is that it occasionally comes with a price, and that would be slow down. Although somewhat excusable due to the sheer amount of stuff going on in the gameworld at nearly all times, it doesn’t make much sense considering that the game is running on an Xbox, not a PS2. It can really be a downer when you turn, closing in on an enemy, only to suddenly find yourself amidst some unwanted and choppy bullet-time.

Graphical lag aside, sound is another area where Invisible War excels. Moody background music will switch with the pace of the game and is quite appropriate for the environment. You won’t hear the same piece for a musty cathedral as you will for a biomod laboratory, which not only akes ense, but also keeps the audio fresh. Of course, all your time won’t be spent inside labyrinths and corridors; you’ll also spend a good deal of your Invisible War tenure in cities, and where there’s a city, there’s a club, bar, or coffee shop. The Kidney Thieves provided six songs for the game, and you can enjoy them at various places throughout. It adds a good deal of authenticity to the realistic feel of the world when you can hear an artist using vocals and lyrics.

Despite the quality of the music, however, Deus Ex does an even better job with the voice acting. Not only is nearly every actor spot on with his or her character, but you also get to enjoy hearing some of the talents featured in the original Deus Ex. What deserves special attention, though, is just how much dialogue there is in this game. Every conversation is played out in audio, and it really adds to the experience. You can even sneak up on two characters chatting and listen for clues or hints.

With so many things going for it, you can safely assume that Invisible War has some solid gameplay. Featuring several weapons - included among them the standard Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, and Pistol - you won’t have to worry about running out of gadgets, especially with the ability to fully customize your firearm with “weapon mods”. Exploring the world is enhanced by the use of “multitools”, one shot hacking and infiltration devices, and a plethora of explosive grenades, mines, and EMP devices. Of course, limiting your exploration and combat options to just weaponry wouldn’t be appropriate for a game of this caliber.

Alex D is at your disposal and fully customizable, with fifteen different biomods (nanite body enhancements) to choose from. By installing the Cloak and Run Silent biomods, you can make a ninja-like stealth specialist, capable of sneaking past even the toughest security. If brute force is your flavor, however, you could install the Speed Enhancement and Strength Enhancement biomods for a super soldier capable of throwing crates like baseballs and possessing a forty-foot vertical jump.

Unfortunately, however, even with its solid gameplay, engrossing storyline, beautiful graphics, and top-quality sound, Invisible War does have some shortcomings. The game is far too short, especially in comparison to the original Deus Ex. It will sadly only take between ten to fifteen hours to finish. This is redeemed, of course, in how much replayability the game features since you can choose so many different ways to play and paths to take, but a longer overall playthrough is definitely missed.

Invisible War also features a weakness that most sequels of this scope have, and that’s the fact that if you haven’t played the original Deus Ex, you won’t get as much out of Invisible War. It’s still enjoyable throughout, but not as much so without that background experience.

Even though it has its flaws, Deus Ex: Invisible War still proves to be a certifiable masterpiece in gaming, and is certainly one of the best games available on the Xbox. Alex Day have choices to make, but in this case, I’m afraid you don’t. Invisible War is a definite must-have for any gamer, and you’d be cheating yourself out of a great experience if you don’t pick this one up.

Pros:

• Amazing storyline.
  
• Super deep character and weapon customization.
  
• Great replayability.
  

  Cons:
  

  • Too short.
    
  • Occasional slowdown.