XboxGamers
11-30-2003, 12:44 PM
Hands On With The War
Published: November 27, 2003
http://www.digitalentertainmentnews.com/preview.php?story_id=1477
by: Daniel "monk" Pelfrey
After playing Deus Ex: Invisible War for several hours, I was left with one indelible impression – I can’t talk about the game. I mean, I could, but that would spoil the whole story, which is one of the two main factors that supply enjoyment - and there’s a lot here to enjoy.
Players take on the role of Alex D (selectable as male or female at the beginning) and are plunged into a story filled with conspiracies, lies, deceptions, and all around murkiness.
And action – plenty of action.
One of the best features, aside from the story, is the ability to go into an area where actions aren’t necessarily predetermined. Need to clear an area of enemies? You can either go in with guns blazing, sneak around and get past without being seen, or take everybody out in a non-lethal manner. Yes, that’s right, Invisible War is the FPS with a conscience.
Each situation is different – each offering different solutions. Talk to a member of The Order, find out if they are actually the ones behind the attacks, join them, or just kill the person. Maybe you want to avoid confrontation at all and will slink by and opt to find another way to gather information.
There are of course situations where there is only one course of action, and that’s usually done to move a major plot element along or solve a puzzle.
Another addition to the gameplay is the development of “biomods” these enable the character to perform abilities that ordinary citizens can’t, such as possess superhuman strength, see through walls, leap over tall buildings… er wait… not quite that high… wrong license.
There are not just the biomods that are found in the first few minutes of the game either. This is a gameplay element that not only falls into how you play the game, but is actually part of the game itself, and how various factions are… wait… that’s exposing too much.
There are side quests, each with variable results. Some will net some cash that Alex may need, some may further the plot and explain a little bit about what’s going on (or not), others may not do much at all, but are representative of the “living world” that the player inhabits.
There are plenty of characters to interact with as well. Nearly every conversation will have multiple options, allowing for a variety of outcomes. This all falls into the gameplay being open ended and having a method of completion that’s user-created.
Billie is in the same boat as Alex – saved from a disaster at the Chicago location, and relocated to Seattle. She will introduce the player to the conspiracies surrounding the player. Through her, you find yourself between Tarsus Academies and Dr. Leila Nassif, The Order, with Her Holliness’ representative Lin May Chen, the Templars, the WTO, and more.
A game where not knowing where to turn to for the answer is all part of what Ion Storm seems to have wanted to create.
The game will take players around the world in a search for answers. Answers to what? That’s a question that can’t be answered here, for fear of giving away too much. Suffice to say that Deus Ex: Invisible War is one of those rare games that is shaping up to be one of the best Xbox games of the season, if not the year.
The story is intriguing and will keep your interest. There are more gameplay method options than are typically available – resulting in frequent saves, not because you want to be able to respawn after dying, but because you will want to try out different paths and check out the various outcomes of your actions.
Movement will be familiar to those that have played Halo, and the various commands are easily executable. Graphically, the game looks great, and the audio is definitely a standout feature. Listen for footsteps of enemies while hiding in the shadows – not something many games are able to pull off. Technically, the game is pretty much all there.
Sure, you can pick up and throw much of what you see around you. You can interact with the customer at the coffee shop. You can intimidate the guy behind the ticket counter. You can hide in the shadows or mask your thermal signature to get past robots. Really, when it comes down to it, Deus Ex: Invisible War looks to be a game that sets the bar for others to follow.
I don’t want to get too much into the story elements of the game, saving that for the review. Suffice to say that adventure gamers with a penchant for intrigue storylines should definitely look at this heavily. FPS fans should have already pre-ordered Deus Ex: Invisible War.
So far, the game is looking like a must own with open-ended gameplay and a story that’s tightly weaved to provide tension in all the right places (and loose enough to allow the player room to find the right threads).
http://www.digitalentertainmentnews.com/admin/screenshoot/dxiw06.jpg
http://www.digitalentertainmentnews.com/admin/screenshoot/dxdev02.jpg
hehe!
http://www.digitalentertainmentnews.com/admin/screenshoot/dxiwmodstrength.jpg
Published: November 27, 2003
http://www.digitalentertainmentnews.com/preview.php?story_id=1477
by: Daniel "monk" Pelfrey
After playing Deus Ex: Invisible War for several hours, I was left with one indelible impression – I can’t talk about the game. I mean, I could, but that would spoil the whole story, which is one of the two main factors that supply enjoyment - and there’s a lot here to enjoy.
Players take on the role of Alex D (selectable as male or female at the beginning) and are plunged into a story filled with conspiracies, lies, deceptions, and all around murkiness.
And action – plenty of action.
One of the best features, aside from the story, is the ability to go into an area where actions aren’t necessarily predetermined. Need to clear an area of enemies? You can either go in with guns blazing, sneak around and get past without being seen, or take everybody out in a non-lethal manner. Yes, that’s right, Invisible War is the FPS with a conscience.
Each situation is different – each offering different solutions. Talk to a member of The Order, find out if they are actually the ones behind the attacks, join them, or just kill the person. Maybe you want to avoid confrontation at all and will slink by and opt to find another way to gather information.
There are of course situations where there is only one course of action, and that’s usually done to move a major plot element along or solve a puzzle.
Another addition to the gameplay is the development of “biomods” these enable the character to perform abilities that ordinary citizens can’t, such as possess superhuman strength, see through walls, leap over tall buildings… er wait… not quite that high… wrong license.
There are not just the biomods that are found in the first few minutes of the game either. This is a gameplay element that not only falls into how you play the game, but is actually part of the game itself, and how various factions are… wait… that’s exposing too much.
There are side quests, each with variable results. Some will net some cash that Alex may need, some may further the plot and explain a little bit about what’s going on (or not), others may not do much at all, but are representative of the “living world” that the player inhabits.
There are plenty of characters to interact with as well. Nearly every conversation will have multiple options, allowing for a variety of outcomes. This all falls into the gameplay being open ended and having a method of completion that’s user-created.
Billie is in the same boat as Alex – saved from a disaster at the Chicago location, and relocated to Seattle. She will introduce the player to the conspiracies surrounding the player. Through her, you find yourself between Tarsus Academies and Dr. Leila Nassif, The Order, with Her Holliness’ representative Lin May Chen, the Templars, the WTO, and more.
A game where not knowing where to turn to for the answer is all part of what Ion Storm seems to have wanted to create.
The game will take players around the world in a search for answers. Answers to what? That’s a question that can’t be answered here, for fear of giving away too much. Suffice to say that Deus Ex: Invisible War is one of those rare games that is shaping up to be one of the best Xbox games of the season, if not the year.
The story is intriguing and will keep your interest. There are more gameplay method options than are typically available – resulting in frequent saves, not because you want to be able to respawn after dying, but because you will want to try out different paths and check out the various outcomes of your actions.
Movement will be familiar to those that have played Halo, and the various commands are easily executable. Graphically, the game looks great, and the audio is definitely a standout feature. Listen for footsteps of enemies while hiding in the shadows – not something many games are able to pull off. Technically, the game is pretty much all there.
Sure, you can pick up and throw much of what you see around you. You can interact with the customer at the coffee shop. You can intimidate the guy behind the ticket counter. You can hide in the shadows or mask your thermal signature to get past robots. Really, when it comes down to it, Deus Ex: Invisible War looks to be a game that sets the bar for others to follow.
I don’t want to get too much into the story elements of the game, saving that for the review. Suffice to say that adventure gamers with a penchant for intrigue storylines should definitely look at this heavily. FPS fans should have already pre-ordered Deus Ex: Invisible War.
So far, the game is looking like a must own with open-ended gameplay and a story that’s tightly weaved to provide tension in all the right places (and loose enough to allow the player room to find the right threads).
http://www.digitalentertainmentnews.com/admin/screenshoot/dxiw06.jpg
http://www.digitalentertainmentnews.com/admin/screenshoot/dxdev02.jpg
hehe!
http://www.digitalentertainmentnews.com/admin/screenshoot/dxiwmodstrength.jpg