Doom 3, Half Life 2, Call of Cthulhu, S.T.A.L.K.E.R…. the end of the year is promising some very exciting games. Time to clean up the shelves and go over some older games I have not finished yet.
First in line – Deus Ex II : Invisible War.
I have mixed feelings about that one.
On the one hand, it was exciting to follow the initial storyline. Going through some places from the initial game, meeting some familiar faces made the game feel like going back home after a long time on the road. Things are not quite the same but they remain familiar.
On the other hand, while the original story was dark and deliciously complexe, this one is needlessly complicated. Right from the beginning, the little game of factions and political powerplays turns into a confusing labyrinth of names, groups and leaders. If it was not for some cool graphics and a comfortable user interface, the game almost lost me in the first two levels.
Fortunately, perseverance eventually pays off once the storyline forces the player to make some critical alliances. The story throws in some rare comments about Society and Control, too little compared to the first game, as if they decided to dumb this one down to make it more accessible.
The story is also much shorter. It took me about 12 hours of gameplay, while I recall spending almos the double in the first one.
Overall, the game was not very difficult, not very challenging and quite linear, although it was still possible to resolve situation in many ways (lethal and not). Choice in this game is very superficial. yes, you can chose sides and make alliances that result in very different endings. But the progression towards that end still feels too linear.
Too bad this sequel was a little disappointing. It is still a lot of fun to play but I can’t shake the feeling that it missed becoming so much more.