Deus Ex: Invisible War
| Deus Ex: Invisible War | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Studio | Ion Storm Austin | ||
| Publisher | Eidos Interactive | ||
| Senior Developer | Harvey Smith (Project Director) | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
 March 5, 2004 December 3, 2003 |
||
| platform | Windows , Xbox | ||
| Game engine | Unreal Engine 2 | ||
| genre | Action RPG | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
|
||
| medium | CD-ROM , DVD-ROM , download | ||
| language | Audio & Subtitles: German | ||
| Current version | 1.2 (as of February 28, 2004) | ||
| Age rating |
|
||
Deus Ex: Invisible War is the direct sequel to the game Deus Ex and, like this one, comes from the development team Ion Storm Austin . In the USA it was released for Windows PC and Xbox on December 3, 2003, the German version came on the market in March 2004.
action
Deus Ex: Invisible War takes place in 2072, 20 years after the events of the first part. The game's main character, either male or female, is Alex D. , another Denton clone. The existence of these clones was already indicated in the first part, where they could be seen in the unfinished state in the laboratories of Area 51. Alex D. is a student at the so-called Tarsus Academy in Chicago. At the beginning of the game, she fell victim to a terrorist attack from which Alex and his comrades only barely escaped. You will be evacuated to the academy in Seattle, which is the starting point for the rest of the game.
Some characters from the predecessor reappear in Deus Ex: Invisible War , including Tracer Tong, Paul Denton and JC Denton, the protagonist of the first part. The action takes the player to different locations around the world, in addition to Seattle an arcology and the surrounding Medina district in Cairo , the Porta Nigra in Trier and the Antarctic. With the finale on Liberty Island, which is enclosed by ice, the circle for the first part of the Deus-Ex series is complete.
Gameplay
The player can determine both gender and skin color. Like its predecessor, the game has a largely linear main storyline, but gives the player complete freedom in how he performs these tasks. Nanotechnology and conspiracy theories are playing a big role again, as is the simmering conflict between the Illuminati and Majestic 12 . While the relevant representations offer little new in comparison to the predecessor, the game ventures to some extent into philosophical topics such as the fundamental conflict between individualism and society and draws a bow to ideas of cyberpunk for solutions . Many players still had the feeling that for the second part a deep story took a back seat in favor of more action. This is not least due to the fact that smaller details have been deleted without replacement, such as computers on which the player could read e-mails, as well as fewer opportunities for character development.
development
Harvey Smith , lead designer of the first part, started working on the script for Deus Ex: Invisible War shortly after the publication of Deus Ex . The development ran parallel to the work on the multiplayer mode for Deus Ex (published as a patch and part of the Game of the Year Edition ) and the porting of the first part to the PlayStation 2 . In the middle of 2001, work on the successor finally began with full team strength.
Also Deus Ex: Invisible War deals thematically with the question of reality and truth. The developers were significantly influenced by the events of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent measures taken by the George W. Bush administration . There are also borrowings from the works of the authors Philip K. Dick ( Blade Runner ), William Gibson ( Neuromancer trilogy ) and Thomas Pynchon . The role and position of the real existing World Trade Organization ( WTO) in the game as a monopoly financial institution are a reference to the criticism of globalism, as expressed during the protests during the ministerial conference of economic and trade ministers of the WTO in Seattle in 1999 .
technology
Developer Ion Storm used a heavily modified version of Unreal Engine 2, which was also used in parallel for the game Thief: Deadly Shadows . The developers implemented the Havok - physics engine .
Unlike the first part, Invisible War was designed from the start to run on both PCs and game consoles, which is reflected in the design. Many elements of the game seem to be a compromise between the capabilities and realities of both platforms. Compared to its predecessor, this includes reduced levels and the associated numerous loading sequences. In addition, the game suffered from numerous programming and customization errors. The first (unpatched) default.ini file of the PC version contained, for example, many irrelevant settings and real errors, e.g. B. old comments on Thief: Deadly Shadows or incorrect field of view settings that belonged to the Xbox. For the US version, Ion Storm released two patches to get the biggest problems under control. The international versions were available in patched condition (v1.2) from the start.
The 14-track soundtrack was composed by Alexander Brandon and Todd Simmons. In April 2004, all tracks were offered for free download on the Deus Ex: Invisible War homepage .
reception
The game received positive ratings, which were, however, well below those of its predecessor. Metacritic gives an average rating of 80 out of 100 points for the PC version in 25 reviews, with a total of 83.52% for game ratings. The Xbox version was rated only slightly better. (Metacritic: 83 / Gamerankings: 85.36%). Among other things, have been criticized Havok - physics engine , the unit of ammunition and poor AI . The stealth mechanics were felt to be significantly less extensive compared to games like Splinter Cell and rated negatively for the players due to the lack of feedback. Among other things, the variable procedures known from the predecessor, the synchronization of the German version and - with reservations - the narration and staging of the plot were positively rated. The game was criticized because it did not run on certain graphics cards such as the GeForce 4 MX , because these pixel shaders were missing, and for the short game duration compared to the first Deus Ex.
Despite all the criticism, publisher Eidos was able to sell more than 1.2 million copies, which meant that the sales figures were above those of its predecessor with around one million copies sold.
In retrospect, games journalist Richard Cobbett described Invisible War 2016 as one of the greatest disappointments in PC gaming history. Especially the scene of Liberty Island with the Statue of Liberty, which was used in the predecessor as an entry and in Invisible War as a conclusion, clearly demonstrates the admissions that were made to the inferior hardware of the Xbox. The problem with the game was not that Ion Storm would have shied away from further developing the predecessor. The designers would have made some visible efforts, but the design decisions would have been strained and ultimately seem half-baked. Invisible War , together with the equally disappointing Thief: Deadly Shadows, is ultimately the result of the weaknesses of its time, not the strengths. Although it is not a terrible game, it is also not an underrated classic, but a bloodless product that, in retrospect, could no longer compete with the no less problematic Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, which appeared a year later .
Sequels
More games were planned in the Deus Ex universe, including the tactical multiplayer shooter Deus Ex: Clan Wars from Crystal Dynamics . However, publisher Eidos decided to develop the game under the name Project Snowblind for PC, Xbox and PlayStation 2. Although designed as a high-quality first-person shooter, the title hardly sold and soon afterwards had to be offered in the low-price segment.
With the departure of the designers Warren Spector and Harvey Smith from Ion Storm and the closure of the development studio by Eidos in February 2005, the continuation of the franchise was temporarily abandoned. In February 2007, Eidos opened a new development studio in Montreal and finally announced a sequel in November 2007. The game, entitled Deus Ex: Human Revolution , was released in August 2011 and marked a successful return for the series, which was followed by other titles.
Web links
- Deus Ex: Invisible War at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Mark Lederer: Denton runs: "Deus Ex: Invisible War" chief developer Harvey Smith about biomods, tranquilizer darts and the ultimate terror regime . In: Telepolis . Publisher Heinz Heise . March 29, 2004. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- ↑ Interview about the computer game: "Deus Ex II" My will be done! . In: SZ . March 27, 2004. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- ↑ Havok: Deus Ex 2 and Thief 3 from Ion Storm to break physics barrier with Havok ( English ) In: GameSpy . IGN . November 9, 2001. Archived from the original on February 27, 2005. Retrieved on August 30, 2011.
- ↑ Stephan Lindner: Deus Ex: Invisible War - Soundtrack published . In: Gameswelt . Web Media Publishing AG. April 10, 2004. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- ↑ Metacritic.com , PC Average Rating, accessed July 31, 2011
- ↑ Gamerankings.com , PC Average Rating, accessed July 31, 2011
- ↑ Metacritic.com , Xbox Average Rating, accessed July 31, 2011
- ↑ Gamerankings.com , Xbox Average Rating, accessed July 31, 2011
- ↑ Petra Schmitz: Deus Ex 2 in the test: The sequel falls short of the original . In: GameStar . IDG . January 5, 2004. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- ↑ Dirk Gooding: Test: Deus Ex: Invisible War . In: PC Games . Computec Media Group . March 19, 2004. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- ↑ Jörg Luibl: New Deus Ex multiplayer patch is here . In: 4Players . freenet AG . March 5, 2004. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ Andrew Burnes: Eidos & Square Enix Sales Figures Revealed. In: IGN Entertainment . Ziff Davis , April 23, 2009; archived from the original on October 14, 2013 ; Retrieved September 7, 2011 .
- ^ Revisiting Deus Ex: Invisible War, one of PC gaming's biggest disappointments. Retrieved September 16, 2016 .
- ↑ Tor Thorsen: Snowblind was Deus Ex: Clan Wars ( English ) In: GameSpot . CNET . June 16, 2004. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- ↑ Leigh Alexander: Eidos Announces Deus Ex 3, Talks New Montreal Studio ( English ) In: Gamasutra . UBM. November 26, 2007. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
