User Reviews (31 - 41 of 101)

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Let the buyer beware

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 14
Date: January 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I am sure this game will be a lot of fun once it actually works properly. A quick visit to the EIDOS technical forum for DXIW will reveal over 10,000 inquiries so far regarding one problem or another with the PC version of the game. I bought it the first day it was out (Dec 3) and have since spent many hours--not actually playing the game--but instead pouring over the forum entries in search of ways to make it run without crashing, and at reasonable performance levels. It is pretty obvious that the makers of the game rushed it out in their quest for holiday dollars without having properly tested and refined it to work well on many PC systems. So, if you choose to buy it, I wish you luck...but you may very well be paying EIDOS to beta test their software rather than the other way around. As for me, I have finally given up and will not try to play this game any further until a major patch is released to correct the many bugs and deficiencies in it...and, for the record, I am not a rookie in adjusting and tweaking computer systems to accommodate the vagaries of software... So, Happy New Year to you...consider another game until this one is fixed.

Horrible Decisions

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 12
Date: December 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Whoever decided to choose a graphics engine that will not run on sub-$200 graphics cards should be fired.

Blatant Rush-job for Christmas 2003

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 12
Date: December 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The retail version 1.0 of this game is so slow on an Athlon 1800+, 512MB, geForce ti4600 that you have to turn ALL shadows off and set texture and lighting details to minimum to run at anything more than 640x480 and get decent framerates. I have now installed the 1.1 patch and while this adds some nice features (quick save/load - duh, how does THAT get left out of a "modern" pc action/adventure game), but as far as fixing some of the glaring problems it is more of a configuration hack to turn off some of the eye candy to shut up us disgruntled PC gamers. My system ran MaxPayne2 at 1280x1024 with all details on max and only lagged during large explosion scenes - 90% of game play was liquid smooth. Even if the performance of the Deus Ex2 game was up to snuff, it's still extremely buggy, crashing to desktop between levels and sometimes just while you're standing there. As a software developer I think there's no way that this game left the shop without the powers that be at Eidos KNOWING FULL WELL that they had a clunker of a game on their hands and they were KNOWINGLY shilling it to the unwitting fans of the original Deus Ex. It's really a shame. I've never wanted to sue over a video game, but I'm not so sure a class action suit is not warranted based on the completely ridiculous system requirements listed on the box. Even the "recommended configuration" doesn't do the job.

It's really not that bad!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 12
Date: March 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I don't see what all the fuss is about. I really did enjoy this game, and I DID play the first Deus Ex.
Well, just to break away from every other review here, I'm going to try to NOT compare DX:IW to the first one.

First off, the game moves along very fast. And I don't mean framerate, but gameplay and story. Maybe even too fast sometimes. Oh well.
The story that's there is VERY good, better so then say...Unreal 2, but that's just me.
Some people will say that the game is too short, and I agree with them on that.
But really all of these reviews are nitpicks and personal preferences to say the least.
Like for example, having to pay $50 for this "Stinkbomb", but that's another reason I was able to enjoy it so much, was because I payed $20! (Thank you Amazon!)

But since it's very hard to go without comparisons to DX 1,
please allow me a very small one: The lack of Lockpicks in DX:IW.
This is a MAJOR gripe on every messageboard, magazine, and website that I could find.

"The lack of Lockpicks shows how sucky the game is." Someone said. Well acually I made that quote up, but bear with me here, folks.
I liked only having to worry about one kind of gadgety thing.
I genuinely did.

In closing, I have to say: If you own an Xbox, then please rent.
If you must have it on PC, then go around the Z-shops and find this used.
...

Technically defective, and Eidos support is useless

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: January 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The game does not run against many ATI graphics cards - no doubt a feature of their nVidia preference program - and the copy protection is defective. We worked with Eidos tech support, and they finally gave up and said SecuRom is working on a fix. How comforting. No timeframe for resolution offered.

We'll see if Amazon refunds for defective software or not.

A good sequel killed by bad decisions

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: December 31, 2003
Author: Amazon User

As a loyal desciple of the original Deus Ex game for PC, I was very anxious to play this sequal. Unfortunately, it has failed to even meet my expectations. While it still maintains many of the wonderful elements of the original, such as the open-ended RPG style gameplay, it is seriously hindered by poor AI, an ineffecient (albeit beautiful) graphics engine, and many, many poor decisions on the part of the developers. Many players of the original complained that the game didn't give you enough freedom to choose which side you wanted to be on. While Ion Storm took steps to remedy this, it came at the cost of a plausible story. Several times I found myself scratching my head over the behavior of the main characters who, in any real-world scenario, would not be nearly as trusting of someone who has been opposing them at every turn.

I feel like I'm splitting hairs over these sorts of issues, but as minor as they may seem, they do hinder the game with their numeracy. Furthermore, the PC version in particular struggles with an interface designed for the Xbox. Very little was changed to make this version more PC-friendly. Sluggish menus, a narrow field of view, and several gameplay changes such as the removal of weapon reload and location-specific player damage make the PC version feel like an afterthought.

I know I'm being harsh with this game, but only because it has big shoes to fill. I can't deny it is a fun game, probably worth the price of admission, but for a series that started with such ambition, Invisible War falls very short of the mark.

Get over DX1!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 19
Date: March 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

A lot of reviewers have compared DX:IW with DX1 and decided the former was a step background. I beg to differ.

Level Design ("the levels are too small"): It is true that DX1's levels were more expansive than DX:IW's, but they were not any freer. I never feel limited in DX:IW. Every area presents the same number of approaches and options, but with a whole lot less running across empty expanses. On the topic of level design, DX:IW's levels make so much more sense than DX1's. In DX:IW, apartments have bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and small living areas; dance clubs have dance floors, VIP lofts, security check-ins and offices. DX1's level design was laughable (recall the Statue of Liberty), not just on an aesthetic level but with regards to gameplay as well. Levels that don't jive with logic don't play well.

Biomods ("the upgrade system is dumbed-down"): "Streamlined" may sound like a euphamism for "dumbed-down," but in DX:IW's case, it's true. It didn't make sense to have 2 unrelated upgrade systems in the first DX. DX:IW's upgrade system presents players the same kinds of critical choices DX1 presented and basically allows customization of the sort that was handled by DX1's point system (e.g. for the leg biomod, you must choose between moving faster and moving stealthier, and the right choice depends on your style of play). I was skeptical before playing but DX:IW's upgrade system works.

Ammo ("there's only one kind"): Again, streamlining. Juggling different kinds of ammunition in DX1 was simply one consideration too many. DX:IW deals with that issue and focuses the player's attention on more important tactical considerations. Yeah, its weird to use the same ammo in a shotgun as in a rocket launcher--but its also weird to be trundling about carrying both a shotgun and a rocket launcher (and probably a number of other pocketsize items too).

Length ("it's too short"): It's simply not. According to IGN.com, DX:IW takes roughly 20 hours to beat. In addition, DX:IW is the kind of game you'll want to replay to make different gameplay choices (choose different biomods, choose different ways to beat misions, choose different factions to ally with). As far as lasting appeal goes, DX:IW excels.

Admittedly, DX:IW has flaws: load times are frequent and lengthy, for example. But generally the game rocks. Every area presents unique problems with numerous solutions, just like DX1 but more streamlined. Levels are short and sweet but not too small. The varied gameplay and concise level design keep things interesting and fresh.

I suppose reactions to DX:IW are subjective and I don't doubt that those who gave this game a bad review truly disliked it. I'm an intellectual gamer who digs turn-based strategy games, tactical shooters, and stealth games but can't stand the monotony of turn-based RPGs and Dungeon Crawlers or the mindlessness of racing/sports games and Run-N-Gunners (like Unreal Tournament). If you have similar tastes, then I highly recommend DX:IW--even over DX1.

Agreement

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 10
Date: January 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I agree with many of the reviews I've seen so far, I am living on a college student's budget and wasted my money on what amounts to a $50 dollar paper weight. I could have spent my money on other things, like... food for example. I would review the content of the game but I never got to see it since it's incompatible with my nvidia MX video card. I've just decided not to buy video games until I get a real job someday. I can't afford to deal with bone-headed mistakes (or is just plain old short-sighted greed?) like the one Eidos/Ion Storm made with this game. Be VERY sure about your hardware before you buy this game.

Shoddy Ted, Shoddy!!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 10
Date: March 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

What a waste of time buying DX:IW was. I am ashamed to say I succumbed to the hype. The {darn] thing wouldnt work straight out of the box as there was a problem with the mouse pointer which would not move in the menus (which meant I couldnt install my biomods and escape the lab)

I bought the original game a few weeks previous ... and it was a great game. Shame about this one. I have NEVER had a game that just didnt work on the day I bought it but am getting a refund for this one.

I bought Unreal 2 the same day and it wipes the floor with DX:IW
Dont stand for lazy development because that is what this is.

Deus Ex: Invisible War

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: May 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

When I first heard that they were coming out with a second Deus Ex, I was completely stoked. I was waiting for another beautifully designed and engaging game.

Unfortunatly, it was neither.
For the record, I operate a P4 2.80GHz with 1024megs of ram and a radeon 9800 pro.

The first thing I noticed that disappointed me was the fact that it was designed completely around nVidia GeForce Graphics cards. Another disappointing factor was the load times and there frequency. I have never seen a game crash so many times in between loading. You can tell by first glimpse that this was a game that was rushed out. And It has plenty of bugs. The patches I have downloaded have seemed to clean up some of the problems but there are still quite a few in my opinion. The thing that annoys me the most are the menus. They are not very user friendly and selecting the weapons and tools can be a bother at first. The larger downfall is the gameplay and the time it takes to get through it. Granted, if you do all the side quests, it can take you a couple of days at most. If you just do the main missions than you could be through in a couple of hours. There was a feeling to the first Deus Ex that this one lacks. This game is in no way as enticing as its predecessor.

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