Deus Ex Invisible War preview

The future looks bleak. Fifteen years after a global conspiracy was disclosed and dealt with, mankind is still struggling with the consequences. Food and water remain scarce commodities; law and order but a distant dream. Militant, religious and political factions fight for supremacy and the anti-terror corps is on the run. A mysterious suicide attack leaves an entire city in ruins and the corps escapes to a secret base (or so they think) in Seattle. Among them we find Alex D., the protagonist of Deus Ex: Invisible War – a direct sequel to Warren Spector’s mega hit of 2000.

Players can choose the gender of Alex D. at the onset of the game. The choice will affect how NPCs react to the protagonist, so choose carefully. Nothing is what it seems in this 3D stealth shooter/RPG from Eidos, which is so interlaced with conspiracy theories that even hardcore Area 51 Internet sites will be envious.

Freedom of choice

As mentioned, this game takes place fifteen years after the events in the original Deus Ex, but Eidos’ English PR Manager Mark Allen refused to reveal which of the three possible endings of the original serves as the starting point for the sequel. As a matter of fact he was exceedingly careful not to reveal more of the plot than absolutely necessary. This is a good thing, because the best part of the original game was its deep and surprising storyline. Eidos assures us that the sequel will leave everything up to the player. You can choose to shoot, sneak, talk or hack your way through, as you see fit.

The first conspiracy surfaces early in the game. Your employers have apparently been spying on you and the other cadets through a one-way transparent ceiling. A woman from “The Order” contacts you with a warning. She beckons you to come to one of their hideouts. But can she be trusted? And what exactly is going on? These are just two of the questions you will ask yourself as you assume the role of Alex D. and as the story branches out in many directions the game has serious replay value.

Stay away from the black market!

Naturally, bio-mods return as a central part of the game. These give the game a great part of its RPG element. They allow you to upgrade your abilities, so you can jump 15 metres, regenerate, see through walls or even become invisible to cameras and sensors. The bio-mods will have three possible upgrade levels. But the most interesting part of it all is the fact that you will most likely be able to buy them on the black market. Mark Allen wasn’t really supposed to discuss this part of the game in any detail, but we badgered him into revealing that black market bio-mods don’t always have the intended functions. Sometimes, they’re completely useless, and other times they will have a completely different use than expected. This is a very intriguing new aspect of the game.

Deus Ex fans will be pleased by the inclusion of a semi-transparent interface, which remains on-screen at all times. The handling of bio-mods was criticised by players of the original, but this looks to have been fixed. The new interface is circular, assigning its left side to weapons management (with a maximum of six firearms at a time), while the right side is for bio-mods (six as well). This seemed both an intuitive and efficient way of handling everything.

Great on Xbox, better on the PC

We got a demonstration of the Xbox version and it was obvious that Mark Allen was very satisfied with the graphics. The use of bump mapping and a high level of detail undoubtedly make this game’s visuals far better than the original’s. Personally, I find the shadows to be the most impressive aspect of the game. This is no surprise, seeing that the game has been in development in the same place as Thief III - in which shadows are an absolutely essential feature.

Allen showed us how the shadows react in accordance with real-time light sources. He let Alex D. turn on a flashlight and walk around a box in dark surroundings. The shadow of the box was cast onto the wall behind it and followed every movement realistically.

The PC version will be even more impressive though. In addition to better graphics, this version will be even more interactive, which is good news indeed for PC gamers everywhere.

What about multiplayer?

Deus Ex Invisible War

This was an area that Mark Allen avoided like the plague. It seems that it hasn’t yet been decided whether or not the game will even have a multiplayer part at all and if so, what it will be like.

-Nothing has been confirmed regarding the multiplayer aspect. Warren Spector wants to concentrate on the single player part first, was his only statement.

Spector and Eidos realize that most people don’t complete their games. Therefore, Invisible War will have a dramatic turn of events halfway through the game. What this implies was absolutely confidential though and neither our Chinese water torture nor the cat o’ nine tails could make Mark Allen squeal about it.

Deus Ex: Invisible War is set to be released around Christmas, for both Xbox and the PC. Eidos are not downplaying the fact that this is a pivotal title in their line-up. Hopefully, both their and Warren Spector’s plans will work out in the end. So far, it looks very likely indeed.

Translated by Jonatan A. Allin (neonwolf)