Deus Ex: Invisible War

Deus Ex: Invisible War is an immersive sim that blends RPG and FPS mechanics, offering players multiple ways to tackle missions.
The ability to choose between a male and female protagonist was quite impressive for a game released in 2003.
Gameplay variety is excellent, allowing both stealth and direct combat approaches.
However, enemy AI is weak, and the game suffers from noticeable graphical issues.
The universal ammo system, combined with more bugs and a less engaging story, makes this game weaker compared to the previous Deus Ex.
It's worth playing once, but the previous Deus Ex was undoubtedly better.
6/10

For decades now I've heard that Deus Ex: Invisible War is some awful game. And now that I've finally played it, I thought it was... fine. A big step down from the original, without question, but nowhere near as bad as some claim it to be. Honestly the biggest issue I had with it, I just found it boring. Which in many ways is worse than a bad game, sure, but it's certainly not a steaming turd. It goes for £5.99? There are worse things you can buy for £5.99. Don't let this be your only Deus Ex game though! I assure you, the other main 3 are far better.
(Last note, I'm only hitting "recommend" because my choices are just yes or no. I feel like there should be an in-between option here)

I'm a huge fan of the Deus Ex series. But Invisible War has always been a stumbling block for me. Every time I launched the game, I was struck by the clunkiness of its circular interface and its utter failure to live up to the legacy of JC Denton's original story. But this time, I pushed through.

This game is like a rollercoaster—a dreadful start with devolved gameplay and a disjointed narrative, but an excellent ending that elegantly concludes the red-pilled journey of JC Denton, who ascends to become a literal Jesus Christ figure. Ironically, JC’s appearance in Invisible War only highlights how mediocre the new protagonist, Alex D, truly is. Within the sequel’s narrative, Alex is little more than a pawn executing JC’s grand design for "pure democracy."

Compare that to the original Deus Ex, where we played as JC himself—a walking force of nature. It’s not just the console-friendly Halo-esque mechanics or the corridor-level design that drags Invisible War down; it’s the fundamental shift in protagonist agency. The Ion Storm era of Deus Ex was about powerful figures, yet for some reason, they reinvented the script into something lesser.

Even when contrasted with Eidos Montreal’s Deus Ex—where Adam Jensen’s story is more personal and the protagonist isn’t a god but a martyr ("I never asked for this")—Jensen at least feels like a strong, charismatic lead. Alex D, meanwhile, comes across as a generic player avatar. That’s why Invisible War failed.

And yet, despite all this, JC Denton’s return redeems the experience. This sequel, though inferior to the original, delivers a rare dose of red-pill philosophy and a fitting end to JC’s arc. If you can endure the slog, the payoff is worth it.

"I have no enemies, merely topographies of ignorance. The people drift aimlessly, collecting into clans wherever they find a glimmer of knowledge..."

The best way I can describe this game is a kids "my first Deus ex play set". Its dumbed down to oblivion and worse in every way possible than its predecessor. However I am currently playing through and getting some enjoyment from it. The only reason i'm able to say that is because of the following tips I learned about this games via other players. Hopefully they will help you too.
Install the latest beta version of the "Visible Mod". The beta version is currently required to fix loading screen crashes. This mod fixes a ton of technical issues with the game.
Ranged weapons are awful in this game. Instead go full strength on arms and EMP melee damage on chest via bio mods. Use the basic baton weapon as it swings very quickly.
Since your melee, your going to get shot a lot. Being able to regenerate health is very important. You should prioritise the regenerate eye slot bio mod.
Hacking is still quite useful and should be upgraded when possible.
Multi tools are very important to progress easily in every level . I'd suggest being choosy over what you open up with them. Remember that you can use grenades to blow open doors instead of using a multi tool.
Your game will now be working well and combat is trivial with this setup. You can instead get on with the pretty decent story and learn what happened after Deus Ex 1.
Just finished the game (ignore the steam playtime as the visible mod bypassed steam).Despite the problems I still enjoyed it a lot more than i thought it would.
Note that when you reach the second last area and beyond, melee is not as useful since your enemies tend to explode when killed. Instead upgrade the mag rifle and that will see you through.

I enjoyed my time with Deus Ex: Invisible War. It is a different type of enjoyment and has a far quicker pace than the first Deus Ex. I'm not sure if everyone who enjoyed the first game will enjoy this one, as while it still offers various endings and a story where choices at least somewhat matter, it is a different style to Deus Ex.
I recommend it to people who enjoy a shooter with some stealth elements and a decent story. I cannot stress enough that the vibe differs from the first game. You may not enjoy Invisible War if you want the same or improved experience.
I played using the "Deus Ex 2 Visible Upgrade mod" from ModDB which offers quite a few fixes that I greatly enjoyed. There is also an optional texture improvement which I did not use as I felt the original graphics do just fine.

It fails to improve upon the first game in every way, but it's still a good game.

I personally think this is the best one, by far.
I just love the vibe.
Best story. First thing that stands out to me is the story. The dialogue and quality of the voice actors is way ahead of it's time.
I just remember all those years ago on the OG Xbox how this one just felt right. Human Revolution felt too stiff, Mankind Divided lacked a lot of challenge and story. This one feels right at home.
Kidneythieves in the soundtrack, Bruce Somers on musical composition if memory serves right.
If you're cool with a 'retro' game....for .97 cents, I'd say you have nothing to lose.