Without being a fanboy, I fervently admired the achievement the guys from Io pulled off with the original Deus Ex. I do not, however, share in the disappointment of most critics with this second episode.
True, the levels are much smaller and the whole experience has grown more streamlined because of the Xbox's limitations. But I for one appreciated the greater sense of purpose thus conveyed. It's quite a bold step to take in these post-GTA days, but it's great to feel that one has fully explored an environment without spending three hours per level.
The plot feels closer too, but the people who bashed it for involving you in coffeeshop wars instead of just international conspiracies may have failed to estimate the way these minor intrigues mirror the overarching plot and participate in the sense of personal immersion.
And the game is friendly. In a bizarre way, this dark corrupted world makes the player feel at home, to the point where one wishes to lounge about certain places to soak it all in. Actually, the main reason why I did not grant the game a 10 is the grimmer twist it takes in the last few hours; it broke a little the relationship I had built with the game.
That and the really bad AI (enemies setting themselves on fire and rushing you when they should fight at range).
But the involvement the plot asks of the player, combined with magnificent graphics (great environments, good character models) that, as of early 2005, haven't aged at all, do the trick superbly.
Now that the game's price has sunk, this is a must-play!
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