I'm sorry, but Halo's singleplayer wasn't even as good as Marathon 2. Sure, it had prettier graphics and some vehicles, but the plot, enemies, and level design sucked for the most part.

As for this update, it's VERY late, and should have been released within a week or two of the game. I just hope it's not too late for a mod or two.

The funny thing is, these groups claim to represent the Haitian/Cuban cultures. Before, I just viewed Haitians and Cubans as normal people and was aware that there were some organized crime groups among them. Now, because of groups like the "Cuban American Bar Association" I'm starting to believe they're a bunch of whiny oversensitive bitches.

Way to make us racist, you anti-defamation assholes.


This comment was edited on Jan 23, 17:48.

There's an image macro which captures this perfectly, it's called "Rolleyesbarf.gif"

Ok, I start out, take out the two nearest huts, get the weapons, etc. Now, directly ahead, there is a base with about 5 guys, a hut, another patrol boat, and some biolhazard cages.

To the left, in a little inlet(?) there are two guys standing by a wrecked japanese half track. No buggy. :/

I've tried easy, medium, hard. I've snuck directly there before alerting anyone, I've faught my way through the whole level, etc, etc. No buggy. I'm thinking it's some sort of bug.


*Edit* BTW, anyone know if there are any console commands in the demo? I wouldn't mind some unlimited sniper ammo and god mode, not to mention flight...
This comment was edited on Jan 22, 23:14.

"PC games are trending down and XBox is really the future. There is nothing inherently wrong with that...still room for great games on the XBox."

Actually, in my opinion, consoles are shit for anything other than fighting, racing, or arcade games. Add a keyboard/mouse, massive hard drives, hardware customization/expandability, an operating system, and a high resolution monitor, and I'll play on one. Of course... then it's PC.

Two comments on todays links:

It always bugs me to see people crying "It's a miracle from god!" in cases like this. I think the artificial skin and the expert doctors and scientists who created and administered it should be thanked as well. If god were somehow involved, he's the one who gave her the one in however-many million chance of having that allergic reaction in the first place...

Also, painting a tank pink should be classified as a war crime. I hate the people who did it, and it's an affront to all that is good.

It's a semi post-apocalyptic Fallout like game set around Chernobyl with the amazing graphics, an interesting looking plot, incredibly large and detailed levels, cool weapons, vehicles, and several RPG elements.

If they can pull it off, it may be one of the coolest games ever, especially if they pull through with multiplayer coop.

"ppl ever bother wif this pos game?"

Do people listen to the opinions of someone who actually types "wif" instead of "with"? No, they do not.

At least they're FINALLY doing something about the f***ing teamkillers.

Now where is the editor?

"A working nanomotor is no where close to a neural/biological nano-machine which augments the user with superhuman capabilities. Have you read about our current understanding of the brain, and our nervous system? While we understand it, manipulating it to our benifit has thus far proven impossible. Going from a motor (quite simple) to a machine capable of working with our biology to create bones as hard as steel, or make us jump 20 feet, (never mind the internal damage constant impact from 20 feet will have) is a gigantic leap - one you see easily. You even see cock-fights with transgenic organisms as plausible. So does Jedi Luke. But when it comes to unified ammo - you argue it is implausible? I don't like the way it affects the game either, but insulting someone because they see it as plausible, and you do not is retarded. If you really don't like it that much, don't play the game."

No, it's a valid complaint. The thing is, only 15(or 20?) years have passed since the original game. How would the entire arms market be converted to a completely different setup in 15 years?! We've been using modern firearms for centuries, and the ammunition we already have is incredibly simple and reliable. In Deus Ex, nanotechnology is NOT universally available, so how do Mako guns sell to everyone? If nanotech capable of converting, rebuilding, and moving matter were so widely available, the world wide depression from Invisible War would not exist. It's just a (poor IMO) design decision, and not based on the reality inside the game.

And for the record, transgenic fights are actually more realistic than biomods for that time period. Birds can theoretically be changed back to previous dinosaur-like states by reactivating inactive genes.

Ok, I keep having to repeat myself, so I'll just rephrase my main arguement simply:

They took all of the interaction and realism out of combat.

"That is complete nonsense. Deus Ex 1 did not let you run-and-gun because the combat was very awkward. Sure, DX2's combat is also awkward, and that's disappointing -- but don't make stuff up to prove your point. DX1 did not let you be the gun-toting maniac ... UNLESS you had upgraded lots of augs and weapons. And guess what? The DX:IW demo didn't show all the biomods and weapon mods that will be available in the full game. Don't judge the game on a demo that's incapable of showing that kind of gameplay (like I said, I know that's a cop out -- but it's also true)."

I'm not so sure, and I'm not just making it all up. With an unmodified assault rifle and "Trained" in rifle skill, I did fine in the early levels without resorting to stealth. I'm not saying you can hold down the run key and blast through the whole level in a minute, you do have to deal with accuracy to some degree. Anyway, I'm into realistic games, and while Deus Ex 1 certainly wasn't perfect, Invisible War's damage system makes me sick. They said themselves that the reason for the 4-headshot kills is that they wanted the battles to "last longer".

Bottom line, to me it now feels like Quake 3 with Havok, dynamic shadows, and an interactive plot. I'm sure it's still a good game, and I hope people do enjoy it, but there are other games I'd rather spend my money on now.

"They didn't completely neuter your playstyle-- this demo included a few enemies, one location that allowed for human-to-human combat, and a few weapons-- certainly not enough evidence make one believe that stealth gameplay is out. Who knows, maybe some of the new augmentations will allow for new methods of being stealthy. I wouldn't jump to conclusions, it's still obviously going to be a thinking man's shooter (well, shooter isn't really a good description at all actually, but you get the point)."

Well, I was basically referring to the lack of leaning, movement speed changes, removed accuracy simulator, and inability to perform a silent takedown without heavily enhanced weapons/augs. (Having to repeatedly beat an enemy into submission with a club while they shoot you isn't very stealthy ;P) Basically, the whole experience feels much cheaper and arcade-like than the original game, which I'm currently playing through again.

Unified ammo is a lesser gripe. Your friend just shot his way through the demo because they took out variable accuracy.

Even Counterstrike doesn't let you sprint forward and shoot with perfect accuracy. Jeez, maybe Deus Ex 3 will be a 2D sidescroller...

Why don’t headshots with a pistol take out enemies in one shot? That isn’t very realistic.

"This is another balance issue we’re reevaluating. The problem we were trying to avoid was the case where the player could simply run directly towards an enemy at top speed and shoot them once in the head with a pistol, thus conserving other types of ammo."

- Yeah. I guess variable accuracy based on movement was one of those unecessary details that got streamlined. Obvious solution: 3-4 shots to the head should kill someone now.

"The goal with the current setup is to get the player to use more appropriate weapons if they want a one-shot kill. Of course the player can always mod out a regular pistol or find a more effective pistol to cause more damage. Also, we want weapons like the sniper rifle to serve as the best 'head shot' weapon."

- Yeah. It's an arcade shooter now. You get a weak starting weapon, and some bullets don't hurt very much at all. Certain rifles have a special magic bullet specially coated to penetrate the skull. Realism! I guess that new universal plasma ammo they switched to isn't very damaging.


This comment was edited on Nov 26, 02:28.

"I love all this criticism of design decisions... folks, they did this stuff for a reason, and they put a lot more thought into it than you did. Maybe the decisions will turn out for the better, maybe for the worse, we shall see. Does unified ammo really make the game less fun? C'mon, simpler does not = lousier."

First, you don't seem like you've played the demo. People don't like the basic changes they've made to combat and interface. The demo is representative of the game in that respect, so no, we won't have to wait and see.

All the ammo/interface removal just breaks realism and immersion, and reloading takes out some combat flow and strategy. Whatever. Here's why I am showing negativity:

I enjoyed leaning around corners to spot security cameras or guards. I sneaked through the shadows, quickly and precisely killing enemies with my pistol. Collecting and conserving my ammunition, and switching between types when the situation called for it added another level to combat. That's the way I play, stealth and deliberation, mix with quick and intense combat.

Some people liked to grab a machinegun, and run through the level blasting enemies Arnold style. Deus Ex let you do both, which is great. Invisible War does not. My negativity comes from the fact that they completely neutered my playstyle, along with a good half of the realism.

So yes, you're right, the developers put thought into the game so the players wouldn't have to.

God, I love Deus Ex, it's one of my favorite games. The interactivity, realism, immersion, tactics, combat... all of the things they took out of Invisible War!!! Woo! customer--

Ok, I freaking loved the original Deus Ex, one of my all time favorite games. So... earlier this week, I was freaking out about it's imminent release, and planning on preordering it to get the t-shirt. However, I decided to read some interviews and previews, and I've become a bit wary.

They're talking about how the simultaneous x-box/PC development put constraints on how they made the game. As a PC player, that worries me. I also read about how the PC version is identical except for high resolution textures. That really worries me. Now, I'm not sure if the next things were done because of the TV resolution and gamepad restrictions on the console, but either way, I'm not terribly happy.

1. There's universal ammo. It's unrealistic, there is no way the entire gun industry and every gun-toting human on the planet will switch to plasma ammo in a period of 15 years. Ok, subtract some realism, I can deal with it.

2. There's no reloading. No, not quicksave/reload, I mean no gun reloading. Why?! Another blow to realism, tactics, and immersion. That means you can blast away with your pistol until your total ammo runs out. It also means you can't slash that enemy up with your sword as he's reloading.

Those are just the two main things that bother me, and I'm really hoping it's not turning into an arcade game. The plot, characters, and interactive storyline may be awesome, but I'm not going to enjoy it very much if it's Quake 3. Anyway, now I'm thinking of waiting for the demo before I buy it.

If we're going to Mars, NASA is the wrong place to look. They're horribly inefficient and rigid. Right now they're basically an engineer's retirement home.

I think we'll have much more luck in the private sector, and as for a solid plan for a Mars Mission, check out Robert Zubrin.

Hmm, I still like Halo., but yes, the levels are far less inspired than Marathon, a 2.5D shooter that's 8 years old. (Marathon's levels were good, but I mean, it's the freaking Halo engine...)