Can't quite top the original, but still very good.

User Rating: 8 | Deus Ex: Invisible War XBOX
Let's start with the obvious, this sequel doesn't quite live up to it's predecessor's good name. A lot of the immersive elements of the original have been watered down and simplified. Your choices within the game don't really have far reaching concequences. And your characters aren't nearly as engrossing. All in all it's just not as fun and involved as the first game. Ammo is universal, so one type works for everything. Kind of takes the fun out of choosing whether or not to take the guard out with the sniper rifle or go in for the shotgun. The choice is likely whichever uses the least of your ammo. The roleplaying elements have been cut out of this game as well. You're apparently naturally great at everything, so you don't need to upgrade your skills with a lockpick or demolitions. Characters, while decent, don't have nearly the dept of the original either. You don't really care when the person you thought was your friend double crosses you, because you really didn't like that person anyway.
Okay, enough with the bad though. This is still a very good game that I've played through many times. The sandbox environments are fun and immersive, and the mission structure is fairly open. Being able to upgrade your cybermods to suit your needs is very helpfull, especially since your choices aren't necessarily permanant. If you decide later on that you no longer need computer hacking, you can change that skill slot to something more appropriate. Of course the canisters to make those changes are limited, so yo still must choose carefully. Character interaction is still fun as well. WHile I don't feel these characters are as real as in the first game, they are still likeable and helpful in many situations. As far as story is concerned, there's still a good conspiracy laced yarn here suitable for any sci-fi nerd. If you've played through the first game it'll be even more rewarding, as characters you recognize from the original pop up and you get to see what's become of them. If you're new to the series however, you don't require intimate knowledge of the first game to enjoy and understand this story. It remains reasonably challenging and fun the whole way through. Although when you get o the very end I feel they've cheaponed the challenge by making ammo scarce. So instead of feeling free to pick your course of action leading to one of four endings, you're likely to just choose the path that uses the least amount of ammo. All in all though, this is a great game that any fan of shooters that require thinking owes it to themselves to play. The negatives I mentioned are mostly only due to the fact that it's predecessor is such a great game, and it doesn't quite live up to it. But on it's own it's still one of my all time favorites.