My review of Deus Ex: Invisible War has gone up over at ShackReviews. Here’s your token excerpt:
Among us shackers (and seeing as how I’m no longer an employee I find myself as just another lay shacker myself these days), ShackHype is a dangerous and fickle thing. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of middle ground…when a game comes out, it’s either the greatest thing since sliced bread (or Counter-Strike, whichever you think is a more significant invention) or it’s a steaming load of somethingorother. ShackHype has been responsible for pointing me towards several truly amazing games (Battlefield 1942 comes to mind immediately), but as Deus Ex: Invisible War proves pretty conclusively, ShackHype is not law. The hype on this game was largely negative, which lowered my expectations significantly. On the plus side, this meant that the resulting game (which I enjoyed quite a bit) was a pleasant surprise. But at the same time, there are lots of Shackers who skipped the game because of the ‘hype, and to be perfectly blunt, it’s their own damn fault, because while it’s a bit flawed, it’s a fun experience, and a solid and thoroughly enjoyable sequel to a great game.