TheRetroArcade
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Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
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For nearly four years, my author bio on this website has informed you that Deus Ex: Invisible War was pretty good, actually. The much-maligned sequel to one of the greatest games of all time had its flaws in spades, I don't deny that, but it kept enough of a beating imsim heart that my 13-year-old self fell in love with it nonetheless.
One thing I can't argue with: universal ammo sucked. If you've not played IW, it had a some-would-say innovative system that meant every weapon in your inventory shared the same pool. From the rocket launcher to the magnetic beam rifle to your rinky-dink pistol, it all pulled from the same pile (though your pistol would pull just a little while your rocket launcher would pull a lot).
It was not good: rinsing the ammo in one weapon left you empty in all of them, and pretty much everyone who ever played IW came away from it wondering what the devs were thinking. Well, turns out the devs were wondering what the devs were thinking, too. In a recent retrospective in Edge magazine, the game's lead designer Ricardo Bare says the team still gives its director, Harvey Smith, a ribbing over the idea.
"You're out of ammo for one weapon and you can't switch to any of your other weapons? I think it's a terrible idea!" Bare said. "We give Harvey shit about it all the time."
In fairness to Smith, he didn't push for the idea because it came to him in a dream or because he was on a mad power-trip. He says he "wanted to solve an old immersive-sim problem" whereby players would basically stick to one or two guns across the whole game (fair: I pretty much never used anything but the stun prod and the Dragon Tooth sword in the first game).
"Players would have their two favourite guns, but they'd never even fire these other three guns," recalled Smith. "At the time, I was like, 'Let's lean into nanotechnology: what if all the ammunition is based in the same matter?'"
Well, then they wouldn't use guns at all, it turns out, and curse the devs who apparently thought a shared ammo pool was a good idea.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
The shared ammo was one of several things that made Deus Ex: Invisible War go down poorly with fans, and it sounds like that response really stung Smith at the time. "It's painful to fall on your face and fee...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
For nearly four years, my author bio on this website has informed you that Deus Ex: Invisible War was pretty good, actually. The much-maligned sequel to one of the greatest games of all time had its flaws in spades, I don't deny that, but it kept enough of a beating imsim heart that my 13-year-old self fell in love with it nonetheless.
One thing I can't argue with: universal ammo sucked. If you've not played IW, it had a some-would-say innovative system that meant every weapon in your inventory shared the same pool. From the rocket launcher to the magnetic beam rifle to your rinky-dink pistol, it all pulled from the same pile (though your pistol would pull just a little while your rocket launcher would pull a lot).
It was not good: rinsing the ammo in one weapon left you empty in all of them, and pretty much everyone who ever played IW came away from it wondering what the devs were thinking. Well, turns out the devs were wondering what the devs were thinking, too. In a recent retrospective in Edge magazine, the game's lead designer Ricardo Bare says the team still gives its director, Harvey Smith, a ribbing over the idea.
"You're out of ammo for one weapon and you can't switch to any of your other weapons? I think it's a terrible idea!" Bare said. "We give Harvey shit about it all the time."
In fairness to Smith, he didn't push for the idea because it came to him in a dream or because he was on a mad power-trip. He says he "wanted to solve an old immersive-sim problem" whereby players would basically stick to one or two guns across the whole game (fair: I pretty much never used anything but the stun prod and the Dragon Tooth sword in the first game).
"Players would have their two favourite guns, but they'd never even fire these other three guns," recalled Smith. "At the time, I was like, 'Let's lean into nanotechnology: what if all the ammunition is based in the same matter?'"
Well, then they wouldn't use guns at all, it turns out, and curse the devs who apparently thought a shared ammo pool was a good idea.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
The shared ammo was one of several things that made Deus Ex: Invisible War go down poorly with fans, and it sounds like that response really stung Smith at the time. "It's painful to fall on your face and fee...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?