Ion Storm (1996–2005)

That IW is a colossal step down I won't deny. The two biggest pains in the patoot being the tiny-as-fudgeknuckle box-shaped locations to explore providing far too many visits to the often broken loading screen and the writing itself heading into the fantastical, away from the recognizable and richly-detailed world of the first DX (gone are all the e-mails and most literature and admirable characters--& Pacotti/Grossman's high-quality dialogue with Australian-Chinese bartenders and hidden AI prototypes are limited to just a few instances like with the NG Resonance AI).

BUT: The game's still addictive; the story's stil strong enough to draw you in, and some levels, most notably the Egyptian arcology, are top notch (if you look past the loading screens); the goofy physics of objects and ragdolls are fun to mess around with; the graphics have held up well; and it's beyond satisfying to snoop around and knock out 2-dimensional villains with one baton swing to the face.… (mere)