In contrast to the opening missions of Deus Ex, Invisible War does not tie the player down to any single affiliation. (At least, not for long.) The player can choose sides almost from the beginning, which has several consequences. First, most of the factions in the game don't have to wait for a plot development in order to recruit the player. They are present in the world from the get-go, and they are competing for the player's mindshare.