We consider the C * -algebras O q 2 and A q 2 generated, respectively, by isometries s 1 , s 2 satisfying the relation s * 1 s 2 = qs 2 s * 1 with |q| < 1 (the deformed Cuntz relation), and by isometries s 1 , s 2 satisfying the relation s 2 s 1 = qs 1 s 2 with |q| = 1. We show that O q 2 is isomorphic to the Cuntz-Toeplitz C * -algebra O 0 2 for any |q| < 1. We further prove that A q 1 2 ≃ A q 2 2 if and only if either q 1 = q 2 or q 1 = q 2 . In the second part of our paper, we discuss the complexity of the representation theory of A q 2 . We show that A q 2 is * -wild for any q in the circle |q| = 1, and hence that A q 2 is not nuclear for any q in the circle.