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Deus Ex: Mankind Divided I Review Thread I I asked for this
- Thread starter Volotaire
- Start date
Should be 12AM CEST Tuesday, 23rd for unlock of MD.
I see Deus Ex sequels the same way I see horror movies.
Audiences and studios alike can't understand why horror movies since the 80s just aren't as scary or impactful as they were in the 70s and before. The makeup is better, the sound is better, the gore is better, there's CG now... What's missing?
What's missing is a brain. Most of the classic horrors of the 60s and 70s were political or philosophical allegories told by writers and directors with strong personal views and a determination to tell them subversively.
Most of today's mainstream horror makers grew up appreciating only the special effects and general creepiness, and are experts at all of that but completely miss the brains behind it all.
Ditto Deus Ex. The original wasn't made for the sake of it, it was genuine science fiction: looking at the present and drawing conclusions about what kind of society we will live in in the future - not just technologically but socially, politically etc.
Just like great horror teaches you about society or yourself through fear and the supernatural, Deus Ex teaches you to reflect on the present by telling you a story about the future.
The sequels just use those themes as superficial window dressing; "oh I guess we need some conspiracy theories? The original had that right?.. Uh ok, let's chuck in some cults or whatever?". It's like someone watched Bladerunner, decided it was about robots than can punch through walls, and went off to make a sequel.
Until there is a creative talent directing a Deus Ex game who has outspoken and well informed views about the world and isn't afraid to tell them through the game, there will never be another great Deus Ex game. No amount of cool augments or alternate paths will change that. I really don't understand why Spector hasn't returned to the genre in all this time, he must look at the knock offs and think ffs, why has the industry gone backwards instead of forwards?
But it reflects the modern developed world. We're supposed to be in a post-political society in which globalised capitalism is 1) the only possible form of human existence and 2) basically a perfect system that will never need replacing and will be infinitely sustainable. You can't question economics so you can't really question the form of politics that we have that maintains it, and not being able to question either of those means you can't even question the fundamental values behind the society we live in etc. etc. You're confined to question only things which are already formally denounced by the mainstream ie. torture, involuntary experimentation, slavery, religious extremism etc. Even when an issue like environmentalism is brought up, it can never be in a way which criticises the economic system behind the destruction of the environment, instead it'll be some kind of environmental terrorist or a corporation "gone rogue" ie. one bad apple.
Gimme a Deus Ex game that talks about taxes.
Style first, context and story telling second (or third? Fourth?).
Good post.
Deus Ex hit home the way it did cause it didn't shy away of discussing our modern political and societal system. It was more a less a game about the eternal class struggle against an seemingly ominpotent corporate structure. Poor vs rich, unwashed masses vs leaders, anarchy or democracy vs rulership from the top, painting democracy movements as terrorism, technology as a way by the enlightended few to control the populace.
The theme of Mankind Divided and its "mechanical apartheid", doesn't seem to come from "rich vs poor" but a more artificial "we hate augs". (I might be wrong though, haven't played it yet)
That apartheid just doesn't echo in real life or our current Zeitgeist in the way the original did. So in a way they "downgraded" the game's theme from "where are we headed as the human race" to "racism".
The Augs in real life WOULD be the richer people with means to actually start moving themselves towards transhumanism.
Thanks for the heads up, because fucking outlook put the mail with the code in the junk mail and i had to manually check it. Preloading now.
Standard+DLC
uncleniccius
Member
Are you guys doing an analysis? If so, any ETA?
Pixel Samurai
Member
For anyone else playing: are you missing the pop-out/blind fire from HR? It feels like they made a fundamental decision to discourage cover fights
Same. At the very least I'm going to wait for more impressions after the game is out and more people play it.
I don't mind shorter games, I do mind games that feel rushed and/or unfinished and this sounds like it's that.
Intheflorsh
Banned
I'm playing through the game right now and you are wrong on literally every single count, including blowing open doors.
Collateral22
Member
Any more benchmarks on PC? On the fence on picking it up, 970 performance doesn't look too hot.
d00d3n
Member
How can you be sure of that? The mechanical augs in HR (and MD from what I know? haven't played it, though) come with serious downsides. Everybody except Adam Jensen has to take a daily regimen of anti rejection drugs. Why would rich people want to expose themselves to that, generally?
In HR, that was the whole point. That the rich bought Augs to advance themselves, even at the risk of Neuropozyne Dependency, creating a wider rift betwen the lower class and upper class. When you can afford the drugs, that becomes a small annoyance to make yourself think/act faster and more accurately.
Augmentation in HR is suppose to have become really really common place, which is why the illuminati wanted to do just that regulate augs with the exception of the powerful.
In HR they had clinics everywhere and Tai Yong was effectively the cheap Chinese mass production aug company. Sarif was unique in that their tech was extremely advanced and they were a mid sized company. Most of the aug you see are not really advanced but your bog standard cheap stuff.
Ulysses 31
Gold Member
FaintDeftone
Junior Member
Word on the street is that there are a few Ultra settings that breaks framerate on the 970 but it runs great on mixed High/Ultra settings. You should be fine with a 970.
I got my key from CDKeys this morning. I'm preloading now. Excited!!
Collateral22
Member
d00d3n
Member
What? The environments that you move across in Human Revolution are generally urban slum areas in the US and China. The enemies with augs that you fight are mercenaries and gang members and presumably not part of the 1%. I am sure that some rich people have augs too according to the lore, but the game obviously shows a lot of poor people with augmentations.
Some of poor people with augs once were rich and powerful, but pummeled by price of that drug that allows body to tolerate augs. Also I imagine powerful enough gangs can generate enough money to keep buying doses or just straight out steal it. Patient X was supposed to be answer to tolerance drug issue and make it thing of past for all augmented people.
Hendrick's
If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
I think this is the biggest disconnect. Not sure how they thought going the other way made any sense.
Regginator
Member
20 hours sounds exactly right for a Deus Ex game
DE1, first and only complete playthrough:
DE:HR, first playthrough (only played once fully before the DC came out):
DE:HRC, 1 playthrough on the clock, includes Missing Link:
And that's a good ballpark for the series on HLTB too:
Yeah, I can easily stretch a 20 hour game into a 25/30 one with my slow play style.
(first playthrough was 35 hours, but I took my sweet time)
Top of the line augs are for über rich or military. There is cheap stuff and even black market recycles floating around that poorer people can get their hands on, even if they can't properly afford that drug so their bodies tolerate augs. People, rich or poor, have need to aug themselves so they can become better and superior versions of themselves.
Trophies are live on Exophase, obv the info on the trophies could spoiler something for you if you care about stuff like this
https://www.exophase.com/game/deus-ex-mankind-divided-ps4/trophies/
https://www.exophase.com/game/deus-ex-mankind-divided-ps4/trophies/
The original Deus Ex was more about how to use technology to either control or better human society, vs bettering oneself.
The "natural" thing to do would have been to have the story of HR and MD be about the rich trying to keep the "secrets" to augmentation to their own caste, in order to lift them up even more and have unprecedented control over normal humans down in the mud.
"A boot stomping on a human face forever"
It would have gelled better with what we see in our modern world.
It is the haves that will live longer, the haves that will be able to do genetic preselection for their offspring and it will also be those haves that will begin the journey to transhumanism. You see it in our actual tech CEOs and their hobbies right now.
Having augmentations being an uber common "Apple store" thing for the masses was a weird world building choice in my opinion.
The end of HR could have been that the player has a choice to finally democratize augs for everyone to level the playing field once more.
The sequel could then have been that there was a failsafe (or the plan all along) and the rich made it so you need their drugs to keep using the augs.
Gabriel_Logan
Member
bought the original, never played it. Hope I like it.
But that is how it's. Low tier cheapo stuff is available so normal people can get in on augmenting while still needing this drug, it's way of mass control and manipulation. Patient X threatens this as his DNA could be used to create augs that aren't depended on host body being drugged with very necessary and expensive drug. Events at the end of HR turn people against mechanical augments and we deal with that turn in MD, afaik.
Just like in start of original DX there is only very few people left with mechanical augs as they are old tech and seen as kind of monsters. If I remember right. HR & MD kinda telling why agents like Navarre have basically disappeared and looked down upon by "normal people".
But that's what the illuminati was trying to do in HR, control the augs. Don't you remember the stuff Taggart tells you?
Augunenration tecg is extremely common place in HR, but still the advanced aug tech is the "secrets" of aug that the powerful keep to themselves. When it comes to the common bog standard aug they had the new biochip for the common people so that their abilities could be limited by the powerful at will while they remain unaffected and use their augs to their full potential. Plus the Neuropozyne which the Illuminati have complete monopoly over.
It was all there and made sense.
Coreda
Member
Arial for the facade and lobby. Aye yai yai.
yeah maybe it is more the transition towards "everyone now hates people with mechanical augs, they are monsters" I have a problem with.
That live action trailer really didn't help selling the world building as something that felt organic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7XCAgj0TtI
It tried too hard to create this rift that doesn't feel like it would actually be a plausible consequence from HR and a precursor to the original game.
If at all, "racism" as a theme would seem better if the elite orchestrated and used it to keep the lower class busy with infighting.
It felt like they wanted to get "racism" as a theme in there, when there is an abundance of themes already that all come with the Deus Ex mythology and are plenty enough.
That live action trailer really didn't help selling the world building as something that felt organic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7XCAgj0TtI
It tried too hard to create this rift that doesn't feel like it would actually be a plausible consequence from HR and a precursor to the original game.
If at all, "racism" as a theme would seem better if the elite orchestrated and used it to keep the lower class busy with infighting.
It felt like they wanted to get "racism" as a theme in there, when there is an abundance of themes already that all come with the Deus Ex mythology and are plenty enough.
But that divide, that fear and doubt it direct and organic consequence of HR's ending. Keep in mind everything leading up to button room. What did happen at the end wasn't part of illuminatis plan if I remember right, but was caused by inventor of human augs. He just abused system that was put in place by illuminati as way of control. Conspirators have to now adapt and come up with news plans and ways to control masses. Abusing peoples fears is means of control.
Also this so called racism, divide between normals and augs, ties to overall world. Results of that divide can be somewhat seen in original DX, mechanical augs being basically gone.
Regginator
Member
In Jim we trust.
Laurentius
Member
ljRCL
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Robobandit
Member
I'm sure I'll get at least 25 out of this..
SJRB
Gold Member
Jeeeez some of the building design is unreal. This is a personal peeve of mine, I love nice architecture and interior design in videogames.
The Palisades bank building looks AMAZING, the lobby is unlike anything I've ever seen in a game. People like me who care about that stuff are going to have a great time with this game.
The Palisades bank building looks AMAZING, the lobby is unlike anything I've ever seen in a game. People like me who care about that stuff are going to have a great time with this game.
guybrushfreeman
Unconfirmed Member
Do you know which item the extra credits are included in? This is what I see:
I'm okay with the other bonuses, but extra credits break the in game economy. Human Revolution had the same problem. I don't want a preorder bonus making the game easier for me.
From the steam page:
So turn those off and just leave the mission and extras content I guess.
Edit: I'm sure the credits + prasis are the "Augmented Covert Agent Pack" I don't know if the gear has stats or not (?) but it's probably safer just to turn if off I guess.
Laurentius
Member
SKmby
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guybrushfreeman
Unconfirmed Member
No problem. I hate those kind of 'booster' pre-order bonuses as well.
Chû Totoro
Member
Received my copy yesterday, played this morning the first hour.
Game is starting good and I like that we can choose various controls and gameplay styles. Also the possibility to skip any tutorial is very welcome.
Else, it's a very fun game and the "augmented" possibilities that may come later in the game are a nice motive to advance but the characters and story are far to be as good as I heard the franchise was (seemed that many reviewers noticed this but it's my first Deus Ex so lesser good story for a start is sad). Maybe I should have played other games before but viewing the "see what happened before" video I see nothing awesome for the previous games too (but an 11 minutes video is nothing compared to what a full story could offer even if we can see some nice unexpected things in the video that surely were better to see in the game).
Still I'm sure I'll enjoy this one (and maybe the previous ones if one day I play my Wii U copy lol) because the game mechanics and the level design are for what I've seen for now very well implemented and put together.
Doesn't feel unfinished at all to me even if performance is not perfect it's not hurtful neither and maybe people who know the franchise will tell this (like some were saying Fallout 4 didn't "feel" like a Fallout game) but for me it's a good game even on day 1 (there's a day 1 patch, don't know what for though). DLC with story may be useless... at least I'm not feeling the need to buy it for now.
>> I'll go play more because 1 hour is very light to judge a game
Game is starting good and I like that we can choose various controls and gameplay styles. Also the possibility to skip any tutorial is very welcome.
Else, it's a very fun game and the "augmented" possibilities that may come later in the game are a nice motive to advance but the characters and story are far to be as good as I heard the franchise was (seemed that many reviewers noticed this but it's my first Deus Ex so lesser good story for a start is sad). Maybe I should have played other games before but viewing the "see what happened before" video I see nothing awesome for the previous games too (but an 11 minutes video is nothing compared to what a full story could offer even if we can see some nice unexpected things in the video that surely were better to see in the game).
Still I'm sure I'll enjoy this one (and maybe the previous ones if one day I play my Wii U copy lol) because the game mechanics and the level design are for what I've seen for now very well implemented and put together.
Doesn't feel unfinished at all to me even if performance is not perfect it's not hurtful neither and maybe people who know the franchise will tell this (like some were saying Fallout 4 didn't "feel" like a Fallout game) but for me it's a good game even on day 1 (there's a day 1 patch, don't know what for though). DLC with story may be useless... at least I'm not feeling the need to buy it for now.
>> I'll go play more because 1 hour is very light to judge a game
The new Augs are hidden until after the bombing from the trailer.
MasterMenace
Member
To summarize the real issue of the game is that the pacing at some point during the game goes haywire and suddenly the game just...ends. I think that's going to be a big debate post-release once we start beating the game. Length debate aside, it's the prospect of "feeling" the game ended for no good reason other than it being chopped for a sequel, due to development woes, or maybe the devs thought that would be a good ending. Whatever the case is, I believe it will still be a really fun game to play. It'll be interesting to hear what the majority of Gaf think of the game after beating.
d00d3n
Member
Ahhh, interesting. I wouldn't want to spoil it then, I guess. So the augs available from the start are the ones from Human Revolution?
SlasherJPC
Banned
I've played about 5 hours now. Mostly sidea quests and I've basically been a sneaking, talking, investigating detective. I've done more of that then combat for sure.
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