RTLTTP : Deus Ex Mankind Divided

[Anustart]

So my history with Deus isn't a long one. I played the hell out of Human Revolution, I probably played through it 10 times back to back, choosing a different playstyle Everytime and loved every friggin moment.

Cue Mankind Divided, I was on vacation many years ago and bought it while away from home. Forgot I bought it and didn't play it for like a year. Since then I've started it and put it down like 5 times after just an hour or two.

Started playing again yesterday and plan on sticking with it this time.

I'm still very early, as I type I've just found out (again) that I have hidden implants.

But I'm hopeful this game is going to be as much fun as I remember HR being!

My updates may be miniscule and slow (I just welcomed newborn twins into the world) but I will get through this!

What's everyone's thoughts on the game? As good, better or worse than HR? Any exciting memories of this game? (I don't mind spoilers at all)

 

[Crazymoogle]

Any exciting memories of this game? (I don't mind spoilers at all)

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When we finally got the save system working ;)

 

[Anustart]

When we finally got the save system working ;)

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Lol. Did you work on HR as well?

 

[ThereAreFourNaan]

It's an odd beastie, it has got several clear improvements over HR, but as an overall package it doesn't come together as well. Prague is a great environment at least. I hope you find joy in it, there's certainly things to like in it, even if it didn't live up to my hopes.

 

[GameAddict411]

The game is wonderful, especially with the DLC. Notable examples would be spoilers, but there are many interesting ways you can tackle the missions. Let's just say that the final mission you could stumble on something that ends the game very quickly. I remember it was hilarious when I used it.

 

[GameAddict411]

It's an odd beastie, it has got several clear improvements over HR, but as an overall package it doesn't come together as well. Prague is a great environment at least. I hope you find joy in it, there's certainly things to like in it, even if it didn't live up to my hopes.

Click to shrink...

The game was made on the hopes of a third game to tie together the story. it's so sad that it never became a thing. Overall, it's still amazing to experience.

 

[Dreamboum]

Everything but the story is excellent in this game imo. There is such a marked improvement in level design. Prague has got to be the best realized hub created in the genre.

 

[TheSix]

It was great until it just... ended? I adore Human Revolution and Mankind Divided but the ending to Mankind Divided wasn't great. I hope we see the third game in the future.

 

[Aangster]

Play the A Criminal Past DLC.

IIRC, some articles mentioned that MD was have challenge maps and that concept cut, later turned into Breach. Honestly would've preferred the former.

 

[Mechaplum]

Enjoyed it but I was expecting at least 30% more game to wrap up some of the narrative threads.

 

[Dennis8K]

I liked it a lot. It is a weird game somehow. I can't say it was great but I liked it a lot.

 

[Budi]

I really love the game. All things considered, I think it's an improvement over Human Revolution. It's just that it didn't have similar impact on me anymore that Human Revolution did. Same happened with Dishonored, sequel feels like an improvement yet it still didn't hit quite as hard second time around.

Play the A Criminal Past DLC.

IIRC, some articles mentioned that MD was have challenge maps and that concept cut, later turned into Breach. Honestly would've preferred the former.

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For some reason I never finished it, but I did like the early impressions.

 

[Noema]

This seems to be a game that has been swallowed by history. No one ever seems to talk about it or mention it, and judging by the fact that it seems to be perpetually on sale for less than 5 dollars, and that it was given away on PS+ barely a year after it was released, it probably had pretty abysmal sales.

I enjoyed the game well enough. It's a well crafted "one of those" and if you enjoy the genre, there's plenty to like (plus not that there's a plethora of options for Immersive Sim fans out there).

Game seemed at bit too rigid for my tastes, and like others have mentioned, it just.. ends. That said, exploring the bank from top to bottom one night was a very memorable experience. The game has an overall pretty chill atmosphere that sometimes works in its favor and sometimes works against it.

Thematically it's is incredibly on the nose and the blatant lack of subtlety on anything it tries to communicate concerning technology, segregation or transhumanism comes off as if it had been written by a high schooler. Still, that's kind of a staple for the series at this point: pulpy cyberpunk and some heady philosophical undertones that the game doesn't quite know what to do with.

Jensen is just such a goofy looking character that I can't help but smile everytime he's in a cutscene or punching a wall. The Trenchcoat, the raspy Keanu Reeves Neo meets Deckard meets Clint Eastwood raspy voice, the fact that he has built in frigging sunglasses into his skull. It's so cool to play a sneaky cyber robot detective super cop hacker who punches through fan vents.


I'm currently playing Prey 2017, and it's surprising how much more I'm enjoying that game compared to DEMD, and it's still hard for me to put into words why.

 

[Lobster Roll]

I, too, played Human Revolution and loved it to pieces. I explored every single nook & cranny and ended up getting Foxiest of the Hounds. I cannot begin to describe how hyped I was for Mankind Divided.

It's fun enough. It's a good, solid game, but it just fell flat by comparison. I ended up having more fun replaying HR than playing MD for the first time. I can't really speak to the DLC of MD, by the way, because I encountered a game-breaking glitch and never returned to wrap that up.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Lol. Did you work on HR as well?

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No, was at SEM before that (Hitman Go)

 

[MidnightCowboy]

Prague is masterfully designed

 

[Anustart]

Unrelated to the game, but with the praise in this topic for Prague's design, I'm actually hopeful one day to transfer to Prague! I live in the USA but my company has a branch in Prague and it's calling me.

 

[Deathglobe]

I'm replaying it now. I just finished Human Revolution few days ago thanks to the piss filter restoration. Afterwards I plan to replay the first but I need to figure out which gmdx is best.

 

[Mentalist]

Amazing game that the publisher unfortunately tried very hard to sabotage with bizarre launch decisions.

Amazing level design and generally fun place to explore- LOADS of environmental storytelling, if you keep your eyes open.

The one downside is the main story. It's got a very "villain of the week" feel to it.
But aside from that. Amazing game.

 

[Listai]

I loved it but the story just sort of ends.

That said the moment to moment gameplay is incredible.

 

[BeeDog]

Fucking love the game, but it does end with a thud, unfortunately. Still one of the best ones I've played all gen, maybe I should attempt another playthrough during these corona times.

 

[Cheesetriangles]

Less than the sum of it's parts. Publisher meddling did it in.

 

[Dreamboum]

I spent 10 hours just exploring Prague. No story, no quest, just exploring everything in Prague. By the time I was done I had the items that a lot of quests needed in my inventory already

 

[TheYanger]

I still dont' understand how everyone thinks it just magically ends out of nowhere...the game telegraphs it both implicitly (telling you 'this is the last mission, save the game') AND it ends at the natural point that that particular chapter of the story was heading towards. It's a prequel, we knew the illuminati wasn't getting ended, so why do people expect something like that to happen?

It's also not like it's a short game - my first playthrough was over 30 hours.

 

[darkslayer101]

Everything but the story is excellent in this game imo. There is such a marked improvement in level design. Prague has got to be the best realized hub created in the genre.

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easily made the game worth it

 

[Nessus]

To get the most out of it make sure you do every side quest. They're really good and they represent a good chunk of the content in the game. The main quest is shorter than Human Revolution's.

There are some missable side quests, so don't hesitate to use a guide so you know how to trigger them and you don't miss them.

The DLC is also pretty good, particularly System Rift (a bank heist into the high security vault of that weird Blade building you always see in the background). It's also the only time you get to see Pritchard from Human Revolution. Honestly it should have been part of the main game, all of the DLC should have; Mankind Divided would feel more complete if the DLC were all integrated back into the main game.

 

[Staf]

Love it! The music is amazing. The ending is pretty bad though.

 

[Freshmaker]

What's everyone's thoughts on the game? As good, better or worse than HR? Any exciting memories of this game? (I don't mind spoilers at all)

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At one point I was trying to get into an area. Got up to the roof, got into the building, but got stuck in a chandelier while mobsters shot at me. I sniped them all but couldn't extract myself from the thing because it was bowl shaped and huge so Jensen couldn't jump out.

I had to buy Praxis points to extract myself because I'd saved there.

Actually really liked that part because that was so obviously the least likely way to actually get in to that building. Game still let me do it no matter how dumb it was.

 

[Anustart]

At one point I was trying to get into an area. Got up to the roof, got into the building, but got stuck in a chaldiler while mobsters shot at me. I sniped them all but couldn't extract myself from the thing because it was bowl shaped and huge so Jensen couldn't jump out.

I had to buy Praxis points to extract myself because I'd saved there.

Actually really liked that part because that was so obviously the least likely way to actually get in to that building. Game still let me do it no matter how dumb it was.

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That actually made me lol.

 

[blueredandgold]

Is this game any better or worse on any particular platform?

Controls wise I think HUman Revolution might have played better with controller? I might be mistaking mouse issues for another game like it.

 

[Anustart]

Is this game any better or worse on any particular platform?

Controls wise I think HUman Revolution might have played better with controller? I might be mistaking mouse issues for another game like it.

Click to shrink...

If I'm remembering right I played HR with my Xbox 360 controller on PC, but here in MD I'm mouse and keyboard. I just didn't like how it felt on controller.

 

[Deeke]

The mythology of the Utelek complex is heartbreaking. Hell the whole game is heartbreaking. There's a character called Helena The Robot, and her story is super sad. There's also some tear-jerking datapad notes in the Utelek nursery. The entire game is all about people being misled by a promise of a better future, and then having to deal with the fallout of being a kind of untouchable cursed wretched being.

If you play this game, read everything. Interact with everything. Seek, search, and uncover. It makes the game SO much more rewarding.

Absolutely love this game and I hope Square Enix greenlights the third part.

 

[Mark It Zero!]

I started it a couple times and dropped it after few hours, the begining just wasn't clicking for me, especially the hacking and dialogue UI. A few weeks ago i decided to see it through to the end, and really enjoyed my time with it. It definitely came into place when i got to Golem City.
The side quests were pretty good overall, and so was the story. I really hope we get a third game.

 

[Anustart]

The mythology of the Utelek complex is heartbreaking. Hell the whole game is heartbreaking. There's a character called Helena The Robot, and her story is super sad. There's also some tear-jerking datapad notes in the Utelek nursery. The entire game is all about people being misled by a promise of a better future, and then having to deal with the fallout of being a kind of untouchable cursed wretched being.

If you play this game, read everything. Interact with everything. Seek, search, and uncover. It makes the game SO much more rewarding.

Absolutely love this game and I hope Square Enix greenlights the third part.

Click to shrink...

I'm loving it. Ive already made it further than I have in the past, I've been soaking in the details of the world. Granted I haven't seen much yet, but I had to shake my head at a staircase when it segregated naturals and augs.

And on a different note, the memories of HR are coming back because I'm sure I chose the same first path in HR (boosting hacking, because I'm a comp sci graduate and I must) only to smirk and smile when I hack in somewhere only to see another route in that didn't require hacking, and none of it seems forced just to give options, it all seems organic.

 

[Marble]

I stopped playing it halfway through. It all just feels so clunky and not intuitive. The stealth is crap. The combat sucks. The gameplay is just bad. A pity, because I liked the rest what it was doing.

 

[blueredandgold]

If I'm remembering right I played HR with my Xbox 360 controller on PC, but here in MD I'm mouse and keyboard. I just didn't like how it felt on controller.

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Sweet, thanks, works for me.

 

[Anustart]

I stopped playing it halfway through. It all just feels so clunky and not intuitive. The stealth is crap. The combat sucks. The gameplay is just bad. A pity, because I liked the rest what it was doing.

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I'm actually liking the stealth here, though in recent memory I'm comparing it to Styx. The stealth movement here is fast and fluid with the cover shifting by aiming and pressing a button. But Styx is giving me something different and I enjoy it as well.

But again I haven't played much so perhaps my opinion will change!

 

[Paquete_PT]

It's in my top 5 for this gen and I wasn't a fan of Human Revolution. I absolutely loved the aesthetic and atmosphere in this game. Prague is the best hub world I've ever played and even though the main story isn't amazing and feels incomplete, I really liked the lore and side-missions. Moment to moment gameplay is also very good and it's a true immersive sim.
Hope you like it!

 

[Deleted member 12555]

I bought this day one on the PSN but then dropped for some reason when I got to Golem City.

Now I'm replaying and I'm back at the same spot where I dropped it and wondering why the hell I did that in the first place. I'm addicted to it. The level design in this is excellent and the reason why I think this is my favorite genre of game. There's just so much freedom to explore, and it always yields results, however small. I love the look of the game, and the mechanical and weapon designer(s) should get a raise and a promotion.

This time around I'm gonna see it through to the end, DLC included.

Anyone remember that crazy story discovery the community made a few years back? I was gonna write a keyword but that would be a huge spoiler. I know OP doesn't care about those, but just in case someone gets to play it thanks to this thread. Haven't seen anything in-game myself, but I'm on the lookout for it.

Yeah, Human Revolution is an exquisitely crafted game, and I'm loving this as well.

We needed more of these. More of Arkane's. It's sad that there are so few.

 

[Lafiel]

I loved every minute of the game.

Desperately need a next-gen sequel to this.

With Human Revolution and this being great, I think the series as a whole is on all-time high after the very disappointing Invisible War. The original is still one of the best games of all time.

 

[SJRB]

A step back from Human Revolution in basically everything except visuals.

It's just such a drastic departure from the Cyber Renaissance style in Human Revolution. Prague as a hub didn't work for me - bland, grey, and pretty boring. It's just not fun to walk around such a tiny area for so long. Other locales were interesting for a bit [Golem City is visually incredible], but ultimately nothing comes even close to Hengsha.

It also felt surprisingly archaic in some aspects, like the completely static NPC's and the level and quest design that feels like it's supposed to be clever but ultimately is just a matter of finding the vent and crawl through it. Everything just feels so artificial. I also strongly disliked how several quests had no ending - that was some cliffhanger bullshit.

I have many fond memories of Human Revolution, whereas with Mankind Divided I unfortunately have none.

 

[Radium217]

It's a good game but doesn't touch HR in terms of story. I enjoyed Dubai a lot for some reason. It felt metaohorical in a cool way.

 

[Wesley]

Absolutely loved this game. Everything felt like a huge improvement over HR. Still need to look at the DLC.

Gutted that the team have been moved onto other projects. Was very excited for more in the Deus Ex universe.

 

[Ausroachman]

I spent so much time exploring the prague hub I was breaking into important characters apartments before the missions led me there .

Such a masterclass of level design.

Also that moment when you have to fight your way through a level only to see a vent at the end that would have bypassed it all .

 

[Thanathorn]

fantastic game. Enjoyed it more than human revolution.

 

[Bishop89]

I loved it, Jensen is one of my favourite characters of all time.
Aesthetically pleasing and great voice.

I preferred human revolution over MD.
HR gave more Cyberpunk vibes, and preferred the setting, story, music and characters more. And I loved the yellow tinge.


MD is still a fantastic game, one of my favourite this gen.

 

[Anustart]

I loved it, Jensen is one of my favourite characters of all time.
Aesthetically pleasing and great voice.

I preferred human revolution over MD.
HR gave more Cyberpunk vibes, and preferred the setting, story, music and characters more. And I loved the yellow tinge.


MD is still a fantastic game, one of my favourite this gen.

Click to shrink...

I really like Jensen as well. Everything about him just works for me.

 

[Barnak]

I liked it, but HR feels more memorable to me. Especially Hengsha. There's just something that I really like about this city.

 

[-Tetsuo-]

It is a wonderful game. Some of the best side content ive ever played in this one.

 

[Mentalist]

By the end of HR I wanted Jensen to perish at the bottom of the ocean.

Less than an hour into MD, and Jensen became great.

Ditching the lovesick puppy plot did wonders for the game. And remote hacking was a brilliant addition. Prague is... Amazing.