Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Xbox One

I was a big fan of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and am a big fan of this sequel. From gameplay, to story, to visuals, to universe, it's incredibly immersive. I have been a serious gamer for 10+ years now, and after multiple plays through, I can say this is in my top 10 favorite games. Gameplay: I have played Roleplay Stealth RPGs before (Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell, etc.), but Mankind Divided really excelled at the balance of stealth and combat. The amount of customization between your upgrade tree and weapons is fantastic, and the maps allow for diverse options for completion. I found something new and a better way to do things even on my 3rd play through. The stealth is very rewarding, as is the combat. I have focused on each, and blended both on my 3rd play through. There are just lots of fun ways to play the game and complete a mission, but especially rewarding with stealth. Silently taking down enemies, disabling or sneaking through alarm systems, finding every nook and cranny on the map to help you stay undetected, it's well thought out and planned by the developers. Story/Universe: My favorite thing about this game, and what really stuck with me after playing it, is the plot and world you are in. The future setting is very realistic, and presents a lot of thought provoking ideas about the progression of human interaction with technology, and how people treat each other who are different from themselves. It raises a lot of deep human nature/society questions, and is the main focus of the plot. How the wide-spread use of mechanical augmentation affects society is really interesting, and puts you in a place I could really see us being in a hundred years or so. The environment, the technology, the people, are all interesting and make you feel a part of it. And the choices you make, the characters your affect, what happens in the story, all give you a real sense is meaning. Adam Jensen (main character) is one of my favorite video game characters and leaves a lasting impression, especially after the variety of choices and dialog he has. I know people have complained about the length of main campaign and ending, and wish there wasn't an in-game purchasing system for upgrade points. But really you can put plenty of time into this game, especially because it has so much opportunity for multiple play throughs (play style, upgrades, story choices). The campaign ending isn't as grand as the last, but is more open ended and raises questions (leaving you with a cliffhanger for the next), which is fine because I'm really excited for the next one now to answer some of these big questions. And the in-game purchasing was pushed on the developers to help it make money. But so many games have in-game purchases now, I really don't see the problem with this one. If you don't want to use it to give you an upgrade advantage, don't. It's not for multiplayer, only campaign so it doesn't help you get ahead of competing players. Overall it's a really fun and impactful game, with gameplay and a universe that are memorable. I can think of very few ways to improve it, and hope it gets the support it needs to present the next sequel as good as Mankind Divided.

I've never played the last game. This game starts as a new adventure for me. I love how almost everything is so technical and you have choices. It's like playing the Mass Effect series. You make choices and it alters how the game is played. I absolutely hate quickie games that you can easily finish with hardly no replay value but this is different. Good job Square Enix. Maybe you can send out a patch that will make the game play in full 1080p. Thanks!

I really want to love this game - especially after the hit Deus Ex: Human Revolution became, I was super excited for this sequel. And while parts of it were everything I hoped for, a number of things, especially the ending mission, just underwhelmed me. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to love about this game. Between the new experimental augs that expand the number of ways to accomplish objectives, the superb soundtrack, the never-ending conspiracies and numerous plot points, and eventually the choices/sacrifices you have to make -- I was genuinely impressed. But at the same time, once I finished the game, there were definitely some gripes. For instance, although the game gives you a choice of how you wish to play (lethal vs non-lethal), again, just as in the first one, non-lethal is clearly the better way. Can you play lethally? Sure - but you end up having a harder time with various major characters/plot points, and it can be difficult to get some side missions since some characters won't trust you. I also didn't like that the game is basically confined to one city, Prague. I didn't mind being based out of Prague, I just minded the fact that you never get to delve into the life of any other city. Without giving too much away, you do visit other cities on various missions, but you're basically confined to a building/small area. You never really get to explore -- something that I loved about Human Revolution. And the ending -- just disappointed me. For those of you who played Human Revolution, the ending brought a hard choice: should you tell the truth? Spin the truth to promote a certain idea? Or do nothing, and let society find their own truth? It was a brilliant way to end a game where the question "Do the ends justify the means?" was asked over and over again, and where our need to improve ourselves and expand the human condition railed against resistance to change and fear of the unknown. In Mankind: Divided, I was expecting something similar to this. Something profound, as the game deals with some eerily very real life issues - what is the value of a human being? Is that value less when you're part mechanical? How do you integrate the needs of the augmented human with the needs of the natural human? Is it even possible? Yet, the ending we get is attempting to stop a leader who believes blowing up some buildings is the answer. Wait - what? Where's my difficult choice? Where's the consequences that force me to stop, to think, to ponder, to contemplate how future generations will see this situation? Nope - nothing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it almost feels like the game is incomplete -- like somehow this entire game is just Act 1. The game does mean well -- and there are times when I did feel like the game tries to transcend its 3 star rating to something better, but the lack of ability to explore, coupled with an ending that leaves me shaking my head, just puts it squarely with 3 stars. I'd recommend waiting for a sale before picking this one up.

A no brainer for anyone who's enjoyed any of the past games in the series. For newcomers, the story/environment feel so plausible that you can't help but be drawn in. The variety of gameplay and strategies to take on any given area make it very replayable (i.e. stealth vs. social vs. violence), but also very rewarding when you find a solution through an area that's not the obvious one. No other game has ever made me so excited to pick up a fridge to find a vent that leads... somewhere.

After upon hearing Final Fantasy 15 was delayed two more months, I decided on what my next game was going to be so I could crave my anticipation for the next upcoming title. I figured, why not Dues Ex? I mean I love the cyberpunk genre, and I rarely if ever see a video game on it. I have never played a Deus Ex game before, so my viewpoint is coming entirely from a newcomer to the series. I wanted to play a Deus Ex game, however was skeptical about picking one up due to the extensive knowledge of the series. Upon hearing that Dues ex Mankind Divided was a standalone title from the Deus Ex games, I picked up a copy myself, and let me tell you, I am glad I did. *NOTE* I am like at least a maybe 2-3 hours in the game, so please keep that in mind that my review is limited Pros: - Rewarding towards player exploration - Large selection of combat abilities - Great tutorials for players new to the series - An immersive world, with a plethora of side quests, none of which are your simple fetch quests or assassination quests. These are like well thought standalone stories. At times, I was reluctant to do the main quests because I was so interested in completed the side quests and finding even more side quests. - Gives players an enormous amount of options of when approaching a situation. This is one game where I am not pressured to fire my gun at all but rather encouraged to explore my options and the possible routes when infiltrating an area. Sometimes, I was so frustrated at how I would allow myself to be detected, that I would restart the mission from the last checkpoint so I could avoid any unnecessary encounters lol. - Well thought Dialogue wheel, at times I was amazed at how authentic and real the dialogue was between characters when the situation allowed for the players to choose their own responses - Great balance between the amount of usage of combat abilities, doesn’t make me feel godlike or overpowered, but powerful enough to be methodical about when I should use my abilities and how I should use them. - Excellent crafting system - Interesting characters, they are well thought and there is never a dull moment between them. Cons (So far): - You cannot melee whatsoever; melee actions come in the form of takedowns and that requires “energy”. It becomes really frustrating at times when I need to perform a quick melee on a guard and cannot because I don’t have enough energy. - I am amazed at how sometimes the AI is a bit inconsistent. For example I can perform a non- lethal take down a guard and leave his body on the floor and whenever someone walks by it’s as if nobody would notices. You would think that realistically that when performing a non-lethal takedown (such as putting them to sleep) they would wake up eventually and succumb to their senses, but its like you put them to sleep and they never wake up, making non-lethal takedowns essentially useless. Yet at times they are quick to notice my footsteps or my last location whenever I scurry past them or make a dash towards cover. *NOTE* I have not played the game mode Breach, so I am not going to cover that part of the game or mention it. Although I am nit-picking here, the inconsistency in the AI can be an initial turn-off to some, however I will say that it is not something that will prohibit you from your full enjoyment of the game. In other words, it is not bothersome to the point that I cannot simply continue to play the game any further because the AI is atrocious. I cannot provide any details on the story as a whole, for I have not completed it yet but so far it’s looking great. But if I were to rate Deus Ex through a 1-10 scale, I would give Deus Ex an 8/10, and would recommend to players looking for an immersive RPG with an excellent blend of action/stealth parts. I would also especially recommend it to those who love being rewarded for exploration.

First time I've ever got a game launch-day and decided to sell it the same day. The controls and gameplay of this game are sub-par in my opinion. None of the control setups make any sense, and although the game "claims" you can play any way you want, in reality there are linear ways the game is supposed to be played. I felt like I was going from puzzle to puzzle in the game, each of the puzzles contrived just to create a challenge. It didn't feel natural nor was it enjoyable. In the world of open-ended games, this RPG/action game just doesn't cut it. They do not follow the conventional controls for most games which makes it difficult to learn. Again, the biggest thing that gets me is the convoluted controls for this game. I tried several of the button layouts and none of them really made sense, and the menu navigation was very un-intuitive. I'm finished with the Deus Ex games; I'll never waste my time on them again.

Phenomenal game with a great storyline, fluid dynamics, and very entertaining progression system for upgrades. I love the new system for upgrading weapons with crafting parts and the enhancements to different mechanics such as hacking. They did a great job keeping with the Deus Ex spirit and, because they didn't overhaul the mechanics, it still feels like you're playing a Deus Ex game. I love Human Revolution and I love this one just as much.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing this game. With just over 80 hours of playtime I have finished the game, and I enjoyed every minute of it. There is nothing better than a well executed game, and this game is a wonderful addition to my collection and to the Deus Ex series. The freedom of choice, and decisions that matter, place this game a step above others. I don't think I could be any happier with my purchase, and I am proud to let everyone know how great I think this game is.