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 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.