Too many to list, but I'll give it a go. I've spent almost 500 hours playing "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided," and I've still not gotten to the end of its replay value. Every time I do a run-through, I discover new dialogue, different routes to take, new people to talk to, and fresh ways to kill or maim the citizens of Prague, Golem City, or London. It's the ultimate stealth game.
Why play the first "Deus Ex: Human Revolution" or the follow-up "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided," you might ask? The main reason is to get to know Adam Jensen, a video game character who feels like a real person. Over the two games, we are thoroughly integrated into his life and his feelings about the world he inhabits. One of the reasons is the actor who does Adam's voice, Elias Toufexis. No other video game persona has such a warm, human, and real personality, and it's thanks to Toufexis' mega-talented performance and voicework, that I think of Jensen as a real human being when I play the game. I can't stress enough how important this is to the enjoyment I get out of the game. Play it for the fun of stealthily crawling your way through the vents in the complex environment, climbing to the top of a four story building to break into an apartment, or hack security bots remotely so you can open secure vaults and loot the contents, all the while marveling at the buildings and level design as you walk by. But, you also live Jensen's life along with him and you'll be hooked as you try to decide which way his conversations with all the people he interacts with should go. No other games have affected me like HR and MD have. They have truly changed my life and brought great joy to me along the way.
In a game world like this, excellence in all areas is the most important aspect. Another reason to play the game is to marvel at the stellar writing and astonishing game design. This is truly an immersive sim, and both writing and design are top of the class. The story and all it's branches are mesmerizing, and a standout is the Palisade Bank heist that Jensen attempts. Your choice of dialogue and path truly matters as to what happens in the game.
Other characters in the game feel just as real, and their voicework is impressive. My very favorite character after Jensen, is Vaclav Koller, the resident Aug specialist that Jensen has to turn to, now that the LIMB clinics are abandoned. We're introduced to Koller practically the minute the regular gameplay begins, after the intro mission, the credits, and the bombing of the Prague train station, which sets up the storyline for the rest of the game. Koller is a real trip; maniacally devoted to augmentation, he gets jazzed by all the Aug options Jensen has now. Koller's trying to live his augmented life as well as he can in Prague, now that augmented people are being quarantined in Golem City and ostracized by everyone who is not augmented. Koller's extremely funny, but as Jensen probes into Koller's private life more, in an attempt to help him, we find that Jensen "scares the **** out of him," and the same goes for the all-powerful head of the local mob, Radich Nicoladze. Koller is also Radich's Aug specialist, but Koller has to keep this a deep, dark secret because the mob doesn't accept augmented people. Koller's predicament and how Jensen can help him is classic stuff; helping the little guy by dealing with the powerful people that are terrorizing him. Keeping the characters believable and giving them true anxieties and terrors, makes them relatable. I would play an entire game about Koller, he was so enjoyable.
Jim Miller, Jensen's boss at TF29, is voiced by Vernon Wells, who played the ultimate bad guy in "The Road Warrior," and Wells gives a nuanced performance that is equal parts commanding and brusque until near the end, where he admits his failure with regret-tinged voice and dialogue. Miller's emotional turnaround makes the player just as emotional. Chikane, the helo pilot for TF29, the agency where Jensen works now, whose scenes are less than 30 minutes of game time, yet in that time he leaps off the screen as a real individual, with problems in the world of the game, and injuries that have affected his vocation. Voiced by Chimwemwe Miller, his prickly presence in the game is riveting; you remember him long after you're done with the last playthrough.
The only failure in the game is the female protagonist that is undercover in Prague for the Juggernaut Collective, Alex Vega. She is there to serve as a liaison between Jensen and Janus, leader of the Collective, but she just doesn't match up with the other voice actors, and her relationship with Jensen is not believable. I would much rather have had Faridah Malik, from HR, in that role. She and Jensen had a real friendship that you could believe in, which the voice actor, Paula Jean Hixon, made possible.
In fact, no one from the first game shows up in "Mankind Divided" during normal game play, except David Sarif, founder of Sarif Industries and Jensen's former employer. Unfortunately, the developers used another voice actor for him, and it just isn't the same. The original voice actor, Steven Shellen, brought Sarif to life in all his "I'm the boss" glory, and he's missed here.
I was despairing that we would get no real interaction with anyone from the first game. The first DLC (called Jensen's Stories in the game menu) was "Desperate Measures," a straightforward caper to find out why a bombing is being covered up. I had absolutely loved every single conversation between Jensen and Francis Pritchard, Sarif's IT head in "Human Revolution"; their back and forth bickering was a major source of comedy in the game. Thankfully, the second DLC released for MD, "System Rift," is all about Pritchard and his quest for Jensen's help to break into the most highly secure server system in the world. Their conversations were the highlight of the DLC, which was phenomenal in its own right. The third and last DLC, "A Criminal Past," is another great piece of game design and writing, where Jensen must try to contact a co-worker who is deep undercover in a federal Aug prison.
"Human Revolution" has just as much right to the title of ultimate stealth game, but the two games are a bit different. HR seems set in amber now...it's a jewel that never changes. I've spent over 600 hours playing HR, and have pretty much found every secret path, and each time I play it it's like visiting an old friend. "Mankind Divided" has a different feel, like I'll find something new at any point in the game. It's the design that makes it feel this fresh. You may turn a corner you've been down many times, and still not recognize the terrain. It's this quality that makes MD so special.
"Mankind Divided" at top graphic settings and on a 4K monitor, looks amazing. You can see every wrinkle in the characters faces, and the expressions mimic real human expressions. Locations look as good as some real photos, and it's just an amazing visual experience.
Gameplay is quite a bit more advanced from "Human Revolution." Many of the repeated bodily movements that were rather annoying in HR have been removed from MD, where people seem to move as real people should. The chaos of Golem City is masterfully realized, and there are dozens of places to try to get to in each area, with large maps that just beg to be explored. The new augs are fun, with Jensen being able to turn off TVs, drones, turrets, and any other electronic device remotely. In short, "Mankind Divided" sparkles in every way.
Finally, I would say to everyone, just buy the game and play it. It's a wonderful, immersive experience that keeps on giving through every single replay.
Why play the first "Deus Ex: Human Revolution" or the follow-up "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided," you might ask? The main reason is to get to know Adam Jensen, a video game character who feels like a real person. Over the two games, we are thoroughly integrated into his life and his feelings about the world he inhabits. One of the reasons is the actor who does Adam's voice, Elias Toufexis. No other video game persona has such a warm, human, and real personality, and it's thanks to Toufexis' mega-talented performance and voicework, that I think of Jensen as a real human being when I play the game. I can't stress enough how important this is to the enjoyment I get out of the game. Play it for the fun of stealthily crawling your way through the vents in the complex environment, climbing to the top of a four story building to break into an apartment, or hack security bots remotely so you can open secure vaults and loot the contents, all the while marveling at the buildings and level design as you walk by. But, you also live Jensen's life along with him and you'll be hooked as you try to decide which way his conversations with all the people he interacts with should go. No other games have affected me like HR and MD have. They have truly changed my life and brought great joy to me along the way.
In a game world like this, excellence in all areas is the most important aspect. Another reason to play the game is to marvel at the stellar writing and astonishing game design. This is truly an immersive sim, and both writing and design are top of the class. The story and all it's branches are mesmerizing, and a standout is the Palisade Bank heist that Jensen attempts. Your choice of dialogue and path truly matters as to what happens in the game.
Other characters in the game feel just as real, and their voicework is impressive. My very favorite character after Jensen, is Vaclav Koller, the resident Aug specialist that Jensen has to turn to, now that the LIMB clinics are abandoned. We're introduced to Koller practically the minute the regular gameplay begins, after the intro mission, the credits, and the bombing of the Prague train station, which sets up the storyline for the rest of the game. Koller is a real trip; maniacally devoted to augmentation, he gets jazzed by all the Aug options Jensen has now. Koller's trying to live his augmented life as well as he can in Prague, now that augmented people are being quarantined in Golem City and ostracized by everyone who is not augmented. Koller's extremely funny, but as Jensen probes into Koller's private life more, in an attempt to help him, we find that Jensen "scares the **** out of him," and the same goes for the all-powerful head of the local mob, Radich Nicoladze. Koller is also Radich's Aug specialist, but Koller has to keep this a deep, dark secret because the mob doesn't accept augmented people. Koller's predicament and how Jensen can help him is classic stuff; helping the little guy by dealing with the powerful people that are terrorizing him. Keeping the characters believable and giving them true anxieties and terrors, makes them relatable. I would play an entire game about Koller, he was so enjoyable.
Jim Miller, Jensen's boss at TF29, is voiced by Vernon Wells, who played the ultimate bad guy in "The Road Warrior," and Wells gives a nuanced performance that is equal parts commanding and brusque until near the end, where he admits his failure with regret-tinged voice and dialogue. Miller's emotional turnaround makes the player just as emotional. Chikane, the helo pilot for TF29, the agency where Jensen works now, whose scenes are less than 30 minutes of game time, yet in that time he leaps off the screen as a real individual, with problems in the world of the game, and injuries that have affected his vocation. Voiced by Chimwemwe Miller, his prickly presence in the game is riveting; you remember him long after you're done with the last playthrough.
The only failure in the game is the female protagonist that is undercover in Prague for the Juggernaut Collective, Alex Vega. She is there to serve as a liaison between Jensen and Janus, leader of the Collective, but she just doesn't match up with the other voice actors, and her relationship with Jensen is not believable. I would much rather have had Faridah Malik, from HR, in that role. She and Jensen had a real friendship that you could believe in, which the voice actor, Paula Jean Hixon, made possible.
In fact, no one from the first game shows up in "Mankind Divided" during normal game play, except David Sarif, founder of Sarif Industries and Jensen's former employer. Unfortunately, the developers used another voice actor for him, and it just isn't the same. The original voice actor, Steven Shellen, brought Sarif to life in all his "I'm the boss" glory, and he's missed here.
I was despairing that we would get no real interaction with anyone from the first game. The first DLC (called Jensen's Stories in the game menu) was "Desperate Measures," a straightforward caper to find out why a bombing is being covered up. I had absolutely loved every single conversation between Jensen and Francis Pritchard, Sarif's IT head in "Human Revolution"; their back and forth bickering was a major source of comedy in the game. Thankfully, the second DLC released for MD, "System Rift," is all about Pritchard and his quest for Jensen's help to break into the most highly secure server system in the world. Their conversations were the highlight of the DLC, which was phenomenal in its own right. The third and last DLC, "A Criminal Past," is another great piece of game design and writing, where Jensen must try to contact a co-worker who is deep undercover in a federal Aug prison.
"Human Revolution" has just as much right to the title of ultimate stealth game, but the two games are a bit different. HR seems set in amber now...it's a jewel that never changes. I've spent over 600 hours playing HR, and have pretty much found every secret path, and each time I play it it's like visiting an old friend. "Mankind Divided" has a different feel, like I'll find something new at any point in the game. It's the design that makes it feel this fresh. You may turn a corner you've been down many times, and still not recognize the terrain. It's this quality that makes MD so special.
"Mankind Divided" at top graphic settings and on a 4K monitor, looks amazing. You can see every wrinkle in the characters faces, and the expressions mimic real human expressions. Locations look as good as some real photos, and it's just an amazing visual experience.
Gameplay is quite a bit more advanced from "Human Revolution." Many of the repeated bodily movements that were rather annoying in HR have been removed from MD, where people seem to move as real people should. The chaos of Golem City is masterfully realized, and there are dozens of places to try to get to in each area, with large maps that just beg to be explored. The new augs are fun, with Jensen being able to turn off TVs, drones, turrets, and any other electronic device remotely. In short, "Mankind Divided" sparkles in every way.
Finally, I would say to everyone, just buy the game and play it. It's a wonderful, immersive experience that keeps on giving through every single replay.