Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Critique - Smaller Can Be Better

[@ChrisDavis_Games]

Here are timestamps: Intro - 0:00 Making of - 1:52 Level Design - 5:58 Gameplay - 26:11 Side Quests - 37:00 Story - 42:41 DLC - 58:00 Future of Deus Ex - 1:02:39 Conclusion - 1:03:45

[@darknessviking]

lets see if you talk anything about "not enough diverse" or something in this game like you did with the witcher video. now lets get on with it ..

[@Charok1]

It's why this focused size of game is the best compared to the crappy witcher 3 main game. Although Blood and Wine was a nicer size for what it was. 2077 did a decent job with making their internal levels be like Deus Ex. I don't think they deserve so much criticism. DE:HR is an all time favorite.

[@Elknkam]

Dude as a black person you don't know wrf you are talking about ehr your referring too Africa. You don't know anything about it.

[@Elknkam]

Enough with thr politics. You don't know anything about Africa, so Enough with su jects you don't know anything about it.

[@freddogrosso9835]

Great video, man! (is it always like this? You know, with all the racist pissboys wanking around)

[@N_Wah_]

I can't tell you how many times I've argued with people how good this game is

[@LucasMartins-dy6no]

The replayability of this game surpasses human revolution, people are delusional saying that detroit or hengsha are better hubs than Prague, the whole sequence were martial law hits alone makes this game an masterpiece, unfortunately mainstream reviewers Only play the main missions, following the Markers to finish the game fastest possible, thats no way to finish an immersive sim.

[@Damian_1989]

It's an awesome game, but it's criminally short. Even with the side missions and the DLCs, it feels unfinished. Marchenko should've been the first of many bosses, not the ONLY and LAST one...

[@panterxbeats]

@@Damian_1989 I wouldn't even say the game is short... my first playthrough took about 35 hours, a few hours more than HR:DC, and I haven't even played the DLC yet. The problem is that the main story is so thin that the experience as a whole can't help but feel "short"/lacking even after 30+ hours of in depth gameplay, taking in everything it has to offer. I've heard people say the game feels like a "first episode" to a whole series, but it's spread over 30 hours... I couldn't believe how abrupt the ending was, but I guess I wasn't too surprised since I heard it was coming... I really hope we get a sequel!

[@a.g.m8790]

I’ve fought in the streets over this game

[@gr6744]

Prague level is amazing, blending classical architecture with futurism in such a way it looks absolutely balanced and natural, and it perfectly captures the vibe of cyberpunk style. It’s always easier to make cyberpunk using only night and post-industrial locations, and that makes Prague level even more precious. Not to mention it’s great game world developing.

[@Rythian]

Leaving a comment for the algorithm gods. I honestly think Mankind Divided was excellent, it's just blatantly unfinished. It's so strange that a final third part wasn't made.

[@Charok1]

The developers switched to making the horrible Avengers game instead. They need to be bought by Microsoft and left alone to make more Deus Ex with a lot of time.

[@marbl3d45]

@@Charok1 then it would be a Microsoft exclusive then smh

[@lovablesnowman]

@@Charok1 The fact we're never going to get another Deus Ex game because of that failed abortion of an Avengers game is an absolute catastrophe

[@DrGhoztz]

@@marbl3d45 microsoft “exclusive” = Pc *and* xbox

[@brendanpelkey120]

i continue to hold out hope anything is possible if you just keep asking for it.

[@leonthesleepy]

I wish cyberpunk was an evolved version of this.

[@franshenriksen5056]

I have not spent the money to buy a machine to play it, nor was I aware of much hype around that game. But I feel like people don't often mention often enough just how pretty that game is. From what I have seen in videos this is miles better than the newest edition of Skyrim which is the latest game I've played myself (Skyrim is also really pretty though). I played half an hour of the Red Dead Redemption 2 as well, it didn't strike me as as pretty as Cyberpunk either.

[@OfficialChrissums]

@@franshenriksen5056 its heads and shoulders above every other game out currently in terms of looks. And it has a few areas/missions that stack up against the level design and options of mankind divided. Still id rather a 30 hour paired down game like Mankind versus the 80+ hour cyberpunk where only like 20% of the content is as good as this game from 2016.

[@jojox1733]

We all wish it was

[@leonthesleepy]

@@OfficialChrissums eh i kind of disagree on the visual side. Graphically its all over the place. Some times it looks amazing. But character models, overall AI behavior rly kills the mood.

[@Texelion]

Sometimes the level design almost feels like a Deus Ex game, with several options depending on your cyberware. But from my experience it's mostly for quick 2-5 minutes side quests, and the main quests are quite linear and don't allow for different routes. What a shame. It really feels like the devs had different ideas on what the game should be. Some tried to make an RPG/immersive sim, and others tried to do GTA. Probably another case of higher ups meddling with the design to maximise profit.

[@charlesdexterward7781]

6:36 "it was strangely compulsive, I just couldn't stop, I broke into apartment after apartment... eventually I explored the sewers too." No need to apologize, man. We've all been there.

[@benl2140]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Oh wait, you meant _in_ the game...

[@LateToThaParty]

I was breaking into apartments like a maniac, sweating at the wonder of what I might find. I had a problem man.

[@mohamednail1707]

@@benl2140 I have "SEVERAL" questions

[@ElJorro]

I do the same thing.

[@cezarstefanseghjucan]

Exploration done great.

[@finalninju6021]

Just occurred to me that the reason Jensen doesn't need neuropazine and is immune to the orchid is literally that he's just built different

[@jonathanmcleod5560]

It's actually extensively explained in the first game. The whole big discovery Meghan made was from his DNA. A super compatibility that allowed augmentation without rejection syndrome. Meghan uses his DNA to create a way this can be applied to everyone, but that's when TYM/Illuminati step in.

[@TroublingMink59]

It's explained in Human Revolution. He's a crazy genetic experiment baby.

[@XSilver_WaterX]

Plus, the way the prequels tell the franchise makes Bob Page act more of a clone of the head of the Council of 5 but was disrespected by his "dad" and is now obsessed with pleasing him by becoming a new tyrant. I hope the next Dues Ex tell the story of the Illuminati and why they are so obsessed with killing the poor and turning the rich into biological abominations while lying about cybernetics?

[@aayushdas19]

Sarif augs don’t need it.

[@hpwilliams0]

David Martinez 2.0

[@hughjass9914]

Mankind Divided is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of underrated games. I didn't expect it to be as good as it was.

[@mattfm101]

It should have been longer

[@supamat4]

Augmentations were not just a privilege of the wealthy elite. The intro mission in Dubai shows how the working class was forced to remove body parts in favor of industrial augmentation to keep employment. It was also expensive and the anti-rejection drug would be unaffordable for these low-middle class workers. The company they work for would pay for it all, the workers were in indentured servitude (voluntary slavery). work as much as the company wants, or we dont give you neuroposene, anti rejection drug

[@davidwit7749]

There's a conversation with Chikane that reinforces this. He says he doesn't blame the aug who messed up his knee, he blames the people who made that guy get all these augmentations just to survive and provide for his family.

[@michael3k80]

Yes. Staying that only people can be oppressed because of color of skin or sth is really wrong. History proves differently... So they - augs here- can be oppressed like any other people...

[@ZodiacEntertainment2]

This is a criticism of the game that I see everywhere that is just blatantly false. There are multiple instances in the game where you can see the effect that augmentations had on working class people. Dubai, many interactions in Golem City, some of the random "email stories" spread around Prague. Human Revolution fails to show how augs effected the working class, but Mankind Divided absolutely side-steps the same mistakes.

[@River_StGrey]

Y'all don't seem to understand that it's really scummy for advertisers to hijack real people's oppression and use it for a marketing gimmick. Using current oppression as inspiration for your cool cyber punk action game is scummy. The marketers ripped off actual people's shit who have been killed in the real world for the sake of driving their preorder bullshit, and using scenes that are not depicted in the same fashion anywhere else in game. Capitalism, the driving force of Aug oppression as shown in Deus Ex-- can be changed and resisted, your skin color can't be. Being forced to get a surgery so you can keep working is not the same as everyone around you, for your entire life, treating you as lesser and undeserving. I've also been a manual laborer for 16 years, and we don't need your candy asses to compare us against black or other marginalized people. Go help organize a union if you care so much about the plight of the working class.

[@ZodiacEntertainment2]

​@@River_StGrey I don't think anyone here is defending the pre-order scheme for MD. "Go help organize a union if you care so much about the plight of the working class." It's easier for me to complain about capitalism on the internet. Sorry.

[@joey6058]

You can find the apartment of the mom who was killed in the terrorist explosion. Pretty sad but great way to tell a story without words.

[@walrusman86808]

Is that a chow in your pic?

[@ray-tx8yx]

I found the apartment in my 4th playthrough. I was sincerely surprised when I realised it was the woman from the cutscene.

[@a.g.m8790]

@@cactusmalone lol what? Alex is a bad bitty you coward

[@cristidenis531]

The level design was incredible. This game really made me want to visit Prague as soon as I can. For the next game(if there will be one), I want to see more condensed and full of things to do areas like a town in Japan or an eastern european setting like Romania, Serbia(those communist blocks would pe perfect for some intricate level design).

[@JG-po6ff]

Japan sounds great, almost like a Yakuza world

[@shodan6401]

Prague is (or at least was when I was there decades ago) a fantastic city, and was part of the communist block, btw. I've also seen someone compare the internment of augs in this game to the Jewish ghetto that was once a prominent feature Prague, which I thought was a pretty cool perspective....

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

I really want to see a game besides Shenmue recreate the Kowloon Walled City of China. I don’t know how well it would really fit into this unless they cyberpunk’d it up a little, but it’s such an underrated setting for a video game.

[@vodkaboy]

​@@shodan6401 Eidos Montreal did good. It's those relatively superficial or not obvious details. Love in the craft, actual world building, like Arkane or BioWare. Still have hopes for a new decent System Shock ^^

[@raresmacovei8382]

Aside from the main story being a smaller scale that Human Revolution and that was disappointing, I find Mankind Divided is a better game in every way

[@Someguyonline7732]

It seemed pretty obvious to me that mankind divided was trying to set up a bigger finale, but it was the more tedious segue between the two major chapters and now it just fucking ends instead

[@kristoferjefferson2058]

Honestly, the whole time I was playing Cyberpunk 2077, I kept thinking ‘does this really do anything more/better than the Deus Ex games?’ And I don’t really think it does, the Deus Ex games are so good and so under appreciated

[@lindvi0r]

I was playing deus ex this weekend and thought “man this is basically a better cyberpunk”

[@krovarus1911]

I mean the combat in Cyberpunk is worlds better than any of the Deus ex games for me and is ultimately more enjoyable to play

[@krovarus1911]

@Withnail I'm on the highest difficulty in cyberpunk and a shotgun has one - two shot just about everything in the game at all levels so I'm not sure what you mean. The enemies don't feel spongy at all

[@jarredlucas4000]

Cringe and uncomparable

[@OfficialChrissums]

if cyberpunk 2 is half the immersive sim mankind divided is but keeps its current scale it will be the best game ever made. Sadly the amount of time it takes to hand build a map doesnt go down much as tech advances so Im not sure a game like that is even possible.

[@sadpee7710]

i absolutely loved how many hidden conversations i found around interpol and such, where characters could react to what you've done and stuff. completely non-vital to the game and sometimes without indication that you can even have these conversations. it was really cool. mankind divided had a lot of small details like that which are sometimes hard to notice tbh. oh and the contextualized fast travel was cool

[@cezarstefanseghjucan]

A great world to get immersed into. The music is nothing short of awesome.

[@rosameltrozo5889]

Pretty happy how the game is getting the praise it deserves (where it deserves it at least) I'd guess a bit more than half my playthrough was spent just exploring Prague

[@807D14M0ND5]

Stealth games just don't sell that well. I hope publishers can adjust their expectations to this.

[@No-sr5fb]

Moderns devs would rather brag about how long it takes to get from one side of the map to the other rather than how much meaningful content it has

[@blumiu2426]

Something I've yet to understand other than they intentionally want to take up 100 of your time.

[@PeterVerzijl]

I think you are a little over generalising here man. Although I agree with the sentiment. As I've become older and have a lot of games I'd like to play, I also would like more condensed and cohesively made games. But as long as people confuse 'value' and 'amount of time to beat the main story' the incentives for publishers will be out of whack. But it is not entirely consumers fault; an endless chase to the next live service game with endless revenue streams is not helping either.

[@blumiu2426]

@@PeterVerzijl I don't think gamers set the tone for this, it was the industry. By turning hype into a integral part of the marketing strategy within under a generation, they set the pace for what gamers thought was a good thing and accepted. They knew where they were going to take it as they were subtle, testing how much they could do and when. We know this from videos of the conferences where they blatantly talk about psychologically manipulating consumers. The longer they can get gamers playing a game, the longer they can add in fluff and micros and whatever else to make money. I think everyone knows games don't need to be as long as they are, but have just gotten used to it and accept it. We are a predominately conditioned society.

[@PeterVerzijl]

@@blumiu2426 Yeah, I think I might not have been too clear on this and focused too much on the consumer side of the coin. And I regret talking about 'people' as a monolithic idea instead of a select group. I'll try to be more distinct. There is definitely some merit to your two statements on both the hype generating marketing which we have seen become popular with big production games; and on the mobile side, some developers' deplorable mis-use of skinner box inspired design in order to prey on marginalised and vulnerable people. The second of which is absolutely unethical and should have never been used as the core business model. But I must disagree on your second and last statement. I think you are selling individual people short when saying that "We are a predominately conditioned societycriticise; as you'd be criticising yourself in an indirect way. Which I think leads to a whole host of problems, not exclusive to game marketing campaigns. Are some marketing departments actively using this toxic behaviour in order to sell more games. Yes. Is that bad? Also yes. But if it continues to work; I can't fully lay the blame on just the marketing departments. I think some of the responsibility also lays with people who get overly hyped and attached to products. If you don't like what a company is doing; than stop voting with your wallet. At least; as long as we live under capitalism. I think that a combination of being critical towards harmful business practices and also not financially supporting some of your soon-to-be favourite games is what needs to happen in order to enact change. Oh; and maybe a splash of calling/messaging your local politicians.

[@PeterVerzijl]

@@blumiu2426 Oh; and thanks for taking the time to reply. I forgot to add that to the end of my last comment.

[@BucklingSwashes]

As one of those people that didn't fully appreciate this game when it came out, I am SO glad I came back to it last year to give it a proper full playthrough (which was immediately followed by another). Mankind Divided wasn't exactly the globetrotting, conspiracy-laden Deus Ex game I originally hoped that it would be, but it turned out to still be one of my favorite titles of its generation. The stealth/combat gameplay, level design, and visuals are quite simply fantastic, and despite its much-discussed issues, I actually really liked the story as well, particularly after my second, more violent playthrough. It's clear Eidos Montreal still had some big plans for their third game. I hope they still get a chance to make it soon.

[@freddogrosso9835]

Same here. This was the only game I played back to back twice. I couldn't get enough of the world and the gameplay.

[@bigb2650]

Hopefully the sequel to this game will surprise me like Hitman 2 did… I didn’t think that game would be made due to similar struggles and controversies. Now we have Hitman 3 as well! So, I have hope one day Deus Ex will get at least one more proper sequel.

[@neil4056]

This is such an underrated title but cannot really blame the audiences. Thanks, Square Enix.

[@charaznable8072]

Square has really fallen just look at the mess that is Left Alive

[@neil4056]

@@charaznable8072 I was attracted by the cover of Left Alive because I'm a fan of Yoji Shinkawa's work (Metal Gear Solid series' concept artist), what a waste...

[@francis6775]

I think we can blame the audience a bit. It's still a solid 15 hour game, more with dlc and the MTs are 100% ignorable. It's no reason to skip it

[@probablythedm1669]

Sreaming at the void and shaking my fists: Squeeeniiiix! 😄

[@brendanpelkey120]

yeah square enix like most coperations on osscasion can do something good and then go on too do a million dumb things.

[@butimjustlarry8380]

It's so sad that Square Enix then went on to force Eidos to waste their collective talent on a game as creativly barren as Avengers

[@dominikseljan3043]

@Withnail amen to that brother

[@o27001]

Judging by how shit Avengers has been it's almost as if Eidos Montreal's intentionally sabotaging the game so that Squeenix would eventually give them the go ahead to make a new Deus Ex game. Sadly I've given up all hope on a new Deus Ex game, Eidos And Squeenix may pretend all they want by claiming "Deus Ex isn't dead, Deus Ex isn't shelved" but the truth is it's definitely shelved along with Thief and the Legacy of Kain series. They should just stop feeding us lies and just announce the death of Deus Ex already, it'd make things a lot easier in the long run. Better yet Squeenix should just sell the rights to Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy Of Kain altogether. If Valve is willing to go into the publishing business they'd be my no 1 pick.

[@ehrtdaz7186]

and then they wasted their talents again on guardians of the galaxy :/

[@vodkaboy]

@@o27001 "If Valve is willing to go into the publishing business" HL DX crossover confirmed

[@Madtroll1209]

​@@o27001this aged tragically well.

[@BucklingSwashes]

Despite the abrupt ending, I really loved the evening news breakdown of the results of your choices. The way it plays off of the HR/MD themes of media manipulation and "alternative facts" makes the way it's presented really fascinating.

[@johnwenzel2756]

If ask me it has only gotten worse in the real world so it ain't offensive in this game at all

[@ZodiacEntertainment2]

@@johnwenzel2756 Coming back to MD in 2022 really made me realize that the "aug lives matter" bit wasn't so much "poorly thought out" as it was predictive. Nothing about the political environment of the game felt unbelievable. I wonder if that says more about how absurd real life politics have gotten or the dev team at Eidos Montreal.

[@NoFuqinIdea]

Just finished this Game and really gotta say: Doesn't happen often to find a game with Levels so well designed that you can point out exactly where a place is, when only being shown little snippets of it. It's been a while since I last had an experience as immersive as this.

[@jameshruby]

28:17 "You can also improvise a bit by doing things like dragging a guard's dead body through the laser grid with you to avoid setting off the alarm" Wait..what .. you can do that ??? Time to reinstall

[@idontcare3315]

Thanks for always putting subtitles. English is not my main language...I can read it, but I'm still getting used to listening.

[@CN-kf1me]

I am obsessed with this game I have always returned to it over the last few years, such a well made amazing game the multiple paths and ways to tackle tasks, Adam’s character & the story, the dialogue options and the fact it makes you feel like an absolute boss I love it

[@kentglass3894]

literally my favorite game experience of all time. I still play it today

[@arminxvs3372]

Augs in Deus Ex MD were not "rich, privileged" but also normal people or even some low-income people. Not everybody chose to have them. They were maybe sick (Diabetes loss of limbs) or accidents or simple born without a limb. Thus, as Jensen, they had not a real choice and are now treated badly. I find the separation and discrimination in the game well done. Humanity would divide worse than race.

[@spongemop]

55:37 I know this video is a month old, but I have one argument about this piece about augs being only bought by the rich. My theory is that augments became a medical burden of sorts, in a way very distant but similar to modern American healthcare. Say you need to lift things for a job, and boss man refuses to keep you unless you get your arms updated. You're put between possible debt and no assurance, or guaranteed debt and a current way to fix it. You choose to get the aug, and now you're in debt, and you're not really rich anymore. I think the mindset that all augs are rich is incorrect. This could also explain why Golem City is considered a ghetto, because the devs have a mindset of ghettos meaning a poor people neighborhood, which fits nicely with the disconnected Aug Lives Matter mindset.

[@brodriguez11000]

One could also have augs for medical reasons just like people have prosthetic limbs now. Transhumanism is one of the more unexplored topics in video games even for Deus Ex.

[@owena7236]

I definitely agree that tying an oppressed characteristic to something expensive that you can buy was clumsy at best (like a luxury new sports car leading to phrases like "Toyota Lives Matter" or "Vehicular Apartheid"), but I'm pretty sure it's said occasionally in background dialogue that some poor people turned to augmentations because they lost a limb in an accident or it was the literal only way they could avoid being made redundant at labouring jobs. I still have no idea how they would have paid for it in those contexts, but I'm certain that not every Aug we see on the streets is a formerly-rich person who could at one point easily afford the do-better-at-everything medical procedure. Great video though! Was just wondering today if you would be uploading again soon

[@JoeCool90]

This is actually answered both in game and in other content. In Human Revolution, Tong Si Hung wants you to retrieve a part payment from an augmented individual. It’s done on part payments, with interest etc.

[@b.c.102]

Presumably at least some of them would be like Adam, having their augmentations paid for by their employers. If your boss comes to you and says your choices are either being fired, or getting new robot arms and a brain implant so you can work twice as hard and efficiently as normal, you might well not really have a choice if you can't afford to lose that job.

[@Camina.Drummer]

Any day a Chris Davis critique comes out is a great day.

[@joeytunney5476]

Prague is one of the best open worlds in any video game and I’m so glad someone else agrees! One correction, when you mentioned the 2 cloak types in the original game, it actually is possible to get both in one build, you just have to know where the correct aug canisters are or get really really lucky on a blind play through. Getting back on topic, Mankind Divided is criminally underrated and I firmly believe that a third installment could be Eidos Montreal’s magnum opus! Combining Mankind Divided’s level design and gameplay with the great storytelling of the original game! I just hope that Eidos Montreal can pull off the good writing that the series really needs!

[@ForgottenTryhard]

I replayed the games recently, without spoiling for latecomers to the series. I found the ending of Mankind dived much better than Human revolution. Not only that it summarizes each quest that managed to finish even side quests. Also the final confrontation in Mankind divided is alot more open ended than Human revolution. In all honesty tho, both games are worth your time. Alot of replay ability

[@mikitadou]

My favorite Deus Ex game by far....We, DE fans need the final chapter of the Trilogy...

[@idontcare3315]

✔️Scripted speech ✔️Timestamps ✔️Subtitles on an 1 hour long video Chris Davis, I diagnose you with OCD, and where I come from (Japan), that's a compliment. It means everything you do, you try do to it as meticulous as you can and *that* is trait, a perk. Keep doing your best, and there always will be people who recognize your effort.

[@SeaSpartan118]

Glad to see you still making videos, I was kinda worried that you were going to stop right after the last video

[@Paul_McSeol]

Chris, love it when your videos post. I am working an office job and this is about to my make my afternoon much sweeter. Thanks for what you do. I really enjoy it and appreciate yo work.

[@craigamills7276]

Yes finally I love your content in fact during your live stream I suggested this game. Thanks mate you are a champion

[@CagedSUPERMAN]

Deus ex md is probably one of the best games of last generation

[@ThreeEyedJuan]

Very underrated game, thank ful to have gone back and powered through the tutorial chapter. I played this via non-lethal path, focused on mobility and interaction skills rather than combat, I thought it was the most enjoyable and challenging means to finish the game. The final boss fight was a bit disappointing though but was glad to could still be beat via non-lethal means.

[@andrewferry2224]

Great overview, but I don’t agree with your characterization about augmented people in DE:MD and undermining their struggles relative to those happening in the real world. First off, I would argue that the majority of people who did get augmentations were NOT wealthy and were not autonomous in their decision to get augmented. Many individuals, especially in military organizations/merc groups, were coerced or forced to get augs but were fortunate enough to get it covered by the government/company. This also happened in non-military companies (both legal and illicit). Also, many individuals without much money took out large (often predatory) loans to get their augmentations because of the competitive advantages that they provided in various professions (We saw this in a side mission in DE:HR where a girl goes to the triads to get an implant). This was usually not an autonomous decision because they were coerced by their job to get augmented or be replaced by an augmented worker. Lastly, the game mentions that Prague had a huge “blue collar” augmented workforce for the myriad of construction projects throughout the city and surrounding regions.

[@ragefacile4832]

Come on now, neuropozine IS anti rejection drugs and mostly have the same effects. Rich people bought augs to be trendy. Handicapped bought them to walk again. Jensen didn’t ask for this . Salary men’s were pressured into taking augs to keep up against the concurrence. Not saying you make a bad point, just saying it’s a bit more nuanced

[@BobExcalibur]

Human Revolution also had the sidequest where hookers were pressured into getting sexually augmented by slave driving pimps. Augmentation is not the "thing privileged people do" that Chris claims". if anything the comparison the developers were alluding to seems to be the various Jewish ethnicities. A demographic that simultaneously has the poor and insular as well as the extravagantly wealthy and cosmopolitan, subject to a long history of discrimination across every corner of the world for various reasons. Thus the nomenclature of "Golem City". Chris struggles with the idea that powerful people can be laid low and be sympathetic, like most leftists.

[@alexscriabin]

in the real world, rich people would get good augs, while most people would get bad augs (with advertisements in your eyes, with legs that locked up and kidnapped your upper body to the cops or bank, etc), and only the poor people (who can't run away, can't pay for guards, etc) would be the victims of pogroms.

[@brodriguez11000]

@@alexscriabin : The "quality of..." is an interesting tangent on augs. But one thing we do gather in this world is that it's a lot more pervasive, much like our own world from organs and limbs replaced, and even brain conditions managed. The main thing accounting for differences is the implicit understanding that medical science in general has gotten better and hence more don't have as much need for some of the replacements.

[@vodkaboy]

@@BobExcalibur what about the -slaves- workers in Dubai, are they a group of "extravagantly wealthy and cosmopolitan" people ? of course the choice of Prague was conscious, but ignoring the clear references to contemporary xenophobia, slavery, and apartheid is pretty telling about your opinions concerning a lot of matters, like a lot of "conservatives".

[@Ikcatcher]

I’m glad more people are appreciating Mankind Divided for what it is now instead of constantly calling it disappointing back at launch

[@Demonstormlord]

This is a very good video, but I wanted to mention that both games and other tie-in media all made a point of showing that augmentation was not only for the rich and privileged. Many people were augmented because it was the only way to keep a job, or even to survive. The rich have nice, sleek looking augments (like Jensen), while the poor have forklifts bolted to their shoulders.

[@kaleidoscopickait]

I’m currently playing through mankind divided so I’ll watch this video when I’m done with it, but just wanted to comment for the algorithm!

[@ModeSOLOgaming]

Man this game was incredible. Human Revolution was also a fantastic game and I can only hope there will eventually be another title in the series. There was something special about how it worked. It's open ended, but a focused closed world, if that makes sense. The world you inhabit just felt alive and lived in, even when there wasn't an NPC in sight. And Adam Jensen is a straight up badass. I enjoyed ever minute and I'm gonna have to play it again soon.

[@aeroga2383]

Should probably spoiler tag this. Figuring out how to solve the quests is half the fun. Also, not all augmented people were rich. Some of them received military treatment or were for better manual labor performance. And all augs aren't created equal. Some augs are basic and then there's Adam Jensen who has the most advanced augs on the planet, far above the levels of anything the richest of the rich can hope to achieve for reasons that are yet to be explained lol

[@brandonsteinbach4208]

I love the deus ex games and even with the handful of flaws it has Mankind divided is actually my favorite of the series. I've played through it numerous times and I still find something new every time I play even in this video you talk about a praxis kit in the limb clinic...I had no clue it was there and I like to think I'm very thorough when exploring.

[@vince4374]

you can also hold the reload key to switch between ammo types, u learn this in the gun range tutorial

[@gotd4m]

I'm glad you are still at it. I thought you said you were done a few videos back. I often don't agree with your opinions, but I still enjoy hearing them. So again, glad you are still at it.

[@baalernaruto]

In my opinion, the reason that studios keep talking about bigger world's is to attract more investors, at the end of the day they're the real customers.

[@freddogrosso9835]

They should tell them smaller, deeper worlds are cheaper to make.

[@807D14M0ND5]

@@freddogrosso9835 Is that true though? A huge world is generated and then adjusted by hand. A small world is 100% hand made.

[@freddogrosso9835]

@@807D14M0ND5 Doesn't matter. You tell the investors whatever you need to get the funding.

[@CoryHeadquarters]

Mankind Divided is one of the best games ever made. Square Enix tweakin for not making another one

[@CoryHeadquarters]

And Eidos

[@LigadOss]

Honestly I don't know if this has been said about the game or if the writers ever said anything to indicate that, but I feel like the whole mechanical apartheid works much better if you look at it as an allegory to Palestinians living in the West Bank rather than South African apartheid or American segregation. A. The term "Apartheid" has also been used to describe Israel's treatment of Palestinians while also condemned by many and thought of as hyperbole and inappropriate. B. Many view the occupation and treatment of Palestinians as justified or necessary because of countless terrorist attacks launched by Palestinians, the Intifadas for example which resulted in the separation wall being constructed and many military checkpoints being established could be compared to the Incident in Deus Ex. C. The cycle of terrorism that the game presents very much resembles that of the Palestinians. Jensen in the beginning of the game states that "treat people like animals long enough, and they start acting like animals". Referring to how the unjust treatment of Augs causes them to gravitate towards extremism and terrorism, which is seen throughout the game. The same arguments are many times used in regards to Palestinian terrorism. If you look at it like that, the comparison to real life issues seems far less insulting in my opinion. In regards to the issue of Augs choosing to get augmented and being a part of a privileged elite, this is not the way augmentation is presented in Mankind Divided. Many working class people were compelled to accept augmentation in order to keep their jobs in things such as manual labor, the military, and so forth. In regards to Augs having superpowers and thus the power to resist oppression, clearly not all or even most augs have augmentation that makes them supersoldiers like Jensen, that's the exception, not the rule. Also, the lack of understanding that we as individuals can unite and be strong enough together to resist oppression is what allowed most oppressive regimes to thrive in reality as well.

[@brodriguez11000]

Agreed. Sometimes nuanced ideas are hard to convey in a video games. It's not a strength of the medium.

[@vodkaboy]

tells more about you than the game, as the comparison can work with more or less any segregated state/society. irony is Jews in Prague lived in Ghettos.

[@kitkat2407]

Fuck what BLM is saying. BLM says all kind of stuff and often they are just trying to be a victim and try to cut of non black from their culture.

[@ArgentWolf95]

@@vodkaboy Interesting you mention that, Augmented do

[@thecannedsoup]

This game is very good, especially if it has the 3rd installment to fill the gap in completing the trilogy. - how adam Jensen's story ends in coherence to the first deus ex game - maybe a young paul denton cameo meeting jensen randomly which influences Paul's character later on (not a mindless agent following orders) - rise of mj12, fall of illuminati (we get a view on how Everett convinced debeers to be put on ice, bob page's first moves on the coup) - tong's motivations on being who he is from the kid you met in HR

[@kitkat2407]

I Love the apartheid story focus. It felt believable. Especially after human revolution.

[@brunoleao6911]

This game is a masterpiece. We asked for a new deus ex game.

[@gurthangorcus]

Chris, thanks for this series retrospective, I've truly enjoyed it. Even through I've played every game several times through (except IW) I still learned things about them and I'm tempted to give them all (except IW) another go in a few years. Thanks for all the work, time and thought that goes into these projects!

[@davyhotch]

I had the most fun playing no powers and being creative. Using smoke to break disable lasers or just following a step behind guards. destroying doors with grenades. Passing patrolling robots by hiding behind mobile boxes.

[@Blu3b3rryGaming]

Don't always agree with your opinions, but the videos are always well done and entertaining. I'm glad to see you continue to upload quality content.

[@paul1983]

51:43 Jensen IS a clone. You can find the real Adam Jensen in the Versalife vault within one of the boxes on the left. You have to trow a EMP grenade at it.

[@rainbownova85]

Apartheid is actually from dutch origin, the dutch enforced apartheid in south africa when it was a colony and later on the white people that remained there kept it like that for ages

[@cbixby8335]

I picked it up a couple weeks ago for the Xbox series I love it the areas are too big they don't feel too small quite a bit of exploring and the powers you get are pretty neat

[@sean-mriesterer3664]

Appreciated your explanation of the importance in understanding that words and phrases hold meaning that requires careful consideration.

[@SMJSmoK]

Great video! I'm from Prague and I really liked how much effort was put into making the city feel authentic. The locations are fictional, but the people around you actually speak Czech (so they hired local voice actors), the signs and texts in Czech all make sense and are without typos and there are Easter eggs all over the place that are often genuinely funny. I even found some references to Czech authors (Karel Čapek, for example) that were both cool and meaningful (he was the person to coin the word "robot" and it's commented on in one of the quests). The developers really did their homework in this area.

[@SamsButterscotch]

So glad you're back at it! And with such a good title too!

[@brettburman2813]

Another top class critique - hope you’ll continue putting out videos, it’s truly excellent content.

[@NatexWarrior]

Glad youre still doing videos. I always love when you upload

[@TevyaSmolka]

I loved Deus ex franchise and this game is super underrated in my opinion

[@AmShaedar]

I am commenting just because your reviews are amazing, your channel is great and more people should get to experience them. Can't wait for your next one!

[@zrtrztzrt1753]

Almoust Sounds like the perfect Game.

[@wollsmoth69]

It really is a shame that you don't know how much longer you'll be doing a channel. Your videos are absolutely amazing and I'd love to see videos by you covering series' like FEAR and Thief.

[@blat20005]

Great video! Please don't stop making these, you are one of the best reviewers around

[@sagewaterdragon]

You're obviously right about Prague being a great hub area (I'd call it the best hub in a video game), but your complete dismissal of the story and its writing really rubbed me the wrong way. The Jensen clone stuff is less of a fan theory and more of the literal text of the game, it's pretty impossible to interpret the game any other way when you have all of the information. And it's not like that's a meaningless change that'd only pay off in future games, a ton of side quests feed back into that central theme of identity in meaningful and interesting ways. 01011000 in particular is probably the narrative highlight of the game. When it comes to the surface-level plot and the themes there, it's really weird to hear someone talk about the game's exploration of oppression while barely acknowledging that the set-up exists so the typically-empowered player character can be on the receiving end. If a player had to wait through a line to get onto the train or whatever they would just never do it. It's the million small inconveniences, police officers harassing you on the streets, people throwing slurs at you in bars - you'll find yourself (or, at the very least, I found myself) naturally complying with what they want just to avoid the trouble, something that is, personally, way more concerning than the game beating me over the head with waiting in a line or whatever. It's obviously true that the game's story ends before the overall plot is concluded, but almost every important thread that the story pivots on is resolved. I think that the characters, locations, and moments in Mankind Divided's story are all excellent. I love the last level's setpiece. It probably would have been cool for the story to be a more traditional Deus Ex globetrotting adventure, but I don't think that every game in a series needs to be the same, and Mankind Divided honing in on the fallout of a specific event from the previous game and exploring it thoroughly from the angles of everyone affected by it is just as valid. Also, the DLC was good! System Rift in particular might be my favorite level in Mankind Divided. Having the hub area to explore and interact with outside of the shard and the large, vertically-oriented shard itself was a super interesting set-up for a mission that brought back one of my favorite characters from Human Revolution. A Criminal Past isn't as good, but it's also wildly tonally different, and I liked how much it changed up the story. I mostly just copied this comment from a Reddit thread that someone posted about your video, and sorry for the wall of text. This is the first video of yours that I saw, and I pretty heartily agree with everything that I didn't specifically reply to. This is one of my favorite games, though, and I'm always going to take the opportunity to try and convince someone that it's better than they thought.

[@BobExcalibur]

The thing that amuses me about Mankind Divided is that through gameplay it completely justifies anti-aug prejudice. Jensen's primary source of money, resources and experience points is found in the absolute ransacking of Prague, and most high priority augmentations simply expedite the process of ripping off everybody you meet. How tolerant and understanding are people going to be of augs when one acting alone is more devestating to Prague's economy and the lives of its citizens than all the crime syndicates, terrorist cells and cults combined?

[@valettashepard909]

I remember when the first previews for the game came out and i found myself rather impressed by the level of depth in interaction with the world, seeing a car’s trunk being used as s storage container, and wondering why more games didn’t do that since it’s such an obvious and great way to have a loot container in your environments

[@gavinwilson7088]

This is one of the best analysis channels on the website. Always glad to see more videos.

[@ArthursLittleWorld]

47:39 (about abrupt ending) WAIT WHAT ???? Spoilers down After talking with this guy, I had to deal with Marchenko as final boss & after beating him I got the end screen - this way I didn't fell any abrupt story, quite the oposite, I got game ended just as any normal game. But what I saw now made me laugh, cuz I didn't know that & I finally understand why many people complained about ending when I simply didn't comprehend their complaints.

[@BishopNelson]

I think you're missing the point about the art directors comments. Deus Ex has always been about player choice as immersive sims and RPG's should be. While you may feel strongly that there is a clear justified side, another person may not. Or even if they also agree with you, it could be interesting to explore a world where things go another way so you role play as someone who thinks differently from you. For example we can all agree that (I'm going to word this oddly for fear of youtube wrongfully flagging it) taking the life from a young innocent human is wrong. However games like the original fallout let you explode them. It may be wrong, but the choice is yours to decide. I don't see the issue with writers fleshing out both sides of an argument to give the world more depth and all readers more satisfaction. Not just the ones they'd pall around with in their friend group.

[@MatthewCampbell765]

14:15 That reminds me of something: A mistake a lot of games make is having your choices be a bit too explicit. Games will often directly address the player, explicitly spell out what their choices *are*, and demand a choice. This also tends to create an 'illusion of choice' as many of these options don't actually mean much. Instead, I'd argue a game should strive to give the illusion of having no choice. To use a good example: Deus Ex has Paul tell JC to leave while he sacrifices himself to buy time for his escape. You don't actually have to obey Paul, though: you can stubbornly stay put and fight off the enemies. It'll be hard, but if you pull it off, Paul lives. The game never tells you that you have this option, and in most games it'd just throw wave after wave of enemy until you died or left. But here, you can do it.

[@MelficeMSM]

Interesting that you are doing this right now since I started the game again last week. I played until Golem City on PS4 first (maybe 3 years back or so) after thoroughly exploring everything in the city. Now I wanted to go back to experience the main story. Sad that there isn't much to that apparently, but I think I'll keep going anyway. Pretty good video, hope you don't stop with the videos. Its hard to find good critiques that aren't just a bunch of empty words stringed together.

[@MickeyLeeBukowski]

Literally just beat the game today. I loved it. Sorry I waited so long to get around to it, but the negative reviews kept me back. IMHO this is the 2nd best DX game after the original.

[@Andy-uf4gv]

Love your content, excited for whenever you release again! (But obviously don’t feel pressured, do what you want homie)

[@JP-kp3uv]

If it'll help us get another Deus ex, I would augment the next pre order as much as they want.

[@807D14M0ND5]

?? Isn't this a great part of what made the game sell low numbers in the first place?

[@McKampfschnitzel97]

I'm really glad that I replayed MD around a year ago. I played it immediately after release and was really underwhelmed and found it almost forgettable. I did enjoy the dense city hub, but aside from that and the abrupt ending there was nothing I *really* enjoyed. Oh boy, has my opinion improved. I loved almost every second of this game. I explored every square inch of the city, tried every side quest, did things differently than I did during my first playthrough. It was such a great experience and I was astonished how much I've missed the first time. The story is still shit, but I didn't find the ending as jarring this time. I think the game has aged really well and a lot of people are coming around to it.

[@PublicDudeBaby]

Chris is back Baby!!!!! Yessirski!!!

[@GraveEnd]

I actually liked the story I like Adam Jensen character he’s more human in this game and he’s one of my favorite fictional characters

[@misaeltoral508]

Gotta disagree on the DLC though, the amount of guards, turrets and robots is totally justified, you’re in a prison and by the time they become overwhelming it happens during a prison riot.

[@dBm_drillingbits]

Woow. I know I look myself out of some exploring due to praxis investment I made but this video made me hate myself for not exploring more. However it was a fun experience for me considering this was my first Deus-ex (better than Cyberpunk 2077) to bad square enix focused on bs games instead of expanding Deus-ex. Grate video btw 👍.

[@ilovelctr]

Just halfway through your video, which I've been awaiting for a long time by the way after watching your DXHR critique, I feel compelled to comment that I still prefer the level design of DXHR to that of DXMD. Each main mission of DXHR differs a lot from the last, but DXMD has a copy-paste nature to it which I don't enjoy as much. Of course, the Palisade Bank in DXMD is simply phenomenal! But, my vaguely remembering visiting similar neighbourhoods too many times for either main or side missions is a pain, especially compared the last, sweet impression that I got upon finishing DXHR.

[@osuosu117]

Good to see you back!

[@SilvesterBoots]

For the full picture on augmentations, several other cases should be mentioned, like - corporate investment into augs for worker, basically making said worker highly in debt to that company - same examples are for other power figures, even at lower strata, like prostitution - credit bought augs Then there are people who got ostricized for their decision. They are not reach, they could allow themselves some enhancements. Though later they got into whole situation with corporate control of distribution. Lot of them were subsequently met with mental breakdowns, loss of mental functionality. Walking into black market into other forms of dependancy, what is important for corps to test new, experimental versions of drug. And regardless of position in strata - as soon, as number of augmented people got into vulnerable position, some groups brought up ostricizing campaigns. It's easy to beat down weak one, to manipulate people on hating someone in such position. Basically while augs were a fad in prime, people later got into a bad position. Not without help from rich ones, from corps.

[@SnarkyLesbian]

The only thing that is really a downgrade, is the new hacking interface. That sideview makes it so hard to see what node is what and how far you have to travel, it's a tragedy.

[@nazgu1]

Best thing about Chris's videos - I can easily understand most arguments and compare them to my own thoughts even if I have NOT played the actual game.

[@Rafa-Silva-Alt]

You've won a subscriber. I love immersive sims. Great video of one of my faves. Keep the good work!

[@jasonking1284]

You are whinging for nothing. It's a great game.

[@hosseinshaygani6415]

Still waiting for the next Deus Ex. Really enjoyed the critique. Great work.

[@ARIXANDRE]

Underrated game, even more so in retrospect, after watching the dumpster fire of Cyberpunk 2077 unfold.

[@DarylSolis]

I would do anything for an new Deus Ex game...anything

[@firestorm517]

Human Revolution was one of my all time fav games. I started Mankind Divided, but didn't get far due to already being deep in another game.. I keep meaning to go back and finish it. I didn't like the marketing or micro transactions though.

[@Putrescence420]

This and Dishonored are good examples of smaller better

[@FrancisBurns]

Working your ass to get the upgrades to open up exploration even more was so fun!

[@ScotchRanger945]

I consider Mankind Divided an unfinished masterpiece. Im a huge fan of BladeRunner and this truly feels like a BladeRunner spinoff world. Although not post apocolyptic or completely distopian...it still fits in that Cyberpunk/neonoir genre. In the small cutscenes where jensen sits back and smokes a cigarette or drinks a glass of scotch make my think of characters from BladeRunner and its uncanny. I always love trying to run a full nonlethal/stealth/hacking playthrough. Jensen isnt a killer by heart but is more than capable of becoming a living weapon. But the satisfaction of going as nonlethal as possible and solving every hack and conversation gives you a much more rich story. A 5/5 for me. We need a third entry ASAP.

[@uhobme2028]

The various "WHAT" i yelled throughout this video is really a testament to the overall Game Design. Never knew about the Guard Laser trick or even encountered the Rave quest through both my playthroughs, seems another one is in order. This game really took the Wide as a Puddle, Deep as an Ocean approach and its probably why it was one of my favorite games from the Last Generation. Also The Allision Debate and TF29 OSTs are rather underated music.

[@domewing6252]

After this and the splinter cell vids, I’m subscribed. Good content my guy, for real