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Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
🕑 Added 2016-09-22 14:46:20 +0000 UTC Hey all!This time I wrote a whole lot about Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. The response to this video has been pretty polarized, and I guess it comes off as more harsh than I really intended it to be?
Like, there are some games I genuinely dislike for how they engage with their themes - Bioshock Infinite and Watch_Dogs are two examples that pop immediately to mind. But Mankind Divided isn't one of them! I actually enjoyed my time with it once I got used to the idea of a Deus Ex that was more military-hide-and-shoot-with-options and less immersive-sim-with-RPG-trimmings. So I think it succeeds in that game-as-a-fun-consumer-product sense, which is what it was built for anyways.
Anyways, let me know what you think! Next up: I'm hoping to look at some spooky indie games for the Halloween season!
Comments
Ville Nurmi
I very much enjoyed your analysis of Mankind Divided and the illustrated facts you presented. I had to postpone watching the video up until now so that I managed to complete the game myself first. I have to say that the things you criticise in the narrative (such as AJ being part of an oppressed group but still dominating every moment) didn't really bother me while I was playing the game, but now that I think of it the critique hits the nail. I suppose that's what I really like about your video; it puts the game into a different light than how I first saw it. Your meticulous thematic analysis *demands* a lot of the game and I'm sure that's what games development at large need. The bar for story content and game systems should be kept high even though most games criticism seems to ignore those sides altogether.
Melissa Proffitt
I think the problem is that you use two emotionally charged words and they're both near the end and thus proximate to each other (the thus multiplicative). As a percentage of your essay, it's small. And you say a lot of complimentary things that should have balanced the perception. But putting two emotionally charged terms *at the end* negate a lot of that good feeling and leave the impression of you dumping on the game. The first is when you say it "warrants some base level of contempt". There's no good way to take that. The second is "hate" when you say (and repeat) "I really hate the Icarus thing". Coming together and at the end, it makes it sound like your summary and thus, your point.
Michael
I really enjoyed this video, thank you. I do think it's harsh. But I don't think you were unfair, and I appreciated how you framed the issues you found within the broader context of AAA gaming. The comparisons to the new Doom (not to mention a bumper cars ride themed around the exploration of racism) seemed particularly apt. Well done.
Joseph Coco
You didn't come off as harsh to me. It sounded like you got invited to a night of board games, but when you got there everyone was just drinking and watching YouTube videos in stead. Sure it's fun, but maybe not as stimulating.
