Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is the next chapter in the Deus Ex series of games. Announced earlier today, the game is set two years after the events of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and puts players once again in the role of Adam Jensen, a cybernetically augmented human.
This time under the employ of the Interpol, away from the auspices of Sarif Industries, Jensen finds himself taking on augmented terrorists in a bid to bring peace to a world divided by the use of cybernetic augmentations. Amidst this emotional turmoil are various factions looking to manipulate the public by twisting public opinion of augmentation to further their own agenda and hide the truth of what really happened in the previous chapter of the series.
Much like the 2011 title, Mankind Divided features stealth, combat, and social interactions.
With that in mind, we've come up with a list of the four features we'd like to see in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, especially taking into consideration the shortcomings of the first game.
1) Better boss battles
One of the biggest complaints about the first game revolved around the game's boss battles, which had been outsourced to a different studio to handle. The result of this was boss fights that didn't really mesh with the philosophy of the game, which was to provide the player a myriad of options in every situation. Players who focused on enhancing Adam Jensen's non-combat functions had a difficult time in boss battles.
There should be more player options for handling bosses. Players with high hacking ability could, for example, use turrets to their advantage in a boss fight. Likewise, stealthed players should be able to sneak past a boss and deactivate power-ups that would be used by the boss, or plant traps.
2) Sophisticated combat systems
Human Revolution's combat was okay, but it was very basic. A better combat system would allow players more interaction with the environment, and provide players with a much higher degree of maneuverability than their unaugmented opponents.
FPS combat could be enhanced by expanding the weapon mod system already in the first game. A screenshot from the new game seems to reveal just that. This would provide players with more versatility in the equipment they decide to use.
Likewise, melee combat should be more than just hitting a button to execute someone. Combat could be done like in Sleeping Dogs, another Square Enix title, which comes with a host of moves and counter-attacks.
3) More non-lethal/social options
Talking down enemies and subduing them through resolve alone in Human Revolution made for some of the most satisfying moments in the game. It would have been nice to be able to talk down the bosses instead of doing battle against them.
4) A less-linear environment, more open-world activities
With the exception of Hengsha and Detroit, most of the areas in Human Revolution were relatively linear and closed off. It was slightly disappointing that Montreal consisted of little more than a TV station. As fun as that set-piece location was, it could've been so much more interesting if players got to explore the city proper.
Set-pieces are fine, but having large, traversable locations would bring a lot of life to the setting.
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What would you like to see in Mankind Divided? Tell us in the comments below.
