Critics and consumers alike were wowed by Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the numerous possibilities it offered to traverse the gigantic world and extremely powerful story. Depending on gameplay choices, play styles, and how one handled the verbal debates, players could have vastly different game experiences. And then there were those boss fights, and that mess of a “choose your own ending” that marred what would have been a nearly perfect video game. However, those were only a small fraction of the overall game, and despite these hiccups, most players remember DXHR rather fondly. When Eidos Montreal announced a proper sequel that included DXHR protagonist Adam Jensen, the hype and high expectations were virtually instantaneous with the reveal.
Fans of DXHR have lofty expectations when it comes to Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. If Eidos Montreal builds upon what they established and fixes the problems of the first game (boss fights), DXMD should meet all of those expectations and exceed them. Of course, that’s always a big if, even though Eidos Montreal is known for producing great work.
The game is close to releasing now, and while our review is already live on the site, there’s bound to be a few things you didn’t know about the game before it hits shelves and digital download on August 23, 2016.
Just a few more days and we’ll be part of Jensen’s investigation to learn just how the Illuminati are pulling the strings in this civil strife between humans and augs. Jensen may not have asked for this, but the fans of the series most certainly have.
Everything You Need to Know Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
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Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Everything You Need to Know
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A tease of a sequel...
A NeoGAFfer noticed that publisher Square Enix filed a trademark for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided in Europe. No official announcement had yet been made regarding a proper sequel for Deus Ex: Human Revolution. All we had at the time was talk of Deus Ex Universe, which has strangely gone silent, if that is indeed a separate entity as we believed.
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Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Announced for New Gen Consoles
Website Kanobu leaked the big reveal of DXMD not long before Square Enix had scheduled a live stream. Soon after the leak, Game Informer announced that their May 2015 cover was the new Deus Ex title. It was then we learned that DXMD would bring Adam Jensen back from Deus Ex: Human Revolution, taking place two years later after those events.
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First Official Trailer
Now that the cat was out of the bag, here's a lovely trailer. You could hear the excitement from DXHR fans all over the globe. None of us could wait to argue which was the better path: stealth or slaughter.
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Won't make the same mistakes with boss fights again
Glory hallelujah! Those who did play DXHR remember all too well just how awful and shoe-horned in those boss fights were. Game Director Jean-Francois Dugas promised they had learned their lesson. “We won’t repeat Human Revolution’s fault on the subject,” he said. We will hold you to that.
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Completely Ghostable
Do you enjoy stealth? Do you loathe being seen? Do you like being a shadow in the night that leaves others wondering what the hell happened? Good news! Players can completely ghost DXMD, even with the boss fights.
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E3 2015 In-Game Footage
At E3 2015 the world was able to see in-game footage for the first time. It was also for the first time we learned about the plot. Two years after DXHR, augmented people (now called "augs") are deemed as outcasts thanks to the incident in the middle of DXHR where the Illuminati seized control of all augs and forced them into a violent rage. The initial release window of early 2016 was also set at this time.
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Stealth vs. Open Combat Gameplay
Eidos Montreal released a video depicting 25 minutes of gameplay footage, showing off the various options for gameplay that DXMD has to offer. They showed a bit of Adam Jensen's new abilities, the choices he would have to make, and the changes in stealth gameplay.
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You decide what goes in the Collector's Edition
Eidos Montreal opened up ideas to the players for the DXMD Collector's Edition. Consumers could vote on a website for three items from the following: an Adam Jensen Replica Statue, Mini Art Book, a Replica Weapon, Steelbook, Metal Sign, Lunch Box, Tattoo Sleeve, Mini Bust, and Pin Set. Those who threw in a $1 donation received a digital copy of the Director's Cut of DXHR.
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Can't tack on multiplayer
Gameplay Director Patrick Fortier said that the development team at Eidos Montreal would not "tack on" multiplayer to DXMD if it didn't fit in the narrative. He even dismissed the idea of farming the multiplayer portion out to a third-party studio, saying that adding in multiplayer "has to be fundamental right from day one." It should not be added on, but part of the game from the very beginning. DXMD will not have a multiplayer portion upon release.
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Boss fights will cater to various play styles
The development team already said that DXMD is completely ghostable, including the boss fights. However, that's not enough for players. They also wanted to know if bosses can be taken down in a variety of ways instead of an all-out battle. Players will be able to fight the boss, stealth kill, or sneak past the boss.
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But you can't talk your way out of a boss fight
In an initial statement, the developer mentioned that players could talk their way out of boss fights, but Gameplay Director Patrick Fortier backpedaled on that interpretation in a hurry. He quickly clarified that while the player can talk their way out of fighting various NPCs, the bosses will not engage in a verbal debate. Bosses must be taken care of with stealth, open combat, lethal, and/or non-lethal means.
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New Game Plus Confirmed
When the developers first announced DXMD, they mentioned that they would like to build a New Game Plus mode. Apparently fans wanted this too, because Eidos Montreal said the game would have New Game Plus thanks to popular demand.
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The Worst Idea for a Preorder Incentive Ever
In an attempt to be witty and make preordering fun, Square Enix launched an "Augment Your Preorder" program. The goal was to set preorder incentives in tiers, so depending on the number of preorders for the game, the more incentives would be bundled with it. The incentives included starter in-game packs, art book or soundtrack, comic book or novella, and releasing the game 4 days early for those who preordered. Those who bought the Collector's Edition, however, would receive everything offered in the tiered programs. The concept was met with immense dissent and outrage.
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Tiered Preorder Program Cancelled
Weeks after Square Enix unveiled the Augment Your Preorder program, they cancelled it after the incredible amount of negative feedback. They decided that everyone who preorders the game will receive all of the tiered content, regardless of edition purchased. Collector's Edition, of course, had some extra physical goodies.
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Won't have a choose your own ending scenario
No matter what the player chose throughout DXHR, at the very end they were presented with three choices to end the game. The developers have said they won't have that with DXMD. Instead, choices made early on will affect the end. They did note that the choices near the end will have a greater impact upon the ending.
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30 Frames-per-Second Guaranteed
One question that has plagued the new generation of consoles has been one regarding a steady frame rate. So many games boast of a 60fps rate, when it dips down to 30 or 15 frames regularly. Game Director Jean-Francois Dugas promised that this is not the case, and the game will run at a locked 30fps for consoles. He had to clarify that it was consoles that were locked, not PC, to avoid the wrath and fire from PC gamers.
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Game delayed to August 23, 2016
The plan was to release DXMD in February 2016, but plans often change in the video game industry. Studio head David Anfossi explained that they were delaying the game in order to "not only want to meet those expectations, but exceed them."
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A Dark Live Action Trailer
Square Enix and Eidos Montreal released a live action trailer showing the dark world of 2029, before and after the aug incident from DXHR. The end result is called The Mechanical Apartheid. It's a beautiful short film that is absolutely haunting.
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Breach Mode
DXMD will have a new twist on an arcade mode called "Breach Mode," where players will be a hacker named Ripper trying to hack the most sophisticated servers in the world and sell corporate data to the highest bidder. While playing the player will earn XP, credits, and booster packs to help upgrade skills and weapons. Microtransactions will be included in Breach Mode, but they will be light and mostly cosmetic.
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30 Minutes of Gameplay Trailer
Need more info on how the game will look and play? Here's 30 minutes of gameplay that was released just last month. This is not beta footage or a demo spiffied up for a convention; this is as close as you're going to get before the game is in your hot little hands.
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Will Support VR
VR is quite the hot topic these days, and with any new game release, the question of whether it will support VR always pops up. While DXMD will support VR, it won't exactly be how many players might expect. Four areas will be open for VR exploration
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Collector's Edition Unboxed
How great are those physical goodies in the Collector's Edition? Eidos Montreal opened their own CE for DXMD and here is what it contains:
- All Day One Edition Content
- Exclusive Black and Gold Prism Box
- 9” Adam Jensen Figurine
- 48-Page Titan Art Book
- Steelbook
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Day One Patch is 4GB
We live in a day of day one patches, and DXMD is no different. Expect to need 4GB of space for a day one patch on August 23, 2016 upon release. Technically it's only 3.82GB, but that's close enough to 4GB to require that much space just to be safe.
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Launch Trailer, Install Size around 40GB
It's hard to believe it, but Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is almost here! The game will require nearly 40GB of installation space, plus the 3.82GB for the day one patch. Preload for digital preorders will unlock on August 21, 2016. And here is its launch trailer, also known as its final trailer.
