After finishig CP2077 decide to play Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. My thoughts

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Hell'o edgerunners
I've been fan of PnP CyberPunk 2020 since 1995. Waited for CyberPunk 2077 since the first reveal trailer. After spending 100+ hours with CP, finishing corpo path, seing all endings, cleaning whole map from markers I didn’t want to abandon this kind of setting so decided to give a try to Deus Ex: Menkind Divided. Played first game when it came out in 2000, same with Human Revolution in 2011 but skiped MD because of mixed reviews when it debuted in 2017. I remeber that it had outstanding promotion campain back then but wasn't as well recived as previous part.

I played CP2077 as stealth hacker and decided to play DE in similar way.

Here are my modest thoughs about mechanics of both games:

- hacking: in DE you can only hack computers, locks and terminals. No quick hacks on enemies, no mage-like play style with over powered, one hitting spells. Hacking minigame is very nicely done, much better than CP version but it takes more time, skills and planing.

- stealth: both games share simillar ideas. DE is more stealth oriented, non lethal take downs have great animations. It's fun to play this way, it uses 3rd person perspective during sneaks (to clarify I like 1st person in CP too).

- combat: In both games player can become full ranged killing machine with augmentations (implants) like dermal armor, bullet-time but in CP melee is more developed with katanas, blunts and implants.

- weapons: I love the idea of weapons in DE very much. It's far more realistic and in the tone of PnP CP. Game dosen't throw at you dozens of guns with different stats and varitaions. Combat rifles, pistols etc are always the same but you can pimp them a little with upgrades and modyfications (scopes, muzels), different kind of ammo (regular, armor piercing, EMP).

- open world: I love everything about Nigh City, it's design, scope, mood. Prague in Deus dosen't have cyberpunk vibe. There are very limited, dense city center districts in DE, quite well done in terms of different game styles. You can travel between them through subway network, however no vehicles you can drive.

- implants/augmentations: CP lore has it's unique style no other can be compered. Kerenzikov, Sandevistan, Decks, Mantis blades, weapon smart links etc. The problem is execution. DE does it very good in it's way but I'm sure it is inspired by CP 2020. The main protagonist is full of uniqe military grade tech that can be unlocked with praxis points (you get them with next xp level or can be found through the game). Player can see all this awesome chrome stuff animated, in skills menu. Everything is already ther, waiting to be unlocked fitting your game style. No ripperdocs and such thigs.

- story: two completely different scopes. CP has very personal story of man wantig to become legend of NC but something goes very wrong and has to figth for one's survival. In DE there is big conspiracy and you, as Interpol agent, have task to solve it.

-graphic/music: CP has taken everything to next level of awesomeness. Enough said.

Summarizing:

In my opinion CP2077 has better story, characters, setting, open world, fluff, general vibe.

From the other hand DE has better game mechanics like realistic weapons, more complex hacking, a lot of stealth possibilities, well working augmentations system.
 
I agree that overall characters are better in Cyberpunk. But for me Adam Jensen is better protagonist. V is nowhere near as good as Jensen.
Story are both good they are just different. I wouldn't say that Cyberpunk has a better story. Both are equally good.
 
True. That's why I stated it's my modest opinion. I enjoy both stories but CP was something personal that touched me.
The way the story touched me is an experience I don't want to have again.
It's comparable with giving up 5 meters before the finish line.

The game is highly immersive and that's what made the experience highly unsatisfying at the end.

For me, the story's conclusion was highly unsatisfying (because of several reasons) and cp has the by far worse game systems.
 
Personally I enjoyed the gameplay of DE more than CP77.

I just feel more like Jensen. More like a cyborg.

The augmentations, the gunplay, the dialogues. It all had more gravitas to me.

Playing DE mistakes got me killed, while CP77 is more like a bubblegum carnival shooter.
 
the game systems was the main reason I decided to write the post :).

About story: I guess I like sad, open endings that leave field for imagination.
I absolutely have no problems with sad open endings. But this game has ending that are illogical and don't fit to the main conflict of the game.

That's my issue.
 
The augmentations, the gunplay, the dialogues. It all had more gravitas to me.

Playing DE mistakes got me killed, while CP77 is more like a bubblegum carnival shooter.
Truth. It's easy to be killed. One bad move and you are toasted.
About dialogues I love Social Enhancer. Great way to influence people. Nothing like that in CP (Geralt at least had Axii).
 
Human Revolution is far greater than Mankind Divided... Though I enjoy them both the same. I've used that art of Jensen sitting in his apartment with guns, smokes & liquor as my XBL profile pic since they opened that option...

But ain't no damn way in a million years is he a better character than V. He has zero charisma, he's very bland.. He's a great noir character, because those games are more in that style.. Kinda like how the Max Payne games & film were.. Or you go back to the mid century noir films.. That darker, gritty feel that lacks a lot... The scenery and visuals. There's a slower pace... The Deus Ex games with Jensen are more in that style.. Whereas Cyberpunk 2077 is not.

Jensen wouldn't be capable of translating into Night City. But then also, V is way too lively to translate into the last 2 Deus Ex games.

Cyberpunk 2077 has a far superior story than those 2 games, Night City is far greater of a city than anything in those 2 games... Though Hengsha has a special place in my heart... I prefer the overall combat in Cyberpunk because it's more open, it's the most enjoyable combat experience I've had in a game and the flow is unmatched.. Mass majority of people won't even understand what I mean by that.

However it is indeed better in the Deus Ex games from that overall perspective. Thanks to the reddit communities, I know I'm not alone in saying it's the closest thing to Splinter Cell that I've ever played.
Which carries more weight to me than anything else, because that's my favorite series, has been since I was a kid, for many different reasons, I even played through the first 3 titles just last year.

This was really the sole reason I ever bought HR to begin with and subsequently fell in love with the Cyberpunk genre.. It looked like a strange version of Splinter Cell. This was like 2016-2017? Then I bought MD and some other genre games. I definitely love the series. I own about 1500 books and only 2 have anything to do with video games, MD collectors's guide & CP2077 collector's guide.

So there's no bias.. but, Cyberpunk is both a better game overall & a more enjoyable game overall.. In comparison to the 2 Adam Jensen titles. I'd be a damn fool to say otherwise... Again, I'm saying on an overall scale.

On a side note...HR & MD are far more a mood than 2077... The scores to me are absolutely legendary and are the only scores next to the Godfather film score and the Autumn Thunder: 40 Years of NFL Films Music collection that I've ever played in my house.



I'll also admit... I hate the hacking in Deus Ex.. I went into it the first time and was like tf is this... I honestly and without shame, just went and got all the codes off the internet...
 
Hell'o edgerunners
I've been fan of PnP CyberPunk 2020 since 1995. Waited for CyberPunk 2077 since the first reveal trailer. After spending 100+ hours with CP, finishing corpo path, seing all endings, cleaning whole map from markers I didn’t want to abandon this kind of setting so decided to give a try to Deus Ex: Menkind Divided. Played first game when it came out in 2000, same with Human Revolution in 2011 but skiped MD because of mixed reviews when it debuted in 2017. I remeber that it had outstanding promotion campain back then but wasn't as well recived as previous part.

I played CP2077 as stealth hacker and decided to play DE in similar way.

Here are my modest thoughs about mechanics of both games:

- hacking: in DE you can only hack computers, locks and terminals. No quick hacks on enemies, no mage-like play style with over powered, one hitting spells. Hacking minigame is very nicely done, much better than CP version but it takes more time, skills and planing.

- stealth: both games share simillar ideas. DE is more stealth oriented, non lethal take downs have great animations. It's fun to play this way, it uses 3rd person perspective during sneaks (to clarify I like 1st person in CP too).

- combat: In both games player can become full ranged killing machine with augmentations (implants) like dermal armor, bullet-time but in CP melee is more developed with katanas, blunts and implants.

- weapons: I love the idea of weapons in DE very much. It's far more realistic and in the tone of PnP CP. Game dosen't throw at you dozens of guns with different stats and varitaions. Combat rifles, pistols etc are always the same but you can pimp them a little with upgrades and modyfications (scopes, muzels), different kind of ammo (regular, armor piercing, EMP).

- open world: I love everything about Nigh City, it's design, scope, mood. Prague in Deus dosen't have cyberpunk vibe. There are very limited, dense city center districts in DE, quite well done in terms of different game styles. You can travel between them through subway network, however no vehicles you can drive.

- implants/augmentations: CP lore has it's unique style no other can be compered. Kerenzikov, Sandevistan, Decks, Mantis blades, weapon smart links etc. The problem is execution. DE does it very good in it's way but I'm sure it is inspired by CP 2020. The main protagonist is full of uniqe military grade tech that can be unlocked with praxis points (you get them with next xp level or can be found through the game). Player can see all this awesome chrome stuff animated, in skills menu. Everything is already ther, waiting to be unlocked fitting your game style. No ripperdocs and such thigs.

- story: two completely different scopes. CP has very personal story of man wantig to become legend of NC but something goes very wrong and has to figth for one's survival. In DE there is big conspiracy and you, as Interpol agent, have task to solve it.

-graphic/music: CP has taken everything to next level of awesomeness. Enough said.

Summarizing:

In my opinion CP2077 has better story, characters, setting, open world, fluff, general vibe.

From the other hand DE has better game mechanics like realistic weapons, more complex hacking, a lot of stealth possibilities, well working augmentations system.

yeah i often had flashbacks to deus ex when playing this game. that's a good thing. especially those multiple entry point missions where you're crawling through vents and access portal. classic deus ex trope right there

i wonder if they just made this game like deus ex and excluded all the open world stuff that contributed to bugs and break downs, would it be a masterpiece? maybe
 
DE:MD was a game that I enjoyed a lot. But I have to say that story and character-wise I enjoyed CP2077 more. However, in DE:MD using stealth was really satisfactory whereas using stealth in CP2077 is trivial. There are several "don't raise an alarm" optional objectives and I just quickhacked my way in just like that :shrug:
 
I think the exact opposite. Gameplay of CP is much more fluid and enjoyable, especially the combat. But DeusEx has a much more meaningful story, the world is more believable. Frankly the most disappointing part of CP2077 is the main story and the characters attached to it.
 
I agree that overall characters are better in Cyberpunk. But for me Adam Jensen is better protagonist. V is nowhere near as good as Jensen.
Same. V is a street thug who got massive problems only because he/she decided to rob wrong people. Adam "never asked for it", and uses his abilities to fight against conspiracy and terrorists rather than break the law left and right for profit.
 
But for me Adam Jensen is better protagonist. V is nowhere near as good as Jensen.

As a whole I would have to agree, however in the flip side we are comparing apples and oranges. AJ is a well defined character, motives, personality. With such a deeply defined character you have vastly more opportunity at engaging story elements then a more or less blank slate as V. It is two different approaches to CRPG. Neither is better then the other it is simply a matter of the kind of narrative you are aiming for.
 
For me Deus Ex : HR is better in every aspect than CP, even MD is better considering how much was cut there. A lot of DX like stealth, augs, lethal vs non lethal takedown were taken from there but with way worse execution.

As for story and character development CP is miles behind in depth, interests and full with plot holes. Tell me how almost dead streetkid, office plum or outsider can take adam smasher in its best form, augs, combat expertise with help of top arasaka troopers. And please don't say he wasnt serious like in fantasy movie he clearly was fully aimed to kill you and didnt take any chances. Also not sure how half dead zombie can even take down oda, hell during last mission really you shouldnt been even able to take easiest goon.
 
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