DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED. Very shiny, and seems enjoyable. I'm not suuuuuuper into it yet. I'm not sure I ever will be; but until then, it's holding my attention decently well, so I'll keep going until that changes.
Really, this game is just making me want to write cyberpunk things.
After completing this, I think I know why I never really got to the point of explicitly liking it. The environments are fleshed out rather well, but it faces a pretty big problem: none of it matters.
Pocket secretaries can be found in almost every encounter. These provide a lot of worldbuilding and slice-of-life information. More importantly, they provide answers.
That's cool. Except these answers do not apply to the story as it unfolds. You can figure out the answers to everything well before the cutscenes, and it just never shows up that you already knew this information. It got tiring to trigger a cutscene and have Jensen say or do things that do not make sense; Jensen, through your play, has already uncovered the details necessary to make an informed decision or reaction.
Another issue is the keycodes these pocket secretaries provide. In many instances, the keycodes are stashed far away from where you'd use them. Sometimes, they are even in the room you're trying to get into (thanks, big help). The keycodes for other places in the city were useful, but I found the ones for in the area you're already in to be bordering on pointless. Often, you'd already be in the place you got the code for.
I appreciated the ability to be non-lethal. Characters were neat, though it was clear they paid little attention to the mechanics of it.
The game implies there's a double-life aspect to contend with in the main story, but I never noticed any actual changes/consequences from that. I think I got the "good" ending, and I never threw in with either side completely. The final cutscene did not convey any appreciable impact from Jensen's decisions beyond the completion of some side missions.
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I am now going to give
HELLBLADE: SENUA'S SACRIFICE a go. Thirty minutes in and I can say the sound design is incredible. However, I am skeptical of the puzzle system. I will find out if it's worth sticking with.
Was that a secret bonus in Civ 3 as well ?
