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[Mozzarella]

I'm a huge fan of Deus Ex (2000), it was a thought provoking game with innovative mechanics and design that was ahead of its time due to its complexity/depth that set the standard for an entire subgenre.
I never had the opportunity to play the newer Deus Ex games until recently. About 3 months ago i started a marathon of replaying the OG and then wanted to play Human Revolution and Mankind Divded back to back.

I have to say none of them come close to the OG innovation, complexity and thought provoking themes, they are pretty much in another league way down, I had many gripes with them, but that isn't the point of this thread.

I'm asking here to see which one you guys prefer! because i found myself hating my gaming time with Human Revolution while i somewhat enjoyed Mankind Divided.
Which one do you think is the better game and why?


Gameplay

I feel both games are similar here, but i'm going to give a slight edge to Mankind Divided because of improvements made towards shooting, augmentations and controls.
Though the credit goes for HR because it pioneered this lame cover shooting system, its fun for what it is but its very limiting and less immersive than FPS.

Level Design

Here is where i think Mankind Divided beats HR and its an important area too, especially in a subgenre like this and for an IP known for its excellent level design.

Prague vs Detroit is the major comparison but even amongst other locations i feel MD beats it, the levels are more vertical and complex and allow for multiple paths to achieve your goal, i felt the levels in HR were too similar and too recycled and too limited for what i wanted out of this franchise.
Prague as a hub-area was great and some areas like the bank had good level design.

Writing

This is the only area that i feel HR does beat MD, since the story felt unfinished, in Human Revolution the prequel plot was put in a coherent manner, the themes felt like real cyberpunk instead of side missions, it felt more dystopian, I do prefer MD side mission for sure because they are more fleshed out, but for main plot i think HR takes the win here. Characters are about the same though and found none of them relatable or memorable, maybe Adam Jensen was the only good one.

Presentation

Obviously the 2016 title will have the edge here, but i couldn't stress this enough, this made getting into the game way easier, i found it cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing as a game. I honestly didn't like the yellow filter and the ways things were presented on screen.

Music

Decent soundtracks in both games, i think MD had slightly more good ones though.

 

[Lionel Richie]

LOVE both games, but Human Revolution is an all timer.

 

[Arsic]

Never played more than a hour of the sequel.

So the first wins by default. Great game.

 

[adamsapple]

Human Revolution, minus that shitty DLC episode, is better.

 

[Saber]

Human Revolution. Mankind divided only attraced me abit with the visuals, but end up lost interest in the game.

 

[Mozzarella]

Human Revolution, minus that shitty DLC episode, is better.

Yeah good point to add, that forced DLC in the Director's Cut was awful.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Human Revolution gets the nod for me, as it felt more like a complete game. Mankind Divided never felt complete. It just sort of stopped and there was always the feeling that much got cut for a sequel. The first game has an edge in soundtrack.

Mankind Divided did have a more compelling hub in Prague and asked some excellent philosophical questions and there was the whole Jensen clone angle that I loved.

 

[Radical_3d]

Music

Decent soundtracks in both games, i think MD had slightly more good ones though.

This is the worst take I’ve read in NeoGAF, and I’ve read that Too Human was going to be an exceptional game.

 

[Flabagast]

Very good thread, thanks OP.

Personnally I give the edge to mankind divided but understand those that think the other way around

 

[SF Kosmo]

HR definitely felt like more of a compete story and also probably had more impact since MD built so closely on that foundation. But I do love MD and wish we got the next part.

 

[R6Rider]

HR felt more complete, but overall I like MD more.

HR had those AWFUL boss fights.

Two of my favorite games. I need to replay them again.

 

[intbal]

Invisible War is better than both the Squenix Ex games.

But OG Deus Ex is the best. And one of the best games ever made.

 

[Revolutionary]

Lost interest halfway through the second game, so yeah...

 

[Fake]

Mankind sucks in comparison. Not even debatable.

 

[ungalo]

A lot of people came to prefer Mankind Divided for its improvements on level design, after the initial disappointment on the story part.

I think HR was the biggest effort but MD achieved a superior level of refinement in gameplay and atmopshere.

But really the whole setting of MD just feels like they did HR again, with downscaled stakes, introducing some plot points just to leave them to die (like the whole thing about Jensen losing his memory), we're left with some side quests with (imo) a questionable level of writing. It's a shame the franchise died like this. And at the same time i really like to replay Mankind Divided, it's clearly not as impactful as the first but fuck i like the atmosphere of this game.

 

[Brigandier]

I loved both these games but HR was better of the two for me, Its criminal that they sold so poorly what's wrong with people

Also that "I never asked for this" trailer was absolutely well ahead of it's time, I was so hyped after I seen way back when.

 

[Loomy]

Human Revolution was good. Especially after they 'fixed' the boss fights.

Mankind Divided seemed misguided from the start. From the "augment your pre-order" BS to the incomplete feeling to the games narrative.

 

[newtypepilot]

Opinions on HR can vary depending on whether you've played the director's cut, which changed the boss fights so they can be done without going guns blazing. It also integrated the DLC into the main story, since it took place between chapters in the main story campaign.

I played vanilla HR and then the DLC. While I liked the setting, I didn't like the boss fights as I prefer doing stealth runs. The progression was quite linear. The AI was also kinda dumb. The DLC fixes some of the issues with the base game.

On the other hand, I thought MD was overall a more polished game with better level design, but the story was its weak point as it felt more of the same.

 

[FinalBossWithTheMostPower]

Human Revolution is a classic.

Remember watching the announcement trailer and being so hyped.

And it's still very much replayable.

Mankind Divided left me scratching my head. It was a major step down gameplay wise, but it was fun at times.

 

[diffusionx]

HR by a mile. HR has a wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy better story, more interesting locales, and is just a way more interesting game. I enjoyed MD's gameplay but everything else was a disaster.

 

[Puscifer]

Human Revolution, minus that shitty DLC episode, is better.

Ahhh yes, the literal 3 hours of a game that should've been included. DLC was fucking BAD during that era, I gotta say at they reigned it in finally in terms of DLC being akin to classic expansions.


In terms of Gameplay, Mankind Divided is the GOAT but it's weird that unless you do all the side quest, which are actually REALLY good, the story seemingly ends right as it feels like it's getting started.

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

Mankind Divided is a rough and simply unfinished game without proper ending.

Human Revolution is not Dishonored, but still a very satisfying immersive sim and a classic.

 

[Type_Raver]

I'm a huge fan of Deus Ex (2000), it was a thought provoking game with innovative mechanics and design that was ahead of its time due to its complexity/depth that set the standard for an entire subgenre.
I never had the opportunity to play the newer Deus Ex games until recently. About 3 months ago i started a marathon of replaying the OG and then wanted to play Human Revolution and Mankind Divded back to back.

I have to say none of them come close to the OG innovation, complexity and thought provoking themes, they are pretty much in another league way down, I had many gripes with them, but that isn't the point of this thread.

I'm asking here to see which one you guys prefer! because i found myself hating my gaming time with Human Revolution while i somewhat enjoyed Mankind Divided.
Which one do you think is the better game and why?


Gameplay

I feel both games are similar here, but i'm going to give a slight edge to Mankind Divided because of improvements made towards shooting, augmentations and controls.
Though the credit goes for HR because it pioneered this lame cover shooting system, its fun for what it is but its very limiting and less immersive than FPS.

Level Design

Here is where i think Mankind Divided beats HR and its an important area too, especially in a subgenre like this and for an IP known for its excellent level design.

Prague vs Detroit is the major comparison but even amongst other locations i feel MD beats it, the levels are more vertical and complex and allow for multiple paths to achieve your goal, i felt the levels in HR were too similar and too recycled and too limited for what i wanted out of this franchise.
Prague as a hub-area was great and some areas like the bank had good level design.

Writing

This is the only area that i feel HR does beat MD, since the story felt unfinished, in Human Revolution the prequel plot was put in a coherent manner, the themes felt like real cyberpunk instead of side missions, it felt more dystopian, I do prefer MD side mission for sure because they are more fleshed out, but for main plot i think HR takes the win here. Characters are about the same though and found none of them relatable or memorable, maybe Adam Jensen was the only good one.

Presentation

Obviously the 2016 title will have the edge here, but i couldn't stress this enough, this made getting into the game way easier, i found it cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing as a game. I honestly didn't like the yellow filter and the ways things were presented on screen.

Music

Decent soundtracks in both games, i think MD had slightly more good ones though.

I loved Human revolution and completed it on PC.

Then I got Mankind divided, but wanted to finish my playthrough of Doom (2016).
Unfortunately, the thrilling speed and gameplay of Doom tempered my enthusiasm an enjoyment of MD. It just felt slow and clunky and looked rather dull in comparison; havent touched it since.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Replayed Human Revolution several times on PC and WiiU. Mankind Divided I only played through once on PC...

 

[salva]

oh this thread is timely!!! I was actually looking to play these as I never did when they released. Was a big fan of the original/invisible war.
So looks like the consensus is HR over MD. I think I have both X360 versions way back when they were "free" on Gold. I wonder if these are back compat although probably better getting the PC versions...

 

[simpatico]

I haven't been able to replay either of them, despite being very high on them at release. Not sure what it is. Normally I can go back play anything I even had a passing interest in. I was really high on these. For the sake of the thread, I'm going to say the answer is easily Human Revolution. MD just wasn't finished. Felt like so much go left on the cutting room floor because of time constraints.

 

[ProtoByte]

Human Revolution by a significant margin.

The story feels more complete, because it is, and more important. The gameplay in MD is better, but not enough to account for the quality of the writing and scope of the story.

Both games pale in comparison to the plot and worldbuilding in the original though. Even some aspects of the game design there is better.

 

[What A Shame...]

Human Rev and it's not even close.

Mankind Divided felt like a prologue to a story that never came. Imagine if DX1 used Liberty Island as the focal point for the entire game... that's what the train station attack in MD felt like to me.

 

[Demigod Mac]

HR overall, but MD's DLC campaigns were pretty solid.

 

[Shadowstar39]

HR by far... Of course I never even finished MD. I didn't like the setting or characters. Nothing drew me in like the OG game or HR. Hell even invisible war was better than MD for atmosphere.

Graphics aren't everything. It just seemed too pristine, no grit. Also you would think I would like the setting, but it didn't seem right. Also I didn't like his girlfriend in MD, something was up with her, she seemed fake, not very nice or friendly, maybe I should replay it to see why those memories are coming back, but yeah the setting, too pristine graphics and characters with not intriguing plot turned me away. Oh and the stupid hack sessions.

 

[Warablo]

I think the atmosphere and time frame when Human Revolution came out just can't be matched. MD was okay, but the atmosphere was totally different.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Mankind divided was alright.

The story is built around taking down a psychic terrorist and it feels kinda questionable I'm pretty sure I was lost the entire time but I get what they were trying to accomplish in the Elon Musk failed AI police state.

 

[Bulletbrain]

Haven't played the OG (can't someone remake this shit already), but both HR and MD are terrific games and criminally underplayed, if not underrated. I would give a slight edge to HR for the better story and location variety.

 

[Mooreberg]

Mankind Divided. The story is not as good, and the scope of the threat seems downright mild compared to Human Revolution. But Prague is God Tier as far as hubs go, and I can't recall a mission I did not enjoy playing. It's my third favorite "play this nonlethal" campaign I've played after MGS3 and SWAT 4. "Spokes in Two Wheels" is one the best achievements/ trophies after "Irony" in BioShock. The game also actively rewards examining the environment. I was just kinda roaming around the last major environment when I saw the dude at the info desk had a mask tucked away that did not belong there and it completely altered my approach. So few games do this now.

I loved both these games but HR was better of the two for me, Its criminal that they sold so poorly what's wrong with people

Also that "I never asked for this" trailer was absolutely well ahead of it's time, I was so hyped after I seen way back when.

Well, HR sold enough to warrant a sequel. Mankind Divided had a contentious preorder campaign, and was delayed six months with no extended marketing budget. Release it between automaton insta purchase Madden and the most over hyped gas bag of the decade (No Man's Sky) and you have a recipe for disaster. And then disaster strikes again when Embracer has no idea what they are doing and dissolves one of the best development teams in North America

Mankind Divided is a rough and simply unfinished game without proper ending.

Human Revolution is not Dishonored, but still a very satisfying immersive sim and a classic.

I'm very glad Human Revolution is not Dishonored. A true immersive sim let's you return to most/all preceding areas when you are not engaged in a specific story beat. Bioshock 2, Bioshock Infinite, either Dishonored... good games in their own right, that I've also completed with no kills where it's an option. But not remotely close to System Shock 2, BioShock, the two games discussed in this thread, or even Prey, despite that game's monotonous enemy "variety".

I still remember spending about four hours filling out the upgrade / item checklist on "Clockwork Mansion" in Dishonored 2. Not quite the experience I was hoping for after hearing significant amounts of hype for it.

Let's hope the many years and significant talent poured into "Judas" delivers us the correct sort of game. I haven't had the opportunity to watch the Skill Up 2.5 hour mega video that includes an interview with Ken Levine, but fingers crossed on delivering another all timer next to SS2 and BioShock. It absolutely looks the part so far.

 

[Hugare]

HR is one of my favorite games of all time, but MD was a huge downgrade in everything but graphics

It had fewer hubs to explore, worse story, worse motivation, worse characters (no Faridah or Pritchard), worse pacing and etc.

Still a good game, but very disappointing coming from HR

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Loved them both.

I think i will give edge to HR. At the time I played it, it felt better. Someone playing them back to back might think differently.

 

[pasterpl]

Human revolution is by far a better game with better narrative and more balanced. Loved it. For me it was 10/10 game, while mankind divided seemed forced and didn’t get me to spend more than couple of hours with it.

 

[Durin]

Mankind Divided had a weaker story with less globe trotting, but most everything else was improved. Improvements to gameplay systems, level design that offers more to stealth/hacker players + verticality, and graphical presentation was sublime.

Base Human Revolution also had the stupid farmed out boss fights they had to release a Director's Cut to fix as well.

Wish we could get another one though.

 

[Soodanim]

I clicked the thread thinking I might be in the minority for thinking HR. I knew the answer as I was playing MD. Everything about it was less memorable to me. It all get more generic, whereas HR had more uniqueness to it.

Even in OG HR where you couldn't stealth the bosses, I took online advice and took that powerful upgrade to near enough skip them to get back to the stealth. Luckily I played it on PS+ so people had time to figure that out.

I only played MD once and have no real desire to go back, but I played HR on PS3, bought on Wii U, then on PC. I'm overdue for revisiting that world.

 

[_Idea_of_Evil_]

HR over MD any day for being the more complete experience. I still love MD though. Love the fps boost on XSX too.

I wish we lived in a timeline where a proper Deus Ex 4 exists.

 

[Paasei]

HR at least had en ending. MD wasn’t finished. Both games are great, but HR is clearly the better one.

 

[Hudo]

Deus Ex > Human Revolution > Mankind Divided > Building a submarine to take a trip to the Titanic > Deus Ex 2

 

[Mjordan23]

Loved both games and recently replayed MD. Still a great game

 

[xrnzaaas]

I'm still trying to find time to replay Human Revolution, but if I base it purely on my memories it was a much better game. It had a better overall story and much more diverse locations. I like Prague from Mankind Divided, but it doesn't change the fact that you spend majority of the game within a single location.

 

[Regginator]

Basically what you said: MD is the better game mechanically in terms of gameplay and level design, but because HR has a much better story (or at the very least one that is finished) and more memorable characters, I think that one is overall the better experience. Both fantastic games overall. I'd score them 8.5 and 9 respectively.

 

[IAmRei]

I havent finish these two, but i can tell these game are favorite of mine. At least art wise. The OST and The Design are superb. The best among other scifi. And also the gameplay is quite nice. I forgot why i never finish these two. I think will check them again in PC

 

[Kerotan]

Which was the sequel? I platinumed that so preferred it.

 

[Regginator]

Which was the sequel? I platinumed that so preferred it.

Mankind Divided was the sequel, the only one available on modern consoles. Such a shame Human Revolution didn't get a barebones port at the very least.

 

[Hero_Select]

I fucking loved this game. Played it back in 2011, i think it out for a year at that point and it was my goty

 

[Denton]

I like HR but prefer MD, mostly because it felt a lot like spiritual successor to Vampire Bloodlines. Very similar urban RPG structure with heavy focus on sidequests. And Prague rules, despite their butchering of our language (and the fuckers were informed about it beforehand and still shipped it).