July 2, 2015 by Paul Curtin
To this day, Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s E3 2010 trailer still gives us chills — it’s easily one the best video game or movie trailers ever in our opinion — and if you still haven’t seen it, you should probably do that right now. But while Human Revolution was a great game, its last-gen visuals didn’t quite live up to its spectacular CGI teaser. Square Enix gave us a first look at gameplay at this year’s show, and with Deus Ex: Mankind Divided on newer current-gen consoles, the developers look to be one step closer to delivering a game that’s just as epic as that unforgettable trailer from E3 five years ago.
In our exclusive preview, we were shown two different parts of Mankind Divided. The first half of the demo featured Adam Jensen walking through a highly populated train station with another agent. Right away, the increased level of detail can be noticed in how the characters and crowds animate and react more like people in real life. But Deus Ex has always been more freedom, and after the more linear first half of the demo, the second part of the preview gave a first look at the combat and gameplay in action. Again, right away, an increased level of detail becomes apparent. Square has put even greater detail in level design than ever before, and thankfully, the developers of the sequel will still be keeping the focus on freedom of choice during combat.
But it’s not just combat that is getting an overhaul, and now there are additional dialog options during conversations with other characters that test players with tough moral decisions and give the game more of an RPG feel. Many players were upset with Deus Ex: Human Revolution for forcing them into some combat situations when they wanted to go the passive route of not killing anyone. But fear not, Square has assured us that Mankind Divided will allow players to make it to the very end without having to take another human’s life.
Mankind Divided, easily one of the best games we saw at E3 2015, featured a combination of all the best elements of different types of genres. Open levels with more stealth options, tighter third- and first-person shooter mechanics, and difficult role-playing decisions that have a major impact on the story — it seems like Mankind Divided has it all. Best of all, the same first look at Mankind Divided‘s gameplay that we saw behind closed doors can now be watched online in all of its current-gen 1080p glory. So click the play button, sit back, and enjoy 25 minutes of awesomeness in the comfort of your own home.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is set for release early 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
