Yesterday, through an awkward combination of a leakand a Game Informer cover reveal, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was announced. It’s a new-gen only sequel to 2011’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the surprise resurrection of the Deus Ex franchise that introduced us to a new hero in the series, Adam Jensen.
Human Revolution was probably my favorite game of that year, which was something of a surprise as it was my first real experience with the series. I was hookedfrom the first trailer, which remains one of the best video game spots I’ve ever seen, and unlike say, Dead Island’s famous trailer, also has the advantage of being reflective of the game itself.
I played through Human Revolution twice, once going nearly “no-kill,” knocking guards out or hitting them with tranquilizers, often going completely unseen through entire levels. Then I did a “guns blazing playthrough where I’d jump into the fray with shotguns and explosives. It was the same content, but felt like two completely different games, and I loved the story, the world and especially Michael McCann’s amazing soundtrack for the game, which to this day I listen to on a regular basis (I’ve reached out to ask him if he’s returning for the sequel).
Photo: Game Informer
The point I’m leading to is that like so many other games recently, Deus Ex: Human Revolution could have been prime for the sort of HD remaster we’ve now see from Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider, The Last of Us, Sleeping Dogs and so many others that have been released or are still to come. If you told me Monday we were going to hear news about the Deus Ex franchise this week, I would have bet big money on the announcement of an HD remaster for Human Revolution. Thankfully, I am wrong.
It’s not that I have anything against remasters, per se. I think they effectively serve their purpose and give the lack of backward compatibility in the PS4/Xbox One console era, they’re one way for players to experience the biggest hits of last gen if they missed them or want to replay them with all DLC/better graphics/etc.
But it’s hard to feel like this console generation hasn’t been stalled somewhat when it comes to big new next-gen only releases. Half of games are still stuck on the bridge between PS3/360 and PS4/One, developing versions for both generations that hold back their true potential. Elsewhere, in the first year and a half of release, we’ve only seen a scarce handful of truly “next gen” sequels for popular franchises. In fact, I can really only name one game that has been a sequel to a popular series, not an HD remaster, and not a cross-gen release, Infamous: Second Son. Nearly everyone else has been focused on remastering their classic franchises for a quick rerelease rather than pushing forward full-steam with a new sequel.
There are a few exceptions to this other than this newly announced Deus Ex. We are in fact going to see a next-gen sequel to Tomb Raider this year and also a full-on Halo 5, both from Microsoft MSFT -0.29%. But both series did go the HD remaster route already with Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition and the (completely disastrous) Halo: Master Chief Collection. On Sony ’s side, we do have Uncharted 4 on the distant horizon, and thankfully we’ve avoided an HD remaster of the entire Uncharted series so far. Not that it would be bad, but if it delays Uncharted 4 even further, that wouldn’t be great.
Rather, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided seems like a somewhat unique step forward into an era when cross-generation games or HD remasters of old titles are no longer the majority of the market, and beloved series finally start trying to make the most out of new-gen capabilities. Once we see other series like GTA, Elder Scrolls, Fallout and others follow suit, it’s going to be an entirely new age of quality games that isn’t stuck in the past.
As for Mankind Divided, there still isn’t all that much information about it. Game Informer has a cursory amount of information in their cover story snippet namely that Adam Jensen will return as the hero, and the new game takes place just two years after the events of Human Revolution and will focus on a sort of “robotic apartheid” where augmentations are now deemed bad because of the events of the last game. In both the short preview trailer and in other leaked articles, the implication is that the four different endings found in Human Revolution will be non-canon, and the developer will simply pick the one that best suits their story. Probably a good idea, given how famously ill-advised that “pick a color” style ending was in the first place.
I’m outrageously excited for a new Deus Ex, and I can’t wait to hear more. If I had to guess, we won’t see the sequel until 2016, however, and I wouldn’t rule out entirely a remaster of Human Revolution ahead of its launch, despite what I’ve said above.
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