#mankind divided

[criminalelementsart]

"Deus Ego" (2024)

Had this idea when I saw @raynerberg's redraw of the Deus Ex cover art with Paul in place of JC The name is probably grammatically incorrect but I thought it was fitting as this is what Google translate said:

[playdrawwin]

And finally the colored version. Looks like some kind of desktop wallpaper from 2000-s XD

[daordinarylinchen]

commission🌧️🍂

[steakeaten]

what are you doing here ?

[albrakia]

[pedroam-bang]

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016)

[quiet97]

[myzerosumgame-blog]

The TV was speaking to an inattentive audience; he took a sip of whiskey but with so little left in the glass it was time to pour some more from the bottle draggling on the table near the window.

 (...for anyone tuning in we are here with Rashid Amara, leading expert of Economy Today after the Palisade Breach reportedly multiple sources have confirmed that Nathaniel Brown, CEO of Santeau Group was forced to resign following a vote-of-no-confidence earlier this week at the Rabiah HQ after allegations of tax evasion from high value art deals, charges of market manipulation and securities fraud...).

Source of picture: Deus Ex Wiki

[arwenstardust]

I don’t know what Adam Jensen would do to me, but I’d let him.

[tempestuous-tempest]

Problematic Scrawny White Boys.

[mvaas]

[playdrawwin]

The Fall of Icarus

[twistedtummies2]

Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes - Number 28

Welcome to A Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes! During this month-long event, I’ll be counting my Top 31 Favorite Fictional Detectives, from movies, television, literature, video games, and more!

SLEUTH-OF-THE-DAY’S QUOTE: “Change never comes without pain.”

Number 28 is…Adam Jensen, from Deus Ex.

A specific friend of mine introduced me to the Deus Ex games, via their two most recent releases: “Human Revolution” and “Mankind Divided,” both of which apparently act as prequels to the rest of the series. I know absolutely nothing about all the other games in the franchise, but as far as these two games go…I think they’re pretty interesting! The games are a sort of combo of sci-fi and film noir, taking place in a futuristic world where many human beings have “augmented” themselves with bionic materials, for various reasons. In each game, your main character is this guy: Adam Jensen, a frankly much better cyborganic sleuth than Inspector Gadget. Then again, I think a pencil would make a better cyborganic sleuth than Inspector Gadget, and it’s neither a cyborg NOR a sleuth, so…take that as you will.

Anyway: voiced by Elias Toufexis (who apparently is a big fan of noir and pulp style fiction, such as The Shadow), Jensen starts off in “Human Revolution” as a security investigator for a tech company called Sarif Industries. After being horribly wounded in an attack on the company, Jensen is augmented without his consent, and his girlfriend – Megan – is apparently killed. Despite his MANY reservations, Jensen goes out to try and discover exactly what happened, using his newfound augmentations to help him along the way. His investigations lead to him uncovering a vast conspiracy, with ties to the Illuminati, of all things. In “Mankind Divided,” Jensen has left Sarif Industries in favor of working for Interpol, acting as an agent for an elite anti-terrorist squad. He once again runs afoul of the Illuminati in the process of investigating a railway bombing, and once more goes on the hunt to find the perpetrators, using his special tools and skills to track down the criminals. Along the way, in both titles, Jensen also comes across various other cases and side missions, each of which show the different dark corners of the world he lives in.

A big part of both games – and, from what I understand, the Deus Ex franchise as a whole – is the theme of what makes a person truly human. In a world where people are replacing their limbs and organs en-masse with “superior,” artificial contraptions, how much can you do to the human body before it stops BEING a human body? What makes an individual different from the crowd, and what separates people from the machines we build? How much choice and free will does one really have in the world? These are themes integral to both science fiction AND noir-style detective stories, and both titles meld the two genres exquisitely. Jensen, his allies, and the foes he faces present different viewpoints on a world like this, and offer different perspectives on this fundamental question.

Jensen is a classic detective character of this sort; he’s like a cross between the aforementioned Cole Phelps and a superhero of some sort. He’s not unwilling to use violence and direct force on his enemies, and he has plenty of firepower to go around, but much of each game is really about him tracking leads, picking out clues, and asking questions as he tries to get to the bottom of the truth of each matter. These are a couple of those lovely video games where the choices the player makes throughout the story – from simply deciding whether to use stealth or full-faced aggressive tactics, to deciding what messages to share with the people of the world – effect the plot and other characters’ perception of the main protagonist. But even with that said, Jensen has several things that remain consistent: his dry, sarcastic sense of humor, his stonefaced demeanor, and his somewhat cynical outlook on his own life. Perhaps the most noteworthy element, however, is his sense of independence. It’s interesting and fitting that Adam’s journey effectively begins with him being forced into situations beyond his control, because from that point on, you could argue his entire mission in both stories is to find exactly that. Jensen prefers to work alone, as much as possible, and clearly resents being put in the position he is. How he comes to feel about his augmentations, and the concept of augmented people in general, can change depending on how the player handles things, but overall it’s fair to say that, for all the advantages they give him, he also knows they have clear disadvantages, too. As the story of each game grows more complex, so do the choices Jensen has to face. As a result, the player goes from having no choice in what happens to having incredible responsibility heaped onto their shoulders. It’s a unique progression for both the character and each game in general, and it’s part of what makes this sci-fi sleuth so memorable.

Tomorrow, the countdown continues with Number 27!

CLUE: “The world will look up and shout ‘Save us!’ And I’ll whisper, ‘No.’”

[steakeaten]

Comparing them to the main DXMD game, I think I like the mini-missions a lot more. Desperate Measures is a little barebones, and reminded me a lot of a Thief map, but the second two had writing that I thought was more compelling than the main story. Adam specifically felt more like a person to me in his interactions with the other characters, especially Pritchard and Dr. Auzenne. I wonder if this is reflective of the grandiose save-the-world future of politics nature of the main story, and that these little missions are like bottle episodes, with the blinders pulled all the way up, letting the writers create something a bit more cohesive if you didn't find every last little readable.

or could it be that I never got around to using the social aug in the main game???

[crispofftheblock]

Accidentally choosing the mean option in Deus Ex Mankind Divided

[pedroam-bang]

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016)