With the upcoming release of the fourth installment in the Deus Ex franchise, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, it would be a huge mistake to not give this game and franchise the attention it deserves. The Deus Ex franchise began with the original cyberpunk RPG (role-playing game), Deus Ex, for PC in the year 2000. This game places you in the role of a character named JC Denton, a technologically augmented agent in the year 2050. This game along with its sequel, Dues Ex: Invisible War, deliver a deep, engaging story where you unravel the conspiracies involved with organizations such as the Illuminati and the Hong Kong Triads. It is a first/third-person shooter/stealth game that provides a multi-faceted experience and encourages you to play how you want to play, with your decisions making an actual impact on how the story proceeds. I personally have not played these games yet, but they have received countless awards, with the original Deus Ex even claiming titles such as “Best PC Game of All Time.” These are games I have plans to visit in the future based on how much I love the modern installments.

This is where we discuss the most recent installment before Mankind Divided, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, released in 2011. This is a game I’ve already played three times since its release. In contrast to the previous games, you play a character named Adam Jenson, and the game takes place in the year 2027, prior to the original games. Similarly, you play as an augmented individual who gets wrapped in conspiracies and plots all during the surge of the era of human augmentation. What makes this game, as well as the older games, so special is how superbly it tackles both fronts of what makes any good game, story and gameplay.

Let’s begin with the story aspect. Without entering spoiler territory, Deus Ex brings to the table an incredibly well-written script with intelligent characters and heart-wrenching themes. This game places themes of evolution, the benefits and dark consequences of wide-scale human bionic augmentation, and the concept of the Illuminati as a force that drives the direction of humanity behind closed doors, at the forefront. This is all done in combination with providing an engaging story about Adam and the conspiracies he finds himself muddled in. Players are given optional side quests as well, and many computers and booklets are optionally available to hack and read to gain more insight into the games world as well as the characters that dwell in it. Furthermore, like the older games, the choices you make and the way you play does impact the story and its ending, giving more gravity to every decision you make. And to add to that, the setting and environment is gorgeous and beautiful to look at; it does a magnificent job of grounding you in a unique world. Few games have managed to make me so passionate about its themes, and so immensely interested by its ideas that I would play it three times with the intention to do so again. Finishing the game was as exciting as it was depressing, leaving me with a desire to play just once more.

Regarding gameplay, Deus Ex: Human Revolution was easily one of the best designed games of its generation, receiving far less recognition than it deserved. Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, it does what so few games are capable of doing anymore: provide versatility. Most of the time you’ll be in a first person view as you explore the city, talk to others, and shoot if you decide to. The game switches to third person view when you hold the button that keeps you attached to walls. You use this button to remain sneaky, peak around corners and move stealthily. Not to mention that in doing so, you can roll and step to different corners and spots to hide with smooth, beautiful animations that make the pleasure of playing smart and sneaky all the more enjoyable.

Throughout the game you find yourself leveling up and earning praxis kits that allow you to further augment Adam. You are provided with a huge skill tree that will be impossible to fully unlock. This forces you to decide what you want and more importantly how you want to play. The augments vary from armor and health for an aggressive lethal approach, to silent running and temporary invisibility for stealth, to hacking abilities to avoid fights and elaborate stealth routes, and even miscellaneous abilities that help you find alternate routes throughout your journey. This choice of how you want to play is further established with your inventory system. Adam is equipped with an inventory of items that you always have on-hand and can be expanded with praxis kits as well. You will not be able to hold everything you see by any stretch of the imagination. It forces you to decide whether you want to keep your handy non-lethal stun gun, or dump it for just enough space to take a heavy rifle or rocket launcher with you. Or would you like to keep those grenades or the Cyberboost ProEnergy bars? What Deus Ex is, is the epiphany of choice and the exemplar of what it means to give players a voice in the game; it’s a way to channel their personality through actual gameplay. It’s genius, remarkably well done, and addictive.

Needless to say, the game and franchise quickly became one of my favorites of all time after playing Human Revolution, with it getting better after each playthrough. Now with Mankind Divided, they are advancing the plot with Adam Jenson once more, two years in the future after the aftermath of Human Revolution. Now pitted in a civil war between augmented and non-augmented, you are once again after the evasive Illuminati in hopes of crushing their efforts. The themes have expanded; the scope of the story is larger than ever, and the gameplay elements are refined to perfection with an expansion of the tools and options available to you to accomplish your tasks. Add on beautiful graphics with a gorgeous presentation, and you have a masterpiece.

I for one, have been excited for this game since it was announced and firmly believe that it will be the definitive mark of this new gaming generation. I think that few games thus far in the Playstation 4 or Xbox One life span have managed to prove the mark of a new, improved era of gaming. It appears that Mankind Divided will set that standard better than any other game thus far. I come from a very diverse gaming background, filled with classic RPGs varying from Pokemon and Final Fantasy, adventure games such as inFamous and The Last of Us, and shooters such as Bioshock and Killzone. I never tried anything like Deus Ex and loved it to death when I was done; I have friends that I’ve recommended this to and they have all said the same. I highly recommend picking up the games of this franchise, or at the very least Human Revolution to prepare for the newest entry in the series. Take it from a gamer, you’re about to find a new passion.

Deus Ex is a franchise produced by Eidos Montreal, a creative team owned by video game publisher, Square Enix. The newest entry in the franchise, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is scheduled to be released on August 23, 2016. You can find out more information and pre-order the game at their website: https://eidosmontreal.com/ .