I don't get it.
Like, just as the game gets interesting (and I mean, REALLY interesting), they pull the plug. We finally have a mission that goes on for longer than 5 minutes, you're forced to use all your powers, can experiment with the A.I. - it's literally the only time I can think of that actually felt fleshed out as a gameplay sequence.
By comparison, storming the underground Dvali gambling den, sneaking through the police checkpoints in the final third and...erm... the murder mystery side mission (?) were all over almost immediately. I'm firmly in the camp of those saying "THAT'S IT?!" as "You have unlocked New Game +" popped up, as it really feels like the game was cut short for some reason.
Rumours on Reddit centre around Square Enix cutting the game in half for the sake of another sequel (or DLC, which looking at Mass Effect 3, I'm sure will be just PEACHY), but before you even reach for the tinfoil hat, there is a LOT in support of labelling Mankind Divided as unfinished.
Mainly, the game's own title screen doesn't make sense! Showing Jensen facing off against what looks like a clone - and including a key character called Janus, who in Roman mythology, "is usually depicted as having two faces" (thanks Wiki) - the game does NOTHING with that idea/plot thread other than Adam staring out a window and alluding to future events. It simply isn't good enough.
Versalife, Rabi'ah, having meaningful side missions, perhaps a payoff to the insanely heavy-handed societal commentary/marketing and a pace that made sense - I felt as though even after deliberately going out of my way to complete extra missions and 'Points of Interest' it was still over in around 12 hours, if not less. I never had more than a couple of side missions on the go, and although stopping the bomb threat became the main thrust of the narrative, I didn't think it was presented in a way that felt all too integral, or that really paid off.
Instead, Jensen is just like 'this cop guy' doing a few day's worth, and that's it. When it asks you at a couple points to make sure you've completed side missions, because they'll be cancelled, I didn't even have to think, I'd already completed the paltry amount on offer. Compare this to The Witcher 3's pre-Ciri moment and you get one hell of a contrast in how to pepper a world with content.
In the end, we fought yet another 'angry Rah-shan' terrorist who wouldn't be too out of place in the new Call of Duty, and that was it... roll credits.
I f'ing LOVED the final hour or so of MD, it plays like a dream, but looking over the whole thing and weighing up when I was actually REALLY engaged... yeah, it kinda feels like a good 80% of this game is still to come.
What do you guys think?
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