While I don’t have much to add after Steven McGehee’s PlayStation 4 review of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, I will say that the experience was somewhat enhanced, a little awkward, but worth the expense when it comes to playing it with the Tobii EyeX.
While I certainly didn’t get as far as Steven McGehee with the game, I did rather enjoy the story and the characters while the review experience happened. I particularly enjoyed how the game recaps everything for you like a season opener show on the CW (Supernatural, looking at you) that left on a cliffhanger. Things like a recap help when you’re reviewing and have forgotten where you left off years ago. I would imagine it also helps those who have never played a single minute of the series and have no context on how to care for our main man Jensen and his plight to get things right. Anyway, recap aside, it doesn’t take long to catch up, nor does it take long to remember how brutal the Deus Ex series can get when it comes to difficulty. The challenge is forgotten once the story hits its stride, though.
The gameplay design in DXMD is tight in almost every facet, though linear in some aspects, but flexible enough to allow for roaming, side quests and some nice exploration. The girth of the world that Jensen resides in is a lot more robust in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. You’ll feel that the first time you get in the very first firefight in the opening act of the game. For example, you’ll go through some tight levels that feel almost claustrophobic, but have a huge battle erupt in a giant hall right before the opening of the game ends. It’s amazing to watch in motion, though don’t get too comfortable and forget to finish things up. The levels are larger, the stakes are higher and the world seems a lot more real than in the previous game, and Human Revolution was very defined in its realness, especially during the missions in China.
Overall, DXMD’s body of work is another masterpiece for Eidos Montreal, who knows how to keep a player going. While you most certainly will run into a difficult game that asks a lot of you, and it will ask the world at times, you’ll want to keep going for the characters and story sake. It’s certainly worth the effort, good folks.
Now, let’s discuss the real reason why I wanted to review this game after McGehee, which is the Tobii EyeX.
Technology, generally when added to a game that doesn’t necessarily require it, can act as a gimmick for the gameplay design. For example, when every add-on for the Wii came out, including the Wii controllers, some of it just didn’t make sense when it came to certain games it was intended to enhance. For example, the Wii balance board was cute, but it didn’t really add anything to the system it was dreamed up for, nor did its intended use really take off (to get you fit). It also had other possibilities for controlling certain games that never quite came to fruition. The same could be said for the Wii controller when it came to games like Call of Duty, where the controller could be used like an actual gun, but the usage of it was more of a gameplay hindrance rather than a immersive part of the gameplay design. Wii things aside, there have been plenty of gimmicks in the video game industry that had all the ‘cool’ intentions, but usually did nothing when applied to gameplay. I’m looking directly at you, Kinect, though you have made up for it in the research field. *fist bump*
Let me just say this now, and get it started off on the right foot after rambling off some technological failures, that the Tobii EyeX brought some real significance into Deus Ex gameplay that worked side-by-side with the game design, rather than trying to do something it wasn’t intended to do. That’s a tough achievement to unlock, but the Tobii product did it. And honestly speaking, that’s not surprising considering the history of Tobii technology and what the company has done in eye tracking in the research field. If you don’t know much about their work, then go to http://www.tobii.com to see what it is about.
Anyway, how does the Tobii EyeX work with Deus Ex? It’s subtle, as it should be. The first experience I had with the device is noticing, without looking at the Tobii EyeX features page, that you can move to cover locations simply by looking at them with your eyes. Cool stuff? Absolutely it is. Useful? More than you can imagine. You never know how much you’re looking at specific cover areas until you actually start using your eyesight for controls. For example, in the game’s beginning firefight through some construction riddled building, where dozens of enemies were everywhere, getting to cover is a must. Even more so when you have enemies coming after you. Getting into cover, then looking at the next place you want to sneak off to while in cover, hitting the A button and going is so darn smooth. One of the early frustrations with Deus Ex and Ubisoft’s The Division, was accidentally falling out of cover or going into another cover mistakenly. The Tobii EyeX integration pretty much prevents you from doing that and it works intuitively without hinderance to the gameplay design. Not a lot of additional devices to a game that’s built on traditional controls can say that with confidence. Also, trust me, you’ll be using the cover controls more than you think. This game is built on intense firefights. The nearly 1:1 eyesight reaction to cover is a blessing, especially when you’re pinned down.
If that wasn’t impressive enough for you, the Tobii EyeX also controls what you pick in your inventory. So, for example, you can open up your inventory and simply choose with your eyes the item you want, quickly hit A and go on with your business. No need for directional pad or thumbstick commands.
*I know you PC elitist use a mouse, so work with me when I’m discussing controller commands.
Now, I will say there was one Tobii EyeX built command that did take some getting used to during a fight, which was aiming with your eyes. The aiming was a bit wonky at the beginning, only because I wasn’t completely sure that I was aiming with my eyes (I did not read the list of commands before reviewing this because I like being surprised), nor was I convinced at first usage aiming with my eyes was the way to go. I have never used my eyes to aim, so using them was just weird…again, at first. Once I was killed a few times, my eyes became my targeting system and the gameplay got smoother. It was jarring at first, though, but manageable and eventually enjoyable. Again, it was weird to aim with my eyes, but it eventually made sense.
As for other Tobii EyeX features that I enjoyed, there is a feature that allows you to interact with objects by looking at them, which is fun. Seeing an object and pressing a button to interact with it was simple. It’s in the same vein as the cover, which makes it a welcomed feature. One small caveat, though, and this might be too much to ask from Eidos Montreal and Tobii, is that I haven’t been able to make it work yet with hacking. That would be absolutely brilliant if it did work, though. Anyway, I will update you when/if it happens, or if I get it to work.
Another wonderful feature of the Tobii tech is the ability to look around and move the camera in any direction to reveal more of the screen. I know, I know, that sounds like a simple thing, but it does provide a bit more visual girth to the already big world. I’m the type of gamer that doesn’t like to feel claustrophobic when it comes to visuals. I like seeing a big bulky world around me, so this option is good and it doesn’t get in the way of things.
