Prima Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Limited Edition Guide Guide Review

There’s something about flipping through the pages of the Prima Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Limited Edition Guide that makes the game that much better.

This shows my age a bit, but I remember when you would have to buy books to find the cheat codes. I was there during the transition from Tips & Tricks Magazine to Gamesages.com (now known as IGN). I remember how excited I was when I posted a cheat code that got posted on the site. A cheat code I got the from the magazine. I did not site my source, take that MLA/TurnItIn.com!!! But back to my point, there is something better about having the physical copy of supplemental gaming information that the internet lacks. Which brings me to the Prima Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Limited Edition Guide.

Prima strategy guides are the gold standard in video game guides. Spend all the time on Gamefaqs as you want, they will not compare to the quality of a Prima guide in any aspect. Most franchise games now are rife with Easter Eggs and secrets that are easy to overlook and completely miss unless you know what you’re looking for. To some people, it is fun to go back and replay the game to find these things. To others, like myself, it is a pain in the ass to have to replay something for minutes-hours, to see something that lasts seconds. Take finding collectibles in open world games, who has the time to explore to find every little token? I rather dedicate an hour running a planned out path to collect them all than spend 12 hours randomly running around and finding something by chance. I’ll enjoy the vastness and detail of the game as I play, not while I treasure hunt. If you’re like me, Prima guides are for you.

Prima breaks down the game into progression, and all the different modes and mechanics you will deal with in the game. For Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, it breaks down the main campaign, all the different attributes, items, weapons, you will use, and of course each level’s map. It gets a little confusing  as I do not like to know how to beat the game, but I do need to know what secrets I should find. It’s a fine line that each player has to balance on their own terms. But regardless of how much you want to use or not use the Prima guide, it is there for use in any capacity. It can tell you step by step what to do throughout the game, or present the different options available for you to choose, or be a reference point if you get stuck. It’s the On-Demand, non-annoying version of Navi. My favorite part of the guide was having all the different augment trees laid out so I didn’t have to sit and click through them all to see when I would get what ability. It’s a really minor thing, but one that seemed to make life much easier.

Aside from being the ultimate game guide through one of most vast games to date, this guide also serves as a beautiful book of art. It is rife with character, level, object models that is often overlooked in game. It gives you a sense of how much detail is actually in the game. Every crack and crevice was thought up and created, and you get to see that on every page of this guide. Also the lithograph you get with it is a great piece of art that would be coveted by any fan of the franchise. The only downside I found, which is not a big downer, is that the pages aren’t color coded to make for easy navigation. Some of my previous guides had colored tabs on varying size and position that you could see from the side to keep from having to look page by page to find what you’re looking for. It’s really not necessary for Deus Ex but it’s a feature that I really like, and would prefer.

The Verdict

Game guides are not for everyone. I can see how people would consider them cheating or how it can take away from the surprise factor. But if you do like game guides, like to have all the information of a game at the ready, or even just want to admire more of the artwork put into the game, the Prima Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Limited Edition guide is definitely for you. I give the Prima Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Limited Edition Guide a 4/5.

Pick up your very own copy of Prima’s Limited Edition Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Guide HERE.