Even Human Revolution didn't do its themes justice and I love that game, to be clear. They tried to create a class divide around mechanical limbs of all things. That's how people in that universe trancend their humanity? Mechanical limbs that for some reason an absurd amount of people had installed, which on top of redundantly maiming them necessitates them taking medication indefinitley. This is made complete by an incomprehensible luddite backlash that's so strong it leads to widespread rioting. Just so - SPOILER - there could be a catastrophe caused by the augmented, foreshadowing the totalitarian reaction that Mankind Dvided tries to pay off on. "Mechanical Apartheid" puts a spotlight on this, when what they need is as little scrutiny as possible for it to work.
lol lets not pretend that is not nitpicking or that the past game didnt mention this points like requiring drugs (and the whole reason of the conflict of the past game was because they found a way to avoid medication). Is less hamfisted than your regular X-men comic with mutants killing people by sneezing crying because discrimination.
The whole point of this prequels game is that aug techology would evolve in stuff like Nano augs from the first games and the totalitarian reaction is in part political theatre focusing in controlling this technology rather than eliminating it. For better or worse, this series is a conspiracy thriller than a straight societal study.
Also, don't forget that "mechanical apartheid" was accompanied and tainted by a counterproductive "augmented lives matter" tweet from PR. As to why that's dumb, may I refer to the Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad? Peddling products as socially conscious takes great care and is probably inadvisable entirely unless you have an environmental angle or are actually helping in some way.
You are right. I mean, BLM is as inefficient as it current state so big corps should not make it more shallow. The game itself avoids to be as hamfisted as the PR outside some signs as If I remember right. If anything, there is side quests that explore how were mostly normal people that got screwed (a old guy that got a small aug to try to not forget stuff)
tl;dr It's a really dumb set-up at the very core, filled with writer's conveniences, because of course it is. It's a AAA game and as such safe mainstream pulp almost by definition.
And that is a sin because? Writers convenience is the weirdest thing to complain about in a comercial videogame.
Which is why when someone of David Cage's caliber (to loop back to him) reaches for societal commentary, he's almost assuredly doomed to fuck it up, both by the medium's limitations as he is by his own talent.
Well yes, David Cage is going to fuck it up. Thats why is insane to me that people are demanding that he admits the social politics of the game if almost half of the gaming community is ready to hate it regardless. People demand that the medium expands its own limitations but complain when a video game story (less hamfisted or less metaphorical lazy than your regular XMen comic) does "weak" as neither bad or good.
Vitriol? Weak as in it didn't add anything, and might as well not have been used. I'm not angry, I doubt Rufus is, so what are you on about?
Come on, man. Lets not pretend you didnt went inmediatly to the defensive.
