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Agent Activated!
Tom Clancy’s: The Division
Review in Progress
So, you’re probably
wondering where I’ve been for the past week. Yes, I will admit, my posts have
been light as of late, and I do apologize. However! It hasn’t gone to waste. I’ve
spent over 20 hours with Ubisoft’s record breaking game, The Division, and I
can honestly say, I’m hooked. I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the many
facets of this open-world third person RPG, and I haven’t even scratched the
surface of the sheer depth this game has to offer. Unfortunately, this also
means I don’t have enough of an experience with the product to present a full,
comprehensive review to you all. But, that’s not going to stop me from talking
about it. So, without further delay, let’s get to it.
PROS:
Solid, Third-person-shooter cover-based gameplay…
As expected,
this game plays like a dream. Gun-play feels genuine, and keeps me coming back,
fire-fight after fire-fight. Movement is fluid, and vaulting from cover while
on the move is as easy as holding the action button, so you can seamlessly run
and parkour over the various debris in your way, or take cover from a hail of
bullets from a Rioter’s SMG, saving you from an unwanted death. Guns fire realistically,
so holding down the trigger isn’t always the best idea if you’re going for
those critical headshots.
A strong story…
Can’t go
into much detail on this topic without spoilers. Will discuss more in the full
written review.
A talent system that
REALLY changes the way you play…
You want to
be a support for your team? Spec into the Medic tree, and use your various stim
packs, and support stations to heal your team and boost their damage. Are you
more of a techy? Specialize in the Technology tree, and use spit-fire turrets,
smart bombs, and traps to outwit the opposition, and mow them down with deadly
tech. Or are you more of a front-lines Agent? Go with the Security tree, where
Ballistic shields, portable cover, and smart cover abilities grant you a
stalwart defense (and a lot of health, too!). Each tree has unique active
abilities to help aid your fellow agents in combat. Alongside your active
abilities, are trees of talents that can be chosen to increase the
effectiveness of medkits by granting you an over-shield on use, or increasing
your defense by 50% when you revive an ally from a downed state. As you level
up your agent, the amount of active talents that you can have at one time
increases. Lastly, perks are passive abilities that are unlimited, and are
unlocked as you progress through the main missions, and gather enough supplies
to increase and fortify your home base.
The Dark Zone is a unique twist
on PvP-PvE gameplay…
This is where I’ve spent
the majority of my time in The Division. The Dark Zone is a multi-tiered,
sectioned off area of Manhattan, where only the bold dare to enter. This is
where (Spoliers) happened, and it has been sealed off since. This is the
premier PvP-PvE experience, and honestly, the most fun I’ve had in a long time.
Once you enter the Dark Zone, your HUD is cut off temporarily, then quickly restored
by ISAC. It is a desolate, barren wasteland, where other Agents can be your
allies, or your sworn enemies. This place is a free-for-all loot fest, but,
there’s a catch: If you die in the Dark Zone, all loot which you have required
in this open PVP-PvE zone is dropped, and any passersby can steal it from you,
this also includes your DZ currency (specific to this area), DZ experience
(also specific to this area), and Dark Zone keys (used to open chests.) This
gear is also contaminated, and in order for it to be usable outside this
dangerous area, you must extract it via helicopter extraction at set points on
the map. This quickly becomes hectic, as many rioters will come to claim what
is theirs. All NPC enemies in this zone are either superior (Purple Health), or
Elite (Gold Health), and require team-work to take down. If you’re daring, you
can go Rogue, and kill other unsuspecting agents for their loot. However, if
you choose to do this, you cannot leave the Dark Zone for a predetermined
amount of time, which increases each time you disavow the Agent code. This
timer can go up to a maximum of 5 MINUTES, and reveals your position to
everyone on the map. Dying in this state is extremely punishing, as you will lose
all of your DZ loot, a huge chunk of your cumulative DZ currency, and almost a
whole rank of DZ experience, both which are needed to purchase loot from
vendors. This open PvP area is divided into brackets, so, don’t worry about
getting killed by a max level player when you’re only level 10. However, even
one level can put you at a slight disadvantage. Always be on your guard, and
don’t trust anyone… even your squad mates.
Simplified stat and mod systems…
Want to increase your
DPS? Look for items that have a high Firearms stat. Want more health? Look for
Stamina. Want to increase the potency of your heals, turrets, and shields? Then
you want Electronics. Three main stat points make up your Agent, and each item
you attain from quests or encounters can increase either one or two of these
stats at a time. Another unique aspect of The Division is modding. Modding
allows the player to dictate what stat is increased on a piece of gear, passive
bonuses, and this also grants you the ability to add scopes, magazines, grips,
muzzles, and other parts to your gun. You may have a similar Scar-H as your
buddy, but, it may have an entirely different mod set, which changes how it
behaves completely. Modding can also change how your active Agent abilities
work. Play around with what works, and your Agent will really shine in a
fire-fight!
CONS:
Bugs and server issues…
Bugs can make
games frustrating to play. The Division is no exception. Several missions have
been corrupted during playthroughs, and usually right at the end, just seconds
before completion. Falling through elevator floors, being permanently stuck in
a downed state, and weapons floating over-head are just a few of the known
bugs. Sound crashes, graphical glitches, and long load times can really bog
down what is a really fun experience. Notable server crashes and downtime
plagued the game since 12:00 AM on launch night, however, this has noticeably
decreased since then, and have stabilized.
Enemies are THICK
bullet sponges…
While this
can be a problem for some, the harder enemies in The Division soak bullets.
But, that isn’t the main issue. Enemies with a lot of health in RPGs are a
standard. It’s the simple fact that, even lesser enemies, really don’t react to
being shot, in any part of their bodies. They don’t flinch, and they don’t wail
in pain (until they are dead). It detracts from the immersion when none of
enemies seem to even realize themselves that they’re being shot by a fully
automatic weapon. This really becomes apparent when you’re stringing critical
hits together, multiple headshots don’t really feel like they’re putting a real
dent into the large health pools of enemies.
Group Content scales
to the highest Agent level in the group…
This is a
huge gripe currently. Group content scales to the highest level in the party.
This means that, if you have a friend at level 15, and you and your buddy are
only level 12 and 10, all the enemies will be at the highest Agent’s level of
15, making an already challenging PvE experience even harder, especially if you’re
already playing on a harder difficulty setting. This makes the game feel
somewhat tedious, especially with busy, and conflicting schedules for your
group members. #Reallifematters
The Overworld feels a
bit empty…
Despite the
games setting, the game world really feels kind of… well, empty. You see no
fellow agents wandering the streets of Manhattan, accept for members in your
group. The only time you ever see other Agents are in Safe Zones, during
instanced content (which is already specific to groups), and the Dark Zone.
There isn’t much to interact with, accept for a few civilians that are looking
for Soda Pop, or an Energy Bar.
Well, I think that covers it for
now. Check back soon for more full review in the coming weeks!
As always,
Game on, guys!
-Brian
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