By: Robert Murphy
In the wake of an unknown viral outbreak, New York City has become a desolate wasteland filled with roaming gangs, murderous psychopaths and an all around lack of the basic necessities people need in order to survive. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world however there is a secret organization of individuals who are the last line of defense in the event of such a catastrophe. These average looking men and women are the agents of The Division and they are here to put New York City back together again.
As I said before, danger is lurking around every back alleyway and down every manhole cover on the once "peaceful" streets of NYC. After a brief character customization and introduction into the pandemic that started this whole mess, players are given free rein over the city and help those in need. And boy, are there a lot of people who are in dire need of your help. People wander the streets seeking shelter and aid against the batches of criminals who escaped during the outbreak and the madmen trying to "cleanse" those who may still be infected. The sheer size of everything though is exceptional, NYC feels as grand as it would in real life as you wander the streets and begin to construct a base of operations where people can come for help and you can begin unraveling the mystery behind what happened here.
The derelict environment doesn't do much more for the main story however. The missions for The Division are top notch in my book and play out like you would expect from a MMORPG. There are the basic missions which amount to fetching this or that and then the heavier missions that go through various locations and increasingly difficult to handle enemies. Sitting down and tackling the games main story missions feels like you're headed off in to battle with you and your friends all assuming different roles. The content itself is okay, there is a standard story that doesn't really wow but rather it feels par for the course for a game like this. The real catch though is the fact that the story isn't completed and will be revealed later as the game expands forward with more missions and gameplay.
As for player classes, there are three variants to choose from once you begin to level up your character that reflect upon the three types of main missions players will be going on. Once you find your base of operations there are essentials that need to be gathered in order to rebuild what was taken for the city. These essentials boil down to Medical, Tech and Security wings that make up the various areas of your base. As you complete main story missions it will give players points to upgrade these various portions of your base and in turn it unlocks players character tress to follow. The toys and gadgets for each class are fun to try out, Tech having some enjoyable explosives, Medical a looking you to emit healing shock-waves and Security allowing you to create shield walls for your friends. Each class does well to benefit either single player or online play well and can be switched up with relative ease if you would like to try out something different on the fly.
Speaking of online play, one of the best and the most challenging thing The Division has going for it. Playing missions with your friends or anyone else in the game is quite simple, the various safe points to find around the city are like meeting points for fellow agents. Once you step in to one there could be any number of players reequipping themselves for their next fight and you in turn can join them on this journey. Then, of course, you have the simple method of sending a request to your friends but there is something rather nice about this meeting area that made the experience feel rather engaging. It was like going out to a bar and meeting someone new. The aspect of the game that often ruins this warm sentiment of coming together to meet new people is the addition of the Dark Zone.
Smack dab in the middle of NYC lies this area known as the Dark Zone and it promises many things such as new challenging missions and some legendary loot. The challenge in going into this area for a new adventure is the area is entirely PVP where players can move in droves to take down unsuspecting players. This is often the case too, I cannot account how many times I entered the zone to try my hand at getting some new items and seeing how I stack up, only to be sent packing with my tail between my legs. The Zone is a challenge and there in lies it's fun but at the same time the risk doesn't always outweigh the reward. When you usually die in the game you lose some EXP and maybe a item or two but in the Dark Zone you could lose a whole lot before you earn something good. It's definitely a place for serious level 30 players and above, but as the game has develop a little already to try and compensate for it, I feel the Dark Zone could be a potentially great addition to The Division.
Like most games that play to the vein of online action or an MMORPG format there needs to be plenty of groundwork laid for future updates and missions while having a good amount of intrigue in it's initial release to keep players interested. I believe The Division has this going for it. The many different mission modes to choose from, the Dark Zone PVP area, the feeling of accomplishment that goes into building your base up and just the all around enjoyable gameplay itself had me hooked from the moment I sat down to play the game. Combat is easy to pick up on and the story, while not extremely enthralling, is still a blast to go through by yourself or with a group of friends. The Division takes everything that the Tom Clancy games have done over the years and brought it to the modern age of online play and it feels great.
Good:
- Addictive gameplay from the missions to gun play
- Immersive environment, apocalyptic NYC is beautiful if not scary
- Seamless multiplayer enjoyment for your friends and potential ones
- Fun progression system that can easily be switched up
Bad:
- Dark Zone is a challenge with not a lot of reward to it
- The main story of a huge viral outbreak is okay it just doesn't excite
Scully Rating: 8.7 out of 10
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