The Division Review In Progress

After 32 hours with Ubisoft’s squad shooter The Division, I am still finding new places and things to do. As an open world shooter taking place in a disease ridden Manhattan, the game has been extremely ambitious since its announcement. For the most part, it delivers on its ambitions. Nearing the end of the game, I can say without a doubt this is the best cooperative experience I have had on the current gen. I have tried to play solo as little as possible, as the parties of up to four players makes for the best experience. Throughout intensely fun firefights, detailed exploration, and exciting looting, The Division is quickly becoming one of the most enjoyable games on the market right now.
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As you walk the mostly abandoned streets of New York, the scope of The Division is quickly realized. Blocks away in any direction players can find a variety of things to do. From narrative based missions and side missions, to gathering resources and collectibles, the game is not short on things to do. The Division is an elite group secretly embedded all over the world to fight back against disasters from the inside. After creating your character, you are active to help fight back against rioters and newly formed militias that are wreaking havoc all over Manhattan. A solid amount of boroughs are yours to explore in travels to find out who caused the Green Flu epidemic and why, as well as the mystery behind the missing first wave of Division Agents. The narrative is great if you pay attention before and after the excellent gunplay brought forward, and is a story I am eager to finish.

My 32 hours have not been a cake walk however. It has been a long road to the max base level of 30, but I am almost there. Different groups of enemies can be found around the map. Most are thugs or Rikers escapees, but in the more difficult areas are turncoat Division Agents and Militarized Police Groups. Leveling up your agent as well as your central base of command help push back against these foes. Finding better loot is just as important, and one of the most fun aspects of the game. It is incredibly rewarding to take down an elite enemy and find an superior item laying at their feet. If you have read anything about The Division, you have no doubt heard about The Dark Zone. This is where the elites play, and the pace of the game dramatically. This is where you can find other online players at random, and is the only area where you can choose to be friendly or deadly. The entire area can be PvP or cooperative, but that all depends on the agents. Working together can be rewarding, making it easier to take down enemies and safely extract some top quality goods. But if you have the confidence to betray other agents, you can end up keeping more loot for yourself.

The shooting is covered based, and almost flawless in my opinion. It is not as sticky as games like Gears of War, and comes of fluidly in terms of cover-to-cover transitions. Each weapon has distinct feelings depending on its statistical layout as well as type. It all just works so well, which makes tense moment’s all the more fun. In addition to 2 main weapons and a side arm, every agent can have 2 abilities as well. These range from tech, security, or health based. Working with your team to have a good balance between aggressive and defensive abilities makes all the difference when tackling those tough boss fights.

Stay tuned for the full review, coming hopefully soon!

By Edwin Velez