14 DAY TRIAL // Tom Clancy's The Division is somewhat of a Frankenstein monster, a combination of genres that sometimes don't seem to fit together, but it's also a really interesting experience that could be a contender for the game of the year.
The Division is not the only game trying to marry a lot of genres and get them to work together under a single roof. Most of the time that doesn't work, and we end up with a game that is good at a lot of things, but it doesn't excel in any particular category. The Division is a game hard to pin down in a specific genre, which is usually a good thing.
The most obvious classification would be third-person shooter, but it's more than that. It's also an RPG, but not in the classical sense. It only applies to the fact that you get missions, loot, and level progression. It's also an MMO, but not a classical one since it comes with a single player, cooperative gameplay, and PVP arenas.
Trying to stay away
Like everyone else, I was blown away by the initial presentation at E3 2013, but immediately after they introduced other players and started using words like cooperative gameplay or oriented, I became suspicious.
Other things have been obvious, especially if you deal with publishers and studios for a long time. They didn't want to say what kind of game it is until recently, they have been dodging the single player question with great skill, and they used any opportunity to show off the multiplayer part of the game. All of these are not encouraging.
In my mind, The Division was shaping up to be something like Destiny or some other similar title, that looks amazing, and it's only about the loot. In fact, it's like Destiny, but it's different enough that it doesn't matter.
I hate multiplayer games, for the most part
I have been around since games were about the people playing them and not about the gameplay. Studios were trying to give gamers an unforgettable experience, and all that multiplayer stuff was secondary, or it was the focus of a small number of titles. Things have changed, obviously, and they are moving in the opposite direction. Games are now about the multiplayer, and the single player is just a filler.
Good single-player games are like a book, with the difference that you get to experience it at a much deeper level. That's why some single-player titles are appreciated for the story or the overall experience because they provide a book-like escape for the minds of the players.
I don't like multiplayer games or cooperative ones, with a few exceptions. I love playing the latest Unreal Tournament, and I played all of the others (2004 still the best in my opinion) or cooperative titles like Mass Effect 3 or the Borderlands series. Beyond that, I don't have either the time or the willingness to play stuff in multiplayer.
Playing The Division
Right now I can't really say if this is single player or a multiplayer game. I can tell you that there is a single-player campaign that's available right now from the start. They are in fact missions that you can tackle in any order you choose, and one of those missions is available in the Beta. It's not going to be getting any awards for screenplay, but its being there was satisfying enough that after I was done playing the Beta, I felt that I could answer a really simple question. Will I be able to play The Division on my own when it comes out? The answer is yes.
The more accurate description of The Division would be a third-person online action RPG, but that's just pretentious. My guess is that from now on this will somehow become its own genre.
You start with three weapons and a mission to recapture a forward base. All you know is that part of New York was affected by an outbreak and that it's also overrun by various factions. Some of the side quests give certain indications that the outbreak was intentional and that there is another power at work that's trying to prevent the intervention on Manhattan.
The gameplay is nothing like it seemed in the videos, and I found it to be much more satisfying. The weapons feel like they have impacting force, the loot is varied and interesting, and the side missions are actually really enjoyable.
The entire map is divided into zones that vary in difficulty. The AI is not terribly bright, but it compensates with greater numbers and sometimes with some powerful enemies. The customizations options are really interesting, although I found it odd that I couldn't sell some of the items I found over time, like beanies or jackets.
Also, some of the items are way too similar and have only small differences that are reflected in the stats. In any case, I found a large backpack early on, and I never felt the need to return to sell that too often, not to mention that you can disassemble most of the stuff into parts.
You can technically finish the Beta quickly if you stick to the main mission only, but I spent more than 10 hours without entering the Dark Zone, and that's promising for the complete version that's coming in March.
This takes us to the Dark Zone, which is a high difficulty area, but the difference is that it's also a PVP area. Some of the missions will take the player through the Dark Zone, but if you want the best gear, you'll have to enter it. Ubisoft says it's better to enter in a cooperative mode, but it's also possible to go with a lone-wolf approach.
Dark Zones have their own rank and supplementary currency, so it's somewhat cut off from the rest of the regular map. In any case, it's clear that this is where the fun is, but the fact that you're going to face other people in a more competitive way could be a show stopper for players going in alone or just to find with NPCs.
