I have no idea where I stand on Ubisoft's The Division. My biggest roadblock to forming an opinion is that the game performs abysmally on my computer for some reason. I met the game's specifications—an i5-6600K, GTX 970, 8 GB of RAM—but my playthrough was rotten with unloaded assets, to the point that The Division wouldn't even allow me to take cover behind its low poly vehicles. I bumped my settings down as low as they could possibly go but it wasn't a cure-all: Times Square was still littered with incomplete shapes and menu icons outright refused to load even after a minute of waiting. I'd classify my time spent with the game as "fun", but I can't overstate how frustrating it is to play something that "kinda sorta works but not really".
The biggest (non-graphical) hurdle to getting into The Division is that it's missing a unique, gratifying hook. The first Destiny had the same exact problem—the gorgeous exterior belied a shallow interior devoid of a compelling plot. The campaign supports over twenty hours of playtime, but by that point you'll have seen almost most of what the game has to offer. That includes abilities, weapons, enemies, locations, and modes—basically everything barring the DLC content and raids. And while I was curious about the latter, one youtube video was all it took to extinguish my fascination; The Division's raids still looked to be in their formative years.
Plus, the game is all but dead in 2020. My only expedition into the tense and chaotic Dark Zone—an area where players were allowed to kill one another for loot—was so anticlimactic that I didn't bother trying it again. Nary a single other player showed up to waylay my team; in fact, I didn't encounter another player (besides my brother) outside of the hub area for my entire playthrough. Even the traditionally boisterous chat box was inhabited solely by Chinese players dropping dubious hyperlinks. There's a chance people were hanging out in the max level zones, but my desire to play the game vanished well before I could get there.
The main reason why I didn't want to continue is that The Division is shamelessly repetitive. There's only a handful of mission types and enemy factions, all of which blend together after a while into a lukewarm "shoot guy in hoody" broth. The Division taught me something important thing about my tastes: I really dislike shooters where similar-sized humanoids are your only enemy. Specialized foes are denoted by an icon next to their health (like a grenade for a grenadier) but you still approach them the same way you tackle everybody else. It's probably the reason why I never fell in love with franchises like Uncharted or Call of Duty—I can only handle two hours of shooting dudes in the head before I start to get bored.
Like with Destiny, the polished gameplay at least helps to obscure the repetition. The absolute coolest thing (which was accentuated for me after recently playing the Mass Effect games) is that going to and from cover is as natural as slipping on a pair of loafers. Entrenched enemies are easily countered by zig-zagging your way around bits of cover to flank them, a process made effortless thanks to the way the A button auto-sends you to wherever you're looking. If you haven't played The Division before, you don't know what you're missing; playing without this system feels as cumbersome as not being able to move and shoot at the same time. Being able to vault over a car and dash into nearby cover, without a worry that the controls will muck up your actions, is The Division's greatest strength bar none.
The gunplay is excellent as well, but not nearly as varied as I would've liked. Once I found the 100 bullet magazine LMG, I had no incentive to switch off from it even when I found weapons of a higher level. And I don't think it's because the LMG was perfect for me as much as sniper rifles and shotguns didn't have the stopping power I wished they had. Every single enemy in The Division is shockingly tanky, demanding up to a full magazine of damage to drop. The most effective method, in my experience, was loading an extended magazine onto my LMG and stabilizing my sights over the enemy's noggin, allowing me to drop an elite baddie in one go if they remained stationary. I came to adore the LMG's ferocity during my time with The Division, but it was largely a bonding out of necessity, not choice.
Likewise, I appreciate how many abilities are crammed into the game, though I felt little to no need to experiment. The problem is that enemies are as dangerous as they are beefy, requiring you to focus on 1) healing allies and 2) stunning foes. And with only three ability slots available to you (one of which is on a ~10 minute timer), you're likely going to prioritize things like a full heal over a minimal damage boost while in cover. Thankfully you can choose which heal you prefer and which stun you like (I was a big fan of the flashbang roly-polies), but once you find your winning combination it's easy to forget about the other options entirely.
I jumped into The Division to preface myself for The Division 2, and I don't really regret doing so. It was kind of a dumb idea since my game ran like crap, and they're mostly similar experiences anyway (yet another apt Destiny comparison!), but I liked seeing The Division's bold blueprint for an MMO FPS devoid of class types. I also enjoyed unearthing the game's pitiful shortcomings, thanks in large part to the ingenious cover system that kept the combat engaging even when the missions were not. It's tragic that the first game in the series is little more than a bygone relic of... four years ago, but having played The Division myself, I totally understand why it was ultimately abandoned.
The biggest (non-graphical) hurdle to getting into The Division is that it's missing a unique, gratifying hook. The first Destiny had the same exact problem—the gorgeous exterior belied a shallow interior devoid of a compelling plot. The campaign supports over twenty hours of playtime, but by that point you'll have seen almost most of what the game has to offer. That includes abilities, weapons, enemies, locations, and modes—basically everything barring the DLC content and raids. And while I was curious about the latter, one youtube video was all it took to extinguish my fascination; The Division's raids still looked to be in their formative years.
Plus, the game is all but dead in 2020. My only expedition into the tense and chaotic Dark Zone—an area where players were allowed to kill one another for loot—was so anticlimactic that I didn't bother trying it again. Nary a single other player showed up to waylay my team; in fact, I didn't encounter another player (besides my brother) outside of the hub area for my entire playthrough. Even the traditionally boisterous chat box was inhabited solely by Chinese players dropping dubious hyperlinks. There's a chance people were hanging out in the max level zones, but my desire to play the game vanished well before I could get there.
The main reason why I didn't want to continue is that The Division is shamelessly repetitive. There's only a handful of mission types and enemy factions, all of which blend together after a while into a lukewarm "shoot guy in hoody" broth. The Division taught me something important thing about my tastes: I really dislike shooters where similar-sized humanoids are your only enemy. Specialized foes are denoted by an icon next to their health (like a grenade for a grenadier) but you still approach them the same way you tackle everybody else. It's probably the reason why I never fell in love with franchises like Uncharted or Call of Duty—I can only handle two hours of shooting dudes in the head before I start to get bored.
Like with Destiny, the polished gameplay at least helps to obscure the repetition. The absolute coolest thing (which was accentuated for me after recently playing the Mass Effect games) is that going to and from cover is as natural as slipping on a pair of loafers. Entrenched enemies are easily countered by zig-zagging your way around bits of cover to flank them, a process made effortless thanks to the way the A button auto-sends you to wherever you're looking. If you haven't played The Division before, you don't know what you're missing; playing without this system feels as cumbersome as not being able to move and shoot at the same time. Being able to vault over a car and dash into nearby cover, without a worry that the controls will muck up your actions, is The Division's greatest strength bar none.
The gunplay is excellent as well, but not nearly as varied as I would've liked. Once I found the 100 bullet magazine LMG, I had no incentive to switch off from it even when I found weapons of a higher level. And I don't think it's because the LMG was perfect for me as much as sniper rifles and shotguns didn't have the stopping power I wished they had. Every single enemy in The Division is shockingly tanky, demanding up to a full magazine of damage to drop. The most effective method, in my experience, was loading an extended magazine onto my LMG and stabilizing my sights over the enemy's noggin, allowing me to drop an elite baddie in one go if they remained stationary. I came to adore the LMG's ferocity during my time with The Division, but it was largely a bonding out of necessity, not choice.
Likewise, I appreciate how many abilities are crammed into the game, though I felt little to no need to experiment. The problem is that enemies are as dangerous as they are beefy, requiring you to focus on 1) healing allies and 2) stunning foes. And with only three ability slots available to you (one of which is on a ~10 minute timer), you're likely going to prioritize things like a full heal over a minimal damage boost while in cover. Thankfully you can choose which heal you prefer and which stun you like (I was a big fan of the flashbang roly-polies), but once you find your winning combination it's easy to forget about the other options entirely.
I jumped into The Division to preface myself for The Division 2, and I don't really regret doing so. It was kind of a dumb idea since my game ran like crap, and they're mostly similar experiences anyway (yet another apt Destiny comparison!), but I liked seeing The Division's bold blueprint for an MMO FPS devoid of class types. I also enjoyed unearthing the game's pitiful shortcomings, thanks in large part to the ingenious cover system that kept the combat engaging even when the missions were not. It's tragic that the first game in the series is little more than a bygone relic of... four years ago, but having played The Division myself, I totally understand why it was ultimately abandoned.
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