What Happened to The Division?

If you've ever played The Division, you'll be familiar with the hallmarks of its gameplay: great graphics, a good story line, and a solid progression system. So why is it not mentioned in the same sentence as great games such as Call of Duty? I will be grading The Division on three main categories: storyline/progression, multiplayer, and gameplay.

First off is story line, which is where The Division shines. In this game, you play as an elite soldier who has been activated in response to a modified version of the smallpox, which has swept through New York and turned it into a cesspool of disease and looting. Your job is to restore peace and order, which is done by defeating enemies and building up the three sections of your base: the medical wing, the security wing and the technology wing. Building up these wings rewards you with more story line in the form of cutscenes, and special abilities that you can use in combat. Combine this with a basic looter-shooter system of looting and crafting new weapons and gear, and you have a simple yet rewarding system that makes the game clear and fun. While it isn't nearly as clear as to what you're supposed to be doing as something like Call of Duty, it is far better than some open world games such as GTA Online. It can get kind of grindy sometimes, with you trying to get better gear so you can beat the next level. I give it an 8/10. 

Ah, multiplayer. To some, it is the only real value in games, to others it simply distracts from the rest of the game. Before I continue, it is important that I clarify: there are two main types of multiplayer in video games: PvE or co-op, and PvP or competitive. PvE, which stands for Player versus Entity, is a broad term for any gameplay that involves one or more players fighting computer controlled enemies. Therefore, PvE multiplayer is simply two or more players teaming up to face computer controlled enemies. This is The Division's main multiplayer, and while I always think that video games are better with friends, I think this is even more true of The Division. The second type, PvP, stands for Player versus Player, and involves two or more players playing against each other. The Division does have PvP, but it does it in a unique way. Instead of getting into a game where you try and kill other players, The Division has the Dark Zone. The Dark Zone is a large area of the map that contains more numerous and higher level enemies, which means more rewards. In a loot based game such as The Division, this is a huge motivator. It's not quite that simple, however. To start with, the Dark Zone is where the virus hit the hardest, which means that you need a mask to survive. This also means that items that you get from the Dark Zone are infected, and won't move from your Dark Zone inventory (where you can't use them) to your normal inventory unless you extract them from one of the extraction points in the Dark Zone. This takes time, and this is where the second complication, and the PvP aspect, comes into play. Unlike in the rest of the game, players in the Dark Zone can attack each other. This will mark you as a "rogue agent," which encourages other players to team up and attack you, but if you kill another player their entire Dark Zone inventory drops and you can then collect and extract these items, claiming them for yourself. This system is unique, fun, and innovative, and because of that I give The Division 9/10 in this category. The only thing that holds it back from a 10 is that I love classic PvP, and kind of wish they included that too.

The last category is gameplay, or core mechanics. This is where the Division struggles. The Division is a third person shooter, which means the camera is placed over the character's shoulder. The Division's camera system feels clunky and buggy, with sharp cuts in between standard camera angle and certain attacks or animations. In addition, the transition from over the shoulder to looking down a scope feels very sharp and could really use some work. Alone, this would be mildly annoying, but it is paired with terrible gameplay mechanics, also known as the cover system. A cover shooter like this focuses less on free movement and rather has the character run from place to place as normal, but once in combat the character takes cover behind something or another. This is extremely frustrating, as it makes combat very static. Instead of the sort of run and gun style of most conventional shooters, you are forced to hide behind one object until an enemy either throws a grenade or flanks you, and then you move to another piece of cover, rinse, and repeat. This system also means you spend a lot of time just hiding behind a car or fence as you wait for your health to get back up to full. While this system can be extremely effective in the form of a realistic combat simulator, in a game like The Division it just has no place. Overall, gameplay in The Division is clunky and needs a complete overhaul. I give it a 4/10.

In summary, The Division has massive potential. I want to love the game, love the story line and progression, love the unique multiplayer, but I just can't get over the bad mechanics. As I said with my Warframe review, I love just relaxing and playing a game non-stop, but I simply can't get settle in and relax with the frustrating gameplay. In total, The Division gets a 6/10. I weighted the gameplay at a double value, as it is the most important category in any game. That said, I'm excited for The Division Two. Hopefully they will rework the combat system, and allow The Division to finally reach its full potential.