TOM CLANCY'S
THE DIVISION
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Price: £40 (UPlay/Steam)
Platform: PC/PS4/Xbox One
C
louds darken as
the first crisp flakes
of a new snow begin
to fall, enveloping the
decaying skyscrapers,
forgotten monuments
of a once proud city.
Flags hang limp above
the remains of Pennsylvania Avenue, with
nothing but the sound
of the howling winter
wind, and the occasional crack of gunfire to fill the uneasy
silence. New York is
slowly dying, and you
and your friends are
the cure.
The Division’s rendition of New York City
is sublime, offering the
most realistic and mesmerising interpretation
of the city to be found
in gaming. Nowhere
is this more apparent
than on the streets.
Abandoned cars festoon the forgotten
highways, rubbish fills
the gloomy sidewalks,
the neon lights sputter
silently in pools of melted snow, and steam
wafts lazily from the
tunnels below. The end
of the world has never
looked so good. This is
a world you just want
to lose yourself in, and
it makes the futuristic
planets of Destiny feel
bland and lifeless by
comparison.
Glorious
graphics are important, yet
the true spark of excellence comes from
awesome gameplay,
something which The
Division has in spades.
The third-person combat is outstanding, with
an impressive armoury
of guns for a multitude
of gameplay options.
All the weapons have
a satisfying heft to
them, with every shot
carrying a deadly sensation upon squeezing the trigger. My
personal favourite are
the sniper rifles, which
paint the snow red with
the blood of freshly
popped heads. Your
arsenal can be further
optimised by means of
a dozen perks, traits,
and skills, helping you
hone your operator
down to the smallest
detail. Fancy playing
a tank? The ballistic
shield skill is just what
you need. Favour engaging hardened criminals at a safe distance
(and why wouldn’t
you?) Grab the deployable turret to keep
those perps from your
perch. The range of
skills on offer here is
lacking compared to
most RPGs however,
SAMUEL
GILZEAN
something which is a
hindrance when soloing content.
The cover mechanics are fantastic, and
navigating the detailed environments is
effortless thanks to the
ability to switch cover
with one button press.
The world's verticality
helps keeps things tactical, and lets you approach situations from
multiple
directions,
keeping things fresh
during every encounter. The enemies are
challenging, especially on higher difficulties,
and trying to solo dungeons on Hard evokes
Dark Souls levels of
pain and frustration,
a welcome change
when so many shooters dumb down to feel
more hospitable to
casual players.
Despite a plethora
of main missions, side
quests, and encounters, there is little in
the way of narrative
exposition to keep
you engaged. I often
found myself aimlessly
wandering from one
objective to the next
purely for the pursuit
of that juicy XP, completely ignoring the
pathetic audio chitter-chatter that passes
for the story exposition.
The main dungeons
are the highlight, with
each one offering up a
unique location to explore, yet they, along
with the bounty of collectables, do little to
satiate a disappointing
story. Clearly The Division has been built
around multiplayer,
and it is here where the
game is at its very best.
Teaming up with a few
buddies and jumping
into the Dark Zone to
engage in some PvP
is absolutely fantastic.
The thrill of fending off
rogue players as you
call in for extraction
is unparalleled, and
nothing beats the feeling of accomplishment
when working as part
of a well-oiled machine with your friends.
Alone it is a tormenting
experience, and arguably all the more
electrifying as you
overcome the terror
of isolation as the city
GRAPHICS: 10
GAMEPLAY: 8
CONTENT: 5
REPLAYABILITY: 7
tries to claim your life.
The moment I stepped
into the Dark Zone,
alone, in the depths of
night is one I will never
forget, and the raw delight I felt after barely
escaping is something
few games match.
As an entire experience The Division
lacks focus. The parts
fail to mesh, and the
pursuit of accessibility
and multiplayer are
no doubt the cause.
The appalling narrative means only the
endless pursuit of loot
will keep you playing
for any length of time.
If crunching numbers
isn’t your thing, The Division will soon outstay
its welcome. That said
however the game is
still well worth playing,
thanks to its inch-perfect gameplay and
breathtaking rendition
of New York, and will
provide hours of entertainment.
7.5
21