Alternate Earth review of The Division.
" So, what are you playing?", This? its a new game I just picked up, called, The Division.
"Looks pretty intense, nice graphics, what about play?" Thats the really great part, the Dev team is really intent on handling all matters concerning the game in a very timely manner and the Community Managers are just as good with communication. "thats nice to hear, but I asked about game play?"
Getting to that. The world is pretty awesome looking as you can see. "yep, like the look, really detailed". The scavenge system allows you to interact and pickup or sort through all the trash and cars and whatnot around this world, its amazing the doodads you can pick up. "Whats that?" Oh this? Heh, its a list of the things I can build while out in the world or in the dark Zone. "The what Zone?". the Dark Zone, its a little bit of pvp and a little bit of pve mixed, it was executed really, really well. "Looks like you and the npc's are pretty evenly matched. Is everyone so fragile from damage?" Had to be this way. People would do insane stacking of skills and healing otherwise and there is no consequence with those systems, so weapons do extreme damage as they should, people are thoughtful on how and whom they attack, and they use cover, makes people think instead of just running amok.
"So dont you have a ton of nifty skills to use? Why the scavenging?" Nope, no skills. No healing, No BS. You pickup things and build the little pieces of hell tech to use in pve and pvp. "What can you build?" Lots, Armor plates for added protection though they are not super good being salvage. Electronic jammers, small bombs, shrapnel, fire, smoke...heh smoke, really heavy smoke. Things of that nature. "You said no healing, how do people get their health back?" They don't. Keeps people honest, they dont go running around like banshees or haphazardly, lots of cover is used and distance until a group or solo person knows they have the advantage to overtake a position.
"Wow, sounds like a tense situation at all times, so cover is very important?" VERY. Now you can bandage a person and get a small of the health back but you can only scavenge for bandage supplies and while applying them if you get hit, that one is gone, the worse you are hit the more problems you have with movement and combat. Makes for thoughtful engagements in either the PVE zone or the Dark Zone. "Sounds like they nailed it." "What about loot?" Loot? The whole world is your loot! Scavenging rocks.
Yeps really good choices, keep it simple and fun and just complicate enough with the scavenge system to keep folks happy. i dont think all the recipes of what you can make have been found yet there are so many. but then you are limited as to what you can carry as weight affects you and your stamina and how steady you are after a long run. "What about the Rogue thing you were talking about a bit ago? That in this game?" Oh yes, Rogues are agents that have turned murderer on everyone, not just the bad guys. Though they have no extra skills what happens is once they go Rogue, it's permanent across their account, a punishment for turning traitor. Rogues can scavenge you for parts but regular agents cannot scavenge other agents unless they are Rogue.
Dedicated regular agents get a warning via their electronics that a Rogue agent is nearby, within a block and subsequent warnings the closer they get, it can be turned off but it isnt too annoying and acts as a proximity radar when Rogues are about. Really ramps the tension up. Rogues have no warning or active electronics anymore as they get shut off by The Division base, another penalty for going murderer "But how do player go Rogue in the first place?" , Nifty thing there, before entering the Dark Zone the player is given a one time choice that covers his account, its a big step and huge choice to make to go Rogue. Otherwise there are no other penalties other than a status board showing kills on both sides and who has a bounty on them, but that's a story for another time. Setting NPC's on people, sooo funny. "So they cant group in PVE?" Oh, sure they can, just not in the Dark Zone.
"So I noticed your outfit, things appear and disappear as you use them, and your outfit looks shredded in a few spots from bullets, your pants leg is burnt away from tha flame thingy that attacked you". Great isnt it? Battle damage and item usage appearance, the dev that thought of that is a genius. "Noticed there is no map showing player position, just a map you can make notes on". Yep, good choices there also. "Why are there no name tags above the players showing who is who?" Ahh that. Not needed, player uniforms are so customizable, its rare two people look the same, plus it makes people think before firing. Another brilliant dev idea executed well.
"What the hell are you doing to your weapon?" Oh? This, lol. It took some damage and is getting worn so I am adding some scavenged parts until i get back to my base and get it properly repaired, the malfunctions I have are so hilarious as are the random things that can happen to my modded weapon against other players, hell, i had my hand guard came off with part of my barrel and embedded itself in the body of some player, too funny, plus they begin to look like some Frankenstein thing, pretty amusing. Another time a friend of mine put this untested recipe for some rolling flail together, it ended up snagging his pant leg and drug him right into the middle of the enemy players, never laughed so hard in my life, and yes, these recipes will malfunction from time to time but thats an added draw, you never know when something you make quickly is going to glitch on you with hilarious outcomes. "So you can carry alot of weapons and ammo? Hell no, one weapon, one pistol and some reasonable ammo, stuff is heavy, it will screw movement and stamina.
"Sounds like a game I want to play". Ya go grab it. "I may do that, but for some reason, this sounds too good to be true......I feel dizzy, the light, wha...?".
Then...i woke up.
1 people found this helpful