The Division Review (Xbox One)

I have only visited New York once, but I have seen this venerable city explored by tons of movies, books, news reports and TV shows, and the way it is represented in The Division is one of the most atmospheric I have ever experienced.

Simply moving around through the empty and snow-covered streets, looking at the signs of destructions and abandonment, with few people running around and sounds of gunfire echoing in the air, is great.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere of The Division is not entirely matched by its gameplay mechanics, which feature little in the way of innovation and offer a very classic mix of third-person cover shooter, role-playing like progression and inventory system and multiplayer action.

The game is offered on the Xbox One from Microsoft, on which downloadable content packs will be first offered, but can also be played on the PC and the PlayStation 4 from Sony.

Story

The Division imagines a world in which the Dollar Flu, unleashed just after Black Friday, leads to widespread breakdown in government service in the United States and transforms all of New York into a quarantine zone.

The player is a special agent trained for exactly such a situation, and the game follows him and his comrades as they try to take back the city from a variety of enemy factions who have their own agenda while finding out more about the cause of the disease and the powers that are profiting from it.

Gamers will have to deal with factions, NPCs that offer missions in both the central player hub and the safe houses and even civilians that sometimes drop items once the player gives them water or energy bars, but none of them has clearly designed personalities and the dialogue, despite some attempts at humor and irony, is mostly functional.

The Division opening

There's a relatively weird disconnect between the aims of the government, which wants to restore order and eventually rebuild once the virus is dealt with, and the extensive use of violence that is required to reach this goal.

The other factions that are trying to occupy New York have interesting agendas and are well defined but such a complex situation clearly can't be solved via violence only, and almost all the interactions in the game feel a little forced.

Gameplay

The Division is a cover-driven third-person shooter that challenges players to set up their base of operations in Manhattan while taking out large groups of Artificial Intelligence enemies and exploring Dark Zones that offer better rewards for those who are ready to deal with human threats.

The game also features an extensive progression system, featuring talents, skills, and perks, that offers a lot of freedom when it comes to character building and is in turn enhanced by the wide range of equipment that drops during combat, which in turn can be modded to further personalize it.

The map offers a variety of story critical missions, encounters and side quests and the resources that are gained can then be invested to improve the tech, security and medical wings of the player base.

During combat, gamers will spend most of their time crouched behind cars, cement blocks or other types of environment, trying to find the best moment to take out enemies or to deploy a special power that can change the course of the fight.

All enemies, even the weakest ones, take a lot of bullets to kill and combat against the named bosses often turns into long, attrition-driven engagements in which the fun quotient drops relatively quickly as gamers explore routines, revive each other and manage their resources to stay alive.

Melee-focused enemies are a little too fast and powerful, a big threat especially in enclosed areas, and grenades feel like tools to get enemies out of cover rather than good ways to kill them where they stand.

“Ubisoft has filled the map of The Division with icons that mark missions and activities, but their design offers little in the way of variety, with carefully constructed arenas that are assaulted by waves of enemies before a final confrontation with a boss.”

The repetition means that gamers can try out different tactical approaches and builds for their character but it also means that there's little in the way of motivation, other than the items and resource rewards, for players to push players forward.

The Division also features a Dark Zone, the area where the government initially tried to contain the outbreak, which features tougher AI controlled enemies and allows players to interact directly with other humans who are not part of their group.

The challenge level is increased but better loot also beckons for those who are ready to engage in extended firefights, secure new items and then deal with the extraction process, during which other gamers can go rogue to try and steal their loot.

Graphics and audio

The Division is impressive from a graphical standpoint and manages to nail down the look of a post-apocalyptic New York, offering glimpses of its greatness before the fall that are mingled with signs of the strains that are placed upon the population, the buildings and the soul of the city.

The area of Manhattan where the action takes place has been trimmed, but there are plenty of real-world landmarks, with changed names, that gamers will explore and fight in, which adds some gravitas to the entire experience.

Use of snow is also impressive and Ubisoft has also introduced many small touches, like the cheery Santa Claus figures that often pop up between cover spots and the strings of decorations that are clearly visible in many locations, that, coupled with the realism of the locations, lends gravitas to the game and makes firefights seem more important than they are.

Play Video

The landscape is often very pretty but the design of enemies feels a little unimaginative, and there are plenty of moments when they seem to slide around rather than move, especially when they get shot in the head or when a grenade forces them to move out of cover.

The sound design of The Division is solid, with plenty of chatter between the various NPCs and the protagonist during missions, and the soundtrack manages to stay subtle all the way through while combat feels furious.

Multiplayer

The Division can be enjoyed as a solo title, but every mission feels more interesting when at least three if not four gamers are involved, and the game makes it relatively easy to find players to join up with for those who do not have pre-defined groups.

The difficulty scales up compared to solo play, but having the abilities of three or four people to use, especially against the named enemies, offers solid tactical advantage and teamwork can also make it easier to move through areas and secure rewards.

Working with other gamers is even more important in the Dark Zones, where the Player versus Player action takes place because it is hard for a lone player to secure precious loot and then extract it and, depending on the circumstance, even groups of four can have a hard time dealing with rogue agents.

After a short hiccup at launch, the servers that power The Division are solid and the community is mostly friendly, despite the fact that there are plenty of players who are standing in the middle of doors in social hubs to make it harder for others to move around.

The Dark Zones offer space for some interesting interactions between groups, and it will be fascinating to see how gamers improve on the current system of doing jumping jacks to show their unthreatening nature.

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion