Tom Clancy's:The Division Already One Step Ahead in Gaming
A statement is being made
Making a mark in the gaming industry isn't an easy task; however, The Division isn't far from doing just that. After much anticipation Tom Clancy's: The Division is finally being released on March 8th, 2016 and will be playable on Xbox One, Play Station 4, and PC. Could this open world third-person shooter be Ubisoft's key to success?
For those of you who don't know much about The Division or would like to have a better understanding of what the game is about, here is an overview:
It's Black Friday and a pandemic has taken over New York City. In a matter of days services begin to fail and food and water begin to diminish. Society begins to fall through the cracks and eventually; chaos. A unit of tactical agents, known as The Division, are soon activated. While they seem to be living normal lives, they are actually trained agents who are trying to save society.
The middle of Manhattan is known as The Dark Zone which was originally set up as a quarantine zone immediately after the virus broke out to contain the sick. After a massive blackout occurred, the military had to evacuate leaving all their gear and weapons behind. The Dark Zone is considered the most dangerous place in the game. Since this equipment is so valuable it's easy to assume that it will attract other players. When entering The Dark Zone the UI will cut out and you will lose connection, then, in a matter of seconds you will be able to reconnect. Once in The Dark Zone you will put on a mask to protect yourself from the virus. The area is highly contaminated so don't think for a second you can survive without it. This gear is valuable making it not easy to obtain. Staying in a group is highly recommended. You can then strategize as a team to extract gear and weapons easier. You will most likely run into other players in The Dark Zone. Will they become your friend or foe? You decide! You can collaborate with other players or betray them, kill them, and take their loot.
The brilliance within The Division
Loading screens (are there any?)
One aspect that really takes away from an open world game is the loading screen when changing cities or places, however, when playing The Division transitioning to The Dark Zone is seamless. You climb over a barrier and that's it! Rather than boring you with loading screens and waiting the gameplay is immediate. Pretty clever on Ubisoft's part.
Mapping
The mapping in the game is nothing like I've seen before. Rather than going to a completely separate menu to open up the map, you can access it in game. When you open the map you will see buildings that are around you, as well as the location of loot, other players on your team, and other players in the area. You can also set a waypoint to your next destination. Instead of opening your map every 5 seconds to see if you are close to your destination, you can locate an orange line above your player that will help guide you without completely distracting you from the game.
Skills
Turret: Pretty self explanatory, but, with this skill you deploy a stationary turret that shoots at near by targets until destroyed or out of ammo.
Seeker Mine: This is a mine that activates when an enemy is near it and will then chase them for 10 seconds. It can cause 1500-2000 damage.
Sticky Bomb: Simply a sticky grenade.
First Aid: There are multiple ways to heal a player. You can give yourself a shot or send out a grenade that heals all allies within a small radius. Before you throw the grenade it will show where it is going to hit.
Pulse: This sends out a pulse that allows you to see hostiles and allies through walls and other barriers.
Smart Cover: This reinforces a cover which increases the user's damage and reduces any incoming damage for all allies who are within the cover.
Factions
You aren't walking the streets of New York alone. There are two known factions within The Division. The first being Cleaners. They are located near highly contaminated areas. They want to get rid of any contagion from New York, meaning, they will set fire to anything and anyone that gets in their way. The second, Rikers which are former prisoners who have escaped from the Rikers Island prison and have made it to New York City.
Bases
Once you get more involved in the game you will realize New York is divided into districts and within those districts are various bases you can unlock. Each base has upgradable modules and functions that will benefit players. The more missions you do in the area of your base, the closer you get to improving your base. If you are with other players and one person unlocks a base then everyone will have access to that base.
Echoes of The Past
This has to be one of the most interesting parts to The Division. Each agent has a watch which can be used to access a map and change loadouts, but it can also access echoes. The watch accumulates all the digital data that is available in certain areas which includes closed-circuit cameras and telephone conversations. Once all that data is collected it projects a frozen three-dimensional moment that will sometimes include audio to accompany it. Once displayed, agents can walk through and interact with certain images to discover important elements that help reveal valuable information about your immediate surroundings. It can also help provide more insight to the epidemic that took over New York.
The Division is a new angle to an open world game. It pushes you to work together as a team. The AI are surprisingly smart keeping each player on their toes allowing for fast-paced game play. This is a game you shouldn't miss out on! Be a member of The Division and save New York. "When society falls, we rise."
http://thedivision.wikia.com/wiki/The_Division_Wiki
http://tomclancy-thedivision.ubi.com/game/en-US/home/index.aspx