This game is one of the most awaited games by MMO gamers worldwide – the hype was there since years ago. But as we all know, there are many games out there that started from a “big hype” but ends with an “utter FAIL”. Is “Tom Clancy’s The Division” one of those “utter fail” games?
As one avid fan of LAN shooter games and MMORPGs, I’ve always imagined an online game with those 2 mixed genres – and so far, The Division, surprisingly… has not met all of my expectations but it’s not an “utter fail” in my eyes.
The graphics, even at 1366×768 low resolution, gave me a jaw-gaping reaction. I played the game using my laptop with Nvidia GEForce 940M graphics and an i5-5200 processor – and so far, I haven’t experienced any lag or delays in framerate. The particle effects may be annoying for some, especially since you really can’t see the enemy’s head or body during a snow storm or when the background is raging fire, but I AM LOVING IT – because it gives more thrill, more realism and more challenge to the game. Although there are some areas that does hurt the eyes, like blinking bright lights in low powered houses and lots.
I also LOVE the minimal UI. Unlike majority of the shooter games, you see the usual boxes at the bottom of the screen – but Ubisoft has done an awesome job of making the UI simple and minimal, making players appreciate the “movie like” scenery to heart.
Since it’s an online game, a stable internet connection is a MUST especially if you’re hosting a group mission. I haven’t really experienced any disconnects or server lags these days. Ofcourse, not counting the first few days of release. But the servers are now stable and my ping has been stable and I can do headshots without experiencing awkward “teleportation” delays to my heart’s content.
I have to admit that the gameplay is beginning to get repetitive and this is where the “hype” goes down. Since basically all you have to do is repeat the same tasks all over again. Kill the rioters, save the hostages, connect the power lines, defend the supplies, retake the supplies, etc… but this is all on the base game (without the season pass). I haven’t tried out the “Season Pass” version though, they say it has more missions and cool uniforms to try out – so I’m not quite sure if it will actually improve the gameplay but I certainly hope so. But there’s one thing that I’m not quite sure yet – and that is the goal of the game. Sure, I do missions like rescuing people and I also get to upgrade my HQ until all features are unlocked – but what happens after that? Some people say that it’s an open-world MMO type of game, so it basically doesn’t have an end. You just have to do the same usual stuff and repeat it all over again till you’re tired of it – I guess.
There’s also the issue of cross-platform. There is NO possibility of having the game cross-platform compatible, as Ubisoft claims. You can’t play with other players who bought the game on PS4 and XBOX. So, it’s another downside to the game especially when all your friends are playing on the PS4 and you’re the only one left out playing on the PC. But it’s not really the end of the world, you can still play with other players on the same platform through the game’s party terminal. So you won’t get lonely all by yourself actually. Just be careful though, the missions adjust accordingly based on the player levels of the group. So if you have a level 30 player and you’re a level 6 player — expect a high level mob where the NPCs get to one shot you out of nowhere. So, if you’re a lowbie and you got high level party members – my advice? Just hide and stay faaarr away, don’t bother shooting. LOL
As to customizing your character’s uniform, guns and skills – it’s quite satisfactory. Your gun’s parts can be modified from supressors, to optical lenses, grips, etc… even skinning your guns with paint stripes is possible. Crafting your own guns and recalibrating your gun’s stats is also possible. Though you will need lots of grinding to get the materials you need for crafting. And did I say your bag gets full quite easily? And your stash only has 40 slots. So you’ll find yourself going back to HQ every after mission and deconstructing the useless loot you have so often.
You can choose a costume for your character by stealing clothes from abandoned apartments, or just offering help to nearby civilians in need and they’ll give you a bunch of costumes that all look similar except for the color. When you upgrade your HQ, you can get free costumes in the procurement area. Though in the end, the color of the jackets and pants you wear doesn’t really “camouflauge” you from the enemy’s precise one-shot headshots either. So wear that bright orange jacket for all they care – it doesn’t really matter anyway.
Tom Clany’s The Division is a typical open-world MMO game that’s fun yet repetitive in the end. So like all MMOs, expect that people will lose interest in the long run, except the hard-core loyal ones.
Overall, the game is a satisfactory 7.3/10. It’s not an “utter fail” game but a game that’s definitely worth collecting.
Review was written by JAMZKIE RIA from BreakMyGame.com.