Agent, Incoming Message
Hey y’all remember the first game and how it turned out? The first game was met with a lot of hype and calls that this will be the Destiny killer(if I remember). Then, the game was released to the public and it was met with the fabled Room Glitch(where trolls could block a doorway that led to a computer that would start you off into the game). And Then players realized how tiresome it was going to be to get loot and level up because the endgame was nothing more than higher lever AI bullet sponges? Man, I ‘member. But a funny thing happened along Division 1’s lifespan. A year after it’s release, Division 1 released a core update that changed all the BIG complaints when it first launched(side note: The Room Glitch though was fixed like a week after it was found). This fix changed the core gameplay and fixed a lot of backend issues. But unlike Bungie, Massive CARRIED these changes over to the sequel The Division 2 (DIV2).
Agent, An Echo is detected
For those that never plated Tom Clancy’s Division. The story goes a virus was unleashed to the world … by accident. It was a new form of Smallpox and it originally was going to be the basis for a cure-all to every disease known to man. But it wasn’t ready and it leaked out. Everything went down because people started to die. Some survived and most of the plague was Quarantined to specific areas.
Agent, Incoming Backup Request
One of the first things you will notice when you log on is … nothing has changed. The UI is the same, the start screen is the same, even the character customization screen is the same. Nothing changed. I was like … “oh great(using a sarcastic voice) same old crap!”. Watched the intro, looked pretty and then loaded in. I had my first gunfight and I realized … This feels like Gears of War now. The view is like any other 3rd person shooter over the shoulder, but in an interesting note(some have not noticed) they pulled the camera back just a tad further. To give you a better view of the action. Which also means when you ADS (Aim Down Sights) … you ALSO have a better Field Of View(FOV). This little touch REALLY helps, especially when Washington DC has wider streets. So more flanking opportunities by the enemies … a lot of enemies. Public events are EVERYWHERE AND MARKED. Hear that Bioware? I can solo the game, unlike ANY OTHER LOOTER SHOOTER out on the market today. It feels like I NEED to be with a team in Anthem. It feels like I COULD SOLO in Destiny, but I could DPS a boss much FASTER if I had two more helping me. And if I have a public event? Forget it … you NEED more. In Division 2? You can go solo or matchmake … meaning when you do campaign missions you can be the only guy on the streets … if I matchmake? Those streets are littered with randos that can only help NOT HARM. Speaking on that … one of the biggest complaints of the first game was the only way to reach endgame and get the best gear was playing in the Darkzone.
Agent is down, Requesting backup
What is the Darkzone? It was a hellish landscape, and in lore worse, a place where cameras are turned off and it’s a basic free for all, everything is contaminated by the Green Plague; it’s main objective was simple. It was a Player versus AI versus Player environment (PvEvP). You would load in with a team(4 players total) and it would look like anything else you did in the campaign. The DZ would have a main event that you HAD to complete. Now in the DZ you could see other Agents, but unlike in the campaign … they can hurt you, including teammates. And take your stuff. Leaving you with nothing. Now LUCKILY if you respawned … your gear is with you, BUT whatever gear you attained while in the DZ … that is gone. And this was the CRUX of this mode. People would basically TROLL players … Hey wanna team up? Sure … player x gets an exotic … player y, who invited player x … shoots X and takes the gear. Then, gets to an extraction point and leaves. This is where people started to leave the game, because of this behavior it became a true TOXIC ZONE. Now, Div2 fixes this, making DZ a separate game mode. You no longer NEED to do the DZ. It has its own gear and it’s own leveling system. If you pick up gear it’s yours now. No more looting a teammate and them losing it, because it wasn’t extracted. The only gear you HAVE to extract is if it’s a high-level gear … say an exotic backpack. Other than that what’s yours is yours now. A true Christmas miracle.
Agent, an Electronic Device is nearby
So, how’s the game? It’s fun. There is a lot to do and the complexity is varied enough to not feel stale(Hear that Bioware?). Just like the other two current day Looter Shooters, Div2 has three enemy factions (the fourth is AFTER endgame) and each faction has (so far I discovered) 9 enemy types. It’s really fun fighting each type and being scared crapless when a rusher comes screaming at you from an angle you were unaware was undefended. The one thing I never experienced, because of Div 1’s awkward starting point were the skills and perks. I never did get to experience ANY of it. So, getting that RIGHT AWAY was a nice surprise and what a surprise it was. I love the auto aim turret and healing drone. Both work extremely well (up until this last patch) and help in all situations. The graphics are super clean and the sound is superb (I still love that techno sounding intro. Always have). Music kicks in when it needs to and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. Unlike Anthem, which has no idea when to kick in … if at all. But if I had to rank, Bungie still wins this. Bungie NAILS music, gun sounds, and ambient noises. I put my (now shattered) headphones on, I can close my eyes, know what kind of enemies, and where they are. Division 2 gets that, but because the instances are SOOO WIDE, sometimes it’s hard to tell. But again gun sounds Bungie nails. I don’t care. They do.
Agent requesting assistance
So, for all the positives there have to be negatives! Right? Right? Bueller? Beuller? Sure, there are random sound effects kicking off, my controller vibration RANDOMLY stopping, or my skills suddenly stopping; like right after they are deployed(the recent 1.6 patch made this happen, they are investigating). Sure, it sucks and sure it’s bad. BUT it’s nothing like Anthem’s issues or even Destiny 2’s. Most of these are being fixed, or have JUST been addressed this weekend. Yes, some players discovered these and let Massive know about it. Guess what they said on Friday that this weekend they are patching it … there will be a Saturday and SUNDAY patch. All done server side. So, we WON’T have to log off and D’L something (HEAR THAT BUNGIE!), Jesus. This company has been so upfront with this game … it makes me sick (I’m getting angina). Their presence on Reddit is only rivaled by Bungie, but unlike Bungie where they say “We’re working on it”. They say “I sent it to the proper people”, then that person comes chiming in … “yup the next patch which is Tuesday(AFTER Sunday’s) will fix that.” AMAZING. Massive in this short time has become the standard(in my mind). It hurts to see Bungie fall behind, considering what they used to be. And Bioware … no joke left Reddit. they deleted almost all accounts. The only one left is the Community Manager, who basically said they will not address issues with anyone unless it’s worded nicely. No, I am not kidding about this.
Agent, High Priority package nearby
My time with Division 2’s beta left me wanting more; I even rated it a 4.75. It checked off a lot of the boxes for a Looter Shooter.
1. Loot? Yes.
2. Shooting? Yup. Lots ‘o Dead bodies.
3. Lack of Story? YES! THANK GOD.
Speaking of that. If I want a story in a Looter Shooter … I’ll buy myself a Nerf Gun … scatter the nerf bullets around my house, drop random colored trash bags filled with clothes and nerf guns around my abode, play the audiobook of Tale of Two Cities, all while shooting random things in my place. Stop with this incessant need for a story with a Looter Shooter. I get it, but that’s NOT a Looter Shooters main goal. I want LORE. Especially, with Destiny, they made LORE like loot. That’s REALLY what I want. And Div2 does that too.
The full game is even better than I expected. There’s a lot to do, and in some cases overwhelmed by how much. Instead of Destiny’s drip-feed of missions and side quests. You are HIT LIKE A SLEDGEHAMMER(I miss Fifth Harmony) in the DOME with the amount of stuff. I love it. The main gripes with the game have or are being addressed as we speak. Massive Entertainment deserves a lot of praise and accolades here. They are REALLY listening to their Community and Fans, but also sticking to their guns on other things. If you want a game that is a mix of Destiny, with Diablo, and Borderlands … Division 2 is the game. I hate True Sons.