‘Tom Clancy’s The Division’ A Solid Entry In New ‘3PS-MMO’ Genre
“Moving up! Take position on their left flank and advance! I’ll move up onto that elevated position and provide overwatch as the other two assault from the middle!” One of our teammates shouted out orders as the rest of us frantically took cover behind roadblocks, abandoned cars and half broken crates. A loudspeaker somewhere ahead of us boomed with the voice of a man named Joe Ferro who was the leader of a faction called “Cleaners” and carried the philosophy that the virus had to be expunged by any means to prevent it from spreading across the globe. The Cleaners’ tactics involved a lot of flame throwers and a huge pile of industry grade napalm meant to burn anyone to ashes if they were even suspected of having been infected. Our team fought our way through their napalm factory, disabled supply tanks and destroyed their manufacturing base before progressing upwards into a half constructed tower. Once reaching the top floor, the Spud Squad (inside joke amongst friends) engaged in a frantic, running gun battle over a three-floor penthouse suite while Joe held a meeting with his upper echelon warriors and then loudly proclaimed that he will deal with us himself. From his office stepped out a large man covered in flame retardant clothing who sported a heavy flamer and a maniacal can-do attitude that would not be lost on a Firebat or the Pyro from Team Fortress 2. Over the microphones, the Potatoes sounded off wearily as they checked their ammo counts and called out targets of priority — this fight had only just begun.
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The Division is Ubisoft’s 2016 entry into the MMO-esque third person shooter genre and takes place in a virus- ridden Manhattan. A smallpox pandemic referred to as the “Dollah flu” or “The Green Poison” that had been spread via contaminated money has led to an almost unstoppable virus that has caused the country to teeter on the edge of collapse and is on the verge of ending the United States as we know it. The player is an operative — a part of a secret government organization known as The Strategic Homeland Division or just The Division. The operatives are trained to be completely self-sufficient while operating outside of any military command structure and have been activated by the President to take back the city from the rogue elements running wild inside of it — groups like the “Rikers” who are former prisoners of Rikers Island, “The Cleaners” who are former sanitation workers looking to expunge the virus through fire, various gangs known as “The Rioters,” and the “Last Man Battalion” made up of soldiers looking to deal with the virus in their own lethal way. The operative is also tasked with finding the source of the virus and helping to combat it while being assisted by the remnants of NY’s first responders — police, fire departments and the Joint Task Force (JTF). From a gameplay standpoint, The Division allows for a swift, almost parkour-like movement through the game. It allows the player to move and redress combat via a cover system that enables dynamic range of motion. The player can scale to a higher structure while also targeting parts of the destructible environment to damage the enemy.
The game sports a time-based full weather system that adds another level of immersion while also creating situations where visibility can be almost negated. A day/night cycle causes shifts in various A.I.’s personalities and method of engagement with the player. As the player progresses through the game they can gain experience points and in-game currency that can be used to purchase gear, weapons and active skills that further helps to customize their operative. Active skills include the ability to ping the area to see hostile threats, throw down a defense turret or toss out med kits to heal their teammates. As those skills progress, sub-skills or mods can be unlocked to further help specialize the player’s operative and equipment. As a player progresses and levels up they unlock more and more options for their operative while also gathering clothing attire to help customize their operative to give them a more distinct look.
One of the more fleshed out elements of the game is the much vaunted Dark Zone — a PVP exclusive zone meant to be explored by the more adventurous players (or the more foolhardy) to gather the best equipment in the game. Within the Dark Zone borders more hostile NPCs roam along with other players who are also picking over the cordoned-off zone like carrion birds. Since all equipment inside the Dark Zone is considered contaminated, each item has to be lifted out of the zone via helicopter evacuation. Once players are ready to send off their gather spoils from NPCs or other players — a flare is fired into the sky and a helicopter summoned while a countdown begins. The flare alerts all nearby mobs that converge onto the evacuation zone. Since players can go rogue at any moment — this creates a tension among everyone in the area and sometimes evacuation zones break down into desperate firefights as players look to take their spoils from the bodies of the dead. Players who kill other players within the zone are marked as rogue and can be hunted down for bounty. Be warned that dying too much within the Dark Zone will lower your ranking within it and keep you from accessing DZ-specific weapons and gear that’s tied to the levels.
The game itself boasts an immersive story line told via cut scenes and in-game items such as cellphones, videos and other data. Be warned that this is a very mature game and the story content can be very graphic in terms of language and content. The launch of the game had minor server issues that were smoothed out within hours and the season pass boasts an almost monthly update with year one expansions already planned. I highly recommend this game and if you decide to play — remember that in the Dark Zone a friend one minute is an enemy the next. If you see someone named Crash the Stampede then say hello and I might not shoot you.
