A post-apocalyptic MMO shooter focused on realism

Jan 7, 2015 15:34 GMT  ·  By

Our Incoming 2015 series focuses on the most important game launches of the next 12 months, and next up we talk about one of Ubisoft's most anticipated upcoming title, Tom Clancy's The Division.

What we know

The game takes place after an outbreak wreaks havoc across the continental United States, putting the player in the shoes of some government operatives trying to maintain social order to the best of their ability.

The plot is inspired by actual real life protocols such as Operation Dark Winter and Directive 51, scenarios meant to direct how various calamities (man-made or otherwise) should be approached in order to ensure the continuity of the federal government.

Events take place in a crumbling society, and players will have to undergo various missions in the field. The game plays pretty much like Activision's Destiny, in a shared world blending single and multiplayer experiences.

The Division will also wall off PvP content in special areas titled Dark Zones, and throughout their adventures in the world, gamers will only come against computer-controlled non-playable characters.

The only place where you'll be able to meet actual people that are not in your party is in the communal hub area, where everyone comes to resupply, trade, turn in quests and find new activities to perform.

Being a current-gen only game, The Division is also a looker, but you can't really judge a book from its cover, especially with Ubisoft's habit of releasing impressive in-engine screenshots and trailers ahead of a game's release, only to build up hype and have people disappointed when the game actually ships.

The Division will essentially provide gamers with a sprawling urban playground to explore, packed with a lot of content and detail.

Why it matters

Ubisoft wants to craft an experience similar to Destiny in many ways but also different enough to appeal to those who shrugged off Activision's science-fiction first-person shooter.

The first major change is the perspective, as the game is a third-person shooter. The second major difference is the way the gear system works.

The main reason for playing repetitive games such as Diablo or Destiny after going through the main campaign is to get better loot and have some fun in the process, and Ubisoft has prepared a similar item progression system, to reward players for their effort.

The end-game is one of The Division's big goals, as the developers has mentioned that their intent is to provide a potentially endless stream of fresh gameplay, and that means that players have to be supplied with new items and weapons to use, increasing their combat capacity and versatility.

Instead of having distinct video gamey tiers such as "epic" or "legendary," Ubisoft opted to use a much more organic system, where each weapon has various stats such as recoil, reload time, and so on, and players will be able to get increasingly powerful guns that also fit their preferred play style.

Ubisoft is pushing for realism, and the painstakingly detailed visuals and sound gameplay mechanics will go hand in hand to ensure that players will be immersed in the post-apocalyptic world.

Tom Clancy's The Division is currently in the making, expected to come out this year on PC, the Xbox One home console from Microsoft, and the PlayStation 4 home entertainment system from Sony.

Tom Clancy's The Division screenshots (4 Images)

Tom Clancy's The Division
The city looks great so farA bit of futuristic tech
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