Tom Clancy's The Division

[Pete1210]

There will be an open beta from Feb 19 - 21 on XB1, PS4 and PC. On XB1 beta starts one day earlier. Download should be available on Feb 16th.

It will include all content from the closed beta plus an additional story mission, additional wing open at the base and gameplay tweaks based on feedback from the closed beta.

[Danimal]

Giddy Up!!

[AcemanPR]

Good! I didn't get a chance to play the closed beta as much as I wanted. I'm glad I didn't delete the beta from my hard drive.

[Diablo25]

I played the beta and really liked it. The Dark zone (MP area) is a b*tch! Looking forward to some more time with the game.

[Danimal]

So I ordered a new gaming keyboard and it came with a code for a copy of the Division on PC from Amazon. Then the keyboard comes and there is another code in the box. I'm waiting to it releases to find out if it is indeed an extra one but there is a chance I may have a 2nd copy.

[TCrouch]

So I ordered a new gaming keyboard and it came with a code for a copy of the Division on PC from Amazon. Then the keyboard comes and there is another code in the box. I'm waiting to it releases to find out if it is indeed an extra one but there is a chance I may have a 2nd copy.

I'd be all over that if you're offering it

I am picking up the XBO version to play on consoles, but wanted the PC version. Selling that idea to the wife is proving difficult.

[Diablo25]

The update was available for me to update today so I am currently updating. Hope it's playable tonight

[Danimal]

So I ordered a new gaming keyboard and it came with a code for a copy of the Division on PC from Amazon. Then the keyboard comes and there is another code in the box. I'm waiting to it releases to find out if it is indeed an extra one but there is a chance I may have a 2nd copy.

I'd be all over that if you're offering it

I am picking up the XBO version to play on consoles, but wanted the PC version. Selling that idea to the wife is proving difficult.

I'm waiting to March 8th to make sure my 1st code works, if it does the 2nd one is fair game

[TCrouch]

I spent several hours last night playing this exclusively in co-op with my wife and best friend. First impressions are this game is absolutely everything I hoped it would be. I'm ok with firing a full clip into a hoodied bad guy to kill him, rather than 1 bullet...so that doesn't annoy me. I've played enough RPGs and action shooters to suspend disbelief easily there.

But last night we were working together flanking and covering our advances. We were clearing zones and rooms like a pretty lethal team. Wiped through all the story missions, then started just exploring on random encounters (hostage situations, stronghold assaults, that missing person with the echo stuff, which I'm still figuring out). By the time we got the turret ability and one guy had the shield, we started wading into rooms with the shield drawn, and I'd chuck a turret over the top of him.

As it chewed through the fodder, we'd fan out and catch them in a crossfire, like fish in a barrel. What impressed me is the AI tries to get out of the way. They don't just stand there like idiots...they scurry for cover, they try to flank you and close the distance, etc.

We got piles of (somewhat inconsequential) loot, but once I found a SCAR-H and eventually the A1 rifle, I realized that a lower DPS number didn't mean anything. The semi-auto rifles had a much higher damage-per-shot rating, and some had +100% or more head shot damage. Suddenly guys started dropping with head shots (or at worst, two). Those ambush setups got much more gratifying.

Either way, I can see investing some serious time into this one. I love Destiny, but apparently I love cover shooters more. Destiny is MMO Halo, where the Division seems to be MMO Gears of War/Diablo/Borderlands instead.

And I haven't seen a prettier XBox One game yet. I saw no jaggies, none of that shimmering effect with a lower resolution. If they have one, I can't spot it, which is really unusual. It's absolutely gorgeous, and we had it running side by side by side on 3 different types of TVs (46" Samsung LED 3DTV, 60" Vizio, and a 55" Curved Samsung 4K). All three looked fabulous.

After the lukewarm impressions I read earlier, maybe I was just ready for it to be crap, and instead got pleasantly surprised.

[pk500]

I guess I need to dive more deeply into the beta over the weekend. I played for about 30 minutes last night and was underwhelmed. The Division felt like Destiny -- a shooter trying to create credibility by emphasizing RPG elements. At least the cover-based system of The Division is far more tactical than the mindless grind of Destiny even though the amount of hits enemies can take before dropping is ridiculous.

But the RPG elements of The Division sure felt like window dressing to me, just like Destiny. This game felt like just another Clancy shooter to me, with better AI, as Terry said.

Hopefully the light bulb will illuminate for me this weekend. But right now I don't see myself dropping $60 for this game.

GET OFF MY LAWN.

[TCrouch]

I think a lot of it may have to do with the game style you're used to, as well. I play a TON of MMOs, so the open world "go here, do this for negligible reward and XP gain" is something I'm used to (and can easily get hooked on). Mixing and matching mods I found and testing various guns was really compelling to me, as their fire rate and spread pattern, stability, etc. all changed how I'd play each encounter.

Found an M249 SAW and was like "OH HELL YEAH!". Used it for about 3 fights. The stability was insane (pulled straight up so fast I almost had to use full R stick down to keep it centered), and the spread was so bad I could barely hit a guy standing in front of me. Found a "blue" double barreled shotgun that drops guys in 1 hit. Finding different scopes and suppressors and quick release mags, forehand grips, etc., just became sort of a Diablo-like loot search.

I dig all of that, so perhaps I'm the type of player this game is built for. Stuff like Call of Duty don't do it for me long term, but a cover based shooter with loot? I'm all over that.

[Danimal]

30 minutes is no where near enough to make a judgement. Did you even finish the story mission in that time? did you do any of the other missions?

Play a couple of hours, that is what it took for it to click for me.

[pk500]

30 minutes is no where near enough to make a judgement. Did you even finish the story mission in that time? did you do any of the other missions?

Play a couple of hours, that is what it took for it to click for me.

Definitely. I plan to spend a lot more time with The Division this weekend, hoping to avoid a tjung instant analysis. Sorry, Tim -- couldn't resist!

[Danimal]

30 minutes is no where near enough to make a judgement. Did you even finish the story mission in that time? did you do any of the other missions?

Play a couple of hours, that is what it took for it to click for me.

Definitely. I plan to spend a lot more time with The Division this weekend, hoping to avoid a tjung instant analysis. Sorry, Tim -- couldn't resist!

To be clear I wasn't trying to imply you didn't give it a fair shot. Just that I felt the same way until I played for a while and saw the mission variety, plus Dark Zone is just a lot of fun. I'm not a big min / max guy so trying to figure out dps and all that other s*** on weapons bugs me. I just equip a weapon add attachments and see how it feels.

[TCrouch]

Dan, will you be playing the PC Beta at all this weekend? I'm going to be hopping onto that tonight.

[AcemanPR]

When The Division was first announced, it was my most anticipated game. With the delays, it fell off my radar a bit but I was still looking forward to the game a lot. I was able to participate in the closed beta last month. Paul, you need to give the game more than a half hour because I was underwhelmed at first as well, as have been a lot of friends that only got their feet wet. As you get deeper in the beta, you start understanding the depth the game will have. Playing the beta second time through, I'm more and more excited to see March 8 come around. While I enjoyed Destiny, I believe The Division is tailored more for me. I'm like Terry, these types of games are built for me, I get sucked in and just love the play style. The open beta seems more polished than the closed beta, the AI is definitely fun to watch. I'll play the beta more over the weekend, but can't wait to finally enjoy the whole game in three short weeks.

[Danimal]

Dan, will you be playing the PC Beta at all this weekend? I'm going to be hopping onto that tonight.

Yes for sure, I'm going to play in a hour I hope, but tonight 7pm CT or so.

My uplay id is Danimal66 as well.

[TCrouch]

Think mine is Ragehawk. I played for about 45 minutes at lunch....yup, every bit as good as I hoped, aiming with a M+KB.

[Danimal]

I sent you a request. I have a Skype meeting at 6pm then wiull grab something to east then play

[tjung0831]

30 minutes is no where near enough to make a judgement. Did you even finish the story mission in that time? did you do any of the other missions?

Play a couple of hours, that is what it took for it to click for me.

Definitely. I plan to spend a lot more time with The Division this weekend, hoping to avoid a tjung instant analysis. Sorry, Tim -- couldn't resist!

Funny you say that Paul because here is an actual txt I send my oldest son earlier tonight regarding "The Division"

[Macca00]

GET OFF MY LAWN.

[Danimal]

Played last night some more, then with Terry a little bit this morning and just now. I'm excited for the full release so more missions open up.

[pk500]

The more I play this, the more I'm starting to "get" it. Very fun game. My 15-year-old son is interested, too. He LOVED Watch Dogs, the last Ubisoft shooter-RPG.

[Danimal]

I thought I hit everything the beta had except for random bad guys and Dark Zone but then I stumble onto a missing agent fragment which led me to the sewers and a fight to restore the cities water system as the cleaners were shutting them down so they could burn things easier.

I couldn't be happier with this game, it is what Destiny should of been.

[TCrouch]

Yep. I've definitely done all of the missions that it has in the beta (on XBox One, PS4, and PC), some Dark Zone. At this point I'm just waiting until final release, but I'm all over this on release day. Helps that the wife is as sucked into it as I am.