The Division review in progress: is it worth buying?

The VG247 team chart their journey through The Division. Should you drop the cash?

The Division review: is it worth buying?
The Division is the new Tom Clancy RPG shooter from Ubisoft set in New York City. The population has been wiped out, looters are running riot and you're called in to try and restore some form of order among the chaos. Mixing PvP and PvE gameplay, it can be tackled solo, in co-op or competitively against others players. It's one of the biggest games of the year and you want to know if The Division lives up to the hype, right? Can you be confident that spending your hard earned cash gets you tens-to-hundreds of hours of deliriously exciting gameplay? Well, we're here for you.

The VG247 team is currently roadie running through New York, putting in the hours in-game before checking out to write the definitive review. It's a massive task, so we're going to be updating this review as we go over the coming weeks. Our feelings will change, our allegiances might switch, and we may even begin arguing and throwing punches. But we'll be pulling apart the game, analysing its single-player, co-op and PvP differences, sharing stories of triumph and failure, highlighting problems, going deep on tactics, comparing it to other games and most importantly answering the big question: is The Division worth buying?

Update 1: March 11, 2016.

Brenna: I finally “got” The Division when I stopped playing it like Destiny. The gun play asks very different skills of the player. Also, each individual weapon model feels unique, even within a class – the rate of fire, reload speeds, accuracy. Finding a better version of one you like is Christmas. It's funny that they all have these dull real world names like ZX-47K-11 or whatever but they have a lot more personality than 99% of Destiny's weapons.

Pat: I agree with you. It's nothing like Destiny, and I think it's unfair to compare them. They've got the same core concept, but that's pretty much where it ends.

So, I'm going to get straight to the point. I really like The Division, primarily because it's so different to Destiny, a game I've now ground so hard into the ground I've lost a foot. The first “green” section was a bit of a grind, but now I'm level 12 and I'm getting loads of blue drops it's making a lot more sense. The combat's endlessly tactical (meaning playing with randoms is basically pointless), and the more you fiddle with perks, talents and mods the deeper it goes.

And you're totally right about the weapons. I thought they'd just be these faceless, nameless things, but I'm emotionally attached to my AK-47. There are many like it. But that one is mine.

Matt: I'm glad the Destiny thing is out of the way. For me, the weapons and gear remind me of the early Modern Warfare days, before Call of Duty got double-jumps and robo-suits. I like a meat and potatoes machine gun with an extended clip and a clear scope.

It hasn't felt like I've been grinding, but now I've got all blues I'm thinking about getting my first yellows and I've started to plan a route around the districts. In my first ten hours or so I was simply hoofing it to the nearest icon and attacking whatever was there, but there are encounters that soon put you in your place. It doesn't feel like I'm restricted or content is gated, and I know I can either hang back and farm earlier side missions, or challenge myself and push at a task that's a little outside my comfort zone. That feels like a really clever design balance between boundaries that will push back when I prod them, and comfort encounters I know I can win.

Pat: I definitely did find that early bit grindy, but it didn't last too long. I think it may have been because I was soloing for a lot of it, and I had a few wasted sessions with randoms that just didn't work out, and I got booted because of server fuck-ups a few times. So yeah. Maybe that was just my personal experience.

The progression balance is much better now, though, because I'm using gear with talents and I've unlocked a bunch of skill mods, so I'm starting to set myself up as I like. I get a 2%-per-metre damage buff for auto-moving between cover, for example, so rushing up on named snipers means I'm totally OP by the time I get there. If I've had a drink of water before the assault, I get an extra 20% damage against elites. I pop up near them and they just melt when I open up. It's satisfying to figure this stuff out, but you don't really get a chance to in the early game.

Another thing that's coming together at this point is team-work, and I can see it's going to be amazing when everything's unlocked. I've modded my health skill now, meaning I can fire a reviving shot at a bleeding team-mate. We don't have to stand directly next to each other any more. Providing I have line-of-sight on others in my squad, I can bring them back to life, so I can already see how that clashes with my turret choice for the second skill, as you need to be quite far forward to pitch it into a relevant location. One wants me to hang back, the other wants me to push forward.

It's the same with the weapons. At the moment I've only got limited options because this is just the start, but it's obvious you're going to be able to have guns rigged up with very specific mods for specific situations, and making sure you have the right kit is going to keep people playing for a long time. I was worried about the content running out of steam when people started hitting the cap so early, but considering we're going to get a bunch of packs this year and free raids soon, I think we're in for a captivating 12 months.

Brenna: Combat shines so brightly with a close-knit team, but there's loads here for solo players, too. It's challenging and you may need to over-prepare, because missions are balanced for groups, but with skill and care you seem to be able to get through everything but the Dark Zone alone. You could solo right up to raids, if you wanted.

Some of it is best played alone – like grabbing the collectibles. When you're playing in a group it's easy to overlook just how good the environmental design, music and storytelling is. I really admire how Ubisoft has provided a decent XP incentive to go after individual collectibles, a task that is usually just a thankless chore, and I'm fascinated by the stories they contain. There's so much in there – some sort of conspiracy, the rise of the factions, the everyday lives of people caught in the disaster. I'm sorry to mention Destiny again, but it's a bit like the Grimoire cards in that all the best stuff is not foregrounded – only you can access it in game, and most of it is audio you listen to automatically on collection.

It's a great way to balance impatience with storytelling while still making those elements easily accessible. It's the same with the main storyline: the cutscenes unlock as you complete main missions, but you have to actively choose to view them. I've been really surprised by how much I dig it, given I'm usually uninterested in all this Tom Clancy business. There's a great single-player narrative game in here! Amazing.

Pat: I soloed myself close to 15 this evening, and loved the two hours. Just great atmosphere. Love the realism and the sense of menace, and the way it becomes more daunting when you try to clear out a 15 region when you're 14. I'm using a Military AK and a blue M60 I bought from the Post Office for seven grand. It's all good. Getting nice drops, too, so I'm happy right now.

You're so right about the narrative stuff, Brenna. I won't spoil any of it for anyone, but I've just rinsed about six of the side missions in a row and the voice-acting and framing of The Division's world is a-grade. I was totally absorbed. The snow falls and your handlers pawn you around Manhattan sounding like the radio presenter from The Warriors. The elites all have proper stories and you're going in to kill a person and their lieutenants, the voice in your ear layering on the grime. Great stuff.

Very much enjoyed my time with it today. Good experience from beginning to end.

Brenna: It really improves as you jog along, doesn't it? It's not just the difficulty, because once you get the hang of it you start to enjoy punching above your weight. The unfolding build options just make it all so much more satisfying than the opening hours suggest. It's no secret I wasn't at all keen on this one to start with, but now I look forward to it every day.

Pat: I think what I'm saying right now is that I like it a lot. Pretty sure that's what I'm saying.

Matt: The map is a big draw for me. You can have these tight little firefights in underground corridors, or flip to large running battles across places like Times Square. And then the way the ladders, climbing spots and emergency fire escapes spiral up to the rooftops makes for some great exploring. And there's almost always something – fabric, encounters, drones, gun chances – hidden away as you go. It's really intricate, more so than other cities based on real world locations I've played around in. It's something similar to GTA's Los Santos for me, but with more detail. I feel like my character is connected to the environment.

Games that I want to play outside of work are rare. The Division is one of those.

Brenna's verdict after 22 hours of play: should you buy The Division? YES, because The Division is the most cohesive and consistently entertaining open world Ubisoft has ever produced, backed up by tactical gunplay and adaptable RPG mechanics.

Matt's verdict after 20 hours of play: should you buy The Division? YES, because it's endlessly compulsive. The buzz you get popping heads with a new weapon for the first time is infectious.

Pat's verdict after 18 hours of play: should you buy The Division? YES, because it has so much to offer both soloists and team-players, but also because it's a beautiful game both in terms of presentation and balance. Very strong recommendation from me.

Bookmark this page for more more updates as we work towards The Division's end-game, and be sure to check out our guide to The Division.