Tom Clancy’s The Division preview: A sure-fire viral hit?

We have to be honest, but we regretfully missed playing the open public beta of Tom Clancy’s The Division. And with the game only a couple of weeks away from release, we were starting to think we might not get a taste until then.

However, sitting proudly in the middle of the Xbox Spring Showcase in San Francisco were eight Xbox Ones with The Division beta available to play. So we spent a good 45 minutes to an hour racing through single-player missions, and we’re starting to see what all the fuss is about.

Coming on 8 March in the UK, the game that many have been harping on about for years will finally be available to all. It’s a persistently online multiplayer title, with the occasional passing similarity to Destiny in that respect, but we’re happy that there will be plenty to do for solo players too.

Tom Clancy’s The Division: Single-player missions

Considering that we were thrown in at the deep end, with a character we hadn’t generated, a control system we hadn’t been informed about and with no plot preamble whatsoever, we found our feet in the game surprisingly quickly. This is a good mark of decent gameplay design. Even without any kind of tutorial, we very quickly learnt what we had to do and how to do it.

Ubisoft

The Division’s graphics are splendid. Perhaps not as impressive now as when it was first announced considering there are plenty of spectacular-looking games on the current gen consoles these days, but the apocalyptic, virus-ravaged New York setting is familiar and detailed enough to make sense in context.

We also saw a complete day’s transition for lighting effects purposes, having completed side missions at night and day, with dusk, etc, thrown in for good measure. Even with the barren streets and buildings, there’s a beauty to the city that reminds of The Last of Us.

Where The Division differs though is that, thanks to a doohickey every supercop has strapped to their wrist, the vistas are constantly augmented with overlays – details and directions.

Tom Clancy’s The Division: Simple controls

These are why it is so easy to leap into the game – at least in this single-player beta. There is an AR navigation line that snakes its way through streets to mission points marked on the map or, if you are in a mission itself, to the next objective. You cannot get lost, basically.

In addition, whenever you are next to an item you can pick up, a barrier you can duck behind, or an object you can manipulate or use, you get a button indicator showing exactly what you need to press. Who needs tutorials eh?

Ubisoft

We played a few different mission types, including a hostage rescue and a base assault, and while it might have helped to have other players on hand, we completed them capably alone. Even the main mission we finished was done so solo. In fact, we preferred it that way.

The duck and cover mechanics of The Division are essential and standard for many third-person shooters. Where we think the game will really shine though is in its customisation and role-playing elements.

This is where Destiny finally found its feet and legions of fans, and we’re sure that Ubisoft’s long-awaited multiplayer title will do so too.

First Impressions

In a beta demo session it is hard to see where variety will come from, with side missions even in our short space of time seemingly repeated. But to be fair, we had no real context in story terms to really get a feel of the overall game.

We also didn’t get to play any multiplayer at all, so that is clearly a massive factor when it comes to properly review the game.

For now though, it is nice to see that those who prefer a single-player experience should be capably catered for.