After many delays, building the anticipation for what seemed to be an eternity… After speculation, doubt, and rumors swirled like locust around the mere mention of Ubisoft’s perhaps most ambitious title to date, the beta for Tom Clancy’s The Division has finally come and gone.
And, ladies and gentlemen of the geek-clergy, this Disciple is here to tell you: It was absolutely worth the wait.
Please bare in mind as you read this, that all my thoughts, observations, criticisms and praises are filtered through the knowledge that this was, in fact, simply a beta and not the finished product. That being said, it was hard not to feel very pleased with how it came out; though, there were still some disappointment, as the beta performance was far from perfect. For example, there was a pretty significant downgrade to the graphics and physics. No longer can the player open and shut car doors; a huge moment from the initial tech demo at E3 where the crowd erupted when, in combat, the player reached out his hand to close a door left open–or even opened a door to provide cover.
Also a concern from the beta, is an extreme lack of personality from your own character. Zero dialogue whatsoever can really hamper the experience, and the player is completely mute. I hope this is rectified in the finished product.
Finally, and perhaps the most glaring — so alarming in fact that one might have heard about it even if they haven’t been following the beta’s progress at all — is the PvP “God Mode” glitch, essentially randomly rendering the player both completely invisible and indestructible to other players in the unforgiving Dark Zone, the loot based PvP game area. This of course could be an absolute game-breaker if not fixed.
Aside from those possibly major negatives, the game is a ton of fun to play. The small portion of the PvE element was robust and gripping, even without any personality from your own character. Gunplay is very reminiscent of Gears of War, darting in and out of cover; and the detail, Good God ( I’ve never been to New York), but from what I can tell it’s nearly a perfect recreation of our most metropolitan city. The weather mechanic makes the player actually feel cold. One has to respect the care and the detail put into this Magnum Opus of Ubisoft, and all that effort in my book earns a pass for whatever nitpicks I may come up with.
As a beta, The Division knocks it out of the park, and I can only hope the few things that were negative are cleaned up by launch. Hope to see all you clergynerds and nerdettes online at launch, assisting in taking back New York.
Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttt’s TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMME!!! Five Rounds, with the EA SPORTS UFC 2 Closed Beta!!!!!
Being both a massive UFC fan and gamer, it only seemed natural that I would eagerly await the chance to get my hands on this game. While the beta is very limited, there are plenty of sneak peaks and revamped systems that offer some hope for things to come.
Like most sports games, there’s not a whole lot to be changed here; it’s not reinventing the wheel. So what exactly is new? The visuals are supercharged here, and up to expectations. The combat system is both refined and simplified, strikes and combos are much more fluid, yet takedowns and ground work are far more intricate and complex— it took some getting used to. It’s not difficult; just took some getting used to.
If you missed out on the beta, don’t fret; you didn’t miss much. I was on it for about a day and actually saw all I needed to see. There’s only one weightclass (welterweight– but it’s the complete roster, including the former self-proclaimd “Best [WWE Wrestler] in the World!” CM Punk), and the only real one-on-one fights are in PVP; not the best experience when you pull off a win and your opponent quits the game so you don’t get credit. This is certainly not at the fault of the devs–just shitty crybaby players.
In all, UFC 2 plays great, a feeling of same but different. It looks fantastic, the cuts are brutal and action flows in a much more realistic manner. The small taste I had was plenty to get me super-amped for the actual release.
