Close-ish to Reality

I had been tooling around with a few different games but recently felt the weird urge to replay a game that, in a way, has no business being "replayed."  I had invested some time in The Division 2 last year and found myself having a good time despite the fact that it's a shooter (I like shooting things, but shooters aren't generally my go-to).  Since I felt ultra-rusty, I decided that starting a new character would be a better idea than trying to go back to my already max level character.  In reality, that's completely pointless because it's not like there's some variety in the events that happen in the base story.  But, oh well, I got to design a new character and re-experience content that wasn't exactly fresh in my mind.

In restarting TD2, I had forgotten the basis for the story in that game--there's a global pandemic and society has disintegrated.  As I played through the intro I couldn't help internally (and externally, because, let's be real about isolation at this point) chuckling over the story--sort of a combination groan/chuckle.  Maybe it's a bad choice to play a game based in the aftermath of a pandemic during an actual pandemic?  Nah, I'm enjoying shooting all the things!

Ambush looming.

Since I stopped playing there have been some additions to the game--namely the addition of an expansion that takes players out of the ruins of Washington D.C. and into New York City.  I haven't purchased this expansion, but I'm obnoxiously reminded of its existence every time I return to the White House location and an given a virtual verbal command to "GET TO THE CHOPPA!"  Maybe someday when it goes on sale (it's priced at $29.99).  Since I'm not quite max level, I don't know the full extent of the changes to the late game stuff--when I stopped playing there were gear sets that could be acquired, but the system was fairly undeveloped.  I noticed that one of the new staff members I acquired in the White House was responsible for gear "recalibration"--a term that I would equate to "enchantments" in a fantasy leaning game world--players can take a desirable stat from a piece of gear (that piece of gear will be destroyed in the process) and add it to a library where it can be placed onto a future piece of gear.  That's some min/max stuff for late game.

Re-visiting the destroyed world of TD2 reminded me of what I have come to enjoy about Ubisoft's games--there's a high level of detail and accuracy in the world.  The missions take place in major D.C. landmarks and it's fun to play through the set pieces that take place in places like the Lincoln Memorial or the Air and Space Museum.  Roaming through the open world of D.C. I've noticed an increase in the number of apparel related items that I've recovered.  It might sound dumb, but now my character can rock a rotating number of outfits (that's why everyone plays serious shooting games, right?  For the outfits?).

To keep it fresh, I also decided that I would try to accomplish some of the achievements that I missed the first time around--utilizing different abilities, completing certain activities--those kinds of things.  I've learned to love my drone and have been doing some experimenting with the chem launcher.  I also decided to take a sojourn into a dark zone and give it a go (at a very early level, which is undoubtedly a waste of time) and was surprised to survive the encounter.  The dark zones are an intriguing blend of PvE and PvP--players can opt to work together to evac loot or turn on each other to steal loot.  In my instance, the other players were very focused on evac'ing loot and there wasn't any craziness.  I might give the dark zones another go later on.

In other news, the Epic Game Store is currently having a big sale.  As part of this sale, they've been giving away a number of big titles--the biggest and most notable of them was Grand Theft Auto V.  The interwebs were abuzz with GTA V talk and plenty of gawping at this epic offering.  Currently the free game is Civilization VI.  I snapped it up despite the fact that I am decidedly horrible at 4X games.  There are two more games scheduled to be given away as part of the sale--rumors are that they will be Borderlands:  The Handsome Collection (which includes Borderlands 2 and ALL the DLC and Borderlands:  The Pre-Sequel and ALL its DLC!) on May 28th and Ark:  Survival Evolved.  One of the best parts of the Epic giveaways is that you get a $10 off coupon for downloading the free games!  I decided to finally bite the bullet on Red Dead Redemption 2 and am looking forward to some western style goodness (after I get tired of TD2).

Happy Memorial Day weekend!  Check out some games or enjoy some socially distanced outdoor activities.

Saving D.C. in The Division 2

After a ton of shooting and looting, I think my time with The Division 2 has come to an end.  I've managed to eliminate the major faction leaders around the city and re-establish the national link to the SHD agents around the U.S.  Mission mostly accomplished!

I will preface this review by stating that I didn't purchase The Division 2 but received it as part of a package of "free" games that came with the new components in the PC I built.  I don't hate shooters, they can be fun, but they aren't generally my #1 picks for gaming enjoyment.  With that said, I actually had a lot of fun with TD2 and would recommend it for those out there who enjoy shooters or who are looking for some co-op fun.

A bleak, burned out landscape in the middle of D,C,

Pros:

+ Washington, D.C. has been recreated in stunning detail and, for a game that is a shooter, I found myself wanting to ignore the bullets flying and just explore the famous landmarks around the city.  Many of the major combat missions/battles take place in the most famous American landmarks (like the Capitol building) and it is amazing how they've included tons of small details on top of the cover system and post-apocalyptic vibes.

+ Different factions provide combat variety.  Each section of the city is chunked up into zones with specific level ranges and is dominated by one of the three factions--the Hyenas (a criminal gang bent on exploiting the post-apocalyptic chaos for their own gain); the Outcasts (a group of cult-like whackos who seem determined to further the spread of the Green Poison virus); or the True Sons (a militia group made up of former soldiers who have created their own little fiefdom).  Each faction has its own unique soldier types and combat style and learning how to deal with each is part of the fun.

+ Collectibles and achievements.  Scattered throughout the city are different items that provide additional insight into the apocalyptic events and current state of D.C.   There are audio recordings, ECHO's (a sort of digital recreation), paintings, and found American relics to collect.  If exploration is your preferred mode, the sprawling city provides tons of nooks and crannies to check out.  There are also specific roaming enemies that can be killed and serve as another sort of collectible.

The achievement system has several different categories and can also serve as motivation.  Achievements are worth points and completing them will move you up "tiers" and provide extra caches of equipment.

+ Options for gameplay.  There's a traditional story that you can follow, there is PvP matchmaking (a 4v4 Conflict system which offers ranks), and there is the Dark Zone (a mixture of PvP and PvE elements).

+ Co-op recommended, but not necessary.  There is a matchmaking system but I was surprised by the fact that most of the game seems soloable.  I have read that the game is better when played with others, but I still had fun with the challenge of soloing.  Matchmaking seems straightforward--there are terminals in safe areas around the city where you can matchmake, or you can matchmake for specific activities like missions or bounties.

+ Level 30 content refreshes old areas with new enemies.  I was a little confused about what happens once you reach top level, but interestingly enough the game introduces a new faction of tougher enemies that takes over the city.  Each mission area that you had previously cleared of the three initial factions is now taken over by the new faction.  The new faction provides a tougher challenge and allows you to play through a secondary story that serves to gear up your character.  Your goal post-level 30 is to increase your "gear score" to specific levels so that you can complete new strongholds.

+ Specializations unlock after you've completed all of "story" difficulty and are very easily changeable.  You can pick from one of four specializations (gunner, demolitionist, survivalist, or sharpshooter)--each provides you with a special weapon and abilities.  The really nice part of the specialization system is that you aren't locked into whatever you pick and changing is simply a matter of going back to the White House and swapping out talents.  There isn't any cost or penalty so experimenting with each is fun.

+Combat is fun and challenging.  There are multiple difficulty levels to choose from and once you hit level 30 there are daily challenges for specific missions at higher difficulty levels.  Many of the achievements are geared toward higher difficulty levels (which, once you've geared up, aren't too bad).  Combat is third-person and based on a cover system.  Moving in cover is very fluid and easy.

+ Different classes of weapons to choose from.  There are tons of weapons to loot--rifles, assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, light machine guns, and marksman rifles.  You can carry two weapons and a sidearm, so there's some room for picking the best guns for your playstyle.  I enjoyed rifles and assault rifles but found shotguns to feel weirdly underpowered.

+ Top tier content.  There is a raid that is unlockable once you've completed the "invaded" missions at level 30.  If you are looking for extra challenging content to group for...this is right up your alley.

+ Clan system.  You can join or create your own clan.  There is a system of achievements and tasks associated with being part of a clan.

+ Open-world of D.C. becomes much more chaotic at level 30--much more challenging.

Cons:

-Can be repetitious.  I thought it was interesting how they re-used the same mission areas at post-level 30 but I eventually reached a point where I could feel the fact that I was going back and doing the same areas over and over.  The combat is enjoyable and challenging enough that it didn't happen for awhile, but it did happen.

-Microtransactions.  You can't really avoid them these days and I will say that they are limited to cosmetic items--apparel, emotes, and weapon skins.  The nice part is that the premium items can be looted in-game.  They also aren't overtly pushed on you.

-Heroic content is insanely hard (it's the top difficulty level...so it should be) and is geared toward future, higher-level content.  I tried in vain to clear a level 4 control point and died repeatedly.  It's currently brutal (but possible!).

I was surprised at how much fun I had with The Division 2.  There are definite degrees of strategy required and I can see how playing in a group with different abilities could be awesome.  I would recommend it to players looking to solo (it's totally possible--especially at lower difficulty levels) and especially to those looking for co-op play.  

Feelin' Like a Badass in The Division 2

The CPU and GPU in my new PC came with a few "free" games and one of them is The Division 2.  I was completely unfamiliar with the series and knew very little about it, but it has been my main source of entertainment lately.  Shooters aren't generally my games of choice, but TD2 is proving to be more than just endless shooting (although, there's a looooot of that, of course).

One of the non-shooting based parts of TD2 that has really grabbed me is the post-apocalyptic world of Washington, D.C.  The city has been meticulously recreated and it is truly amazing to see famous American landmarks and how they have been incorporated into the gameplay and story.  One minute you're marveling at the Lincoln Memorial and the next minute you're in a pitched gun battle with a bunch of various baddies.  The city is laid out in friendly tidbits (teeming with conflict and opportunities for shootouts) and exploring each chunk is fun.

The Capitol building looms in the background of a downed Air Force One.

Another exploration-based aspect I've been enjoying is finding the many collectibles littered throughout the city.  There are audio recordings that reveal additional details about certain factions, characters, or events related to the fall of society.  These recordings are cleverly tucked away around the city and often require some additional searching to locate them.  In addition to the recordings, there are also ECHO's which are a sort of digital reconstruction of various events that took place in D.C.  Finding these collectibles helps to flesh out the story and motivations of some of the major characters in the game.  There are also famous paintings and various important American artifacts (like the Declaration of Independence) hidden throughout the city just waiting to be found.  It's nice to have this variety of activities to do within a game that on the surface seems like a fairly serious shooter.

My baby agent...looking like a badass.

But, of course, the major draw of the game is the third-person combat.  I've had a ton of fun tweaking my talents, figuring out which ones work well for me, and experimenting with different weapons.  I like the way that there are several different factions in the game and that each faction has a different feel when you're fighting them.  The Hyenas are a violent gang who will boldly attack you with little thought to actual strategy--I love the little details like the fact that their basic soldier type of enemy holds their weapon sideways in a sort of "gangster" stance as they casually stroll around spewing lead at you (which makes them easy fodder for slaying).  The Outcasts have a very real "cult" vibe and utilize fire-based attacks (demolitionist/grenadier type mobs hurl Molotov cocktails and later there are flamethrower wielding soldiers that blast you with a stream of fire).  Their suicide bomber melee mobs will come wildly charging at you and need to be dealt with from far away.  In the first story mode, the True Sons are probably the faction that seems the most strategically sound--they utilize more traditional tactics and soldier types and are more prone to staying in cover.  As you progress through the game you encounter each faction and learn how to effectively deal with them.

Post-apocalyptic chaos punctuates every scene in D.C.

As you work to level up your character you travel throughout the city and discover settlements that are in need of assistance (these also serve as local bases where you can restock, stash, and buy/sell equipment).  Certain projects pop-up as you progress the story and as you complete them you get to see how each improves the settlement in some way--better food production, a concert stage for entertainment, better defenses, etc.  Each improvement makes you feel like a real hero and that you are helping the fictional people of post-apocalyptic D.C.

Most missions take you into major D.C. landmarks like the Museum of Native Peoples.

I've managed to level my character up to 30 and have worked through all the initial story-based missions.  Getting this far has been a real learning experience and. even though most of the in-game tutorials do a good job of explaining most aspects of gameplay, there are a few things that you have to figure out on your own.  Once I reached level 30 I was very confused about the three "strongholds" that existed.  In my head I had an idea that strongholds were designed to be a sort of group/team raid zone and that you couldn't complete them by yourself.  It turns out that strongholds are soloable (at lower-difficulty levels, anyway) and that you can progress the story by doing them on your own.  After finishing the story-based difficulty I wasn't really sure what was next--there were other elements of the game geared toward PvP aspects (conflicts and the Dark Zone).  The interesting part is that a new faction, the Dark Tusk, invades D.C, and the map essentially resets itself (the settlements/safehouses stay the same) with new conflict points and main missions.  The Dark Tusk are a more technologically advanced faction and throw out some more challenging gameplay.  I've just barely started the "invaded" missions, but so far I like the way they've upped the difficulty.  I also really enjoy the way they are re-using the assets from the initial levels and introducing a different story.

Backpack hippo is the best.

Without a doubt, the best part of The Division 2 is the loot.  There's oodles of it...tons of guns to choose from, crafting materials galore, and resource items scattered around in discarded luggage or at specific supply points.  Of all the things I've looted, the one thing I've been the most excited about is a ridiculous backpack ornament of a stuffed hippo.  It's super cute!

I'm going to keep playing The Division 2 until it becomes too hard to solo.  Then, I might take a stab at one of the other shooters (seriously, every "free" game I received is a shooter).