Now Playing: The Division 2

The Division 2 was disappointing. It shouldn’t have been. I knew exactly what to expect. But I still came away disappointed. I think it’s because in some ways, The Division 2 is a better game than the original, but not in the ways it really needed to be.

I’d recommend reading my review of the original and my thoughts on The Division 2 BETA to provide a little perspective for this review. Because here’s the thing – I really do like these games. I just think there’s so much wasted potential in this series that I can’t help but be disappointed.

The main problem is the story. The concept of the plot – a lawless world in the aftermath of a devastating viral outbreak – is just as compelling as it was in the original, but like the original, it’s not supported in the game by any engaging stories or characters.

The Division 2 is meant to be a sequel to the original but aside from one or two nods to the characters and plot of The Division, what happened in the original really doesn’t matter. And I doubt what happens in The Division 2 will have any real impact on the events of the inevitable Division 3.

 

That doesn’t concern me too much, however, as I like the idea of each game being set within its own location with its own characters and stories to tell. The problem that both games have, however, is the characters and stories totally fall flat.

Your character, like the original, is a mute weirdo who people talk to, but not with. You get sent on ridiculously dangerous missions without any support, kill thousands of bad guys, save the President and pretty much the entire city on your own. Despite this, you’re not even present during the final ‘celebration’ cut scene that features all of the key ‘good’ characters in the game.

What a joke. And what a waste. You think, mistakenly, that the game might do more with these key characters – the two Division agents you work with at The White House, and the leaders of two local civilian communities. You think they might play more of a role within the developing plot – but no.

Like the original game, The Division 2 just isn’t concerned with building interesting characters and stories. It’s such a damn shame, because the core gameplay of The Division is a lot of fun. The world looks fantastic. The mission locations are great. But the game never builds a compelling narrative to guide the player through its content.

 

Like the original, the story and characters exist only to prop up a shallow plot to push the player from one mission to the next. And it’s not just the ‘good’ characters who are the problem. The main bad guys are even worse. There are three gangs in the game, each with their own leader. You might think they’d be developed during the course of the game, setting up a satisfying final boss fight in each of their own strongholds – but no.

The final stronghold missions play out exactly the same as every other mission in the game and you don’t even get to fight the main boss characters at all. As a result, the game just fizzles out without any kind of bang. But I guess that’s how it has to go, right? Because like the original, it’s all about that ‘live service’ model. But no – f**k that.

There’s no reason why they couldn’t have provided a more deep and engaging story and characters building towards a more conclusive and satisfying ending. I just don’t think they cared. Maybe because . . . most people don’t care? I mean, the games are very successful, so maybe most players don’t care about the plot or characters and just want to go shooty shooty bang bang from one mission to the next.

 

And don’t get me wrong – the shooty shooty bang bang is as good here as it was in the original. But the context is lacking. The motivation is weak. The characters are practically non-existent – including your own. Maybe I shouldn’t be so annoyed about it, maybe it’s not worth it, but when the world is so well constructed, when the gameplay is so fun, I find the lack of effort and care when it comes to the story and character aspects so disappointing.

Why? I guess because, like the original, it means The Division 2 is a game I’ll forget within a week or two. There’s nothing memorable about it. I’ll be able to say ‘the environments looked nice’ and ‘I liked the combat’ but I won’t be able to say more than that because there’s nothing else worth remembering. No story. No characters. Nothing.

What a shame, because in some ways, The Division 2 does improve upon aspects of the original. You do get more of a sense that the city is changing due to your actions – you see more friendly patrols on the streets who get better armed as you progress. You see friendly supply convoys transporting goods between the control points you’ve liberated. And you see the two civilian communities expand and upgrade over time.

 

Yes, it’s all very formulaic and, unfortunately, it’s all undone at the end of the game as the world essentially ‘resets’ so you can keep going out and shooting more people. I guess just adding in new locations or missions that build upon the world that you’ve helped create would be too much to ask. Nah, let’s just reset everything and have you go out and replay the same missions and strongholds again in order to increase your ‘gear score’ so you can access and unlock the post-game content.

I mean, I can’t complain about the sheer amount of content on offer here – if you really don’t care about the world, story or characters, and just want to shoot stuff – you’re going to get plenty of bang for your buck. But if you’re like me, and the gameplay, though fun, isn’t compelling enough to keep you playing, then you really need a narrative hook – and that’s what The Division 2 is sadly lacking.

It’s fun. It’s repetitive. Every mission plays out the same. There’s no surprises here. It’s the same game, only a little better. To quote from my review of the original game – ‘It was a fairly entertaining, if mindless way to waste 30 hours of my life. But if I’m being honest, I’ll probably forget I even played it by this time next week.’

6/10

Steam Halloween Sale: Damage Report

I actually purchased Resident Evil Zero and the Resident Evil 2 Remake in a previous sale, but I figured I’d include them here because I’ve not reviewed them yet. Also from Capcom, I picked up Devil May Cry 5 which will be the first Devil May Cry game I’ve played. It’s a series I’ve always wanted to try but never quite got around to playing, so I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to this latest instalment.

I also picked up some new VR games in this sale. Budget Cuts is a stealth/puzzle game in which you must evade murderous robots, whereas FORM and Twilight Path are two more relaxed, VR puzzle experiences. The VR game I’m most looking forward to playing, however, is I Expect You To Die, an ‘escape room’ style VR experience with a James Bond twist. Expect reviews of most, if not all, of these games before the end of the year.

Now Playing: Pavlov (VR)

If Arizona Sunshine is best described as a ‘low budget Left 4 Dead’ then Pavlov VR is best described as a ‘low budget Counter-Strike’. Because that’s pretty much all it is – Counter-Strike VR.

Pavlov VR is a tricky game to review. It’s damn cheap – 6.99 at the time of writing, though I’ve read a price increase is on the horizon. It’s still in Early Access and the content, as it exists now, is very limited. But I guess the low price reflects that fact, so I can’t really complain.

You get three maps with a choice of four game modes – Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Gun Game and Search & Destroy. The game does support offline play with bots but be warned – the bots, even on the official maps, can sometimes bug out and be entirely unresponsive.

I say ‘official’ maps because that’s the interesting thing about Pavlov VR – on the base content alone, it’s still barely worth that low price. What elevates the game into being one of the most popular VR games on Steam – and the most popular multiplayer VR game – is the community created content.

Hundreds of new maps and even new modes are all available to download through the Steam Workshop. And yes, as you’d expect, that includes recreations of some of the most popular and iconic Counter-Strike maps. And that’s where I’ve spent most of my time – playing those CS maps in VR is pretty damn fun.

But like Arizona Sunshine and Left 4 Dead, I can’t help but wish we’d get a proper Counter-Strike VR developed by Valve to the same high production value they demonstrated with The Lab. That’s not to shit upon AS or Pavlov because I’ve enjoyed my time with both games, it’s just a fact that these games are, more or less, low budget / production versions of better non-VR games – and their continued popularity shows how the VR market is ready and waiting for a high quality alternative.

Okay, back to Pavlov VR. When you open the game you appear within a shooting range that gives you a chance to become familiar with the controls. The tutorials in the game are limited, to say the least, so I’d recommend checking out some videos on YouTube. The weapon models are great and the ‘realistic’ reload system is a lot of fun. The guns feel good to shoot and even playing with the somewhat stupid bots can still be very enjoyable.

There’s no teleportation motion, so you’d better get used to touchpad movement – it gets you a little dizzy at first, but with repeat play, you’ll soon get used to it. And if you can’t? Well, I guess you’re shit out of luck. But the movement feels smooth and isn’t too fast, slow or jerky – a problem I had with The Forest VR motion – so it’s a little more comfortable and easier to adapt to.

There’s a big update planned for early November, but I don’t know what it will include. It might massively expand and improve upon the base content. But right now, Pavlov VR is a limited, but cheap, Counter-Strike VR game that relies entirely upon community content to stay relevant. That does concern me to a degree – because if community maps aren’t updated alongside the game, then they can simply cease functioning.

Relying upon your community to keep building maps, modes and content is a risk, so it’s going to be interesting to see how the developers build upon the base game going forward. If you like Counter-Strike and like the idea of Counter-Strike in VR and don’t want to wait to see what Valve may be planning, then for 6.99, you really can’t go wrong with Pavlov VR.

And maybe in the future, with enough support and updates, it can become far more than just a ‘low budget Counter-Strike’ and evolve into its own unique and worthwhile experience.

6/10

Gallery: Astral Chain

Now Playing: Arizona Sunshine (VR)

Arizona Sunshine is a VR zombie survival shooter, originally released on PC and PS4 in 2016. It’s best described as a ‘low budget Left 4 Dead’ – but what it lacks in production quality it more than makes up for with charm and character. It remains one of the most popular and highly rated VR games on Steam so, when it went on sale recently, I decided to give it a spin.

You play as an unnamed guy who awakes in a cave in Arizona in the aftermath of a zombie outbreak. It’s clear he’s been surviving on his own for some time and, after hearing a garbled radio message, is now determined to track down other survivors. The campaign can be played solo or in co-op with a length of around 4-5 hours depending upon your chosen difficulty.

The campaign, though short, does a decent job of mixing up the locations, so you’ll always be encountering something new. It also drops new weapons into your path to help spice things up. Visually, Arizona Sunshine may be a little dated – and it really needed more zombie models – but thanks to some clever level design and humorous VA, most players will likely be willing to overlook the low budget visual quality.

Every level follows a familiar, Left 4 Dead style gameplay loop in which you’ll traverse a zombie infested zone, dealing with the occasional surge, before eventually arriving at a trigger point in which some kind of alarm will sound and a mass zombie horde will arrive. It’s a repetitive but effective pattern and the game ends with a satisfying finale in which you must make a daring escape.

You can play Arizona Sunshine using both teleport and free movement controls, and I’d recommend the teleport option – not because of motion sickness concerns – but because I found myself frequently getting stuck on rocks and other objects on the ground when using free motion. You can dual wield the various weapons you’ll discover as you progress and there’s a decent selection to choose between – from basic pistols to a single shot grenade launcher.

Reloading is a little strange in the sense that you have to manually eject a clip or magazine and then move the weapon down to your ammo belt. It works – most of the time – but it can be a little fussy. Shooting zombies in VR is certainly fun – especially if you enable the ‘advanced CPU’ option which is really just increased gore and exploding heads.

Overall, the campaign of Arizona Sunshine was pretty fun and something I’ll certainly play again. In fact, I’ll probably pick up the DLC and play through that too, which gives you some idea of how much I enjoyed it. But like I said, this is a relatively low budget experience and it really makes me want to see a VR compatible Left 4 Dead 3 in the future.

In addition to the campaign, Arizona Sunshine also features a fun, if limited, Horde mode in which you can fights waves of ravenous zombies. It’s something I’ll probably play a little, but I imagine it’s more fun in co-op than solo.

I don’t really have any more to say about Arizona Sunshine. It’s a fun, if short, VR game that I’d certainly recommend on sale if you’re a fan of Left 4 Dead or other zombie survival games. If you’ve got a VR set, then it’s worth checking out.

6/10

HTC VIVE VR

Buying a Vive felt like something of a gamble. I’ve not had any opportunity to try a VR system so I had no idea if I’d like it or not. Even once I’d ordered the system I had my doubts. I wondered if it would prove to be an expensive mistake.

It arrived just 2 days after my order, so I can’t fault the service. Unpacking and setting up the Vive was pretty simple once I’d sorted through all of the various pieces. I’d already purchased some clamp mounts for the two sensor boxes so I wouldn’t have to worry about drilling any permanent fixtures.

I ordered the deluxe audio strap to go with my Vive and I’m glad I did – despite the extra cost. It really does make taking on and off the Vive easier and having the headphones attached is a very welcome quality of life improvement. If you’re thinking about getting a Vive I’d say the deluxe strap is a must.

The only problem I ran into setting up the Vive was the included VivePort software which got stuck on the install. But it turns out you don’t really need this software at all – all you need is SteamVR. With the hardware set up and the software ready to go, it was time to put on the headset for the first time and discover if I’d just made a very costly error.

As soon as I put it on, I was pretty blown away. It really is quite amazing. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I was so excited by a piece of hardware. It kind of reminds me of when we used to anticipate a new console release and the next leap forward it would offer in terms of visuals. But ever since the 360/PS3 era, we’ve only really seen incremental steps – nothing to get too excited about.

But the Vive – and I guess, VR in general – really does feel like another leap forward. It’s hard to describe unless you’ve tried it for yourself. You really do feel immersed in a virtual environment, so much that at times it’s easy to forget where you really are in reality.

The SteamVR ‘Home’ is kind of like your virtual portal into other VR software. And the Home environment isn’t some static construct – you can customise the environment with props you can unlock by completing VR ‘quests’. And if you don’t like or grow tired of the default home, it’s super easy to download an alternative from a selection of user created environments.

The Home environment is also the perfect place to become accustomed to VR controls and motion. You have a ‘play space’ virtual grid which appears when you move to its edge to warn you that you’re about to walk into something in reality. It takes a few hours to become accustomed to the VR experience, but it’s not long before you’re traversing this virtual world like a pro.

Although I own a few VR compatible titles I decided to begin with something a little more simple. I gave Bigscreen a spin which is a nice, easy to way utilise your desktop within VR, but also watch videos either online or from your PC. I also highly recommend The Lab, which serves as a wonderful demonstration of various VR applications.

I had the most fun though with Belko VR – a virtual escape room. Sure, it’s a short (15 minutes) movie promotional tool, but it’s also a very enjoyable VR experience. And it’s free, so there’s no reason not to give it a go.

I’ve also been playing some of The Forest in VR, which is my first experience of ‘smooth locomotion’ movement and – I’m not going to lie – it can make you a little dizzy at first, but it’s something you slowly get used to. You wouldn’t think a first person game would feel very different in VR, but that’s not the case at all. It really does feel like an entirely unique and separate experience to the regular non-VR version.

Overall, I’m extremely pleased with my Vive and I can’t wait to get stuck into my next VR experience. It looks like I’ll be returning to No Man’s Sky even sooner than I expected. If you can cover the cost, meet the system requirements and have the necessary space then I’d say go for it. It’s easily the best piece of hardware I’ve bought in years.