I believe The Division has its hooks in me. In a great big “this is all I want to play right now” sort of way. It has been an exercise of willpower to keep my hands off the game until my co-op partner can also get back online and we can tackle the ruins of New York together.
But hoo-boy am I tempted.
As you may have picked up on, I’ve been playing a lot of Ubisoft’s The Division and, while it’s far from a perfect game, I can’t seem to get enough. If I was forced to guess a review score median for it, I’d estimate somewhere in the 7 to 8 out of 10 range, but it has an addicting sort of quality to it. I want to get back in there and level up my home base. I want to fully upgrade my medical wing. I want to fully upgrade my security wing. My tech wing can suck it (there’s not much going on there that I’m keen on), but I’ll of course upgrade it anyway. I want to unlock the safe houses around the city. I want to give sick and stumbling civilians cans of food and energy bars. I want to find better gear and weapons. I want to dive back in to the adrenaline-fueled antics of the Dark Zone to level up and find all the loot I can.
Yeah. I’m hooked.
I played a couple hours of Firewatch last week, but at any moment when my co-op partner could play, I would drop most anything I was doing to play more Division. The visuals of Firewatch are incredibly beautiful, and I am enjoying the narrative thus far, but holy heck, I got pretty lost a couple of times. I’m decent with a map and compass in reality, but in the game, I found myself (no pun intended) sometimes well-off my intended destination. It was moderately embarrassing. Also, I want to know what the heck is going on in the story. It feels like it is setting itself up for a few potential paths.
Also, I found a little turtle in my exploration of the game, and when I opted to adopt him I could choose between several pre-selected names for him, and I chose “Turt Reynolds” which continues to be funny to me in a way I can’t seem to impart properly. I find myself at random saying (aloud, no less) “Turt Reynolds.”
One of the best creature names ever.
I am hoping to wrap up Firewatch today, as well as get in some solid leveling up in The Division once my co-op partner gets online later in the day. I imagine we will finish the narrative of the game this week, which will keep me right on track for completing a game per week this month. I am also incredibly excited to start in on Kholat (a survival horror game I’ve been aching to play since I initially read about it last year) which released this month on PS4.
All in all, it’s a great time to be a gamer. So many amazing experiences just waiting to be had.
With that, off I go to Firewatch! Cheers, friends.
Categories: games
Rebekah Lang 
Cheers! To the Division. This looks like a good vs. evil challenge. I’m considering it to be my next game purchase. Or, that Tom Clancy drug lord take down in central America. (Obviously, I have forgotten the name.)
Remember to eat, or at least have snacks while you Division binge.
S
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I think you’d really like The Division. It’s definitely centered around co-op play though. Also, the interface and systems aren’t the most streamlined.
I believe you are thinking of Ghost Recon: Wildlands and, sadly, there is no release date as of yet.
If you get The Division, please let me know!
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That distant soft echo of Game Stop calling in the stillness of the night…. new game. Oh, the Division checks all of the boxes of what I like in a game. Now it’s a matter of time. Work vs. Play.
S
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Oh dude, I think you would really like this game. Do you like third person shooters? I can’t remember if we’ve ever talked about that…? You could totally swing some playtime. The person I played through the story with balanced playing with work, though he doesn’t have your “constantly working” schedule. But I think you’d have a good time with it.
If you get it, please tell me!
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You’re making way better progress in the division then I am.
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I believe I also started playing it before you did, so that’s probably why. Also, I’m super focused on powering through the story, so that’s definitely leveling me up.
I recommend any piece of gear that gives you bonus XP. It adds up.
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You seem to really be drawn to co-op shooters.
Also, I’m pretty sure Kholat is based on the Dyatlov Pass incident, which you should read about. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyatlov_Pass_incident
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Indeed, I am! I love co-op shooters.
As for the Dyatlov Pass incident, I knew the history long before I heard of the game. I do find it morbidly fascinating, though, and the game allows for exploration of that. I wonder if the incident will ever be fully explained.
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Co-op shooters are fun when playing with people who enjoy the game. I have been playing over the last few days. Some of the groups I have been matched with have been lackluster, imho! Others have been helpful & enjoyable to play with. That has helped keep me interested in the game.
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I, too, love co-op shooters! But I absolutely agree: when you end up with a good team, it’s wonderful. When you end up with a lackluster one, it’s, well, it can nearly ruin the experience.
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I’m addicted to this game too and I still can’t figure out why! Nice to see a woman blogging about games! I look forward to checking out some more of your stuff.
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It’s terribly engaging, isn’t it? I don’t think it’s a perfect game by any stretch, but I do enjoy playing it.
Thank you! And likewise!
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I’ve since seen your later posts about your frustrations with the Dark Zone stuff, that match pretty well with what I’ve heard from many others. My question for you is this: is the non-Dark Zone stuff rewarding enough in your opinion for someone interested in only that part?
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I would say no. I mean, I was all over this game for a week or so, but it fell off hard and fast after that. I have found no real desire to jump back in yet.
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