Last night I spent a few hours with The Division 2’s beta; here are my early impressions.

The movement and gunplay seem business as usual for The Division. Movement feels floaty and cover can be both great and frustrating. The gunplay is adequate (as it was in the first entry).

Several quality of life changes have been implemented which I appreciated (e.g.: being able to dismantle something immediately instead of having to pick it up to dismantle it). Several of the systems seems a bit overwhelming this time around, though with time I am sure they will be less so.

The size of the text was far too small. I double checked my text size preferences in the settings, however I found consecutively smaller text for various things while the subtitle text remained the same size I set it. Hopefully Ubisoft patches this out to be a more uniform (and larger) font to reduce issues.

I found the sound design odd. Sometimes it would be fine, and others, various announcements would be absurdly loud no matter where I was. I hope it is brought to a more uniform level as it was in the first game. I quite liked how Division 1 used the controller speaker to effect.

My co-op partner asked me the following question and it was yet another example of games making you say weird crap:

“Do you want to fast travel to the White House?”

Every single time I was in a menu where my character model was present, my character could not stop moving. It was like she was stuck in some perpetually awkward shuffle.

The addition of more wildlife was so wonderful! At one point I was making my way down a hallway and a deer ran up to me, then raced past me. It took my breath away! Another time, I saw a raccoon travel through a trash can portal, seemingly to another dimension. I also greatly enjoyed the change of scenery from snowy New York. While I loved the location and atmosphere of the first Division, seeing Washington in the summer, seeing how the land has been reclaimed by nature, is a welcome visual departure.

I’m looking forward to playing more of the beta today to see how I feel about the systems and UI changes. Granted it’s been a while since I was in the thick of playing the first Division, but certain aspects felt a bit overwhelming.

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This weekend I’m going to, once again, attempt to finish Everything, the game that I want to last forever.

I’d also like to pick a game at random to start. I am in the mood for a new and not overthought experience. I’d also love to download and play Wandersong. It looks deeply whimsical and I could use a good shot of whimsy right now.

With that I ask: what will you be playing this weekend? Will you be getting any of the bigger releases next week like Far Cry: New Dawn or Metro: Exodus?

Also, I know a fresh wave of winter madness is hitting various parts of the country, so if you are in the applicable areas, please please PLEASE be careful and stay warm out there. Your safety is paramount.

Thank you for all your support, friends. Cheers.