The Big Lessons The Division Can Teach RPGs

More than two years since its first announcement, The Division is finally upon us. While Rob is working on the review, we’re going to look at things from a different angle. Even though The Division falls firmly in the “hybrid” camp of the RPG genre, I think it has some important lessons that the rest of the RPG genre needs to take note of. In the words of our friendly Managing Editor this week, hold onto your butts.

Since I’m not covering the review, I’ve been taking my time getting into The Division. As someone who plays a lot of games (and not just because I write about them), it’s important to take the time to slow down and rediscover that sense of awe every now and again. Here, the city of Manhattan is so lovingly handcrafted that it steals the show. In fact, looking across the impressions being posted throughout the web, I think it’s fair to say that the backdrop of war out shadows the war itself. Whether or not that turns out to be a problem is yet to be seen.

While arguments are still raging about whether The Division should be called an RPG, I think it’s pretty clear that it scratches that itch the same way Destiny and Borderlands did. And since it fits in that RPG space, I’m finding that the one lasting impression I’m walking away with is that, hybrid or no, this is a game that’s breaking new ground for the AAA RPG genre. Lesson one…

http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/10655/The-Big-Lessons-The-Division-Can-Teach-RPGs.html

TH