Some must-see early footage of Ubisoft's up-and-coming shooter/RPG hybrid The Division hits YouTube after some lucky gamers were granted an early look at the game during its alpha stage.
Ubisoft allowed a few players to get a look at The Division during a closed alpha test that ran earlier this month without much hype surrounding it, so the sudden leak of footage is a little surprising. Usually, participants in the closed alpha test of a game as significant as The Division are forbidden from uploading any footage or discussing the details of what they experienced, but it's clear that rule either didn't exist in this case or, much more likely, one of the people involved simply chose to ignore their responsibilities in maintaining the game's secrets for longer.
Those looking for an inside scoop on how the game will play upon its release got quite the treat from these videos, and Ubisoft's next big IP looked much further along than most would have expected after The Division's beta test was delayed until 2016. The videos showcase the player character navigating New York as they attempt to facilitate some major changes to its current state of disarray. Although the story looks fascinating, if a little rough around the edges, it's the gameplay that players have been eager to see more of after The Divison beta sign-up went live over six months ago, and luckily for all, the alpha videos deliver.
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Much has been made of whether or not The Division's divide-and-conquer gameplay and its multiplayer Dark Zone experiences will be enough to keep players coming back to its online world, and while the latest footage doesn't answer all of the questions surrounding the new title, it does assuage some fears that the game would follow Destiny's blueprint a little too closely. The alpha footage details some exciting covert and cover-based gameplay that looks like it will prioritize strategic positioning while still offering gamers their fair share of intense gunfights. The videos also showed off some of the base-building feature that will be such a huge part of The Division, although most of the screen time is reserved for the combat mechanics.
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That isn't to say that borrowing from Destiny is a bad thing, however, and The Division does bear some striking resemblances. Ubisoft revealed earlier this year that gamers would be able to have up to 4 different characters in The Division, a feature that Destiny employed to great success in its first year, allowing players to alter to switch between three classes depending on the situation. It's clear Ubisoft plans for The Divison to be a customizable online multiplayer experience, and it will be interesting to see just where the game differentiates itself from Bungie's similar approach to Destiny.
Ubisoft might not be pleased about the alpha footage, but its clear gamers are. How do you feel about The Division now that you've seen more of the game? Do you think it's unique enough to draw away players from other online shooters like Destiny and even the Call of Duty series? Let us know in the comments below.
Tom Clancy's The Division is scheduled for release on March 8, 2016 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.