Loakum *takes a sip of grape juice* The Great Awakening is happening…. (10 Weeks ago)
gigantor21 We getting any Tekken 8 demo footage? (> 3 Months ago)
dc_coder_84 Playing Half-Life 1 with ray tracing mod on Linux, yay ;) (> 3 Months ago)
nostradamus MS-Bethesda-ABK does have some ring to it. My oh my, (> 3 Months ago)
Loakum Sony’s PlayStation Showcase was weaksauce….except for 5 great upcoming games. (> 3 Months ago)
Loakum *takes a sip of grape juice* Ah…such a good vintage. (> 3 Months ago)
nostradamus @dc_coder_84: [url] (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood Download is now functional again on Gamersyde. Sorry for the past 53 days or so when it wasn't. (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood Another (French) livestream today at 2:30 CEST but you're welcome to drop by and speak English. I will gladly answer in English when I get a chance to catch a breath. :) (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood GSY is getting some nice content at 3 pm CEST with our July podcast and some videos of the Deus Ex Mankind Divided preview build. :) (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood For once we'll be live at 4:30 pm CEST. Blim should not even be tired! (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood More Quantum Break coverage coming in a few hours, 9:00 a.m CEST. (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood We'll have a full review up for Firewatch at 7 pm CET. Videos will only be tomorrow though. (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood Tonight's livestream will be at 9:15 GMT+1, not GMT+2 as first stated. (> 3 Months ago)
Only played the Open Beta, but on the whole, I agree with the review. Exploration was really rewarding, because even when you found gear of the same level/quality, you could still find better gear from enemies.
I went to that first side mission in the underground and fought the enemies 3 times, by the end I was wearing gear of 2-3 levels above what I had before. The shooting is really precise, so when you miss, you know it was your fault.
I had many technical issues with the Open Beta, but the game design and gameplay were really good. The Division 1 is still in my back catalog, so I will finish that first and then jump to The Division 2 if I'm still hungry for more.
Washington is more open than NY. You have areas without buildings and the streets seems wider (I say "seems" cause i've never been into these cities) with less skycrappers to "cut" the vistas.
So yeah, in the "open", I think they had to make a few sacrifices on details in order to maintain framerate and the depth of field. Maybe also to include more NPC on the streets and more diversity in the environnement.
But as soon as you're inside a building, it's just as detailed and beautifull as the previous game, with more variety.
@spacemanjupiter : I think people (mostly youtube channels that like to get some clics with this type of subjects) are a bit harsh regarding downgrade.
I mean, when a game is showed almost a year or more prior to its release, of course, it's not the final version. Of course things will change a LOT.
Unlike linear games where devs can really polish a vertical slice of a game and keep it for release, open worlds are another beast. You may start with an impressive engine and then, the more NPC, FX, physics, inventory menus & co you add, the more visual sacrifices you have to make.
It's not about lying to the player, it's about showing what you have at instant T.
For me, as long as they show the actual game by the release, so people know what they get, it's fine. Just part of the process.
What i can't stand is bullshit launch trailer, with fake gameplay around the release, because then, you know they're trying to sell a lie.
However, to take a more professional approach, Digital Foundry did an article on the game's technical aspects that's well worth reading for those that care enough about graphics.
Digutal Foundry - The Division 2 delivers impressive tech and good performance on all systems
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-...
For those that prefer a TL;DR:
"The Division 2's more of an iteration than an evolutionary leap over the first game - something I expected going in, but I did find myself wanting a more radical overhaul, even on PC. For now, the improved vegetation, water and quality reflections are nice touches at least. And, combined with the volumetric lighting that made the first game a marvel to look at, it's good-looking package overall. The only real downside right now is the unusual AI, and pop-in on textures on console. If you look past that, there's some highlights in visual direction, and the hook of its four-man squad shooting and looting is as strong as ever."
Doesn't seem like a downgrade of any kind, however The Division 1 launched over 3 years ago, which means not only games have improved graphically as a whole, but also the sequel should have improved more upon the first one.
Though Digital Foundry's article also mentions that when effects are too much, the framerate takes a hit. So maybe that's all they could achieve while maintaining the framerate and improving on vegetation, water and quality reflections, as well as making far more open and wide areas like cryoakira said.
It's all a balancing act in the end, and performance should win over graphics every single time. Just enjoy the game - or don't - for what it is. If that's hard to do, there's tens of thousands of other games to play. And frankly a few thousand of those are better than this, irregardless of graphics.
For really long-term satisfaction, you're right though, and I have my examples with that, too. But I have bought and will continue to buy some particular games just for the visual experience, and if they don't deliver (and don't otherwise have gameplay that hooks me), they will not get my money. I would have totally ignored Battlefront II or Battlefield I if they had only "good" graphics.
Division 2 is the best looter shooter this generation.
Conclusion go buy the game and enjoy.
Division 2 is the best looter shooter this generation.
Conclusion go buy the game and enjoy.
It looks great, but it's just not everyone's cup of tea.
This one looks boring even for 8usd.
The guy in the white house that is supposed to be "in charge" but is completly focused on his toys. The replacement-president who is of course a badass and gives snappy orders. The other badass agent who is pissed off by the castle bombing and ask you to taker care of children while she's going after bad guys, except it's excactly the other way around...
Pretty much every single cinematic try very hard to be "cool" with badass characters and, IMO, fail.
And it's strange, considering Echos or other recordings a rather well written.
While i was into TD1's story at the beginning, wondering who was behind all that, I ended losing track because... well, it doesn't really matter, and that's pretty much the same with the sequel. It's more a pretexe than a plot you want to explore.
To get a great story while remaining "serious", i think they could have taped more into the human side, about people surviving a kind of apocalypse, forming groups, community, and facing extreme situation that question morality (Kind of like The Walking Dead).