RipCordless

A pop-culture consumer who keeps it, by design, in the shallow end of the pool.

GDSQ

The Division 2 Alternative

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The last few months of gaming releases have been anything less than spectacular. With the much maligned release of Fallout 76 (Bethesda) late last year, and the dumpster fire called Anthem (BioWare / EA) released less than a month ago, the gaming community has endured unpolished titles, broken game play, and products which don’t reflect the industry’s global revenue position. If you thought films or music grabbed the entertainment revenue crown, you could not be further from the truth. In 2016, the gaming industry pulled in over $101 billion in global sales, which outpaced the other two comparable markets combined.

Even without mobile sales, gaming still defeats both film & music combined

But there is hope looming. On March 15, 2019, The Division 2 (Ubisoft) may provide an alternative from all the recent gaming trash which has been excreted into the market. Using the same formula from The Division, the Ubisoft sequel looks to continue the original premise but changes the venue and shifts the season on a much bigger map. I played the beta and discovered there is no doubt, it plays very close to the original (perhaps too close?) which is the challenge for sequel games — stray too far off the formula (vanilla Destiny 2) and people complain you’ve lost the magic. Stick too close the original and people complain it feels like a DLC — which may be the main concern for The Division 2.

Another issues of concern is the end game. The original Division had little to do beyond the level 30 cap. Missions became tedious, the Dark Zone was bloated with griefers, and the Guardian Down Squad left in short order when raids ended up being nothing but horde mode defense. Ubisoft clearly saw The Division player response because with The Division 2 open beta they flew the end game banner by allowing players to sample what awaits them after level 30. Criticized for bullet-sponge end game enemies in the original, The Division 2 sets an entirely different tone. Upon reaching cap, the entire map changes as the “Black Tusk” invasion begins. Enemies become crafty, new weapons are deployed in combination with aggressive tactics. In theory the entire journey for the player becomes much more convoluted, as does the the gear sets, missions, and broad range customization. It all sounds very tasty.

I write this about 24 hours away from release and have high hopes. If even half of the promises manifest, The Division 2 looks to be a game capable of scratching the RPG, looter-shooter itch and keeping us occupied with a quality release for a while.

Time to Uninstall Destiny 2

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Rip, why the hell would you uninstall one of the greatest looter-shooters of all time?! Thank you for your question, random person. Allow me to elaborate.

Destiny 2 has been in my gaming rotation since its release on September 6, 2017. As the sequel to the original title, Destiny 2 took off with great anticipation. The campaign was fascinating and the recently formed original Guardian Down Squad (GDSQ), formed in the tribulation of King’s Fall, took to the new challenge with gusto. After a quick rise to level cap, the Leviathan raid beckoned and the GDSQ decided to take the Oath of Darkness while completing the raid. Simply put, we chose to avoid all hints, guides, and spoilers while pitting our own wits against the Leviathan test. Truth be told, it took months of casual play but through effort, skill, and a touch of luck, we finally defeated Calus and took our prizes with great satisfaction.

Leviathan done by: MaxPower, TangoChaser, Chica, GroovyTimBob, Darth Sacko & Rip

After defeating the Leviathan raid, most found Destiny 2 had universally become rather bland experience. The community outcry was deafening and, to their credit, Bungie began to respond, albeit slowly, to the concern. Players began to leave the game in droves, YouTube content was continually being posted about the negative state of the game, while devs feverishly worked to resolve content and weapon issues. Roadmaps were published, promises were made, and was rectified with the brand new Forsaken expansion. Suddenly, all seemed right with the [nerd] world.

Excited to move forward with a new Destiny 2 experience, the GDSQ gathered once more to crush the campaign, while keeping one eye on the (rumored to be much more difficult) Last Wish raid. Again, we took the Oath of Darkness and would accept no assistance in our journey — a decision which was both horrendous and rewarding. Arguably the most difficult raid ever conceived by Bungie, the Last Wish raid took months of effort and setbacks, while providing only marginal victories. One by one, bosses fell and puzzles were solved until, about two weeks ago, we finally finished the Last Wish raid — start to finish, in one weekend. And it was an epic [nerd] adventure.

Last Wish done by: MaxPower, GrooyTimBob, Darth Sacko, Chica, TangoChaser, & Rip

After hours of gameplay and the much rewarding culmination of completing both raids without assistance, it’s time to hang up my cloak. I’ve accomplished all the high points and feel good about the exit. Been playing in the Destiny world for better than four years and we’ve all put in some time. What kinda time? As of this writing:

  • GroovyTimBob // 30 days, 1 hour
  • Ripcordless // 16 days, 8 hours
  • Angel // 13 days, 3 hours
  • Chica // 13 days, 21 hours
  • TangoChaser // 11 days, 21 hours
  • Darth Sacko // 11 days, 2 hours
  • MaxiusPower // 10 days, 23 hours
  • MuricanSheepDog // 10 days, 6 hours
  • Hellian // 9 days, 12 hours

Kinda been there, done that, enjoyed the hell outta the ride but time to move on. Don’t get me wrong, once Bungie settles and is focused on Destiny 3, I’ll be there but until then, it’s time to uninstall Destiny 2. Enjoy.