@ricku1967: Agree 100%. Also, Gamespot has been particularly negative in their press about this game. It's so drastically one sided that it makes me wonder who pissed off an exec :).

I think the only thing the game will lack is PVE endgame and maybe more objective PvP. Honestly that's fine, the game looks like a fun rpg with a great loot system, potentially strong story, and strong coop (including random matchmaking!!)

@brunod_f: Here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22628ymhE3Q

@Djdiddles77: I will say that I've read and watched a lot of previews from different sites and I think all of Gamespots coverage is extremely negative and easily obtainable positive information about the game has been left out of just about every video/article they've posted. I don't get it.

I think the only people who should really be disappointed are those that were expected a tactical shooter as opposed to an rpg. The comparisons to Destiny are extremely misleading. It's a horrible benchmark for this type of game.

@beantownsean: The developer has explicitly stated that the game scales with player count. Lone wolves will need to have a balanced build in order to be successful.

Now they could be lying and failed to play test properly but being able to play single player is their intent.

@vitaminbp1: That plus the fact that the developer has said a few times that you can play solo and the game scales in difficulty. The main difference is that you will need a balanced build when playing solo.

The guys asking the questions seemed really miffed about the entire game and it's frustrating because they don't bring up any of the strong points about the game or the really great things that make it nothing like Destiny.

It's an RPG, not a shooter, and that's just fine with me.

Recent video which answers player questions such as map size, matchmaking("if you want to play with someone, we're making it very easy to do so), endgame(lol - sounds unfinished based on the video), and dark zone philosophy(ruleless): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22628ymhE3Q

In my opinion, this game is as much like Destiny as it's like Borderlands(not very). Given the negative feelings many have in regards to Destiny, I feel using it as a benchmark for an rpg shooter is an unfair comparison. If you like non-fantasy RPGs that allow co-op and ruleless PvP(zoned) then you should enjoy The Division.

Gamespot really seems to dislike this game and I'm not sure why. I've seen a lot of positive coverage elsewhere. I get that people who wanted semi-realistic shooter mechanics are not happy but just because it has an RPG emphasis does not make it a bad game. Also, since we're comparing this to Destiny so much, why aren't we comparing it to Borderlands? Just curious because I honestly think the game is more akin to Borderlands than Destiny. Heck, I think it's closer to Diablo than Destiny (admittedly, all three are a bit of a reach but Destiny is the worst).

For me, the main things I care about are: Is it fun? Does it have more than a few hours of content? Can I play with friends? Getting hung up on the 2013 tech demo or the fact that it's more RPG than shooter just seems picky if the game is fun. I do get that if you hate RPGs and love shooters this sucks and to that I would say I'm sorry and maybe go play siege, squad, arma, cs, etc... I love the fact that it will have some matchmaking.

I'll be playing this when it comes out.

A lot of people asking for whether or not this can be played solo. Here is a link with some decent detail on what solo play is like in The Division:

http://venturebeat.com/2016/01/15/the-division-ubisoft-promises-solo-players-wont-be-left-out/

TL:DR
-Difficulty scales with player count. (More enemies with 4 players than 1)
-Story is the same no matter what.
-Builds can be more specialized in group play while they need to be more well rounded for solo play (to account for all the different enemy types/situations).

Recent interview that details a lot of the game. Includes grouping mechanic details (which are hands down better than Destiny (on paper).

https://www.vg247.com/2016/01/15/the-divisions-level-cap-solo-play-hard-mode-loot-and-free-updates-laid-bare/

@yoda101280:

Here you go:
http://venturebeat.com/2016/01/15/the-division-ubisoft-promises-solo-players-wont-be-left-out/

@Warlord_Irochi: I'm thinking the odds are in the favor of The Division being a much better game than Destiny.

Destiny had an incoherent story, no character development, a laughable loot system, and a frustrating/boring mission structure with little to no fun content.

Boring robot: "It's a Wizard!"
Me: "Wait, isn't this science fiction? What are wizards doing here?"

I think that The Division, at a minimum, has Destiny beat in most of those categories (based on all of the preview gameplay feedback this week). Gamespot seems to be particularly miffed at this game. The title they used is a shame because the implication that The Division is a lot like Destiny inherently includes the idea that The Division has all of those same problems (listed above). I believe the title of the article is the worst kind of click bait as many people read the title and went straight to the -do not buy- mentality when what they really need to do is some investigation.

@boerew0rs: Several people who posted their previews this week have said that the bullet sponge effect is much better now than it was. Are you saying that's not the case?