A year and a half after its release…I’ve finally downloaded the free six hour trial of The Division, on Xbox One.

I probably should have purchased this game last year.

The Division, for the five of you that haven’t heard of it, is a third-person action role- playing survival game, set in an open world New York.

A virus breaks out and the city fills with bad dudes, and then you have to go in and fight the dudes.

It was a game famous for its graphics in early trailers. And when it came out, it sold more in the first week than any other Ubisoft game in the history of the company. It also drew a lot of comparisons to Destiny, Borderlands, and Diablo…and not all of them were favorable.

And so I ignored it, even though it seemed right up my alley.

I should have listened to my instincts.

The UI is wonderful. That’s a weird place to start, I know, but whatever. The UI works in a very satisfying way, which is a tremendously important part of any loot game. A big chunk of the game is navigating your inventory and the map, and both of these things are really fun to do in The Division.

I like the way that you can seamlessly enter zones where other players are hanging out. I like the way that missions just begin when you enter certain areas. I like the feel of the gunplay.

Combat encounters are weighty and satisfying while still relying just enough on numbers to make the RPG bits matter.

The Division is about to get a bunch of new free content…and who knows if anyone will see it or if they’ll be busy marching through Destiny 2.

But I think the Division’s approach feels newer than Destiny’s. The game feels more interconnected. The gunplay isn’t as Bungie-tastic, but I’m kind of glad that the game has its own unique feel and atmosphere.

I’m excited to play the Division, only a year and a half late. If I had picked it up last year, it would have easily topped my list of personal favorites. It tickles my loot itch just right, and backs it up with enough polish that it consistently feels like it was very expensive to make.