“The Division” is a memorable game and that’s because of 2 reasons: it was the game that was severely downgraded and left a bad taste in the community’s mouth but it was also the game that found its way to the top of the looter shooters with its extensive end game content, even though it almost took them a year to gain such a status. After the outbreak of the virus in Manhattan, it’s time to take on the streets of Washington DC and kick some True Son’s butt.
The previous Division game was situated in Manhattan where a group of terrorists released a virus on Black Friday that caused many victims. Chaos, destruction and a harsh winter made Manhattan one of the darkest cities on the planet. As an agent of “The Division”, it’s up to you to gain control of the city and eliminate the opposing factions while helping the victims to see the dawn of the next day. After doing your best to regain the situation in New York, “The Division” realizes that his conflict was just the beginning of an even greater problem, it seems that terrorists have spread out their bad blood amongst other cities. Your Division agent is being called to leave Manhattan behind and head for Washington DC, a new chapter within the Division series that’ll bring you deeper into the Wolves Den. Are you up for it? Will you answer the call?
“The Division 2 does lots of things right with the minimum effort.”
The people who’ve already answered the call, won’t argue the fact that the game doesn’t bring a lot of new things to the table. Don’t get me wrong, the quality of The Division is there, and you can really tell that the developers have learned from their mistakes but it’s nothing groundbreaking or life-changing. The Division 2 is a looter shooter that has the perfect foundation of its predecessor and builds up the game with everything a looter shooter gamer could ask for. The Division 2 does lots of things right with the minimum effort.
The Division 2 takes you from a snowy dark Manhattan to a sunny, warm and nature-conquered Washington DC. For a city that’s fairly ruinated by the different terrorists’ groups that roam these streets, Washington DC looks amazing. I do have to admit that I was a bit skeptic when I saw the trailer. The environment looked to “happy” for a story where “death and chaos” is the main focus. However, a great number of hours in-game and I can already tell that the developers made it clear in their environment that this isn’t the Washington DC we all know and love. This Washington DC makes you feel like you’re in the movie “I Am Legend” or any other kind of apocalyptic movie. They’ve set the mood right. You really feel like the streets are empty because of the chaos that happened 7 months ago from the previous game, but you also believe that the city has been conquered by nature as well. I really thought that the environments would be bland and without thoughts, but when you’re doing main missions aside from the free-roaming, some of these environments look top-notch. There’s a decent amount of variation between the insides of the buildings that definitely boosts your immersion. This rendition of Washington DC may be sunny and cozy looking from the outside, but it’s filled with dark corners and danger zones. It’s also great to see some animals crossing the street, this helps to keep the world alive. The weather system within this game is also something that keeps up the variation during your playtime. Just like real life, each area looks different when it’s being exposed to these weather conditions. It’s not only something that’s very exciting to see but it’s also a great mechanic that’ll keep the players alert if they want to survive this forsaken place.
The game’s story won’t win any awards, but it helps to keep the players engaged while they’re grinding their way to the “end game”. The story puts the player in the focus, you are the new sheriff in town and it’s up to you to help the forsaken communities to build up their lives again. The story may be forgettable, but the loot you’re finding along the way isn’t. The Division does the looter shooter justice. The Division sets an example for other looter shooters because the way your character progresses through the story is fluent and addicting. This is where “The Division” truly shines as a looter shooter. ANTHEM take notes! “The Division” already had some great fundamentals to build on and it’s good to see that the developers kept some of these fundamentals in the game (like the loot grabbing), but they also weren’t afraid to experiment a little with some other design choices to make the game a bit more challenging and it truly is for the better.
“It’s a little change that makes a big difference…”
One of the main complaints of the original game was the fact that every enemy felt like a bullet sponge. You would unload a full magazine into the enemy’s body and he would still survive the attack. This wasn’t a realistic feeling, especially when you’re going for a looter shooter that has a more realistic approach. This time they’re doing the enemies a little bit different and at first, I wasn’t really convinced that this would solve the “realism” problem but it does help. You’ll notice that your main protagonist, as well as enemies, will now have 2 health bars. The orange health bar is the most critical one, if this one depletes, you’re out of the picture. However, the health bar on top of the orange bar is your armor bar. This armor can be build up by equipment and can also be replenished during the battle with armor kits. This helps you to remember that you’re just as human like all the other persons around you, you’re not a hero that could outlive the enemies and tell the tale. The enemies you face, come with armored suits as well, you’ll have to break their armor first before you can actually hurt them. It’s also not like you’re fighting aliens who may have strong bodies that could survive a full unload of a clip just like in Destiny. The enemy’s armored suits in the Division also consists out of different armor parts, so you can use this to your tactical advantage. If you shoot off the helm, it’ll leave their face wide open for a clean headshot. If you shoot off their arm parts, you can stagger them while he or she is throwing a grenade. It’s a little change that makes a big difference, especially when you find immersion important.
The Division 2 is all about you and how you conduct a playstyle for your own. The abilities, armor sets, and different weapons will all help you with finding that right build that does the job. You can play a more defensive role than an offensive role if you really want to… but not me, I went full offensive and even though I’ve already spent quite some time in the Division, I still haven’t found the right equipment that suits my playstyle best. The options in the Division are very expansive and even though you might find a build that’ll help you soar through the content of the Division, there will always be that one mission that’ll shoot you out of the sky. You’ll have to get up and rethink your play style: form a new game plan, equip a new set of skills, test out some other weaponry and recalibrating your armor pieces. It’s all about adapting to each new confrontation and reel in the rewards for an even more powerful build.
The loot grabbing within The Division 2 is insane! The amount of items you get seems fair and it’ll give you a satisfactory feeling. Each item offers new stats on damage, RPM and bonuses. In the beginning, the loot seems to build up slowly, as you’re grinding your way to the end game but the moment you’re entering the first stage of End Game, the game truly starts and offers you so many “useable adaptive weapons and items” that it’ll cause a loot addiction. There’s just so many things to do, that truly gives you a sense of progression on your own personal terms.
“The game is packed with things to do and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
It’s the same with the abilities section, the game offers you a couple of skill points that’ll unlock “active skills” to your disposal. These skills can be modified and can be adapted to any kind of situation. Each skill offers you different directions to help you with your playstyle and almost every skill has a defensive, offensive, and even a support alteration. You choose when you pick a certain skill and it can be modified and altered to your liking. The game offers some old favorite abilities like the turret and the pulse but there also some new interesting skills that are definitely worth a try, like the chem launcher and the hive. All of these abilities fulfill a certain role and can help you with the “melting” of your enemies or even with supporting the team members.
The map of Washington DC has different districts with different level recommendations. The map is filled with things to do and areas to explore. The different districts host the same kind of activities like before: control points, public executions, propaganda events, … that can earn you tons of experience points and loot. Then there are still some main missions and side missions for you to complete as well, this will progress your story and will build up some of the settlements. There is also the opportunity to explore on your own and it’s great to see that there’s actually something happening, even though you’re just passing through. NPC’s are scouting the area or are searching for some supplies. It’s not much that these NPC’s do but it’s enough to give you the feeling that you’re not alone. There are also echo’s or electronic communication devices for you to collect that will help to dig some deeper into the Division’s lore and give you experience points. It’s great to see that there are so many things to do that actually reward you. You want to complete your own personal objectives to grind your way to the level cap. Each district also has a safe point for you to unlock, this is a section within the district that’ll give you some time to breathe and organize your inventory. There are also settlements that’ll offer you a sense of progression. These settlements need completed missions to build up the settlement to a higher degree. Building these bases allows for interactions with the survivors and they’ll give you extra side missions or projects to gain that little extra. The game is packed with things to do and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
This time the base of operations is within the White House itself. This takes on the role as your main HUB where you can pick out abilities and skills for your main protagonist. It’s also a place where you can buy/ sell your junk items, recalibrating your weapons, crafting new weapons, upgrading your armor, …
“I do believe that Ubisoft could have done a bit more.”
The enemies you encounter don’t seem to be a lot different from the ones you encountered in New York City but they did receive a “smart” boost when it comes to confrontation. The enemies are a lot smarter and will definitely give you a hard time when you give them a chance: they’ll flank you, they’ll rush you and they’ll bombard you with unlimited explosives. That last one may be a bit overexaggerated but it definitely feels like that sometimes. But in the end, the enemy’s AI is a lot better than the original. The enemies within the Division tend to become stronger and stronger the more you progress your character and this makes up for some challenging situations. Each approach feels unique and you can’t really rely on the past to gain that tactical advantage. It’s the same for the end game content, each mission you start will have a different group of enemies that’ll top your expectations. The enemies also have their own set of skills and equipment and this adds up to a decent variation behind enemy lines: you have the rushers that will boost themselves with narcotics and attack you with melee weapons, your flamethrowers, your mobile artillery, your hulks, … Even though there’s a decent variation, I do believe that Ubisoft could have done a bit more. Some innovation wouldn’t harm, especially when you’re launching a full new game instead of an expansion.
Let’s talk about End Game, the feature where the original Division failed from the beginning but eventually saved the game. From the moment The Division 2 started their marketing crusade, it was very clear that they didn’t want to make the same mistake as before. After a decent amount of “Campaign” hours, the game feels like it’s blossoming after the Campaign. After taking out the main bases of the terrorists, the game opens up with another new faction: the Black Tusk. These heavily reinforced specialists have access to the best weapons and gadgets which makes up for some challenging encounters. Replay old missions on a higher difficulty level to gain some powerful weapons and equipment to make your gear score even better. There’s also the opportunity to play strongholds or Dark Zone. During the End Game, you’ll also unlock 3 specializations which give you access to a signature weapon: a grenade launcher, a crossbow, and a sniper. All of these specializations also have unique “passive” abilities that’ll suit the playstyle that you want.
“PVP is still a great addition to the game and it will definitely appeal to some players.”
The Dark Zone is the place to be when you want to get the best gear the game has to offer. The Dark Zone is an infected area where your teammate can suddenly become your worst enemy. You either help your teammate to secure the loot and eat some of the same pie OR you can go rogue and strike your teammates at an unexpected moment to grab the loot yourself. It’s kind of a PVPVE type of playstyle because you’re venturing through these areas that are filled with NPC’s and other players that all share the same goal, secure the loot, survive the ambush and extract. If you don’t like this type of game, there’s also a PVP mode where you can battle other players in a more controlled environment. Even though the PVP side of “The Division” is pretty scarce, it’s still a great addition to the game and it will definitely appeal to some players.
Let’s talk a bit about the technical aspect of the game. It’s an older engine that doesn’t go to the extreme but it does a great job in creating these urban type environments. From the amount of time I’ve put into The Division 2, I haven’t found too many bugs or glitches but I know there present in the current build. For example, there are still some textures that take ages before they’re rendered, especially during free roam and some abilities seem to have a bug that forces them to “end their apparition” very quickly. Ubisoft has confirmed this bug and they’re trying to get a fix as soon as possible. Some people have experienced crashes as well, that needed a firm reboot of the PS4 system but so far my problems have been very limited. Oh, there was also a sound bug that removed the sound effects of some of my guns… It’s not a major problem that hurts the gameplay experience but it’s annoying. All of these problems can be fixed with future patches and Ubisoft can be sure that they’ve delivered a top-notch product.
Conclusion:
The Division 2 is a decent looter shooter with so much stuff to do. Even though this game seems like it’s a revamped edition from the original Division, it’s a game that’s very enjoyable solo and with friends. The loot system works and all of the extra’s we’re getting makes up for the whole package. After an “okay” campaign, the End Game will still be the place to be when you want to find that over-the-top kind of loot. The game really opens up when you’re starting the End Game. Technical speaking, the game runs fluently but they could have put some more effort into the design of the enemies and/or activities that can be found during “Freeroam”. If you’ve had enough of half-baked looter shooters and you really want to start off fresh, The Division 2 has to be a BUY!
