I thoroughly enjoyed 2016s The Division, it was the first online focused game that I really dug my teeth into. I had initially played it on my brother’s XBOX One, and it was one of the reasons why I chose to purchase a PS4 after a bit of a hiatus from gaming.
Despite some obvious flaws that I won’t go into here, The Division was a fun cover based, third person shooter, with an added loot grind on top of it. I spent countless hours playing with friends in the main missions, as well as the broken but rewarding Dark Zone. Like Destiny, the moment to moment gameplay was engaging and joyous. The feel of the weapons was great and the bullets hit the target with a lot of weight and impact. The weapons might have looked a bit too similar to one another but you were always rewarded with better loot the further you progressed. The best thing about the game was that you could tailor your gear and skill loadout to way you wanted to approach the game.
So I’d been looking forward to The Division 2 since long before it was even announced, and I purchased it on day one. I’ve now completed the base game and experienced most of the endgame content, and my feelings are a bit mixed to be honest. It’s a better and more polished experience than the first game, but it doesn’t go beyond what I expected, and it doesn’t match the fun that I had on my first experience playing through the first Division. Which is understandable in some ways, because your first experience with a particular series will be more impressionable compared with a sequel that’s better but fundamentally the same.
I’ve decided to do this review in a different way, one, because I’d like to just get to the point and narrow down my positive and negatives. Two, because the game is still evolving as I write this, seeing as it is an online service game. So I’ll state the good and bad, starting with the bad on this occasion.
The bad
Artificial difficulty
The enemies can be really clever, and they are certainly far more challenging than those in the first Division. Not only do they flank you but they are relentless once they have you in sight. Despite all of the frustration I’m glad this is the case, however, the difficulty can feel extremely cheap and artificial. There are a couple of enemy types that feel unbalanced, I’m thinking of baton wielders who sprint and kill you within one or two hits, as well as armoured enemies who sprint at you with a jack hammer, like the baton enemies they can kill you in matter of seconds once they get hold of you. This isn’t helped when the enemies don’t generally react when you’re pumping bullets into them, and they have a knack of spawning from nowhere. Which makes it hard to react if you’re in the heat of a fire fight (especially if you’re in a bad team).
This isn’t helped with the general clumsiness of the player movement, the cover system is perfect when you’re on the offensive but it’s a bit lacking when you have to retreat. Particularly if you’re in a position where there’s no immediate cover to get behind.
The story:
The story in the first Division game was hardly enthralling or even original, but its execution was at least interesting, and the characters you met were worth listening to. I just can’t say the same for The Division 2, I got to the point where I just didn’t even bother to take much notice of what was going on. This problem is further exacerbated by the stripped down connection you have with the base of operations. In the first game the base of operations was integral to the progression. In this game it’s still the place that you have to customise your character, but little else. With that said, having The White House as the base of operations was a great idea.
Repetition and telegraphed mechanics:
Although this point will be countered by one of my positives, the game’s gameplay mechanics eventually get repetitive. You gradually begin to notice a pattern in the way the missions and the enemies playout. The enemies will flank and duck out of cover at a precise moment in a certain way. For all of the game’s fun and thrill, after the initial opening of the game I couldn’t play the game for more than an hour or two at a time. Which is evidence that I liked the game, but I could play the first game endlessly and never get bored. With The Division 2 there came a point when I was playing it out of obligation rather than any form of investment.
Clunky UI and bugs:
These are minor issues I had compared with my other negatives, but the game quite frequently takes a while to load in properly when you spawn into the map. Causing the environmental textures to have a bizarre water palette look to them, as well as bad pop in.
The user interface is not the best, but it’s in no way detrimental to the experience. I just think there could have been a more cohesive way of layering the different gears together, and a better way of dismantling useless gear you don't need.
The Good:
The game is exhilaratingly fun, especially in a group:
Although I have complained about the artificial difficulty and the repetition, the game is still an absolute blast. The missions are far superior to those in the first game, and the locations are far more expansive. The weapons hit with real impact, and the shooting is excellent on the whole. The game gives you a lot of agency by allowing you to build your character with the weapons, gear and skills that suit your playstyle.
While some of the side missions are a bit hit and miss, the main missions and strongholds are excellent. Playing in a full team is extremely gratifying, this is especially the case if you’re in a good team that coordinates together (this doesn’t have to be over group chat). The game goes out of its way to make sure that players use the environment to take on enemies in their own unique way. On higer difficulties this only works if you’re in a team that is at least competent, otherwise you're in for a struggle.
Plenty of endgame content that’s good:
For a live service game, The Division 2 has plenty of content to get through, from the base game to the endgame content. I won’t spoil anything but a new, tougher enemy faction comes along once you have completed the base game, and it just makes a lot of the repeated content you’ll go through a bit more immersive. There is an abundance amount of new loot to pick up too.
While Washington DC is full of content that feels a bit like filler, the main missions are great, and the strongholds will keep you busy for quite some time. Since release, new content has been dropped, and Ubisoft plan on dropping more in the near future.
And let’s not forget the Dark Zone, the PVP area, and where you can get a ton of gear. To be honest I haven’t really delved too deeply into it, but there are three of them, rather than just the one which was in the first game. It’s added content that you might want to explore if you’re up for something different.
Interesting map:
The first game was set in New York City, which was good but it began to get a little stale the further into the game you progressed. The Division 2 takes place in Washington DC and it provides a more suburban locale. This has allowed the missions to be a bit more immersive and multi layered compared with the streets of Manhattan. The first game often felt like a corridor to corridor shooting gallery, in this game the bigger environments make it an imperative to play with some form of tactical awareness.
Although the game is not particularly pretty in the visual departments, it’s a treat to explore and blast your way through historical locations such as the Lincoln memorial, the Capitol building as well as the Washington Monument. The overall setting feels much grander on this occasion.
Final Thoughts:
The Division 2 is a bittersweet experience, although it’s bigger and better than its predecessor, there are flaws that don’t make the overall package nearly as fun. The core gameplay loop is thrilling but becomes a little monotonous, and the game’s difficulty makes it far less enjoyable playing solo. If you enjoyed the first game then this is a must buy, but be aware that this is more like a reboot than a proper sequel.
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