Tom Clancy's The Division 2 Review (PC)

Tom Clancy's The Division 2 is a game about a conspiracy that comes to pass, but more importantly, it’s about one of the few games-as-a-service titles that seem to work.

Make no mistake about it, one of the main reasons why Tom Clancy's The Division 2 is working is because Ubisoft almost failed with the first one in the series. Most players will remember that the first game didn’t get a warm welcome.

The community loved the atmosphere and the entire premise, but it took Ubisoft a very long time to balance it just right. The story itself was never a problem, but once you’ve finished it and got into the grinding content, things got messy.

Each new update from Ubisoft was fixing some issues mentioned by the community, only to open up a new set of problems. For the longest time, the really powerful enemies were way too powerful, but after they were nerfed by Ubisoft, they became too easy. The loot suffered as a consequence. And this is just one example.

History taught us that developers don’t usually learn from the lessons of the past. Studios try to do things that are too ambitious, or that alienate the existing base. Ubisoft had a very tight rope to walk on, and they managed to keep their balance; bring enough new content to justify a new game, and keep it familiar enough so that it feels like a natural progression.

Story

I love a good conspiracy as much as the next guy, and Tom Clancy made a name for himself by writing books about unlikely conspiracies that involved the government. It’s usually about the end of the civilization as we know it, and it’s difficult to top that one. So, naturally, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 is a game about people trying to survive after a cataclysmic event.

The first game dealt with a targeted infectious agent being put in circulation, in New York, with the help of money. In fact, it’s a well-established method of transmitting diseases, given the fact that money is always changing hands.

The Division is a secret unit of the government that answers only to a handful of people, including the president, and that it’s supposed to be the last line of defense in case the infrastructure and chain of command collapses. It’s also formed by people that have regular 9-to-5 jobs who are embedded with the populations, and who happen to have access to the latest technologies.

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Once the virus was transmitted, and the government failed to contain it within New York, The Division was deployed. Players quickly found out that it wasn’t an accident, and that the conspiracy goes much higher than just taking over a city.

As you can imagine, the infection didn’t stop at New York and reached Washington. Months later, you arrive at The White House, a structure that’s barely holding on together, in a city that’s been overrun by gangs, paramilitaries, and other groups. The goal is simple. Push back the enemy, help the existing settlements establish a foothold, and discover the truth regarding the infection.

Gameplay and multiplayer

The reason why I’m bundling these two together is that they are inexorably linked in a PvE game. The good news about Tom Clancy's The Division 2 is that it doesn’t have to be. For the most part, you can play the game all on your own or at least the single-player.

And I can’t believe that I’m saying this, but you really should try to play with other people. But here is the kicker. You should only play with people you know, friends or family. Unless you find someone from Thailand who happens to want the same things as you and speaks your language, pairing with a stranger is not worth it in single player.

The storytelling was improved in the second game, by a long margin, and it no longer feels like something you need to do to get to the good part. I’m playing the story for story's sake, and I love it. It could be said that single player part of The Division 2 could have been offline, and no one would have been the wiser.

The main map of the game is parsed like many other Ubisoft games, with settlements which give missions and NPCs that need things done. Hardly anything requires an online connection, but I suspect that it’s necessary when the game generates loot when crafting or opening a container.

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If you don’t really care about the single player, and you’re only interested in PvP, you’re in luck, as the game is heavily invested in that as well. Dedicated areas called Dark Zones are available, and they work pretty much as a no man’s land. Much of the gameplay from the first title was kept, including the weapon recovery part, which was awesome.

The Dark Zones are still contaminated with chemical agents, so any weapons you find, either from containers or other real players you’ve terminated, need to be recovered through quarantine. That’s done by calling a chopper. Waiting for it to arrive means you must defend the landing zone, and you’re vulnerable against attacks from other players as well, not just the AI.

While PvP might sound like it's all puppies and rainbows, there's a major drawback. Real players can go rogue and start killing everything that moves. Unless you’re invested in the game, and put in the hours to get the best gear, you’re not going to stand a chance against someone who’s been doing this single activity nonstop. I’ve seen entire teams taken by a single player because he was much well equipped, and had dozens of hours of training for a single thing, taking your stuff.

The last thing I want to mention about the gameplay is also praise for Ubisoft. The studio figured out a way for people to enjoy single player while playing with their friends. Sure, many other games let you do this, but this is the best integration I’ve seen so far.

If I’m going through the single-player campaign, or I’m just roaming about, up to three other people can join. The kicker is that it doesn’t matter if they have different levels, as the game smooths out everyone while keeping track of what level loot everyone should receive.

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Furthermore, the game also knows if you’ve completed a single player mission in someone else’s session, and it won’t show up when you’re playing alone. This system is so well put together that it feels like everyone is playing in the same world.

Graphics and sound

The Snowdrop engine can be used to construct some impressive sceneries and vistas, but we already knew that from the snowy New York in the first game. It’s been more than three years since then, so it stands to reason that the engine was upgraded as well.

To no one’s surprise, The Division 2 looks fantastic, better than the first one, and it’s incredibly well optimized for the PC. It runs smoothly at 60 FPS, even with older hardware, which is ideal for Ubisoft because it means more eligible players can join.

But I don’t think that the number of polygons is definitory for The Division 2 and Snowdrop. The most visually stunning aspect is the amount of clutter everywhere. Washington looks like an abandoned city with millions upon millions of objects lying around. The clutter gives it life.

I also need to point out the astonishing work that’s gone into the animation of the main character. Since this is a third-person shooter at its core, you’re always looking at your character. Everything moves on the backpack, the weapons dangle in the holsters, running is natural, and interactions with the environment are precise.

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As for the audio, I have to say that The Division 2 caught my attention immediately. The city is alive with noises, with the sounds of your clothes swooshing from friction with the backpack always in the background.

By far, the most exciting aspect is the music. So much so, that I actually had to look up who’s responsible. It’s a composer named Ola Strandh who also worked on the first Division, World in Conflict, and two Ground Control games. We’ll be keeping an ear out for his work.

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion