In March 2016, The Division, a shooter, was released in third person primarily designed for multiplayer in a cooperative. The title was developed by several Ubisoft studios, including the Swedes from Massive Entertainment. The setting was a winter New York in full socio-political crisis following the outbreak of an epidemic that involved the entire nation. As Division agents it was our job to restore order to the city, fighting threats from some rioters like the Purifiers and Rikers.
The Division, the origins
The Division combined the typical mechanics of the third-person shooter with elements openworld e RPG, such as leveling up (with a cap at level 30), upgrading base weapons and equipment. The same standards that will inherit many other Ubisoft games such as Watch Dogs 1 and 2, Assassin's Creed Origins and Odyssey and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands. It was an interesting experiment, but the formula it didn't quite captivate the public. The main reason was also the lack of an actual endgame.
From New York to Washington DC
Exactly three years later, here we are with the sequel. The Division 2 moves from chilly winter New York to warmer Washington DC in the summer. Months have passed since the outbreak of the epidemic, but the struggle to re-establish a society continues. Let's find out together if the Ubisoft teams have managed to collect i feedback users and to create a better and more refined product than the first chapter.
Our adventure begins with the creation of our alter-ego. In the editor we will be able to customize every detail, and then launch ourselves in medias res in a guerrilla war as an agent of the Division. Our job will be to restore order to the city of Washington DC by freeing it from three main factions: the Hyenas (not those of Italia Uno or Tarantino's film), the True Sons and the Forsaken.
The agent's routine
The gameplay remained apparently unchanged from the first chapter: starting from a base or a refuge, we face the missions of history o secondary (together with a maximum of three other companions), we defeat waves of enemies, often followed by mini bosses at the end of the mission, we gain experience, level up, recover loot and supplies, buy or recover new weapons and armor, spend points to improve the our abilities and advantages, we clear new areas, improve our bases, conquer new outposts, strongholds and so on. We enter a continuous cycle that repeats itself up to level 30 which essentially corresponds to the end of the story mode.
A repetitive, grinding-based yet rewarding gameplay
It is extremely gameplay repetitive based on grinding, But that it never gives boredom for two simple reasons: the sense of fulfillment given by one real and concrete progression and the variety of environments, an aspect which we will explore further on. The missions are not many, but they are long and highly replayable. Greatly improved gunplay, now more realistic, although the damage system is still based on hit points inflicted and not on the body part hit (in full RPG style). Enemies will now not remain standing even after receiving a barrage of bullets (at least basic ones).
The already has remained unchanged excellent roofing system, while the gps navigation system has been improved, even if it still has some small defects. We also applaud the improvements introduced in artificial intelligence: enemies now react in a realistic and aggressive way to our actions. Especially on the highest difficulties we will have to think about a tactic and work as a team to KO them all. The management of objects and missions has also been simplified: now it is much more practical to manage the equipment and enter the game.
Many small finishes, few substantial innovations
Removed these refinements, from the gameplay side, actually the news there aren't that many: a few more customizations but nothing so striking. In short, in short The Division 2 takes up the formula of the first chapter and refines it, finally creating a product well balanced. There was really no need for anything else.
A PvP, unfortunately, to be reviewed
The only aspect that should be reviewed, is perhaps the PvP, accessible through the Black Zones. Sometimes it will be frustrating to lose your life through trivial mistakes or simple bad luck. We also add that the loot in this type of match are not all that inviting, so we will be unwilling to play in this mode. Not to mention the team deathmatches they are really badly balanced and penalized by the lack of advantages given by the hard-earned equipment. Even in the first chapter, the Black Zones were quite badly balanced. Fortunately, PvP is far from being core gameplay. Either way, I hope this part of the game gets more curated over time.
Excellent technical and aesthetic realization, too bad for imperfections
Let's now analyze the game from a technical and aesthetic point of view: from winter New York we move to a capital in summer. Also this time the graphic engine is the good Snowdrop Engine, able to manage large environments full of detailed elements. Although he prefers freezing New York as a setting (in my opinion it suits the nature of the game more) I must say that in terms of level design, a great job has been done: the city seems alive, full of vegetation and animals (wild and otherwise) that roam the streets. In the missions then, each arena is different from the others and is extremely accurate in detail. We will pass from construction sites, to observatories, from museums to the roofs of buildings. Variety is not lacking!
Of course, not all versions of the game are optimized properly: playing on PlayStation 4, the version used for the review, I noticed some item popups, several graphics bugs and textures loaded more slowly. Nothing too serious, however. However, the experience remains enjoyable. Furthermore, if we consider the size and detail of the details of the game world, they are mistakes that can be forgiven.
Sound sector in the standard and dubbing free of bite
The soundtrack that accompanies our battles is in perfect synchrony with the game. Don't expect anything fancy, however. From the point of view of dubbing in español it was possible maybe do something more. Sometimes it is subdued and lacking in bite. Sin.
A plot in the background, for the benefit of pure gameplay
From the narrative point of view, as in the predecessor it was decided to put the plot in the background, in the name of gameplay and progression. Not that there is no plot, there is but it is the usual story of the good guys who want to refound society against the bad guys who want to abuse social disorder to take power, in short, nothing so original. In the event that we are interested in deepening it, we will ascertain various, fragmentary, information during missions o collecting collectibles.
Finally an endgame worthy of the name!
As mentioned at the beginning of the review, in the first chapter a real endgame was missing and that was a real shame. In The Division 2 the same mistake was not made, indeed, it can be said that the actual game starts with the endgame. Once you reach the level capin fact (level 30) and complete all main missions, defeating the three enemy factions there will be an unexpected twist: the city will be invaded by a new fearsome enemy: the Black Tusk.
The arrival of this faction will start the endgame. We will have to do it all over again: free neighborhoods, settlements, outposts and other businesses with a much higher level of difficulty. At this point there will be no more levels, but the "Armor Points", that is, the power of the character will be determined by elements of his equipment.
And this is precisely where specializations come into play: if until now all the agents were quite similar, in this phase we will unlock elements based on our style of play, specializing in different roles and thus going to characterize different classes. It will be necessary to take on missions with agents of different classes to be successful against the enemy!
To summarize, we can compare The Division 2's bipartition to French cards. It consists of two decks: the first blue, which concerns the first part of the game, with the level cap. The second part, the red deck, on the other hand, is the endgame and the clash with the fearsome Black Tasks. I was pleasantly surprised by this choice.
In conclusion
The Division 2 re-proposes all that is good in the first chapter and refines it, improving it and introducing small innovations. A product recommended for both those who wandered the cold streets of New York and novices. It's not perfect: a more in-depth narrative would have made it a more interesting title, but if the only aspects you are looking for in online play are action and fun, it is a purchase to be made with your eyes closed. Finally, a round of applause to Massive and the other studies for having finally created an end game worthy of the name, which will be the basis of future updates planned for the game. Even The Division 2, in fact, should have seasons, or rather, "years" like Rainbow Six: Siege and other Ubisoft titles. I'm curious to see how this product will evolve over time.
