Skip to content
The Division 2 is out now, and having not played The Division for a while, I was unsure what I was expecting when it came to the sequel. To my pleasant surprise, I was treated to a solid game which offered a whole lot more than I was expecting.
Before I implore you to purchase this game by raving about all the fantastic things it offers, I will make you aware of the things which were only slightly irritating.
Irritant 1: the game (on release) has a few bugs and even though I didn’t come across many of them, I must report that many others have moaned about them. Definitely not as many bugs as Anthem though.
Irritant 2: For the first few days, none of my friends had the game so I had to play solo. Even though solo was fantastic fun I always knew that I could have been having more fun playing with friends. Luckily, I convinced two friends to purchase the game and that made all the difference.
Now onto the good bits. The Division 2 offers everything you want from a multiplayer game. Even after 60 hours of gameplay, the game has plenty more to offer you. I also anticipate that in a few months time they will release a giant free update like they did with The Division.
The gameplay is illustrious with different fine details and excellent mechanics. There is a vast and extensive range of different weapons ranging from single fire to snipers. Each time you level up, you can then gain higher level weapons (even though they are the same style) which can leave you in a tricky situation. I fell in love with one of the weapons early doors and even when I was level 7 I was still using a level 2 weapon. It wasn’t causing much damage. Ironically, as soon as I deconstructed the weapon, I found loot with the same weapon but level 7 in.
You have two choices with all your weapons after you are done with them: you can deconstruct them or you can sell them. After you unlock the lady who can make you armour and mods you’ll decide to always deconstruct them. Actually, to this day, I still haven’t spent any money on buying weapons because they never seem much better than the ones I have.
Some may find it arduous having to continuously change weapons and armour to improve but I found it interesting and felt like a new form of levelling.
Not only is there a vast array of weaponry, you also have the opportunity to upgrade your SHD and your special move. There are a range of special moves to choose from including different types of drones, turrets and even revive grenades. You could spend actually ages working out your best form of attack and defence so I decided to randomly pick them (much to the annoyance of my squad).
Playing this game on your own is pretty fun but playing with two friends whilst chatting to them is extraordinary. You can combine different types of attacks, different weapons and different gameplay styles. I would always run in with some sort of machine gun and need someone to revive me quickly. One friend would often stay back with a sniper and hide like a little …… The other would calculate each move and by the time he had decided I would be dead. Of course.
The Division 2 doesn’t display stand-out graphics but there are no shocking errors which will catch your eyes. The city’s surroundings become a little bland after time but only because every street corner seems the same. There are a few hidden side alleys and entrances to the underground but nothing to really get you excited. In no way am I belittling the graphics, though, as they are keeping with the excellent standard of graphics to which we have become so accustomed.
Most of the time, I played The Division 2 with headphones on. Even though I have an awful pair of headphones to play with my Xbox, the sound was insane. Every time I heard gun fire I was turning my head and trying to work out where it was coming from. You can hear the drones labouring over to you and scope them out from a distance. When more enemies are on route you can hear them setting up camp and discussing how they are going to try and take you and your formidable team down. Each character brings their own interesting voice to the game and all have believable accents.
Overall, The Division 2 brings you absolutely everything you want from a game and will be something that I will be playing for a year at least. There is so much depth to it and a wealth of potential with addons. I have now joined a clan and will continue to do my best for all my squad mates.
The Division 2 is out now on PS4, PC and Xbox One.
Important info:
- Developer: Massive Entertainment
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Players: Single-player, multiplayer
|
GRAPHICS SOUND GAMEPLAY ENJOYMENT |
7.5 8.5 9 10 |
| OVERALL | 9 |
I have been a video game player since 1993 and a music fan since I can remember. I studied Film and Journalism at university and ended up becoming a Primary School teacher. Video games changed my life and sent me on the right track and have stayed with me ever since.