▷The Division 2 review: the world is not enough 🥇

We are alone and condemned to oblivion, between destruction, death and no one who can save us. The condemnation of the survivors of a catastrophe of abnormal dimensions is this: to find themselves in a world that knows nothing but violence and primordial division into clans. Unlike in the past, firearms, hand grenades and much more are used here to come out as winners in the climate of continuous struggle that reigns in Tom Clancy's The Division 2, the new title of Ubisoft which continues the events of the first chapter of the same name, three years later and resuming the post-apocalyptic tones and the plot of a clear cinematic matrix.

We have on our hands an open world action RPG genre that does not differ much from what the saga to which it belongs has promised so far: many shots in the barrel ready to be fired, as much exploration and a quality in the graphic and scenic sector that they try to repair to the missteps made by great promises of the same kind, as the previous ones Fallout 76 e Anthem. We did not wait any longer and we took up arms to throw ourselves headlong into the adventure, of which we will tell you the details immediately!

Ground Zero

The Division 2 tells the story that takes place in the shadow of the obelisk in front of the White House in Washington DC after a terrible pandemic it has shocked the United States and the capital is on the verge of collapse. Civil society is threatened by anarchy and instability, and rumors of a possible coup are dropping even more, but plunging everything left in the world into chaos. We are part of one division with other agents active to contribute to the defense of the city, before it is too late: we are the last line of defense of civil society able to face this new threat, or at least that is what we hope.

So let's get into the heart of the gameplay, truly becoming part of our division, where the task is clear: to help the local community in an attempt to free the streets from the threat of armed gangs and the viral aftermath of the so-called “green poison”. So let's start by completing one mission after another, immersing ourselves in an atmosphere halfway between the discipline and intransigence of the military world and the anxiety of surviving a hostile reality. From a purely technical point of view, The Division 2 is a title online multiplayer, which allows us to choose between single player or cooperative modes with at least 4 other players on our side, as well as extending the narrative ramifications in different directions.

On the one hand, we can choose to experience a story-driven campaign with a very good and satisfying longevity; on the other we have the Endgame mode, that is a good twenty additional hours, where the city of Washington is thrown into crisis again by the invasion of the faction Black tusk, representing the most elite enemy we will encounter. Unlockable only from level 30, we will be able to have access to this part of the game by also obtaining one of the three Specializations, to simplify things at least in part and choosing between Sharpshooter, Survivalist and Demolitionist. That said, the difficulty is truly remarkable in this section, which is why it is advisable, but not mandatory, to face the strongest factions with a team of allies ready to take up arms with us.

A thousand and one stories

These will not be the only threats: even the factions already existing in campaign mode will become even more difficult to defeat, not forgetting the intense PvP battles and the discovery of three different ones Black Areas, of the areas of the city that remained unexplored for months. These mysterious closed sections of Washington offer an intense PvEvP experience, where anything can happen and nobody can be trusted, but the modalities are no less. Skirmish e Domination, to be played 4 against 4. There are many ways to approach the story, to meet the preferences of the players who can't wait to shoot shots at the enemies.

As you can imagine, we can look at the game without the colored lens of the narrative itself, a sweetener of what is true. core of the gameplay: cartridges and bombs as many as I can. The Division 2 promises to be a series of high-resolution backgrounds, but always offering the same game dynamics. The high repetition rate in the basic characteristics is a fairly common flaw for titles of this genre, where the story behind it is sometimes just an excuse to baste the structure of a shooter and distinguish it from the others. Apart from this aspect, the defects in itself in The Division 2 are not many, on the contrary: we are dealing with a product with evident quality technical characteristics, where synchronization does not waste us time and we can enjoy movements and passages carried out in agility, without bugs or service interruptions. The game servers have been populated since March 15, the day of the official launch, but previously the capacities and the numbers of the participants were not at all unsatisfactory.

Having to look after enemies with a numerically massive presence, we are facilitated by a small one summary screen which remains adherent to the body of our character throughout the game, showing both vital values, ammunition and weapons available. This trick undoubtedly facilitates us in managing the game, deciding the next move to make without taking too much time, or invading the view. It would have been better instead if the viewfinder was a little more evident on the screen and helped us in taking down the enemies, often positioned at such a distance that accuracy becomes crucial to take victory home. A goal that is not always easy to achieve, especially if we rely on the saying "those who do it themselves, do it for three": fend for themselves it can prove to be a difficult choice with many complications, a situation we can cope with by changing the weapons at our disposal.

Explosive graphics quality

Analyzing the game settings, the team has reserved an eye to the technical and customization of our avatar, going to take advantage of both the connection with our Ubisoft account (if we had one), and using all the capabilities offered by our console. Not only can we set subtitles and their dimensions, dubbing language and the possibility to activate or not thespeaker of our controller, but we also see how the basic settings of the character we are going to drive are derived from the Ubisoft account, starting from the male or female gender. Everything or almost it can be custom in the menu of our avatar, from skin tone gradation, to spots and scars on the face, to clothing, tattoos and more. Although the list is well-fed, we admit that it was not always easy to observe the variations of our virtual alter ego, especially regarding the change on the face: it turned out to be quite uncomfortable position of the head which does not rotate properly when we have to decide on details, assuming a non-frontal angle.

Apart from this small flaw, the rest of the graphics sector enjoys one really good quality and at the height of the title in question: since the introduction we notice a clear cinematographic and scenic taste that manages to strike the emotionality and strike with its images and storytelling methods that can only be exciting and in step with the best scripts of a Hollywood movie. From the very first scenes, both the direction and the graphics have a not indifferent charm, confirming the evolution of the videogame medium and declaring it a companion almost on a par with cinematography: slow motion mode in videos, excellent lettering, effective introduction thanks to the narrating voice over are the fundamental ingredients that lay the foundations for an engaging start, a lasting effect in scenic sequences of the game.

A game that has no intention of running out here, as it makes sense enough: new free content will be released in the game regularly throughout the first year after launch, for a renewed long-term experience. The Year 1 Pass will give you access to 365 days of exclusive additional content, without forgetting the free ones, available and constantly updated. The Division 2 has a remarkable longevity, perhaps in the long run a bit redundant and the narrative itself is not too engaging or articulated, but which manages to keep the attention and the taste to challenge oneself and others high enough. a reality at times apocalyptic, at times likely.