The Division 2 came out beginning (March) 2019 approximately 3 years after its first game release. It comes mainly on four platforms including PC and Google stadia. Its still the same in a general sense but lets just have a look at some of the key game changing features this second rendition Tom Clancy game brings to the table.
Graphics
So it comes just before the current gen console release also late in the last gen hardware lifespan placing it an advantage to exploit the experience that the developers have had with the last gen machines during their lifespan. The visuals are not drastically different from the previous game but definitely have a noticeable upgrade in terms of character models, the environment and also UI stuff such as the map which is now more detailed and projected in sort of 3D format. It maintains its State town siege aesthetics of an action RPG game setup in the usual New York setting. The dynamic weather system is really good with a day and night cycle and also rainy fog weather enriching the graphics with an appealing texture with the dark areas being darker and glossy with the rainfall.
Take note that this game got current gen upgrades such as moving from 30 to 60fps, enhanced texture filtering, fog effects etc. Its not just bug fixes but also visual upgrades to at the least tape into some of the current gen features but in a very minimal way. So essentially its still a last gen but enhanced game. Now personally I liked how the game looks compared to the last, its polished and solid considering that its an online only game its really good. It has this refined touch compared to the last though the differences are not that big of a deal this is a solid game from a performance perspective too and yes you are going to enjoy it on your 4K screen if you want that extra edge on visual fidelity.
Gameplay
Chief among the impressive stuff it has to offer is the gameplay. The last game was mostly buggy at times and seemed to have a slow response in terms of when shooting the AI NPCs and the late AI response to your bullet effects, something annoying but not by much though. With this game you have solid gunfight engagements and also the cover movement transition is very graceful and super smooth asking for less on your valuable controller sticks.
As for the sound I think it felt better than the last game and the beauty about this is that at times you wont realize that you are actually playing an online game that's how stable it felt. I only played this on my SX and One S just to kind of get the feel from both platforms and its really great regardless of the machine you have. I am pretty sure the PlayStation experience will be similar too though some months ago they had to work on some missing features (mainly the fog effects) on the PS5 which I think was just a development oversight not much to worry about.
The Division 2 may not be bringing much to the table but definitely answers the question of an ideal multiplayer for me. Firstly on this regard its very satisfying to play with friends online with a really good level of difficulty settings to give you a challenge and a memorable experience per encounter. The AI difficulty settings are set well per level you choose to play on i.e not too easy and not too hard just worth the effort with a bit of grind. The only downside for me is that they chose for these games to be online only which for me narrows down the audience for the franchise, though judging in 2021 terms where its becoming more mandatory to have internet connectivity I guess its no longer much of a problem. For me its just that the problem with heavily relying on the internet determines the game's overall experience as you need a reliable connectivity. The last thing I did not like is that the gear upgrade system seemed too clustered and overwhelming with too much to take in and give special attention to at the same time.
Overall this game is special to me primarily because it meets my basic gaming needs of a 3rd person view and decent attention to visual fidelity topped up with a fun gameplay experience accompanied by a stable performance. The only request I have for Ubisoft is if they can make this game offline playable and also add vehicle interaction (flying, helicopters driving tanks etc). I would have said the environment may need to change but that's where Ghost Recon Breakpoint fills the void which to me is the ultimate experience. Hope we cover that soon. For now that's what I can say, cheers.
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