On 9 February 2016, Ubisoft announced that The Division ' s open beta would begin for Xbox One on 18 February 2016, and for PC and PlayStation 4 on 19 February 2016, and would end for all platforms on 22 February 2016.Steel Division 2 pushes the limits of the WW2 RTS experience. But The Division 2 is a server-based game that has ongoing events and updates, so how it plays after a month or so is equally important as to how it plays during the launch window.On 31 January 2016, Ubisoft announced that they had extended the beta, and that it would end on 2 February 2016. That's a necessity in this field, which is why Cody authored our PlayStation 4 review of the game shortly after launch. Most outlets were rushing to post reviews right away.
When you first jump in and start The Division 2, the game has you on a pretty rigid set of rails, although those restrictions quickly fade away after the first story mission. Some of the story is told via in-game conversations, but the meat of it is revealed via side stories, audio recordings, and data records that you pick up by wandering off the beaten path — and The Division 2 encourages you to go off the beaten path.If there's one thing that Ubisoft and its studios have mastered, it is creating massive, open worlds that encourage player exploration. This is the content that covers the liberation of Washington, D.C., and the backstory of the green poison. There is the main game that runs from level 1 to 30 and encapsulates the bulk of story mode. This makes the multiplayer elements feel seamlessly blended with the single-player elements, allowing you to move from one play style to the other without any obstruction.As for the core gameplay experience, The Division 2 almost feels like two games in one. From a technical perspective, the fact that The Division 2 is connecting online whenever you play is conveniently hidden from the player after the initial game load.
Beyond a few missions, these tunnels can generally be ignored, but to do so would be to miss out on another chunk of the game. Simply banging on doors is more likely than not to be a dead end, but there are enough sections that have interiors to make this version of the District feel like more than just a facade.Adding another layer of exploration to the game is the underground sewer system. This doesn't mean that every building has an interior. Some of these are present for dedicated missions, while others are just there because they make sense. As you make your way through the city, you'll find various buildings that can be entered on a whim. While that may be true here from a pure numbers perspective, The Division 2 also includes a large amount of indoor areas to explore.
I'm a player who prefers to min/max specific stats, versus going with what the game says is a higher level, and that's not really a viable option until you've hit the max gear score in the endgame.Despite that limitation, The Division 2 still provides plenty of opportunity for players to play in a way that fits their own style. You often have to give up a favored item to progress, especially in the endgame, where your existing gear determines the level of new gear that's available in random drops. Still, there is a randomness to the elements (and a limitation in the crafting system, which prevents attributes from moving from one item to another at full power) that acts as a limiting factor. Gear is an important aspect of the game throughout, not only because of better overall stats (more armor and health), but also because of the perks provided by certain pieces of gear.You can get lucky and find a piece that you like, or you can break down existing gear and craft your own. Some of this had to do with my desire to explore all of the side missions, but some of it simply had to do with leveling up to make sure I was ready for the challenge. Once the main story has been completed, it is the search for those goods (AKA better gear) that drives the gameplay loop.Ubisoft PR claims it takes about 15 hours to complete the main story, but it took me around double that before I was ready to face off against the "final" story mission.
The computer is constantly forcing you to keep moving.This plays out nicely in the open-world areas, especially when reinforcements are called in, but it can break down in close quarters due to the fact that The Division 2 uses hidden "spawn closets" to drop enemies into the world, and they'll spawn there, regardless of your proximity. You cannot just sit around in one spot, or you'll get boxed in and killed in the crossfire. One of the big differences between The Division 2 and other games is how aggressively the enemy AI uses cover and flanking. Even with the endgame specializations unlocked, I tended to keep coming back to these two, using the endgame specialization more for perks and named boss fights than anything else.Once you find a weapon combination that works for you, the combat loop in The Division 2 works well.
Running from cover point to cover point via the cover system is perfectly doable while under fire. If you don't use cover, you're going to get ripped to shreds. Cover is an absolute necessity. Instances like this are one of the few points when The Division 2 can feel unfair.Another element of the game that took me a while to get used to (and I'm still not quite 100% with it), is how The Division 2 uses cover. I was watching my surroundings, but they were suddenly flowing out of a door that was an otherwise inaccessible part of the background that previously couldn't be opened.
Moving from here means pointing your cursor to another cover point and holding it, or moving out of cover by pressing the same button. No, you have to press a button to enter cover. My issue is with how the sticky cover system works.Since it's a deliberate choice to enter cover, you can't just squat behind something and think you're in cover.
It's not enough to break the game mechanics, but it does feel cheap when it happens, much like when hordes of enemies suddenly appear out of a locked door behind you.When the cover mechanics work, it's a glorious feeling, and it's obvious what the designers were going for. This is not so much an issue when in a firefight, but when you're trying to roll out of the way of burning flames or avoiding an incoming grenade attack. All of this takes extra time, during which time you are exposed.Attempting to exit cover in tight spaces can also mean inadvertently re-entering cover in an exposed position. More often than not, I have to cover run toward an exposed side, exit the cover stance, jump over it, and re-enter cover. For example, if I'm under fire and want to dive behind something, I can't do that with the cover system unless I'm in the perfect line of sight. There is no way to target the backside of something you want to run to (in the case of falling back).
While you can play The Division 2 solo, it is really meant to be played with a team of two to four players. Being prone isn't the same as being in cover, but it does reduce your profile and could be useful when sniping distant enemies.It's obvious that combat and the cover system were designed around co-op play. The AI can do it, but the player character cannot, which is an odd oversight.
When you're playing with a team, the enemies and armored elites go from being mildly annoying to just another set of opponents. Moving forward as a coordinated fire team is a great feeling, doubly so when the game throws multiple suicide bombers your way. Just as the enemy AI tries to outflank you, doing the same to the AI is rewarding.
Enemy control points have been taken over (in real time) by friendly AI, even when I'm across town and nowhere near the actual control point. I've seen friendly control points get taken over on my map, but I've also seen the reverse. While playing, I've run across different enemy factions fighting each other, like these two elites. While human players are the biggest threat once noticed, the different AI factions will fight each other if they don't see human players around. In a co-op game, all human players are a threat, so one can tank/distract, while the others go in for the kill.That's not to say the enemy AI in The Division 2 only targets the players.
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