On March 8th, 2016, Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft released an ambitious third-person perspective action role-playing game set across various open world regions of New York City after a widespread smallpox pandemic. Tom Clancy’s The Division allowed players to take on the role of an elite group of special agents tasked with tracking down the source of the virus and slowly helping to rebuild the city. Shortly after launch, The Division wowed critics everywhere and earned the honor of being Ubisoft’s best-selling game.
Fast-forward to March of this year when Ubisoft officially announced that Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is in development and gameplay and details would be showcased at E3 2018. I had an opportunity to spend some brief hands-on time with the upcoming sequel during the show. Below are some of my thoughts on the demo along with details on a few changes that you can expect from the final product when it releases early next year.
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 takes place in Washington D.C. roughly seven months after the events of the previous game. A civil war ensues between survivors and raiders instantly motivating the agency to intervene in the hopes of saving humanity. Fans of the series can expect a revamped endgame with distinct challenges, additional specialization options earnable beyond Level 30, and newly introduced eight-player raids.
The demo that I participated in was a slightly condensed version of what was shown at the Xbox E3 2018 media briefing. I worked with three other teammates to take down a group of enemies while in route to the Air Force One crash site. Once there, the demo concluded shortly after we defeated a heavily armored mini-boss. The cover system, looting, leveling up and communication dynamics with your squad are all pretty much the same as they were in the last game. Massive Entertainment has stated that they have listened to player feedback and will make improvements across the board with this sequel.
In terms of graphics, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 looks just as impressive as its predecessor. With continued use of the Snowdrop engine, Massive has promised greater detail in every surrounding thanks to procedural destruction, enhanced visuals, and particle effects and an even more realistic day and night change cycle. The goal was to create a 1 to 1 re-creation of Washington D.C. and based on my brief time with the game, it seems to me like they are on the right track.
While my time with The Division 2 was very short, I can confirm that the highly anticipated sequel is coming along rather nicely. Fans of the first game can definitely expect more of the same but with a greater emphasis on endgame content and raids to keep them playing for longer. The weapons still feel satisfying and the controls are intuitive enough so that those who are new to the series can also feel comfortable jumping right in. Stay tuned for more of our coverage on the game over the next several months and feel free to check out some additional screenshots included below.
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 launches worldwide on March 15th, 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Are any of fans of the previous game and planning on picking up this one? Please feel free to let us know your thoughts on the sequel and more in the comments section below.
