Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Open Beta Impressions

Action packed, graphic intensive, and thrilling: what more could you ask for in a third person RPG? Playing the Open Beta for Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s: The Division 2 on Xbox One this past weekend was intrigued and made me excited for the upcoming release later in March. However, despite the killer graphics and captivating story, I was disappointed by the controls and hoped they would have been a little more simplistic. In my opinion, the player should not have to perform combos for weapon changes mid-combat. However, despite this downfall, I still believe this is a promising game and Ubisoft has done an excellent job not only improving upon The Division but crafting a unique experience, independent from the first game in the series.

Players will be captivated by the unique intro. After the fall of The Division, players seek out storyline quests and battle online against other players to unlock unique abilities and astounding achievements in hopes they can restore a little peace in Washington DC. While some things seem like a repeat of The Division, I am satisfied that Ubisoft has improved on other aspects such as scavenging which is no longer required. Previously the player must relentlessly search for weapon attachments but now they can just receive attachments from drops or by crafting mods. Without a doubt, these hunts were tiresome so this alteration is highly appreciative.

Graphics and illustrations exceed expectation, leaving players baffled by Ubisoft’s ability to construct such vivid combat and death scenes. Additionally, the customizable character options are appreciative though could be extended for the player. While they do offer both male and female, it would be nice to offer a few more physical alterations to make the characters less exclusive. This may not be a huge issue, however, to many players it feels exclusive and could probably be a relatively easy fix overall.

I was immediately thrown off by the controls of Tom Clancy’s: The Division 2. Not only are they slightly discomforting but I found their placement to be quite obscure. Changing weapons during combat was too complicated and took too much time. For instance, switching from my gun to a grenade mid-battle became nearly impossible during combat because of the combination required. It was very easy to die because of the time it took to change weapons. I would have really appreciated the opportunity to have more simplistic keys; perhaps using bumper to change weapons instead would have made things easier.

Offering a brilliant take on the end of the world, Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s: The Division 2 for Xbox One shows players what it is like to stand up and fight against other players, of offline, and prove there is hope in the now seemingly hopeless land of Washington DC. While there were a few things that could be improved such as the controls, I found the overall concept of Tom Clancy’s: The Division 2 to be promising. Even with the downfalls, I highly suggest players keep their eyes out for the upcoming release later this month.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 releases worldwide on March 15, 2019, on the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X, PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC.