Tom Clancy’s The Division™ Reviews

Good game, with a story that hit a little to close to the reality of what happend in 2020.

Wish I didn't wait so long to play this game. Never had a console or PC capable of playing this when it first came out, ended up getting the Division 2 years later when that came out and I liked that one enough to grab this game when it came up on sale. I would willingly pay full price for this now and have purchased the season pass for a nearly nine year old game. I can't quite figure out what it is about this first one, if it's the atmosphere, the setting, the different enemies, the story, the slightly different mechanics and UI or what, but this one is a hit for sure. It took me well over a month in the Div 2 to put in the same time I have on this one in two weeks, this game is gripping, addictive, and seemingly very polished at this point (as you'd hope to expect but it's ubisoft so you never know). There's ever so slightly more emphasis on the story in the base game missions of this one (although the second one seems to focus more on the story in the DLC than this one did) and it seems to flush out a lot more of why you're doing what rather than just "go here, kill this person or rescue this one" like the second one seemed to be like with little actual story or reason behind a lot of it. Also for a 2016 release the graphics in this game are STUNNING and I find myself often just staring at my reflection or a skyscraper's in a random puddle or taking in the scenery of a post-lockdown Gramercy Park covered in a nice layer of shining snow. Overall 9.5/10, excellent atmosphere, graphics, optimization, mechanics, replay-ability, and no bugs at all so far. Only .5 off for having to be connected online to play it.

Good game to enjoy playing with friends, but a little too repetitive and a weak story.

I wouldn't recommend the Dark Zone, as there ARE cheaters there (high-risk/high-reward extraction type shooters attract cheaters), but the single player/Co-Op side of the game is amazing, and fun. Very well done. Worth playing, especially if you catch it on sale.

Story is well made keeps you interested and coming back... Darkzone way better than Division 2... Played it on Xbox figured id give it a go on PC... so yea,,, ITS A GOOD GAME.

Honestly played the heck out of this game I loved everything from the atmosphere to the world building and game play. Definitely a classic game well worth the money

Great storyline, rich and well-balanced. I recommend it even in 2025.

Even in 2025 the game still looks and plays amazing. However one major thing has changed playing this game. The fact that an actual pandemic has happened in the meantime. This game is about a deliberately caused pandemic during Black Friday using a pathogen that is smeared onto bills and spread the disease as such. The disease in question looked like the flu and started off not too worrying. However, as time progesses it becomes clear that the disease can be deadly and most likely is. Almost like... how COVID-19 started in real life. Now the game itself is total anarchy and you basically play an FPS game with bullet spunges of enemies. But it is still fun, it still looks amazing and the story is great! Also fun with friends!

The Division is a case study in how much art direction, atmosphere, and graphical detail can enhance a game and make it something special. I think The Division is the most beautiful game ever made. Is it the absolute peak of raw graphical fidelity? Probably not. It did come out almost nine years ago at the time of this review. But the way that your boots leave footprints in the snow covered streets, rays of sunshine cover the city in light, your character realistically closes car doors when moving past them in cover, snowstorms cover your vision in a dense fog with snow particles flying across the screen horizontally due to the heavy wind - the level of detail in the visuals needs to be seen to be believed (and this is from 2016!). And all of it runs at a remarkably stable framerate on even weaker PCs. I played this game on an Acer Nitro 5 GTX 1650 gaming laptop for years and still managed to run it at a relatively consistent 60 fps on a mix of medium/high settings. But if the gameplay wasn't any good, then the graphics wouldn't matter. However, this game is one of the most addictive looter shooters I've ever played. The gunplay feels GREAT - the guns all have a good amount of kick, the cover system is smooth as butter, and the sound effect that plays when you kill an enemy with a headshot is maybe one of the most satisfying sound effects I've ever heard. In addition, out of every looter shooter I've played, this game takes the most care to ensure that the process of reaching the level cap (from level 1 - 30) is actually an enjoyable time that isn't repetitive or boring. You're exploring the city streets, completing side missions, finding surprisingly fleshed out and interesting collectibles spread throughout the world, and leveling up your Base of Operations to unlock new skills and perks every step of the way - and none of it is boring. This isn't like other looter shooters where "the REAL game only starts in the endgame." The Division is ridiculously fun from the first minute you start playing, AND it has a killer endgame. Once you reach the endgame, there's no shortage of different gear sets that accommodate completely different playstyles. There is certainly a bit of a grind to acquire these gear sets - however, with the return of "Global Events" that appear every month (they were absent from the game for all of 2024, but Ubisoft has finally fixed the issue and now they are back), you can easily get any gear set you want if you set your mind to it and farm them. And this game has some VARIED endgame content. Want randomized dungeons with randomized layouts every time you play? Play the Underground DLC (a highly recommended purchase). Want a battle royale/extraction shooter that released in 2016 before either of these genres were even remotely popular that contains incredibly tense combat encounters with both NPCs and other players? Buy the Survival DLC (an absolute MUST purchase). Want a wave-based horde mode with a high chance of rare loot drops? Play Resistance. Want super difficult raid-like missions that require tons of teamwork and a full team of four friends? Play Incursions. The list of activities goes on and on, and all of them are incredibly high quality and super fun to play. Don't have any friends that own the game? No problem. I play this game as a fully solo player 90% of the time, and I have a great time experiencing everything this game has to offer. No in-game activity is inaccessible to a solo player (except for Incursions, where only one can be solo-ed as far as I know). Yes, some of the activities will definitely be HARDER as a solo player, but with the right build, you can tackle just about anything the game has to offer as long as you have enough patience. Overall, I cannot recommend this game highly enough, especially since the Global Events were fixed this past week. It goes on sale for quite cheap, quite frequently! Ubisoft absolutely COOKED with this one, and if you missed out on the game when it was new, it is still undoubtedly worth experiencing all of these years later. If you want a solid source of information on the game, you can visit Livid Fray's YT channel. To my knowledge, she is one of the very few content creators still making content on this game, and her videos are all very informative and detailed! https://www.youtube.com/@LividFray

[b]**2025 Review**[/b] [b]PvE: - ✓[/b] – Still enjoyable and relatively active, but the player base is rapidly declining. Matchmaking for legendary missions is usually the only reliable way to find a group, unless you can gather enough players from social areas. [b]PvP: - ✗[/b] – Rampant cheating and severe gear imbalances make it unwelcoming for new players. The Dark Zone remains playable but expect occasional instant deaths from cheaters. Skirmish matchmaking appears completely inactive. [u]Avoid purchasing Last Stand DLC![/u] — Matchmaking is entirely dead, with no active player base.