Saving D.C. in The Division 2

After a ton of shooting and looting, I think my time with The Division 2 has come to an end.  I've managed to eliminate the major faction leaders around the city and re-establish the national link to the SHD agents around the U.S.  Mission mostly accomplished!

I will preface this review by stating that I didn't purchase The Division 2 but received it as part of a package of "free" games that came with the new components in the PC I built.  I don't hate shooters, they can be fun, but they aren't generally my #1 picks for gaming enjoyment.  With that said, I actually had a lot of fun with TD2 and would recommend it for those out there who enjoy shooters or who are looking for some co-op fun.

A bleak, burned out landscape in the middle of D,C,

Pros:

+ Washington, D.C. has been recreated in stunning detail and, for a game that is a shooter, I found myself wanting to ignore the bullets flying and just explore the famous landmarks around the city.  Many of the major combat missions/battles take place in the most famous American landmarks (like the Capitol building) and it is amazing how they've included tons of small details on top of the cover system and post-apocalyptic vibes.

+ Different factions provide combat variety.  Each section of the city is chunked up into zones with specific level ranges and is dominated by one of the three factions--the Hyenas (a criminal gang bent on exploiting the post-apocalyptic chaos for their own gain); the Outcasts (a group of cult-like whackos who seem determined to further the spread of the Green Poison virus); or the True Sons (a militia group made up of former soldiers who have created their own little fiefdom).  Each faction has its own unique soldier types and combat style and learning how to deal with each is part of the fun.

+ Collectibles and achievements.  Scattered throughout the city are different items that provide additional insight into the apocalyptic events and current state of D.C.   There are audio recordings, ECHO's (a sort of digital recreation), paintings, and found American relics to collect.  If exploration is your preferred mode, the sprawling city provides tons of nooks and crannies to check out.  There are also specific roaming enemies that can be killed and serve as another sort of collectible.

The achievement system has several different categories and can also serve as motivation.  Achievements are worth points and completing them will move you up "tiers" and provide extra caches of equipment.

+ Options for gameplay.  There's a traditional story that you can follow, there is PvP matchmaking (a 4v4 Conflict system which offers ranks), and there is the Dark Zone (a mixture of PvP and PvE elements).

+ Co-op recommended, but not necessary.  There is a matchmaking system but I was surprised by the fact that most of the game seems soloable.  I have read that the game is better when played with others, but I still had fun with the challenge of soloing.  Matchmaking seems straightforward--there are terminals in safe areas around the city where you can matchmake, or you can matchmake for specific activities like missions or bounties.

+ Level 30 content refreshes old areas with new enemies.  I was a little confused about what happens once you reach top level, but interestingly enough the game introduces a new faction of tougher enemies that takes over the city.  Each mission area that you had previously cleared of the three initial factions is now taken over by the new faction.  The new faction provides a tougher challenge and allows you to play through a secondary story that serves to gear up your character.  Your goal post-level 30 is to increase your "gear score" to specific levels so that you can complete new strongholds.

+ Specializations unlock after you've completed all of "story" difficulty and are very easily changeable.  You can pick from one of four specializations (gunner, demolitionist, survivalist, or sharpshooter)--each provides you with a special weapon and abilities.  The really nice part of the specialization system is that you aren't locked into whatever you pick and changing is simply a matter of going back to the White House and swapping out talents.  There isn't any cost or penalty so experimenting with each is fun.

+Combat is fun and challenging.  There are multiple difficulty levels to choose from and once you hit level 30 there are daily challenges for specific missions at higher difficulty levels.  Many of the achievements are geared toward higher difficulty levels (which, once you've geared up, aren't too bad).  Combat is third-person and based on a cover system.  Moving in cover is very fluid and easy.

+ Different classes of weapons to choose from.  There are tons of weapons to loot--rifles, assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, light machine guns, and marksman rifles.  You can carry two weapons and a sidearm, so there's some room for picking the best guns for your playstyle.  I enjoyed rifles and assault rifles but found shotguns to feel weirdly underpowered.

+ Top tier content.  There is a raid that is unlockable once you've completed the "invaded" missions at level 30.  If you are looking for extra challenging content to group for...this is right up your alley.

+ Clan system.  You can join or create your own clan.  There is a system of achievements and tasks associated with being part of a clan.

+ Open-world of D.C. becomes much more chaotic at level 30--much more challenging.

Cons:

-Can be repetitious.  I thought it was interesting how they re-used the same mission areas at post-level 30 but I eventually reached a point where I could feel the fact that I was going back and doing the same areas over and over.  The combat is enjoyable and challenging enough that it didn't happen for awhile, but it did happen.

-Microtransactions.  You can't really avoid them these days and I will say that they are limited to cosmetic items--apparel, emotes, and weapon skins.  The nice part is that the premium items can be looted in-game.  They also aren't overtly pushed on you.

-Heroic content is insanely hard (it's the top difficulty level...so it should be) and is geared toward future, higher-level content.  I tried in vain to clear a level 4 control point and died repeatedly.  It's currently brutal (but possible!).

I was surprised at how much fun I had with The Division 2.  There are definite degrees of strategy required and I can see how playing in a group with different abilities could be awesome.  I would recommend it to players looking to solo (it's totally possible--especially at lower difficulty levels) and especially to those looking for co-op play.