Tom Clancy's The Division

 PC
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
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  1. PC PowerPlay
    May 9, 2016
    70
    Fun for a while, but less than the sum of its parts. [Issue#250, p.57]
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  2. Gamer.no
    Mar 21, 2016
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
  3. GRYOnline.pl
    Mar 16, 2016
    70
    Ubisoft didn't have a great, epic online game and unfortunately still doesn't. The Division is extremely pretty and generates lots of fun. I will keep playing, but I can't shake the feeling that key aspects of the gameplay showcase the developers' lack of experience. The grade you see should be fair for groups cooperating and playing together. Solo players won't have that much fun.
  5. GameGrin
    Mar 15, 2016
    70
    A standard Ubisoft AAA game that may not live as long as intended.
  6. PLAY! Zine
    Mar 14, 2016
    70
    If you're going into The Division looking for an MMO-styled Call of Duty, you'll leave empty-handed. But, if all you're looking for are tons of loot, great co-op fun with your friends, shooting endless streams of bad guys, all set in the realistic depiction of New York, be sure to grab your copy of the game.
  7. PC Gamer
    Mar 15, 2016
    68
    The Division is a challenging co-op cover shooter and a gorgeous open world diminished by bloated and unnecessary RPG tropes.
  8. IGN
    Mar 7, 2016
    67
    Next to every good thing The Division does, there hangs a big, ugly asterisk. That same open world is barren and unengaging, combat gets bogged down with samey waves of walking bullet sponges, and character progression is awkwardly fractured in inconvenient ways.
  9. PC Invasion
    Mar 21, 2016
    60
    Decent third-person shooting mechanics, geared strongly toward co-op; but unless your brain is tickled by colour-tiered items the rote repetition will eventually drive you from Manhattan. The Division’s speculative catastrophe fiction never sits convincingly with its pure, stat-based loot grind.
  10. PCWorld
    Mar 8, 2016
    60
    I don’t think it’s very good, especially if you’ve a mind to play by yourself. It’s certainly addictive, and it certainly has plenty of stuff for you to do. That goes doubly for people who plan to roll with a squad of friends. As in Borderlands, the general tedium of loot-grinding is more fun when you’ve got people to chat with. If you’re looking for a mindless way to kill a few days/weeks, The Division exists...But don’t expect to remember much of it when it’s over.
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  1. Kotaku
    Oct 19, 2016
    Given how effortlessly our imaginations float beyond the stern ramparts of Mr. Clancy’s literary world, it’s hard not to wish this finely honed contraption could be granted the lightness of spirit it needs to truly thrive. Given how expertly much of The Division has been assembled, it’s hard not to hope that such a wonder might still come to pass.
  2. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Mar 15, 2016
    I feel like, as much as I’m enjoying it, the side missions and gun farming only has a limited appeal once the story missions are over. And my stomach churns to think of making my way to the level cap just for the sake of ultimate completion. At level 26, I’m enjoying The Division. At level 30, I’m worried it’ll get repetitive.

Awards & Rankings

85
#85 Best PC Game of 2016
10
#10 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

User Reviews

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User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1534 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 711 out of 1534
  2. Mixed: 335 out of 1534
  3. Negative: 488 out of 1534
  1. Rizilliant
    Mar 10, 2016
    5
    Very Repetitive. The gunplay itself is fun, but the cover system is janky, and cumbersome.. If you have played Watch Dogs, or Ghost Recon youVery Repetitive. The gunplay itself is fun, but the cover system is janky, and cumbersome.. If you have played Watch Dogs, or Ghost Recon you have already tried out the gunplay/cover mechanic.. If like me, you have zero interest in pvp, and you absolutely despised the Dark Zone, and further lack of content, than this game isnt for you (us).. Theres occasional npc's to fight in DZ, always with numerous fellow agents around..

    The AI is so dumb, that they will literally walk at you, stand out in the open, and pop out of cover like clock work.. To cover for this, enemies were made bullet sponges.. A dozen rounds to the head, is an easy kill.. Theres also very little variation in enemy archetypes.. Even when donning a different asthetic, they act exactly the same as others.. It makes for very bland gameplay, when the main function is too easy..

    While beautiful (though severely downgraded from what was shown, also becoming the norm with AAA companies) walking the city,its barren! You will encounter occasional npcs fighting over a scrap, or ask you for water, or running in fear for their life of you for seemingly no reason.. Its like walking through "The Last of Us", only this is a shooter, and we want to shoot ****

    The weapons and armor itself servers its purpose, but is very unappealing.. "Upgrades" are only so, in incremental amounts.. 2% less recoils, etc.. Since the game pretends to ground itself in realism (except when in need of excuse) that the guns, and armor arent very "oh cool, new weapon"! It will shoot exactly like the last one you had, probably look almost identical, etc.. Kneepads wont make muh difference, but you may get a puffy coat to change the look vs a hoodie?!

    So-called "rpg".. this is where had issue.. Because there are 8 faces to choose from in the character creator, and theres a talent tree, it apparently classifies itself as rpg..Well.. Not in my book! Theres got to be a compelling narrative, characters, progression, customization, etc.. Theres very little of it here, with a grand total of 26 main story missions.. All replayable, but the side missions are not.. Wheres the longevity here? While playing, its hard to shake the feeling that very large chunks of the game are being with held, to be sold separately, at a later date.. Its painfully dull, and boring to play.. You are allowed 2 active abilities at any given time, which you can also augment, and switch in and out at will.. But the majority of them are, like the rest of the game, uninspired, and dull.. Deploy a Turret, is kinda neat, but another grenade? Group Heal, Riot Shield? Its like there was a QA, and the favored pcs of other games were thrown into a hodgepodge of what works over there, and show horned into a tactical shooter, so it could be labelled a rpg! If this is rpg, its shallow, at best! Theres also little to no meaningful plot decisions, character interaction (That isnt cinematic), theres no real player choice here.. As far as story, its very on rails.. I fail to see where this whole "rpg" element comes from?! I can choose 1 of 8 faces, and theres a skill tree.. Ok.. So not only will 1 in 8 people LOOK the same, everyone will also have exactly the same skills as well? Ok, so just everyone pick 2 different abilities each before this mission.. Fun! Not that youll 'need' them, since its rather straight forward combat.. Some people claim enemies attempt to flank.. What i see is more that they just move toward your general direction.. On a wide street, they may happen to flank.. Mostly though, they stick out stupidly in the open, for no real reason!

    Its no wonder they wouldnt allow pre release reviews.. And i havent even gotten to all the bugs, terrible server issues, lag, texture pop ins and tearing, etc.. Even on consoles this is being reported..

    Which leads me to my next point.. Uplay, is widely known to be bottom barrel software.. Having this game be online only, with this system is terrible.. There is no offline mode, for you to enjoy solo, if your internet fails, you havent paid your bills or, more likely, Uplay goes down.. Why? Hackers? The game is already riddled with them!!! Another wonderful aspect of Dark zone.. And, theres no anti cheat system to boot.. Just "file a report, take a screen shot of the offense".. WTF?!?

    It was over hyped, deliberately with held until release day, bare bones, dull half implemented features.. Yet another Ubisoft let down.. I used to be the biggest AC fan i knew,and even that i can no longer support.. If i had actually paid cash for this game, i would have refunded it it! Thank goodness i went with my gut here, and kept my promise to myself never to purchase another Ubisoft product.. Or EA, Activision, Bethesda for that matter..

    I too want an to scratch that itch i have, for the TPS genre, but this aint it.. Guess its back o another round of Mass Effect.. I no longer support Bioware, but i already own that trilogy atleast..

    PASS
    Lol @9-10 Scores!    … Full Review »
  2. Balkora
    Mar 10, 2016
    6
    I don't know what's worse, the shills giving this Watch Dogs/DayZ/Stalker/Freedom Fighters hybrid a 10, or the damage control fanboys who actI don't know what's worse, the shills giving this Watch Dogs/DayZ/Stalker/Freedom Fighters hybrid a 10, or the damage control fanboys who act like brats when someone points out obvious flaws and lazy designs in this game.
    Down to its core, the game is underwhelming, very little mission variety, go from A to B and shoot clones of hooded figures, and scavenge for loot until you feel like a conveyor belt worker.

    The solo play is ok, but no challenge, it's always more of the same, unless you pump it up to hard difficulty to feel like it's worth clenching your buttcheeks, but that also gets old fast. The story is..interesting, but still nothing too memorable. You're just cleaning the streets and relive the same patterns like you're the main star in Groundhog Day.

    The map looks bland and quite sterile compared to the trailers in the past, i'm afraid we'll have another case of Destiny with this one.

    The Dark Zone was of little interest to me, but i guess it could be a nice relief from solo grind and boring A to B incursions.

    The loot system is nice and boring at the same time. It all depends on your burnout meter, if you can handle the brief grinding sessions, then more power to you!

    Currently, the 60$ price does not justify the shallow content. If they add more stuff in the future, i hope it's free or at least somewhere in the range of 5 dollars, but something tells me that will not be the case.

    My suggestion: wait several months or maybe an entire year, for the complete edition with all dlcs to come out, maye wait for a sale, because right now this game feels like it's bone dry.

    It's another bland Ubisoft product that still has chance to prove itself. It all depends on the future content.
    Not holding my breath with this one.    … Full Review »
  3. Metacriticus
    Mar 11, 2016
    4
    Empty shell of a game. Very repetitive. Graphics in the initial trailer are totally not representative of what you will find in the finalEmpty shell of a game. Very repetitive. Graphics in the initial trailer are totally not representative of what you will find in the final build. So I don't recommend this game.… Full Review »
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