"The Division 2" is available now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

The third-person loot-shooter is set in Washington D.C., in the wake of a pandemic wiping out much of society.

From storytelling to gameplay, "The Division 2" distinguishes itself from the competition — especially compared to 2019's biggest flop, "Anthem."

There's no getting around it: "The Division 2" stands out as an especially good game because of a very similar, significantly less good game that just launched.

That game is "Anthem," of course — the long-hyped loot-shooter from EA's BioWare studio. By most considerations, "Anthem" is a bit of a mess.

"The Division 2," however, is a polished, rich game that's part of the same genre occupied by "Anthem" and "Destiny 2." And it's specifically because of the genre it belongs to that "The Division 2" stands out as especially good.