6) The Division
Here, in a word, is why we’re excited for Ubisoft’s The Division: Snowdrop. I mean, have you seen this game engine running?? It’s better looking than an oil painting of Scarlett Johansson laying on a bed of Faberge eggs. It really is. How? I couldn’t possibly say – I assume some kind of witchcraft, though.
Whatever it is, it’s immensely impressive to behold, and really marks the first proper glimpse of an engine built from the ground up with the next generation of consoles in mind. The plot concerns a bunch of people trying to survive in a city wiped out by some man made pandemic. So far so generic, and although it looks sensational, we can’t help but wonder whether or not this will actually have any bearing on how good the actual game turns out to be.
We say this because had a few rounds with Watch Dogs now – Ubisoft’s other delayed IP – and for all its next-gen sheen and kinetic gameplay videos, its seeming so far like a Grand Theft Auto clone with a couple of hacks switched on. Not that this is a bad thing, but it reminds one to not judge a book by its cover. Or a video game by its engine. But damn, did I mention that The Division looks really, really incredible? Oh, right.