Coming off the back of the one-two punch of disappointment that was Assassin's Creed: Unity and Watch_Dogs, Ubisoft really needed to not only get back on the horse, but rear it mightily from atop a cliffside for all to see. Enter The Division; a post-apocalyptic shooter that was touting unique drop-in/drop-out multiplayer mechanics, a gritty, realistic world where every bullet counted, and a narrative that saw you taking back a virally-infected New York, one street at a time. In the following three years between that initial reveal in 2013 and launch, many things changed; most notably the graphics, but also the injection of a crazily-addictive loot-grind and a PR focus that danced between being a single or multiplayer experience. Now it's out, the reality is that it's essentially both; a truly innovative experience that may annoy some gamers through such a reliance on stat-grinding and materialistic rewards, but for the rest, it's everything Destiny's core appeal looked to be, yet fell far short of providing.
9. Its A Technical Powerhouse - No Bugs
Whilst PC players have been experiencing a handful of processor-related bugs, on consoles - and PS4 in particular - it runs like a dream. Frame rates are solid, character models and equipment are very well detailed, and environmental design in particular is pretty astonishing. As you'll be venturing from alleyway to rooftop and interior to subway within minutes, the version of New York Ubisoft have rendered streams in very well - the only complaint being that textures occasionally can't keep up with the speed of play. It's extremely noticeable when you fast travel to a new area, as even the vendors can look like PS1 models for a few seconds until the proper 'look' kicks in. Aside from that though, whereas the likes of Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs had a myriad of overlapping animations, floating pedestrians and a buggy quality to the way you interacted with the world, The Division feels confident with every stride, indicative of Ubisoft Massive's dedication to establishing solid foundations before building on them.
