Ubisoft's been making a big deal of the Snowdrop engine, the brand-new tech at the core of The Division, since it first revealed the game back at E3 2013. You could argue that the game thousands got to play in the closed beta last weekend didn't quite match up to the visual fidelity of those early in-engine gameplay snippets, but it's difficult to find much negative to say after watching this time-lapse video made by YouTuber WOLFBOY.
Sit back, bundle up, and drink some hot cocoa through your gas mask's little straw attachment as you watch hours of post-viral Manhattan roll by within the space of a minute. And make sure you keep an eye on that puddle in the lower right.
The puddle actually melts and freezes as the weather changes! And look at the way the lights on the big buildings in the distance blink on and off through the night, quietly hinting at the stories of the people who are still alive, and who have the sense not to stand outside during a blizzard, up there. Speaking of which, notice how snow accumulates on the agent's clothes and gear, then slowly melts away once the blizzard ends. That's a 10.
If you'd also like to stand in a New York intersection for hours at a time without getting arrested, Ubisoft will release The Division on March 8. There are also reports of an open beta coming later this month, so you may be able to try it before then.
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