Ten upcoming video games that should heat up the winter lull

In "Tom Clancy's The Division," New York City is a chaotic wasteland where society has all but broken down following the outbreak of a deadly virus. The game features a detailed world with a day-night cycle and dynamic weather effects. [Contributed photo.] In "Tom Clancy's The Division," New York City is a chaotic wasteland where society has all but broken down following the outbreak of a deadly virus. The game features a detailed world with a day-night cycle and dynamic weather effects. [Contributed photo.]

By Casey Phillips January 5, 2016 8 min read

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Ten indie, AAA video games to keep an eye on during the winter lull

In "Far Cry Primal," players trade in the modern locales of previous titles in the first-person-shooter series to travle back to 12,000 B.C. to a land filled with fierce prehistoric animals, such as mammoths, cave bears and sabretooth tigers. [Contributed photo.]

Players in "Far Cry Primal" control a prehistoric hunter who has the ability to tame and command the various predators he encounters while exploring the wilderness. [Contributed photo.]

In "Firewatch," players control a newly minted fire lookout named Henry in the remote Wyoming wilderness. [Contributed photo.]

The environment in "Firewatch" includes rocky buttes, forest trails and caverns, among other locales. [Contributed photo.]

In "Hitman," players control legendary, cloned assassin Agent 47 as he embarks on missions around the world that have ties to a mysterious conspiracy reaching into the upper echelons of the global elite. [Contributed photo.]

In "Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam," players will encounter familiar characters in both 3-D and 2-D paper-like forms. [Contributed photo.]

During battles in "Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam," players have equal control over Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario, who they can use for individual attacks or in combinations based on rhythmic button presses. [Contributed photo.]

The gameplay in "Mighty No. 9" is a throwback to the tight controls and high difficulty of sidescrolling games released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. [Contributed photo.]

The creators of "Mighty No. 9" are industry veterans who say the game is a loving homage to classic action platformers such as "Mega Man." [Contributed photo.]

"Street Fighter V" features both returning characters, such as Karin, left, and newcomers, including Rashid, right. [Contributed photo.]

All content — characters, costumes, new game modes — released after "Street Figher V" hits shelves will be earnable in-game rather than having to be purchased using real world money. [Contributed photo.]

In "Unravel," players solve environmental puzzles by manipulating their character and the environment, which obeys the rules of a realistic phyiscs engine. [Contributed photo.]

The main character in "Unravel," Yarny, is a tiny, sentient creature made entirely of red yarn. As the player travels the world, the yarn unspools and can be used to interact with the environment, such as lassoing a branch to cross a gap. [Contributed photo.]

In "XCOM 2," players control the shattered remnants of the extraterrestrial defense force as they engage in rebel strikes against alien overlords. [Contributed photo.]

Players will encounter many species of aliens in "XCOM 2," including some that are making their first appearance in the series. [Contributed photo.]

With millions of new video game consoles freshly powered up during the holidays, legions of gamers are probably still working their way through 2015’s biggest releases, but the flood of fresh titles won’t slow down just because a new calendar is hanging on the wall.

During the winter months, publishers are set to unleash many highly anticipated games, from quirky indie titles to big-budget, AAA releases. Here are 10 that should help wile away the days until the spring thaw:

“Lego Marvel’s Avengers”

* Release date: Jan. 26

* Summary: Lego’s second game based on Marvel comic characters and stories trains its sights on the Avengers, featuring missions based on the plots of films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.