Watch Dogs is the open world hacking game from Ubisoft that just so happens to have been one of the first next gen games shown to the public. It is also coming to basically every platform in existence.
The demo I was shown took the main character, Aiden Pearce, through some of the more common open world activities in the game. The idea of being able to take on situations in many different ways was stressed when Aiden attempted to take some kind of network hub that would then allow hacking in the nearby area. The sneaking around worked well and looked fun but the gunplay didn’t seem too accurate or as in-depth as other games. It is hard to explain but that part did not impress. It also featured a tacked on bullet time option. I’m sure it will be fine, just don’t expect the next Gears of War.
However, driving around the city looked great and controlling things lights and other objects along the way was easy to pull off. It really becomes apparent just how much in the world can be hacked — yourself included.
Aiden was suddenly hacked during exploration and had to find the culprit before the download completed. So you get a target area where this person could be and you have to figure out who it is.
When found, there is a chase per usual. However, it was revealed that this was not just some random AI, it was another Watch Dogs player.
This is apparently some form of the multiplayer in Watch Dogs and the demo proceeded to do the same thing and hack a nearby player. It wasn’t clear just how you opt into this mode though.
The mode looked interesting but the download bar moved far too slow to actually have a chance. Either that or the people in the demo were purposefully not hiding very well. Still the concept, and how seamless it all was, was impressive.
Watch Dogs looks good but it seems odd that the game comes out in a few months and nobody has really played it. I remain hopefully optimistic on the matter though. Watch Dogs will be released this November for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PS4, and Xbox One.
