PoN: Watch Dogs

You are Aiden Pearce. You are a former-thug-turned-hacker who seeks to wreak vengeance on the people who hurt your family, and you can use the very technological infrastructure of Chicago itself as a weapon.

Ubisoft began development of Watch Dogs in 2009, and unveiled during their press conference at E3 2012, with PC being announced as the lead platform of the game. With release dates in November, it will also be available for PS3 and Xbox 360, as well as Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U.

The engine, Disrupt, was created specifically for the game and makes PC a priority – definitely something that's a positive for those who are accustomed to poorly-altered console ports (I'm looking at you, Dark Souls.) The most obvious aspects of the game are controlled by dynamism – the way simulation of drivers, reactions to rain and wind movement appear to the player. Clothing simulation is included in this, giving an incredible attention to detail that should allow Watch Dogs to feel truly next-gen. Additionally, the developers worked with Kaspersky to create a more realistic hacking experience – something that should play very different to your typical “hacking” in games such as Warframe, which involve moving shapes until they connect in the correct pattern.

Morally speaking, the system isn't entirely straightforward either. Running around the city guns-blazing will cause the citizens to report you for any action that seems even vaguely suspicious – they won't want to take chances on you. However, if you play more stealthily, you have less chance of being caught, and less chance of having your face wind up on the news. Probably a good idea for a successful hacker.

As far as online play goes, you won't see other players until they accept a contract with your name on it. They will appear to you like a normal NPC, nondescript, the same as you would if you had been the one invading their play. Multiplayer is unavailable during story missions, so don't worry about getting hacked when you're in the middle of an important scene.

Overall, Watch Dogs looks to be one of the better gaming experiences of the year. It'll have a lot of work to do to compete with heavy-hitters like The Last of Us, but I think it's highly likely that we'll see a lot of TAW players enthusing about it!

See the entire Newsletter | Subscribe to the Newsletter | Submit Content