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| You are Aiden Pierce, genius, badass computer hacker. |
Although first shown at E3 2012, Ubisoft's next-generation title Watch Dogs still remains hidden behind a veil of secrecy. While many gameplay details have been released, much of the game's more intricate storyline are unknown. For good reason, Ubisoft has kept this information under wraps in order to hype up, what appears to be, one of the more original video game storylines to date. Let's go over some of the details of this computer hacking, open-world game coming out for Xbox One, PS4, 360 and PS3 this Fall.
Taking place in an open world environment of Chicago, you play as computer hacker extraordinaire Aiden Pierce. Aiden can hack into anything. This ranges from computers to phones to streetlights to anything he deems useful as he struggles against the police and the criminal underworld of Chicago. You might ask, how on earth could an ordinary man hack into anything within a city? The answer lies in the fact that the city of Chicago operates from one central computer system entitled (cleverly) The Central Operating System. Everything within the city relies on this system functioning and running day to day operations. The ability to hack into a vast network such as the CtOS could provide a person within an incredible amount of dangerous information.
While hacking into a city's network sounds fun, the true genius of the system can be seen within the gameplay of Watch Dogs. Using your elite hacking skills, Aiden Pierce can manipulate the environment around him to aid him in his quest to take down (or support) criminals in Chicago. Are you surrounded by bad guys or the police and need a getaway? Don't worry. By hacking into the street lights around you, Aiden can provide himself with the cover of darkness to escape. In addition, in many missions/quests, Aiden will be forced to move environmental objects around in order to complete the appropriate task. Most of the hacking while on the run is done through Aiden's high tech cell phone. This is perfectly illustrated in the gameplay featured at this year's E3 below.
As you can see, the game plays like a mix between Grand Theft Auto and Assassin's Creed (I suspect the AC engine was used in development of the game). The open world environment is extremely realistic, even down to the police blotter as they call out APB's and search parties for our hero. Details from developers reveal that in order to access parts of the city's vast network, you are required to hack into CtOS terminals which enable to hack systems within a certain area. To get a better framework of this, think of the viewpoint towers in Assassin's Creed. Climbing a tower and then diving into a bail of hay (Someone please explain to me how that's possible??) reveals the area within the city around you, opening quests, stores and more. The CtOS hubs will work very similarly and will enable Aiden to up his computer hacking arsenal around the city.
An interesting and unique feature of Watch Dogs is how the multiplayer component of the game is fused together with the single player storyline. Station 1621 discussed in detail about the multiplayer driven campaign of Respawn Entertainment's Titanfall. Watch Dogs, on the other hand, takes a different direction with their vision of multiplayer interactions. As my Aiden Pierce progresses through his single player game, player's will, if they are connected to online, be able to enter my game with their Aiden Pierce. They will appear, in my game, as a random looking ordinary person and not Aiden Pierce. From this point, the player will be able to choose to either help or hinder my progression in the single player experience. You see in the video above, a person on a tablet hacking into the lights to help the player escape sight from the light of a helicopter. This would obviously be a circumstance where another player helps your Aiden Pierce in his vigilante actions. On the other hand, developers have stated that a player entering my game certainly has the ability to set off alarms and trigger events that could get my player captured by the police. This sounds like it could end in disaster as kids all over the world enter my single player story and troll me incredibly hard by hacking into systems to expose my plans. While most of this information is still under wraps, it is an interesting feature that will need to be watched as the game inches closer and closer to release.
More fun features provided by the game include an array of mini games that can be played by hacking into people's cell phones. Gameplay videos have revealed that NPC's (non-player controlled units) will be emphatically glued to their cell phone as they walk down the street to indicate that they are playing a game. While details are sketchy, one mini game that is confirmed is an alien invasion game type that let's you shoot incoming aliens. These types of games are a great way to spend time if you don't want to complete quests at the moment. Its also worth touching on the companion app that was seen above in the gameplay video. Tablet and phone interaction with the game your playing is a key part of the next-gen experience and it appears Watch Dogs is taking full advantage. Mobile players being able to interact within the multiplayer component of the game is really cool (but also possibly terrible as players can troll me anywhere they go!).
Overall, Watch Dogs is still being tightly kept under wraps by Ubisoft. This is most of the new information Station 1621 could scrap up about the game. This open world, computer hacking game is on the horizon and represents one of the first few next-gen titles that will be available at release for both the Xbox One and the PS4. When or if more details come available, Station 1621 will certainly post them to keep you updated!
One last thought... As I think about the devastating impact other players could have on my single player story, my mind drifts to thoughts of my friends' and their single player games. I could single handily ensure that they never complete the game or at least make it ten times more difficult. *Evil thoughts*
"With great power comes great responsibility."
And with providing you with your quote of the day, this is station operator Boneill1621 signing off. Check out the Twitch Channel as live streams will be happening tonight.
See you starside.
-1621
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