by Stephen Hyland
The upcoming Ubisoft game “Watch Dogs” has excited fans since it’s first screening at the 2012 E3 convention. Set in modern-day Chicago, players will experience the story of vigilante hacker “Aiden Pearce” as he is on a mission of taking down the supercomputer “CtOS” and those who chose to use it to primarily benefit themselves.
The upcoming Ubisoft game “Watch Dogs” has excited fans since it’s first screening at the 2012 E3 convention. Set in modern-day Chicago, players will experience the story of vigilante hacker “Aiden Pearce” as he is on a mission of taking down the supercomputer “CtOS” and those who chose to use it to primarily benefit themselves.
Ubisoft have gone all out with this game as it shows exactly how technology affects modern society, and how it could be manipulated in order to attack those within it. Watch Dogs implements a twist into the way you roam or fight your way through Chicago with the “Profiler”; a high tech smart phone that will allow you, as Aiden to access the CtOS and change the environment around you. Examples of this feature would be the ability to create traffic accidents by changing the traffic lights scattered around the city or to cause blackouts, shielding you against enemies in the darkness of the night. It is set to be a true blockbuster, but the question is will it, as a franchise, live up to other franchises?
When thinking of other large franchises, we have to first think of the biggest franchise to come out of Ubisoft in recent memory: Assassin’s Creed. Spreading across many games over many years, the AC franchise has enticed fans and kept them playing one of the most expansive gaming series in history. Watch Dogs, also from Ubisoft is going to be massive, no questions asked; as big as Assassin’s Creed? I’m not so sure. You see, Assassin’s Creed and other franchises: Call of Duty, Far Cry etc. can go practically anywhere with their story, but with Watch Dogs, it has to get boring at some point, right? I mean, the only places they could go would have to be present day or further down the line. Hacking is a recent thing and you couldn’t exactly go back to Revolutionary France and find somebody roaming the streets, hacking streetlights (well actually, that’d make for an interesting game). But the point is, Watch Dogs is certain to be really linear in its story and features, where as these other games have a lot of freedom.
With that said, Ubisoft have released a new Multiplayer for Watch Dogs…and it looks awesome. Whether it be joining somebody else’s Single Player game and trying to hack his or her Profiler without being caught or locating files and fighting other teams for them, the Multiplayer is looking to be incredibly promising. Therefore, where the single player may maintain its popularity over time, the multiplayer is sure to expand, winning the hearts of fans everywhere. Another factor, which is bound to come into play soon after the game’s release, will be DLC. For many, this will be the worst thing Ubisoft could do, but for others (including myself), it may just solve the problem of not being able to go anywhere with the game. For example, after completing Far Cry 3, I became bored of the concept of going around and pointlessly killing pirates. Then came Blood Dragon and sparked new life within the game. You can take something as bizarre as Blood Dragon and implement it into Watch Dogs. It doesn’t have to be serious, but it does have to bring new interest.
Watch Dogs will be a success as a game, as a franchise? I’m not sure, but we will soon see as it stands the test of time. All I know is that I will definitely be buying the game and causing a traffic accident or two. So, will you be playing Watch Dogs and how do you think it will do as a franchise? Leave a comment below with your answer. Be sure to keep tuned with I’mWithGeek as we’ll publish news of Watch Dogs as it surfaces.
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