There are a lot of upcoming titles that have us jumping out of our seats anxiously waiting their release, such as Assassin’s Creed III, the new Tomb Raider, and The Last of Us, just to name a few. However, there is one title in particular that may have soared to the top of everyone’s (fictional) most wanted game list. Ubisoft’s new game, Watch Dogs, was a pleasant surprise at E3 this year that came out of left field and knocked all of us right out of the park! As of now, there is no official release date, only that the game is set to hit the shelves in 2013. Needless to say, every gamer should be ready. This title is, no doubt, going to be a hit.
The creative director of Watch Dogs, Jonathan Morin, explained that the company has been working on this game for about two years now. How they managed to keep it a secret all this time is commendable and way beyond me! Watch Dogs is an adventure game set in a fictitious version of Chicago, and the game captures the fast paced lifestyle that a metropolis like the Windy City has to offer. The gameplay demo gives us a sneak peak at excellent graphics, spectacular scenery, and a protagonist, which only adds to the exciting mixture of this open world adventure game.
Arguably, Ubisoft captures a level of reality with Watch Dogs that we haven’t really seen in some current, popular games titles by the use of something that is dominate in our contemporary culture: technology. The storyline is focused on a man, Aiden Pearce, who is out for revenge. Based on an interview with Morin, it mysterious sounds as if Aiden comes with an intriguing, dark past and he is immersed in an environment that he can manipulate through high-tech surveillance. Gamers will be able to play as Aiden and aggressively control their surrounds and people. The demo gameplay of Watch Dogs is impressive, to say the least.
The storyline unfolds as Aiden carefully trails his targets both digitally and physically. He’s like a shadow that can easily fade into the background at a moment’s notice while wearing his leather coat and a handkerchief that covers his mouth. The excitement comes with knowing that Aiden is able to kill phone signals or exploit them and learn a person’s history- all while he is standing no more than fifteen feet away. During the gameplay, Aiden moves with total caution, never taking his focus off of his target.
It’s important not to think of Aiden as a mere criminal. He can be thought of as more of a vigilante with a mission at hand. From the looks of it, Watch Dogs is going to require a lot of strategy. It is going to take some serious planning in order to trail Aiden’s targets, invade their privacy, and exploit their secrets. Gamers will be provided with a full map of the city as they trail the subject in question. There will also be other ways in the game to acquire knowledge about a target ahead of time.
The manipulation of technology, the mysterious Aiden Pearce, and the Chicago setting is a great recipe for a another exciting title from Ubisoft. The expectant 2013 release date for Watch Dogs is definitely something to look forward to.