Watch_Dogs Preview

Ubisoft’s press conference was, for the most part, by the numbers. While Aisha Tyler was a very effective host, we saw plenty of footage from Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Assassins Creed III, as well as awkward moments from Tobascus and a weird MLG-style competition event with Shootmania.

But then, somewhere towards the end, Ubisoft floored us. The demo for one of its latest projects came out of left field, talking about how years ago, a hacker tried to shut down New York City by manipulating electronics within the area, including traffic signals and computers. They managed to do it for a few seconds, too, and then it stated that someone could easy do it again – turning out the lights – and began to show off the new gameplay experience that was Watch Dogs.

Featured on the show floor – and highlighted by a number of fellow journalists – Watch Dogs tells a fascinating story while giving players pretty much the free will to manipulate electronics however they choose.  The open-world adventure game takes place in Chicago, Illinois in the near future, where the entire city is run on computer systems that have been pre-set for mostly everything.  You’re put into the shoes of Aiden Pierce, a guy who knows a thing or two about hacking and decides to use it to his advantage when it comes to hunting down corrupt targets throughout the city.

The first thing that will be of vital importance in Watch Dogs is data.  True, some of it can be rather useless, as you track someone’s digital footprint and learn what their favorite foods are or what not.  But other means of communication serve a great wealth of purpose, whether it’s listening in on a phone conversation (to see if something is being set up or not), tapping into a security feed, or screwing around with traffic lights to make traffic go your way.

But there’s a purpose here, as you’re not running around like crazy trying to destroy the city.  You’re trying to track down specific targets that will either help you with your cause or stand in your way, and you’ll use your knowledge of electronics and data to learn the truth, and eventually fight your way out of encounters so you can move on to the next point.

The opening of the game demo showcased all you can do when it comes to electronic manipulation, shutting off someone’s cell phone so you can get past them undetected and tracking certain people in a nightclub.  Aiden does have connections, but not all of them are friendly, and as he tracks his targets, he can tell who’s out to get him and who isn’t.

And that’s where the unpredictable nature of Watch Dogs really picks up.  On a moment’s notice, you can easily cause a ten car pile-up, then duck behind the cars as security officers, alerted by your presence, close in.  You do have access to a number of firearms, which you can use to fight back while you occasionally pull someone out of harm’s way, letting you hide behind their vehicle.  

From what we’ve seen, Watch Dogs carries on a Ubisoft Montreal development tradition, putting an unusual character into an extraordinary position, then giving him the means to fight his way out.  The gun battles that emerged from the game were quite memorable, mainly because, as you’re shooting it out, you can still gather data and try to play the situation in your favor.  Doing so is a little tricky, but seeing as you have access to a number of tools on your cell phone, it’s certainly something that can be done, as the demo clearly proved.

What’s more, while Aiden is the main focus when it comes to hunting people down and trying to turn off the lights, at the end of the demo, we were introduced to a sort of secondary character, one who was watching him from afar to see how his progress was going.  He sounded like an ally, which made us wonder if Watch Dogs will pack any sort of co-op component, letting fellow players jump in.

For an early demo for a game that hasn’t even been given proper platforms yet (Xbox 360 and PS3 are rumored, though next-gen isn’t quite off the table for this one), Watch Dogs looks like a winner, between the real-time damage that you can cause with citizens and cars, and the thriving life of the city itself, with something happening around every corner while you try to start up – or in some cases, avoid – trouble.

It’ll be a while before we can see what Watch Dogs is really all about, as the game isn’t even slated to arrive until sometime in 2013.  However, judging by what we’ve seen from the demo, it’s got TONS of potential.  Don’t turn the lights out on this one.