The last couple of months have left much of the gaming world speculating over the heavily anticipated release of Ubisoft's next open world game, Watch Dogs. Much of the buzz hasn't been positive with many questioning the integrity of the developer's statements earlier this year which proclaimed that the graphics would not be downgraded by any means. However, much of this was scrutinized with footage being leaked that suggested the gameplay had been drastically downgraded from the much talked about E3 2012/2013 footage. Much of the gaming community was set into a frenzy upon this "discovery" prompting many to liken the latest gameplay to that of early PS3 and even Sims-like graphics. It had appeared that the future of Watch Dogs was uncertain and with the developers suffering a huge blow with over a month til launch.
Flash forward to late April 2014: Ubisoft releases brand new footage that showcases the multiplayer aspects of the game on the PS4. Many over the past few weeks had speculated that only PC gamers would reap the benefits of true 'next-gen' graphics, as latest news had suggested that the graphics would look the best on PC hardware which would be capable of rendering top notch shadowing and Anti-aliasing. However, with the latest footage showcasing graphic quality just slightly below that of the much acclaimed E3 2012 graphics, the gaming community could finally breath easy for the time being.
There hasn't been much talk about the multiplayer other than a quick gameplay that suggested gamers could enter one another's game sessions seamlessly without any hiccups. How does this work? Well, the head of development has the 411 on everything you need to know so far. In theory, a gamer could enter the session of another in three separate fashions:
1: Come into another's session surreptitiously disguised as an NPC and 'hack' into the host gamers in-game cellphone to pull what information they can without being detected/killed. The success rate varies on the ability of the hacker to be stealthy and outwit the other player(s) in a deadly cat and mouse chase around the city. Rewards include new ranks, city information, notoriety increase and other benefits which have yet to be fully detailed.
2: A mobile user who has downloaded the Watch Dogs app can enter via their personal smartphone or tablet and take on all the powers of a faceless CTOS operator, controlling the police, traffic lights and the entire city in theory to trap a console player. How successful you are depends on your wits and the speed of how quickly you tap around a map of the city as you send waves or law enforcement agencies after a player.
Note: I wonder how much this method of gameplay will be utilized beyond just a quick dabble to see how it works.
3: Players can team up in squadrons to steal information from another groups hacker utilizing both driving skills and gunplay to obtain the sought after information. Again the reward(s) vary based on how well you and your teammates work together to kill or incapacitate the other team members and achieve your goal.
Note: Unfortunately this was the shortest amount of gameplay that was discussed in the video with some gamers, including myself, questioning the driving mechanics and gunplay.
So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, a quick run down of all the multiplayer has to offer to date. Now for my opinion. While the graphics have me a less weary on buying the game I am still skeptical about the actual gameplay and mechanics. First off I thought the lighting was pretty darn good all things considering, especially since I had seen many videos and testimony that indicated to the contrary. Secondly, I like the idea of other gamers entering your session without you knowing which could prove to be a lot of fun if done correctly, although I can't comment as positively on the silly Taco truck which is about as subtle as a kick in the head (see above video). Lastly, the city looks more alive then some of the gameplay elements of other sandbox games such as GTA V and Saints Row which always bothered me, as driving around with only a handful of pedestrians and cars on the road gets a bit eerie at times.
Now for the bad. I disliked the way the driving aspect of the game worked, which I imagine you'll be doing a lot of. There didn't seem to be much if any in the way of damage when barreling your vehicle at breakneck speeds down Chicago streets and sidewalks with the front end looking brand new and shiny by the time the chase had ended. The car's also give the impression that driving is almost as smooth as driving a boat or a vehicle in Crazy Taxi which seemed very irritating. I also was a little perturbed by the gunplay which seemed lazy and uninspired at best with lackluster sounds and responsiveness. Hopefully, theses aspects will be ironed out and that the final version will be just as good the early footage promised or close to it.
In the end I was surprised by the fidelity at which the gameplay looked and while we didn't get to see a whole bunch of the city it's nice to know that there will a lot to explore and figure out for yourself come May. As always please leave all comments or questions that you might have in the section below and feel free to follow me for more relevant and irrelevant news stories!
