REVIEW : Watch Dogs: Legion – Bloodline (PS5)
Aiden Pearce has returned as part of the new Watch Dogs Legion expansion.
Watch Dogs Legion: Bloodline adds a unique story arc to Watch Dogs Legion, returning you to the streets of London, one of the most fantastic videogame recreations of a real metropolis we’ve ever seen. It takes place just before the main game’s events; soon following a series of explosions in the city, Aiden Pearce boards a plane from Chicago to see his nephew, Jackson, who lives in central London.
Aiden isn’t the man you know him to be; it’s been fifteen years after the events of the first Watch Dogs game, which starred Pearce. Instead, he’s a little gruffer, a little more beardy, and a touch rougher around the edges. And it isn’t easy to recognize him without his Iconic Aiden Pearce Jacket and Iconic Aiden Pearce Cap.
Fortunately, he won’t be without his Iconic gear for long; his nephew has been storing it for him for some reason. And now he’s back in his all-too-familiar garb; it’s simple to view this guy as the Aiden Pearce we all know and despise.
Pearce was widely panned for being a dull, unlikeable guy, but I always liked his no-shits-given attitude. He’s more or less the same here; forget no-kill violence when you’re in command of Aiden Pearce — he’s all about putting his opponents to death as soon as possible.
With his trusty whacking stick at his disposal, melee combat is more engaging than ever in Watch Dogs Legion, and gunplay is also a lot of fun. Aiden’s expertise, as a tooltip informs you, makes shooting foes a breeze; reload your gun at the correct time, and he’ll unleash a charged-up shot, delivering additional damage. Forget stealth; it’s far more exciting to engage those Albion and Broca cronies in all-out combat.
Of course, a story is at the centre of Bloodline, and I’ll leave the details to you to discover when you play it. It’s entertaining enough, but there aren’t any thrilling scenes.
It’s pretty uninteresting, and the critical missions will have you travelling from one site to the next, either sneaking in or fighting your way through. However, there is a pleasant surprise in store for Watch Dogs 2 fans: the masked hacker Wrench makes a cameo, and you will control him for a section of the expansion. The wrench, of course, has a different set of tools than Aiden, so you’ll have new guns to play with as well as a new melee weapon to whack your enemies with.
However, there is one section of Watch Dogs Legion: Bloodline that stands out. Skye Larson, the creator of Broca Tech, was mentioned in the primary campaign. She’s a great fan of artificial intelligence, and if you’ve gone through Legion’s tale, you’ll have seen the computerized reconstruction of her childhood home. She makes an appearance here, and with her assistance, Aiden’s nephew Jackson can return to his boyhood home. However, not everything is as it appears; corridors twist into other galleries, and doors do not lead where they should.
It’s a rather spooky segment that looks pretty distinct from the rest of Watch Dogs. Its architecture is almost P.T.-like, at least for a few moments, when you find yourself in a blood-splattered corridor packed with family photos and a ringing phone.
Unfortunately, this portion isn’t very lengthy – but it’s long enough to make you wonder, “Why hasn’t Ubisoft developed a horror game recently?” And, while it is distinct from the rest of Bloodline, it makes sense in the game context and adds a welcome piece of depth to Aiden’s otherwise 2D personality. Bloodline, on the other hand, is a substantial expansion. The story will take about four hours to complete, but some numerous side quests and collectables will keep you playing for several hours longer. Unfortunately, none of the side missions adds much variety; they’re all pretty identical to what you’ve previously seen in the main game. Speak with an NPC and spend some time conducting errands for them. Hack this system, kill these people, and then rinse and repeat. Oh sure, it’s entertaining, but it doesn’t provide anything new.
REVIEW : ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights (XBOX Series X)
