Watch Dogs is an Open World game by Ubisoft. Watch Dogs Features a Fictional Chicago which is run by ctOS , a centralized Operating System to run entire city. The games protagonist Aiden Pearce is a brilliant hacker who is able take advantage of ctOS and use the city as weapon to avenge his niece death.
Aiden Pearce has the best phone in the world. In fact, Aiden Pearce’s phone is a miracle of modern technology. His phone can open car doors, dismantle alarms, blow steam pipes, hack into city wide cameras and technically help him use the city as a weapon .
The phone even contains Virtual reality mini games called digital trips that offer Aiden the odd moment of respite from the story that drives Watch Dogs. Yes, the protagonist of Watch Dogs has an amazing phone.
Aiden’s phone plays are very important role in Watch Dogs much like the characters who are introduced in the story. If Aiden was Harry Potter then his phone would be his magic wand.
Aiden might have all the armory he can possibly have by the time end credits roll but his phone is still the go-to weapon in the game. It is the key that fits every lock in the fictional Chicago of Watch Dogs.
The phone is involved as much in the story as it is involved in the game-play. Phone never feels to over powered or a trick to get the job done. The phone assists you in getting the job done.
Here you have unparalleled power but it does come at a cost. With great power comes great responsibility.
Aiden is introduced by showing his dark past and the activities that led to death of his niece. Pearce was engaged in a job that went bad, which resulted in his targets trying to take him out. His niece got caught in the crossfire.
Aiden is unable to let this go despite his sister urging him to lead a normal life. Aiden starts looking for clues to go after the people who killed his niece.
Watch Dogs Story is one of its best aspects. It is not ground breaking , nor is it much of a departure from the usual tale of a tortured soul that stands at the center of an open world game.
The narrative here is little more serious then other open world games. As Watch Dogs story moves forward, Pearce unfolds as little more than a sociopath. His actions are so reckless and irresponsible and his determination to find the killers is so single minded that he has no concern for other humans. Soon the Player realizes that Pearce is equally at fault for the demise of his loved ones.
Pearce actions cost him a lot. By the time the game ends, one wonders did Aiden’s actions bring any result, will his actions bring peace to his loved ones or were his decisions a way to spice up already Action packed Game.
By hacking into central computers and radar towers of ctOS , the players can gain access to the operating system that drives the city and use their phone to hack various technology controlled by ctOS.
They side-quests range from vigilante crime stops, to races, to Virtual Reality games to missions that tie back into the main narrative. The side-quests are unlocked by hacking into ctOS tower.
The multiplayer also compliments the action wonderfully. Instead of a series of maps, matches and mini-games, players are able to invade one another single player campaigns, race together, perform a heist together.
Watch Dogs becomes a game of cat and mouse when you hack into other players game or even the other way round. This is extremely satisfying and unique experience in the game.
Each mission in the game can be done in a variety of ways, you can go in stealthy or go all out guns blazing. Since the game is open world, the players can execute these options from variety of angles in missions. Freedom of choice makes the game a unique experience for the player.
For example, you can kill every guard in the area to hack into a ctOS tower or you can go stealthy and kill them using bomb in their pockets or distract them by hacking their phones.
Watch Dogs is very similar to other Ubisoft flagship titles. ctOS towers in Watch Dogs are like radar tower in Far Cry or high eagle point buildings in Assassin’s Creed.
Also, Aiden’s free running motion seems similar to any other Assassin’s Creed protagonist. Watch Dogs offers new experience but the players won’t fail to notice the similarities between other Ubisoft open world games.
Watch Dogs does not revolutionise the open world genre but that does not mean it is waste of money. It has an engrossing story coupled with unique gameplay style. It is like breath of fresh air in open world genre. That is same thing with a fresh perspective.
The game provides power to player to hack everything and anything, along with a choice to be good or bad with such a power. The game never forces the player to do something the don’t want to nor does it allow to wreck mayhem.
