Can Watch Dogs deliver on its lofty promises of open world hacking?

Aug 24, 2013 13:26 GMT  ·  By

Watch Dogs is among the few all-new intellectual properties that will get the blockbuster treatment this year, with Ubisoft investing a lot in the open world action adventure experience and expecting quite a lot in return.

After dazzling crowds last year and throughout 2013, Ubisoft brought a newer build of the title at Gamescom 2013 to show off both the single-player adventures of protagonist Aiden Pearce, but also the seamless multiplayer experience.

First up, in the traditional single-player, Aiden has reached a new area of Chicago and, before he can do his signature hacking of other people's mobile phones, he must first break into the local ctOS bureau. Until then, he can't use the environment and he can't even see the mini-map, sort of like the unsynchronized areas in the Assassin's Creed games.

As such, Aiden must find the local bureau, examine the heavily guarded area, hack into cameras, cars, or other such machinery, and plan for a lethal or nonlethal approach.

Being non-violent is easier said than done, as while Aiden can perform stealth takedowns, organize distractions, and other such things, there's always a chance everything will go haywire and, in those sometimes inevitable cases, he must pull out his gun and kill people.

Once he breaches the ctOS, Aiden can then perform his different hacks, listening in on people's conversations on the phone, reading their text logs, or breaking into their bank accounts.

Aiden isn't all-powerful, however, as he can also be hacked by another person, in the form of another player who infiltrates his version of Chicago. In order to stop the hacking, Aiden must quickly evaluate his surroundings and start tagging the people around him in order to find the person that's breaking into his phone.

If the hacker chooses the right area, such as a crowded plaza, this is downright impossible, especially if he continues acting like a civilian, without doing anything suspicious.

This whole aspect of the game is quite exciting and, if you do get hacked successfully, a little revenge mission is added, allowing you to infiltrate the other player's game and hack him back.

Watch Dogs is out in November for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U.