I’m feeling more reluctant to wantonly praise games with every passing day.
The more I play, the more I’m disappointed… at least when it comes to AAA titles. Hitman: Absolution, THIEF, and so many others, all terrible… all virtually forgotten. It’s a testament to the laziness of the AAA games industry, and I hope that these failures serve as a wake-up call for future projects. But enough of that, let’s talk about something exciting.
We’ve been following Watch Dogs for a while now. We think it looks pretty good, but we’re scared… scared that it will be like so many other games before it: awesome marketing to mask a seriously flawed and broken game.
Then I see footage like this Watch Dogs “Welcome to Chicago” trailer and I’m not so sure. Check it out.
Either the marketing people are wildly talented, or this is a good game.
Ubisoft has certainly been developing Watch Dogs for long enough.
Visually, it’s stunning. Maybe not terms of raw visuals like say, Unreal Technology, but as a whole package? Absolutely. I don’t know who the art director is, but I want to kiss him or her on the lips for organizing such magic.
Then we’ve got exciting bits of information like this…
Watch Dogs Q&A
Are there day/night cycles in the game?
Yes, there is a real time day and night cycle. Time of day is not scripted.
What weather systems can the player expect to experience?
We have a lot of different weather possibilities from sunny and calm, to stormy and rainy. Wind, rain, fog and clouds all have several degrees of intensity and are all systemic.
How do you manage to ensure every NPC is unique?
Every NPC has unique qualities that distinguish him or her from others in the game. There are over 3000 character kits and an almost infinite amount of unique profiler possibilities.
How many concurrent NPCs can there be?
The number of NPCs players can encounter at one time depends on a variety of factors like time of day and location. If it’s mid-day, then players will see more NPCs going about their busy lives. At night, we have fewer NPCs reflecting the patterns we see in the real world. The downtown core of Chicago is also a busier area with lots more citizens than a more industrial region, for example. Our main goal was to ensure that the world feels as alive as you’d expect in a major city like Chicago. And of course, the next gen consoles allow us to place more NPCs in the world than we’ve ever been able to do in current gen consoles.
So it’s hard to give specific numbers, but rest assured, the city will feel alive like players have never seen before with many unique NPCs populating the city.
Can you hack absolutely every NPC in the game?
Yes, every NPC can be hacked. Based on their profile, a variety of hacks are possible. You can also hack elements in the world to influence the behaviour of NPC’s around.
What different environments can the player expect?
Chicago is a rich and diverse city and we want the player to explore every inch of it There are 6 different districts in WD, all with really different looks, types of NPC’s and vibe.
How many different vehicles can the player drive?
Over 75 different vehicles from bikes to compact, heavy, muscle, off road, SUV, luxury cars, or speed cars, all of them with their own realistic physics.
How many difference hacks are available in the game?
Over 100 hacks.
Watch Dogs Release Date
Overall I’m excited, but I’m tempering that excitement by not pre-ordering the game like I usually do.
Is Watch Dogs going to be amazing? I certainly hope so, but I’m waiting until May 27th, 2014 to decide that.
