Watch Dogs has more secrets up its sleeve
You thought the Ubisoft presentation showed you everything? You were wrong.
By now you've probably watched the E3 presentation of Watch Dogs. If you haven't, you should do so right here. It was easily the most visually impressive demo during this year's conference and one that was truly a surprise for just about every attendee.
But there's a lot that's not seen in the presentation. Behind closed doors, Ubisoft reps showed off the same demo, but introduced new gameplay elements and player options, further demonstrating the game's versatility. Follow along with the presentation above and we'll tell you where the behind-closed-doors demo differed.
6:15 - As Pearce approaches the gallery via the street, he taps into one of the security cameras outside. He's able to see from the camera's perspective, giving him a view around corners which would otherwise be outside of his frame of vision.
Shortly after tapping into the security camera, Pearce hacks into a nearby cell phone conversation. It's an inane conversation, a wife asking about when her husband is going to be home, but both sides are clearly audible. In terms of intelligence gathering, this will likely be a big focus for Watch Dogs, but to sell the illusion it'll require the recording of dozens of meaningless conversations for every meaningful one.
10:36 - As Pearce escapes the gallery to set up his ambush of his target, instead of standing on the street to take control of a traffic light, he goes for another vantage point. In the recorded presentation we can see some construction scaffolding on the right side of the screen at around 10:36. In the behind-closed-doors demo, Pearce vaults up onto this scaffolding, Assassin's Creed-style, climbing up to the elevated train tracks. Once on the tracks, Pearce hacks into a nearby security camera to give him a vantage point of the traffic light below him activates the trap from that same vantage point. As the cars crash, Pearce is able to use his higher elevation to make short work of the guards.
13:37 - At the end of the presentation, Pearce's cell is mysteriously hacked by another force. While the developers aren't saying whether this is an indication of co-op or another playable storyline, the behind-closed-doors demo was able to show off something else entirely. Pearce is able to make his getaway by hijacking a nearby car and speeding from the cops. He's not only aided by his vehicle's speed, but also by his technological savvy, letting him disrupt traffic lights so that he can stay ahead of the cops. This looks like it will truly be an open-world game.
After the demo - The behind-closed-doors demo ended with a quick look at a companion app for Watch Dogs which will be coming to mobile devices alongside the game. Inside the app, players will be able to tap into the game's world, researching their targets and finding secrets. You'll even be able to affect other friends' worlds, making their lives easier or harder depending on how much you like them.
Watch Dogs is, unfortunately, still a ways out. If I had to guess, I'd say we're looking at a late 2013 title which will likely launch on the next generation of consoles from Microsoft and Sony. The game was demonstrated on the PC (Ubisoft wouldn't share the specs), but there's no way the stuff we saw in the demo could run on modern-day console hardware. A scaled-down version, perhaps, but not the real mccoy.
In This Storystream:
E3 2012: PC coverage
-
Jun 18 2012, 1:11p 'Grimlands' and 'Otherland' are on the frontline of Gamigo's free-to-play revolution
-
Jun 18 2012, 11:39a 'Eador: Masters of the Broken World' rules with an iron fist
-
Jun 18 2012, 9:02a 'League of Legends' competes with 'StarCraft' in Korea's eSports scene
-
Jun 13 2012, 11:41a Arma 3 brings the realities of war to the sea with new underwater combat
-
Jun 12 2012, 3:00p Bullet Run values style just as much as substance
-
Jun 12 2012, 2:00p Cyberpunk 2020 getting not just a video game, but a new tabletop game as well
-
Jun 11 2012, 5:39p Crytek's free-to-play Warface
-
Jun 11 2012, 4:04p Penny Arcade Episode 3 developer on the pros and cons of working with a license
-
Jun 11 2012, 3:32p 'Penny Arcade Episode 3' screens
-
Jun 11 2012, 12:01p Watch Dogs has more secrets up its sleeve
-
Jun 11 2012, 11:30a 'Raven's Cry' aims for realism, maturity in the pirate genre
-
Jun 8 2012, 11:14a Neverwinter makes the Dungeons and Dragons brand proud
-
Jun 7 2012, 9:18p E3 Day 3: Live From The Loft!
-
Jun 7 2012, 8:05p Dark Souls PC brings new content, questionable performance to E3
-
Jun 7 2012, 5:47p John Carmack believes the future of tech is for the hackers
-
Jun 7 2012, 8:10a PlanetSide 2 proves love is a hex-shaped battlefield
-
Jun 7 2012, 5:00a BBC's growing gaming interest spurs new Jane Austen fiction
-
Jun 7 2012, 1:05a Star Trek brings Kirk and Spock together in seamless, playful co-op
-
Jun 6 2012, 6:44p 'A Mother's Inferno' is a terrifying trip through one woman's personal hell
-
Jun 6 2012, 4:38p 'Sleeping Dogs' explores the very real, very brutal world of the Triads
-
Jun 6 2012, 3:40p 'Sleeping Dogs' screens
-
Jun 6 2012, 3:09p Dishonored is a story built on morality, chaos and whales
-
Jun 6 2012, 12:51p 'The Elder Scrolls Online' will let you play in 100-player groups
-
Jun 6 2012, 10:32a SimCity multiplayer lets players share their energy, population and smog
-
Jun 6 2012, 10:21a Hawken hands-on delivers perfectly balanced mech warfare
-
Jun 6 2012, 9:43a Hawken Gallery
-
Jun 5 2012, 9:53p Company of Heroes 2 devs want you to care about the Eastern Front
-
Jun 5 2012, 9:46p 'Jet Set Radio' plays great on the PSVita
-
Jun 5 2012, 6:58p 'Star Wars 1313': the game that will bring LucasFilm together
-
Jun 5 2012, 3:18p 'Elder Scrolls Online' teaser highlights vikings, magic, and a fancy logo
-
Jun 4 2012, 9:35p 'Hawken' live-action E3 trailer released
-
Jun 4 2012, 7:00p 'Far Cry 3' co-op blends teamwork with some friendly competition
-
Jun 4 2012, 5:16p Crysis 3 arriving February 2013
-
Jun 4 2012, 5:00p 'Crysis 3' is all about a return to form: Wide open spaces
-
Jun 4 2012, 4:45p Medal of Honor: Warfighter coming October 23rd
-
Jun 4 2012, 4:34p First few levels of 'Star Wars: The Old Republic' going free-to-play in July
-
Jun 4 2012, 3:32p 'Zeno Clash II' announced, set to release in 2013
-
Jun 4 2012, 3:13p 'South Park: The Stick of Truth' getting Kinect support, 360-first DLC
-
Jun 4 2012, 1:25p Xbox SmartGlass comes to Windows 8 tablets and PCs
-
Jun 4 2012, 1:07p Counter-Strike: Global Offensive coming Aug. 21 to PS3, 360 and Steam Aug. 21
There are 6 Comments.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.
Active Discussions
Xbox - A Generation Revealed Polynauts Live Chat!
in Polynauts by SuperNewb
Polygon Daily: Off-Topic: Red Lemniscate and Beyond! ( Tue 21/5 )
in Off-topic by Salias
Marvel Avengers Alliance General
in Marvel: Avengers Alliance by The Didact
Comics! Cartoons! Anime! Crisis Vol. 2, No. 13: Ninja, Ninja, RAP.
in Off-topic by Nipah
Generation Wars Week 5: PS3 vs. Xbox 360 vs. Wii - Justify your pick for the best,
in Polynauts by Shaun McIlroy