Ubisoft Reveals More Changes To Watch Dogs In Latest Trailer

Ubisoft finally showed off some new features and changes to their highly anticipated game Watch Dogs yesterday in the form of a new trailer. The four minute video showcased exciting never-before-seen additions to the open world game, as well as some slight alterations and removal of features we previously thought would be included. 

Based on previous trailers, it appeared the player would be able to hack everything in sight with a mobile phone carried by the main character, Aiden Pearce. But as the trailer showed, and Ubisoft confirmed later, there will no longer be a smartphone or the ability to hack buildings, cameras, cars, city utilities or weapons. Instead, the player will be able to hack several squares into whatever kind of pattern they like, using their Xbox or PlayStation controller. These squares will can either be hacked into a “x-like” shape, or an “o-like” shape. Aiden Pearce has also been removed from the game.

The previous setting of the game was a wide open fictionalized version of Chicago, which has also changed. Featured in the newest trailer was the new location consisting entirely of a three by three grid of empty squares and a vibrant main menu screen. The day and night cycle has been removed in favor of a solid white background, as to not confuse new players into thinking it’s night when it’s actually day. 

Combat has also been altered to now be turn based and, unique from many other games, when the enemy attacks in one position you cannot attack in that same location until the next round has begun. In order to win a fight, players will attack back and forth by hacking any of the empty squares in the three by three grid and placing the aforementioned x-like or o-like shapes into blocks and trying to line them up three in a row to defeat the enemy. Following a fight, players will be awarded a win or a loss and then sent back to the main menu where they have the option of playing again, or exiting the game. 

YouTube comments on the trailer seemed to be mostly positive, with user WatchDongs69 stating “Looks amazing! Look at those graphics and anti-aliasing on the X and the O, it’s like I’m living in this world! OMG I can’t wait!” and YankeeFan69 proclaiming “This looks way too confusing, but I guess I’ll try it. Graphics still look great.” 

Curious as to all the changes and how it has affected the Ubisoft Montreal staff, we were able to meet with Director Jonathan Morin and ask a few questions. 

“We’re very proud of how Watch Dogs turned out,” a sweaty and disheveled Morin told us, “we have had absolutely no issues when it came to developing the game. Absolutely none. No budget issues, no development issues when we had to port this god forsaken thing to eighty different consoles. Nope, not a single fucking problem. Why would we. Why the fuck would we?! Did somebody tell you we did? Because I’ll cut the snitch's throat. Was it Richard? Fucking Richard I’ll kill him.” 

Before Mr. Morin angrily stormed out of our interview for an urgent meeting, he did let us know that they had one minor issue with the way an x-like shape was displaying that would require a 1.5GB day-one patch as well as confirming the rumor that the Xbox One will still only be able to display the game in the 720p resolution. We look forward to the game on it’s new release date of “sometime in 2017” and will have our full review shortly after it comes out.