Watch Dogs is but a month away from releasing, and anticipation is building high. It’s bound to be one of the biggest game launches in May, and people are eager to find out more about the game and how it aims to set itself apart from similar titles. Ubisoft knows this, so we’re getting a glimpse at Watch Dogs’ multiplayer via a newly released video from the developers. Calling it a glimpse might be insulting, it’s over 9 minutes of quality footage focused on player interaction.
From what we’ve seen, there are several amazing parts, and several lack-luster parts in Watch Dogs’ multiplayer. Let’s get the bad things out of the way first, shall we? The most obvious flaw of the game seems to come from the driving experience, which isn’t exactly screaming realism. Vehicles seem to be made out of rubber, and the driving experience felt a bit lackluster. How important this is in this particular genre is ultimately up to the individual gamer, but it would have been nice to see a more realistic approach to driving. If I think back to the very first Mafia game, I know that it was pulled off better. Another potential problem might come from the fact that some of the multiplayer game modes seem to be a bit intrusive for the gamer that wants an uninterrupted singleplayer experience. It’s unclear if you can shut off all the multiplayer aspects to achieve this though.
On the bright-side, the deathmatch and objective-based team multiplayer aspects look damn fun and engaging. Finding out who’s hacking you in a crowd also seems like a unique experience that’s likely to cause hilarious scenarios. And we just felt an urge to take over that mobile hacking platforms and provide on-the-ground opponents with a bumpy and preferably painful ride! Overall, we’re glad that Ubisoft has integrated multiple multiplayer modes into Watch Dogs, and for those that don’t fear going online and engaging in some multiplayer activities, the entire experience seems to blend in nicely.
What are your thoughts about Watch Dogs’ multiplayer? The game is launching on the 27th of May for the PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC, so you still have time to pre-order the game. A Wii U version will follow later this year too.