NPCs were a huge part of the very first two Watch Dogs games; their vibrant histories and biographical snippets would appear when you scanned anybody in the video game world, mainly for comedic effect. In Watch Dogs Legion, Ubisoft is taking that potential and expanding it into a core part of the video game– or at least, its trying to.
The concept is basic: all those NPCs, with all their weak points and strengths, are now actual playable characters that can be hired as part of your hacktivist army. And with procedurally created characters, Ubisoft states that the number of potential employees ranges in the millions.
Regrettably, for all the hype, after playing 3 hours of Legion, it doesnt do enough to separate its myriad characters from each other. One of my employees, an elderly spy, handles exactly the exact same as a spry young hitman for hire or a football thug. The main distinctions are the 2 or three perks that each character features and their default device.
Legion doesnt do enough to differentiate its myriad characters
Update July 17th, 12:45 pm: Added information on how Watch Dogs: Legions character changing mechanic operates in relation to mission progress.
With the minimal demonstration time I had, I couldnt see how far Ubisoft enters making characters distinct– particularly when it pertains to things like voice actors, provided that whichever hire youre playing as will also appear in completely voiced cutscenes. Even in my relatively brief time with the video game, I had currently started to see elements repeat. Multiple possible recruits had combination switched missions to get them to join my group, and even the limitations of Ubisofts character generator were obvious, with several of my prospective characters looking strangely comparable to each other.
Watch Dogs: Legion is loaded with toys and tools to play around with.
You can change and select in between characters whenever you d like, but doing so refills the game and respawns the gamer outside the opponent base or area (although any progress within the mission, like armed traps, removed guards, or opened doors stays intact for the brand-new character.). The game makes a point of providing gamers access to a broad range of lethal and non-lethal weapons, but in real fight, the game neither punished nor even had opponents strongly respond to whether I chose to trim down their comrades or stun them with a taser. Given that Legion is a new Watch Dogs video game, theres of course the additional hacking layer on top, which works likewise to the systems in the very first 2 titles, permitting you to remotely move automobiles out of your way, trigger traffic barriers, and crash drones.
Again, theres a lot more of Watch Dogs: Legion than my initial demo got to check out. However based on what Ive seen up until now, the innovative NPC system is more flash than compound on top of what otherwise seems like a beautiful standard follow up for the open-world franchise.
The entire thing feels far less enthusiastic and expanded compared to the initial vision of the video game Ubisoft displayed at E3 2019. The preliminary rendition had various character classes (infiltrators, enforcers, and hackers) who excelled at various tasks and a development system with character levels that would unlock brand-new abilities over time– much deeper elements that have actually because been cut from the final version.
Other characters– which Legion will outright point gamers toward by periodically highlighting them in the game world– are plainly “primary” characters with unique advantages and useful capabilities like distinct weapons, improved hacking skills, or advantages in fight and stealth.
Like any great sandbox game, Watch Dogs: Legion is loaded with tools and toys to experiment with– theres lots of enjoyable to be had in simply driving around London, scanning NPCs to discover interesting employees or enjoyable littles info, and hacking everything in sight. It also suggests that the game tends to motivate gamers to utilize those tools in more measured, stealthy approaches during objectives. Running in weapons blazing will likely get you eliminated, in addition to simply being far less fun.
Even with those differences, the character system is pretty restricted in what you can really finish with it. You cant switch in between your employees on the fly. While Watch Dogs: Legions pitch brings to mind the ability to change freely between a sneakier hacker to enter a structure before contacting your battle expert to eliminate off your opponents and then swap over to your trip motorist with perks for evading traffic, the reality is a lot more tame. You can switch and select between characters whenever you d like, but doing so reloads the game and respawns the player outside the enemy base or location (although any progress within the objective, like armed traps, removed guards, or opened doors remains intact for the new character.). “Die” in a mission, and your character will either be detained or hospitalized, changing you to another character and setting a real-world timer of about 20 to 30 minutes prior to you can use them once again. (Legion does use an optional permadeath mode that in theory ups the stakes, but I didnt get a possibility to try it out.).
On the story side of things, Legion likewise continues the lighter tone of the previous game– gamers work with hacker cumulative DedSec, which has been blamed for a huge bombing of London that was really committed by a various underground hacking group, called Zero Day. In common Ubisoft style, none of this is implied to be political, of course.
Ubisoft likewise absolutely presses gamers toward recruiting particular NPCs. The majority of the random characters walking around function minor benefits (shopping discount loyalty cards were particularly typical), no benefits at all, and even simply detrimental attributes (like running out shape or a heavy drinker, which provide concrete in-game drawbacks). Other characters– which Legion will outright point gamers toward by occasionally highlighting them in the game world– are plainly “main” characters with unique perks and beneficial capabilities like distinct weaponry, enhanced hacking skills, or advantages in fight and stealth.
Putting aside the unique character system, the rest of the gameplay continues to construct on the Grand Theft Auto-style structure of the series. Provided that Legion is a brand-new Watch Dogs video game, theres of course the extra hacking layer on top, which works likewise to the systems in the very first two titles, permitting you to from another location move automobiles out of your method, trigger traffic barriers, and crash drones.
Watch Dogs Legion character select screen from the E3 2019 demo (left) and the 2020 version of the game (right).
There are clear archetypes: building and construction employees all include a nail weapon, a wrench, and a cargo drone, while spies featured a silenced pistol and a James Bond-style vehicle, which can be summoned to their location and has missiles and an invisibility function.
Like any excellent sandbox game, Watch Dogs: Legion is loaded with toys and tools to play around with– theres plenty of enjoyable to be had in just driving around London, scanning NPCs to discover intriguing recruits or fun bits of info, and hacking everything in sight.
See Dogs: Legion will be out later this year for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X variations of the game are likewise expected to be launched this vacation season.
That false distinction bleeds over into other elements of gameplay, too. The video game makes a point of offering gamers access to a wide variety of non-lethal and lethal weaponry, however in actual fight, the game neither penalized nor even had opponents highly respond to whether I selected to slaughter their pals or stun them with a taser. Which weapons a character has is a crucial differentiating feature, but they all feel quite similar to utilize in practice.
