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We're getting a lot of interesting new games this year...

Watch Dogs

Watch Dogs is most certainly a new kid on the block, but there is some debate as to whether it will be a new kid for current gen consoles, or if the demonstration shown at E3 this past summer was actually the first glimpse of a game for the next slate of consoles. The graphical prowess on display looked beyond anything we’ve seen this generation, but in an interview after their press conference, Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot confirmed that the game is indeed in development for the PS3, PC, and 360. Of course, that doesn’t preclude the possibility that the game could also be a launch title for the rumored next PlayStation and Xbox.

Set in an alternate version of Chicago, Watch Dogs follows the character Aiden Pearce, a master hacker that uses his smart phone to control any devices and machinery tied into the Central Operating System, or CtOS. This super computer controls much of the city, and the overarching plot of Watch Dogs is one of bucking that oppressive feeling that the comfort of technology comes with.

The core mechanics of Watch Dogs can best be described as an open world environment with mission-based, free form game play. Aiden relies on hiding in plain sight, much like Agent 47 in the Hitman games. His phone allows him to hack the phones of passersby, revealing all manner of interesting tidbits about them. It’s also a way for Aiden to zero in on his targets, or disrupt their devices to cause a distraction. As the game progresses, Aiden can use different apps to cause havoc on a larger scale, including changing street lights to make getaways easier. Seth Green from The Italian Job would be proud.

There seems to be a lot of room for creativity and options with the mission structure of the game, and when it comes time to bring the house down, Aiden has plenty of tools at his disposal. He has some brutal melee moves thanks to a collapsible baton he carries in his overcoat, and the E3 demo showed off some impressive gunplay. Aiden moves through cover, popping off headshots like nobody’s business, diving over cars and grabbing guns from fallen foes. Whether Watch Dogs is a current gen game or something for the shiny new consoles, it’s definitely one to keep an eye on later in 2013.