Ask any gamer what are some of the most disappointing games ever, and Watch Dogs might come up. It’s not hard to understand why, considering how much Ubisoft hyped it up. I still remember seeing that gameplay trailer back in 2013 and thought it was really cool. I mean, so did a lot of people, but as gamers, we know the kind of reputation Ubisoft has. With that in mind, we all crossed our fingers and hoped that Watch Dogs would be the groundbreaking, game-changing, next generation-level video game for the new consoles Ubisoft was hyping it up to be. And when it actually came out in 2014, our worst fears were realized.
Okay, so the first game wasn’t overhyped garbage, that would be taking it too far. I think what was most disappointing about it was the fact that Ubisoft spent a lot of time hyping it up to be THE game that would set the stage for next-generation consoles. Of course, at that time, it was the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Needless to say, Watch Dogs fell short of doing that. Oh, and the fact that the demo was deliberately amped up in graphics to oversell itself. With the graphics that we actually got, it felt like we were basically playing another Playstation 3 game.
In my opinion, the first Watch Dogs was a fun game to play once and only once. The lack of replay value and overall cliche story stopped me from playing any of the sequels. In fact, I was little surprised that it got sequels. The series clearly has its supporters, so that has allowed the Watch Dogs games to keep going. Now if the new games want to bring back the main protagonist of the first game, Aiden Pierce, and expand his story more, I might revisit the series. Based on what I’ve seen and heard about the sequels, it looks like Ubisoft is focusing more on the multiplayer elements of the game. That’s not a bad thing, but I prefer engaging single player campaigns over competitive multiplayer mode.
I couldn’t tell you what’s going on with the current story in the Watch Dogs timeline, but all I know is that Aiden Pierce isn’t the only hacker. After the first game, more cities in the country install the new generation of ctOS (central Operation System), the computing network that connects every device together into a single system. This network is designed and operated by the technology company called Blume. The second Watch Dogs reveals a group of hackers called DedSec that is determined to expose the corruption behind Blume.
This continues further in London with the third installment in the series, Watch Dogs: Legion. Heck, they even bring back Aiden Pierce in a DLC called Bloodline. Sounds interesting enough, but Ubisoft has recently released something that has very much attracted my attention. There is a very cool trailer online that reveals a Watch Dogs crossover with fellow Ubisoft game, Assassin’s Creed. The trailer shows us an Assassin’s Creed crossover DLC that will be released by next week.
The trailer itself puts a futuristic Assassin in the spotlight who apparently goes by the name of Darcy. Now this trailer was honestly a good one for several reasons. For one, we got to see the Assassin Darcy do what were used to seeing Assassin’s do. She was jumping over rooftops, performing some lethal and stylish takedowns on unsuspecting guards, and giving us a good look at her hidden blade. It also appears that she is a member of the British Order of Assassins, since we got to see her in a temple with statues dedicated to well-known members of the order, including Edward Kenway and the Frye Twins. That was a cool little easter egg, but we also heard someone narrating over the trailer.
From the moment you hear that character’s voice, you already know he’s a Templar. It’s all confirmed by the end of the trailer when he says the Templar Order motto, “May the father of understanding guide us”. It sounds like the modern Templar Order will try to raid the temple that Darcy is trying to protect. This really looks cool, especially since we never really got to see the war between the Assassins and the Templars play out in the modern era. Sure, we got brief gameplay segments of it, but nothing that has really been flushed out since the demise of Desmond Miles. It will be very interesting to see how this DLC plays out, but I wonder if it’s canon with the continuity of Assassin’s Creed.
I’m hearing mixed rumors that it is and isn’t, but the producer of Watch Dog: Legion is apparently saying that it isn’t canon with the Assassin’s Creed games. If that’s the case, then it makes me wonder why Watch Dogs is doing this in the first place. I mean, does Watch Dogs even have to crossover with Assassin’s Creed just because they’re both under the Ubisoft banner? I wouldn’t call it a must-have, but this DLC does bring up something that has been bugging Assassin’s Creed fans for a while now.
Just watch it and you’ll know right away that you’ll be playing an actual Assassin. It’s no question that the Assassin’s Creed series is more popular than Watch Dogs, but recently, the former has seemed to have lost its identity. When was the last time we even got to play an Assassin that resembles the ones we all know and played back in the day? Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and Valhalla let us play a Spartan and a Viking. That’s cool, but they didn’t feel like real Assassins. Doesn’t feel kind of strange that we’ll be playing an actual Assassin in a Watch Dogs game, rather than the most recent Assassin’s Creed games?
Oh, it very much does and I think most fans would agree. Now if Ubisoft intends to make this DLC canon, then that would be interesting. If it doesn’t, then it seems like just another way to keep people playing Watch Dogs: Legion. In my opinion, Watch Dogs will never reach the popularity level that Assassin’s Creed is on. I believe it can grow as a series, but I personally haven’t met too many hardcore Watch Dogs fans. If they enjoy the games, then they’ll probably play the Assassin’s Creed DLC. It can help Watch Dogs increase its fanbase, but I’m honestly more interested in how Ubisoft will handle Assassin’s Creed going forward. Does this DLC imply that they finally intend to bring the series back to its roots? I really hope so.
What are your thoughts, gamers? If you own Watch Dogs: Legion, then you’ll probably check out the Assassin’s Creed crossover DLC. I don’t own the game, but I am curious to see where it leads.Assassin’s Creed
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