Watch Dogs: The Surprise New IP of E3

As Ubisoft ended their E3 Press Briefing on Monday, a new IP was revealed that has been in development for over two years at Ubisoft Montreal. In the extended gameplay shown on stage, with no specific platform or release date given, we learn of a world where computers control every major system in our world. These systems are all hackable and you are one of the most known hackers.

You are Aiden Pierce. Nothing about you seems all the extraordinary. You move around with average speed, wearing a trenchcoat, and have no superpowers. The one device you carry around is your Smartphone that bears a very close resemblance to the iPhone. So sure, why wouldn't today's most closed platform be used as a hacker's toy? Answer: it must be jailbroken and running cydia!

Aiden begins to try and get into a nightclub to carry out a mission. In order to do so, he has to get past some guards. Quickly tapping on his trusty phone and blocking their cellular communications causes the guards to wander off and you to jump inside the doors.

Inside the nightclub, you hear people say things about you. "Is that him?" "There he is!" etc. As you walk around, pieces of data appear around people. You can see what their anger level is and how likely they are to fight you, financial records, family records, health information, and all the other information we now have over the Internet.

There is someone who is coming after you and after hacking into a nearby cel phone, you learn they are on your way. An Asian associate gives you a gun and you head outside to meet this foe head on. Before he can arrive, you hack into the nearby traffic lights and cause them all to turn green. The result is your enemy in a massive wreck.

This isn't taken lightly as enemies see you there and begin firing. You then have to take that gun and start with some cover mechanic shooting gameplay in the third person. This reminded me of a cross between the cover mechanics of Gears of War, and the shooting of Max Payne. The rest of the game, however, played a lot like Assassin's creed.

As the time for the game ended, you were left wanting more. This is a serious new IP and could be a big blockbuster for Ubisoft. Rumors are suggesting it is going to appear on next-generation consoles though Ubisoft has yet to comment on this. Since new hardware hasn't been announced from Sony and Microsoft, they probably aren't allowed to say anything.

Visually, the game looks really good. Though we don't know what platform it was running on, it appears to have been played on a PC. Or perhaps a Dev Kit for a next-gen console? We are looking forward to seeing more on this IP as it is one of the best games at this years E3.