Why I'm excited about Watch Dogs again

When Watch Dogs was first revealed two years ago, I was interested. Maybe not as interested as most people, but I probably let out a half-enthusiastic, "Hmm," after seeing the debut trailer. Ubisoft making another open-world game with the ability to 'hack' any connected device? Sure, sign me up.

But then the delays happened.

I know delays are inevitable and developers are always going to be pressed for time when bringing massive games to the public, but the Watch Dogs delay really affected my enthusiasm for it, to the point where I pretty much stopped caring for anything Watch Dogs related. I have to wait another six months for something that's basically Assassin's Creed set in the present day? I'll pass.

But in the last few months I've been drawn in yet again, and now I'm looking forward to it more than I've ever been. New trailers have helped, but it's the gameplay clips that have really won me over, especially the eight-minute multiplayer video that came directly from Ubisoft.

You should check it out if you haven't seen it, but here's a basic rundown. You're minding your own business, wandering around the streets of Chicago when suddenly you get a notification telling you that you're being hacked. This means another online player is stealing your data, and you have to find and stop them before they can complete the process.

Then the tape is rewound and you get to see the hacking from the other player's perspective, as he inconspicuously drives around in a taco truck and kicks off the whole scenario from a safe distance. Security cameras can be accessed to get a better look at things and make sure you aren't too close to being spotted.

Then we head back to the first player's view of things, who is now firing a gun in the air to cause panic. Firing a weapon in a public area makes innocent citizens run away in fear, but it wouldn't make your hacker move so it's an interesting strategy. Finally he spots the taco truck, fires his weapon unsuccessfully and gets into a car himself, leading to an exhilarating pursuit across the city.

Player one is so close to catching up to the taco truck, but firing that gun earlier really caused a scene and the police are now on his tail. In the end they become too much to handle, running him off the road and eventually the taco truck player gets too far ahead. He even hacks into a bridge and draws it up to make sure he can't be caught, and in the end he takes the points.

The potential for those kinds of multiplayer moments coming into your single-player game at any time is incredible and it's something I can't wait to try out. Of course you can turn the multiplayer options off at any time if you want to concentrate on your own campaign, but where's the fun in that? Watch Dogs is about a connected experience, it's about the dangers of a world where anything can be controlled by a single person, or device. Ubisoft's approach to the multiplayer modes perfectly encapsulates the vibe I want in Watch Dogs, and now launch day can't come quick enough.