The problem with writing about "Watch Dogs: Legion" is that sometimes you don't know if a bug is a flaw in the game or whether the developers are being very meta. That happened to me while playing one of the longer storyline missions and it's the reason that this is review-in-progress rather than an actual assessment of the title.
I got to an important decision in the campaign, and when I chose either outcome, the game made the fans whir on my Xbox One, and then it shut down. The console turned off. When that happened the first time, I thought it was part of the narrative. The screen went black in a "Sopranos"-type of way to show the outcome. I waited for a few seconds and then I realized, "Oh wow, 'Watch Dogs Legion' made the console turn off to protect itself." I suppose it couldn't handle the gravity of that decision.
I played the scenario a few times, making different choices and using different characters. I even cleaned the outside of the Xbox One, but I had the same result each time: A black screen and a stern warning from the Xbox on start up saying that it shut off automatically because of bad ventilation. I'm at a roadblock but Ubisoft says the problem is getting fixed.
In the meantime, my impressions of "Watch Dogs: Legion" up to that point were good. The franchise needed a shakeup, and the team hired the right man for the job in Clint Hocking. The project's creative director also re-envisioned "Far Cry" from a "Island of Doctor Moreau" romp and transformed it into a dark masterpiece that spawned several sequels. The man knows how to make compelling games.
With "Watch Dogs Legion," Hocking flips the premise on its head. Instead of players controlling one protagonist through a story-driven campaign, they control a team of hackers that they recruit from London's general population. The move gives the title a feeling that's a little bit of "Pokemon" and a little bit of "Rogue Legacy."
Anyone can be recruited to DedSec, the good guy hacking collective that has been at the heart of the franchise, but players should have standards. I found myself scanning everyone and looking for people who had the best combination of skills. Some people were perfect. I found a network architect Maegan Mullan who had the speedy downloads with their 6G connection, crypto skimming and fast hacking. While those recruits were rare, many more had useless talents or issues (like hiccups) that made them less suited for spying work. It reminds me of the random genetic traits that descendants would get in "Rogue Legacy."
The joy in "Watch Dogs: Legion" is that the sheer variety of recruits opens up multiple solutions for every mission. I relied a lot on drone Edmond Panek who had nonlethal weapons. His mastery of the spiderbot and drones allowed me to access highly secured areas with armed guards, so that I can sneak through undetected or even finish missions without stepping foot on the restricted area and battling Albion or Clan Kelley enemies. Those two factions are the villains of the campaign that I've met so far.
The world is fascinating not because of how it portrays near-future London, but in how it uses the people that reside in it. Ubisoft Toronto created an algorithm that ties every person together. Operatives and recruits don't exist in a vacuum and players can see their relationship with others. They'll run across one of their operative's therapist while heading to a sidequest or they'll find a blackmailer intimidating a recruit while walking down the street. It's interesting to see the threads of the characters and how they intertwine in this virtual world.
Bagley, the AI partner that helps DedSec, gives players leads on exceptional recruits, and players can track them down. I spotted hitman and when I scanned him, it said that he was stalking mark. Curious, I followed him into a park and hid in the bushes. The recruit did his job and murdered a guy in cold blood right in front of me and casually walked away. It was a fascinating experience and made me wonder if players could follow a recruit during the day and watch the routine outlined in the deep profiler.
As for the plot, it's shaping up to be intriguing as DedSec digs into the conspiracy behind the bombings that changed the U.K. and the mysterious Zero Day organization behind it. The London in "Watch Dogs Legion" is a dystopian nightmare where security needs dominate over privacy and civil rights. It's a game that could portend our own future, and it does have the feel of a world that could mirror our own.
It's also a title that I want to finish and will eventually when Ubisoft patches the experience. For those who have the game, expect the fix to come by the end of the week, and if players are checking out the game now, be careful with the quests revolving around Skye Larsen and Broca Tech.
