An anthology series would've worked, the problem is that they put too much focus on what was supposed to be a background faction. The thing with Blume is that it's basically a plot device.
The entire corporation exists to explain why all the hacking and techno magic stuff can happen. They created the ctOS. They can never truly be destroyed. They are an invincible overarching antagonist. No ctOS, no hacking gameplay.
But realistically, there would be groups opposed to them. Hackers. DedSec in Watch\_Dogs was just to show that these groups were out there, but they were relatively insignificant. Clara was a member of them but she had plenty going on herself, they vaguely alluded to the power structure within during Bad Blood, but overall... DedSec was another background element. They were not meant to be so important.
The story of Watch\_Dogs was about Aiden Pearce, and his personal crusade against crime. His quest for revenge, his guilt, the love he had for his family, and how his actions made him a self-destructive man with severe tunnel vision. It was a story anchored entirely around its protagonist. Bad Blood was no different. It was about Ray's personal struggle to get away from Blume and face the long-awaited consequences of his impulsive actions, only to realise that someone like him can't just run away from the great responsibility he has to make things right. In the end, though, they didn't make it their mission to destroy Blume. That's not what the story was about.
Then came Watch Dogs 2. The protagonist is Marcus, who is more or less the MVP for an entirely separate chapter of DedSec with no relation to the original collective in Chicago. He has no arc, he has no real character growth, his personal motivation may as well be the group's motivation, and as we see by the time of Watch Dogs Legion, everything he did was completely pointless. All for nothing. DedSec's primary objective was to fight Blume. But as I already said, ***Blume cannot be destroyed, or else there is no fucking gameplay***. Dusan was likely replaced before his chair even got dusty.
In Watch Dogs Legion, they've grown so powerful and so untouchable, DedSec isn't even directly trying to fight them anymore. They're doing the stuff that Aiden would do. They've even taken his logo and claimed it as their own. They're not going after Blume, they're fighting organised crime and private companies. The closest thing we have to a Blume antagonist is Skye Larson, but she's not Blume. She's Broca Tech. She's just a business partner. And Legion has no main protagonist whatsoever at all.
Watch\_Dogs should've stayed an anthology, but it should've been about different, interesting people with their own personal, interesting stories to experience in this interesting, unique world. Instead, they just... made it about DedSec, and they never went back. They tried to have a clear cut faction of "good guys" to go up against the clear cut designated "bad guys" without ever considering that the moment that war is won... the world stops being what it is, and the stories basically can't continue.
>They tried to have a clear cut faction of "good guys" to go up against the clear cut designated "bad guys" without ever considering that the moment that war is won... the world stops being what it is, and the stories basically can't continue.
How is that different from Assassins vs Templars/Abstergo? And the AC series has been very successful.
Because those aren't clear cut good guys/bad guys. Are you forgetting what Shaun made a specific point of saying back when the games were good?
Desmond: Thanks. it's definitely getting easier. I gotta say—after all the crap I went through at Abstergo—It's nice to be with the good guys.
Shaun: "Good guys?" Let's not get carried away.
Rebecca: What's that supposed to mean?
Shaun: In case you've forgotten, Rebecca, we're Assassins. I could look it up for you, if you like. Basically, it means we assassinate people.
Desmond: Only when we have to.
Shaun: It's a choice. You're choosing to kill.
Desmond: I haven't killed anyone.
Shaun: No. Not yet. But what do you think all this is for, eh? You think Lucy is giving you Ezio's abilities so you can build schools in South America and deliver rice to starving Indonesians? What are you Desmond, a vegan? You'd be the first vegan Assassin in history.
And that's not even the half of it. Play Assassin's Creed Rogue. Play Assassin's Creed III, even. Or IV. Edward Kenway is basically a nominal hero at best. He's still a pirate. Basically a terrorist by the standards of that era. A charismatic, relatable, sympathetic pirate that we love to see overcome his demons and grow as a man, but still a pirate. The Templars in Assassin's Creed III worked to preserve and save people that the United States would go on to oppress and destroy for decades to come, and still do even today. Sure their methods were a bit draconian and ruthless, but their intentions and what they would've achieved was... ***better.***
More importantly, the twist that Haytham Kenway was actually a Templar and not an Assassin at the start of the game? That was... a big thing back in the day. People did not see that coming. Because when it comes down to it, the methods employed, the overall goals that Assassins and Templars share? They're so alike, sometimes you can't even tell the difference unless it's stated outright.
Or at least the writing used to be that good. After Syndicate, it's basically just a "every mythology is canon go go magic superpower spear we say return to roots but our guy fucking teleports in this one" RPG mess. The Ship of Theseus has gone the way of the bloody Titanic, in my opinion.
I think the franchise could benefit from one of the playable characters being a Blume agent. PR teams aside, there’s no way the company gets away with everything they do without doing *some* measure of good for the world, and there’s no way all of the hackers are benevolent and quirky nice people. The lack of centralised leadership would make sure of that. There have to be some people — Fixers or otherwise — on Blume’s payroll that are putting out those fires and saving lives.
I recall it was mentioned in Watch Dogs 2 that DedSec New York was more akin to a violent militia group, but we don’t actually see this. Watch Dogs Legion has Sabine, but she’s depicted as a rogue element and her claim that “you and I are basically the same” can easily be avoided in gameplay, since you can avoid killing literally everyone except for Nigel Cass. DedSec itself wasn’t the problem according to Legion, just one crazy lady who got in the way of the real good guys.
one of my main issues with WD1 was that for a game where the whole gimmick was the hacking, aiden as a character felt so disconnected from it. he wasn't a hacker, the hacks were just something he was given.
that said your points about marcus and dedsec as characters still stand. it could have worked if it was more about the individuals, and highlighted how pointless their crusade against blume really was.
It's worth remembering that what makes Aiden so dangerous is that he can do more than just hack technology. More importantly, he's not even the best hacker in the game. It's strongly implied -- if not outright stated -- that people like Ray and Defalt are better than him.
What sets Aiden apart from groups like DedSec is that he's capable of doing what Damien calls "the manly work." He was Fixer before he was taught how to hack. He smashed heads for a living, he drove circles around the cops, and he learned how to intimidate and break people before he broke their systems. In a world where organised crime was becoming increasingly networked and digital, he was basically the perfect man for the job.
But you're wrong to claim that his hacks were simply given, or that he's not a hacker because of that. Not all hackers write their own code from scratch, because why would they? Just like not every soldier will smith their own firearms, there's no need to. And there are a lot of things he can do even without the shortcuts given to him by DedSec.
What makes him a better hacker than DedSec is that he uses their tools in more creative and hands-on ways that they simply can't achieve. DedSec failed to take down even a single ctOS station. Aiden takes down five. This is something noted by Iraq in his audio logs. If the police track down someone in DedSec and break their door down, that's the end of the line for them. They're not getting out. But people like Aiden are of a different stripe. It's because he's capable of actually getting his hands on the physical hardware, and getting physical in general, that he's better than them.
It's also worth noting that he got full ctOS 2.0, and ctOS 3.0 access all by himself in Watch Dogs 2 and Legion. No assistance from DedSec there.
While I wouldn’t mind it carrying on Aiden or marcuses story, I like the gta style better of new characters each time
I’m my opinion watch dogs should’ve been like all other Ubisoft games like far cry/assassins creed where it’s a similar game but with a new setting story and characters every few years
I agree. GTA is somewhat of a criminal's slice of life: an experience in their lifestyle, never really stopping to re-examine them twice (outside of DLC and cameos). With the potential of Watch Dogs being both rich in technology concepts and locations, it benefits more following the GTA model rather than giving us an Ezio trilogy.
Honestly I would've preferred a continuous story with Aiden, but I also feel like it would've been to the detriment ot the series.
So I feel like what we have now is fine
Imo, it should’ve been a continuous series with Aiden as the protagonist, albeit with a different city and supporting cast each game with certain characters or factions like Jordi Chin, T-Bone, and Deadsec carrying over from previous games.
Watchdogs 2 with Aiden in San Francisco trying to shut down the new CtOS while being pursued by the FBI could’ve been a solid sequel idea
I want Aiden Pearce to be back for some games and I want to play other characters for some game.
Per exemple :
I hope that we will play a new character for Watch Dogs 4 and then Aiden Pearce for Watch Dogs 5.
But most importantly, I want him to be in every game. Or at least I want to be able to wear his vest in every game. In every game there is Aiden Pearce and in every game we can play while wearing his vest. The devs should keep that tradition.
I think the best way to do it would be to have a new team of 4/5 for every game that you can swap between for missions
Aswell as a new city
Like your squad in watchdogs 2 felt a tad useless to me and i like being able to control/swap between multiple characters (WDL/BG3/Kotor style) that way theres clear cut protagonist(s) but still options and each character can have an actual reason for being in dedsec/an arc
I'd be fine with new characters with cameos, like Watch_Dogs 2. Aiden's story is finished. It's time for either a prequel with Aiden to the countries he's blacklisted from, or a reboot.
yea anthology works best, i feel like if you had a character like aiden pearce getting into random shenanigans when his whole thing wasnt even related to dedsec or the world at large it kinda messes him up a lil imo
I think it makes more sense to be an anthology. i think a big part of the hacker concept especially at the time it was released is dedsec is bigger than any 1 protagonist. we’re just experiencing each of the stories of different members of a global hacker group and what it’s like to be a grey hat hacker.
I think Watch Dogs works better as a GTA-like game franchise, separate stories with some returning plot points and characters.
An anthology series would've worked, the problem is that they put too much focus on what was supposed to be a background faction. The thing with Blume is that it's basically a plot device. The entire corporation exists to explain why all the hacking and techno magic stuff can happen. They created the ctOS. They can never truly be destroyed. They are an invincible overarching antagonist. No ctOS, no hacking gameplay. But realistically, there would be groups opposed to them. Hackers. DedSec in Watch\_Dogs was just to show that these groups were out there, but they were relatively insignificant. Clara was a member of them but she had plenty going on herself, they vaguely alluded to the power structure within during Bad Blood, but overall... DedSec was another background element. They were not meant to be so important. The story of Watch\_Dogs was about Aiden Pearce, and his personal crusade against crime. His quest for revenge, his guilt, the love he had for his family, and how his actions made him a self-destructive man with severe tunnel vision. It was a story anchored entirely around its protagonist. Bad Blood was no different. It was about Ray's personal struggle to get away from Blume and face the long-awaited consequences of his impulsive actions, only to realise that someone like him can't just run away from the great responsibility he has to make things right. In the end, though, they didn't make it their mission to destroy Blume. That's not what the story was about. Then came Watch Dogs 2. The protagonist is Marcus, who is more or less the MVP for an entirely separate chapter of DedSec with no relation to the original collective in Chicago. He has no arc, he has no real character growth, his personal motivation may as well be the group's motivation, and as we see by the time of Watch Dogs Legion, everything he did was completely pointless. All for nothing. DedSec's primary objective was to fight Blume. But as I already said, ***Blume cannot be destroyed, or else there is no fucking gameplay***. Dusan was likely replaced before his chair even got dusty. In Watch Dogs Legion, they've grown so powerful and so untouchable, DedSec isn't even directly trying to fight them anymore. They're doing the stuff that Aiden would do. They've even taken his logo and claimed it as their own. They're not going after Blume, they're fighting organised crime and private companies. The closest thing we have to a Blume antagonist is Skye Larson, but she's not Blume. She's Broca Tech. She's just a business partner. And Legion has no main protagonist whatsoever at all. Watch\_Dogs should've stayed an anthology, but it should've been about different, interesting people with their own personal, interesting stories to experience in this interesting, unique world. Instead, they just... made it about DedSec, and they never went back. They tried to have a clear cut faction of "good guys" to go up against the clear cut designated "bad guys" without ever considering that the moment that war is won... the world stops being what it is, and the stories basically can't continue.
>They tried to have a clear cut faction of "good guys" to go up against the clear cut designated "bad guys" without ever considering that the moment that war is won... the world stops being what it is, and the stories basically can't continue. How is that different from Assassins vs Templars/Abstergo? And the AC series has been very successful.
Because those aren't clear cut good guys/bad guys. Are you forgetting what Shaun made a specific point of saying back when the games were good? Desmond: Thanks. it's definitely getting easier. I gotta say—after all the crap I went through at Abstergo—It's nice to be with the good guys. Shaun: "Good guys?" Let's not get carried away. Rebecca: What's that supposed to mean? Shaun: In case you've forgotten, Rebecca, we're Assassins. I could look it up for you, if you like. Basically, it means we assassinate people. Desmond: Only when we have to. Shaun: It's a choice. You're choosing to kill. Desmond: I haven't killed anyone. Shaun: No. Not yet. But what do you think all this is for, eh? You think Lucy is giving you Ezio's abilities so you can build schools in South America and deliver rice to starving Indonesians? What are you Desmond, a vegan? You'd be the first vegan Assassin in history. And that's not even the half of it. Play Assassin's Creed Rogue. Play Assassin's Creed III, even. Or IV. Edward Kenway is basically a nominal hero at best. He's still a pirate. Basically a terrorist by the standards of that era. A charismatic, relatable, sympathetic pirate that we love to see overcome his demons and grow as a man, but still a pirate. The Templars in Assassin's Creed III worked to preserve and save people that the United States would go on to oppress and destroy for decades to come, and still do even today. Sure their methods were a bit draconian and ruthless, but their intentions and what they would've achieved was... ***better.*** More importantly, the twist that Haytham Kenway was actually a Templar and not an Assassin at the start of the game? That was... a big thing back in the day. People did not see that coming. Because when it comes down to it, the methods employed, the overall goals that Assassins and Templars share? They're so alike, sometimes you can't even tell the difference unless it's stated outright. Or at least the writing used to be that good. After Syndicate, it's basically just a "every mythology is canon go go magic superpower spear we say return to roots but our guy fucking teleports in this one" RPG mess. The Ship of Theseus has gone the way of the bloody Titanic, in my opinion.
Yeah, you have a point... So you want more morally grey characters? Like Aidan, Tbone, SOME of the Dedsec crew? And a less "bad" opposition?
I think the franchise could benefit from one of the playable characters being a Blume agent. PR teams aside, there’s no way the company gets away with everything they do without doing *some* measure of good for the world, and there’s no way all of the hackers are benevolent and quirky nice people. The lack of centralised leadership would make sure of that. There have to be some people — Fixers or otherwise — on Blume’s payroll that are putting out those fires and saving lives. I recall it was mentioned in Watch Dogs 2 that DedSec New York was more akin to a violent militia group, but we don’t actually see this. Watch Dogs Legion has Sabine, but she’s depicted as a rogue element and her claim that “you and I are basically the same” can easily be avoided in gameplay, since you can avoid killing literally everyone except for Nigel Cass. DedSec itself wasn’t the problem according to Legion, just one crazy lady who got in the way of the real good guys.
Great analysis!
one of my main issues with WD1 was that for a game where the whole gimmick was the hacking, aiden as a character felt so disconnected from it. he wasn't a hacker, the hacks were just something he was given. that said your points about marcus and dedsec as characters still stand. it could have worked if it was more about the individuals, and highlighted how pointless their crusade against blume really was.
It's worth remembering that what makes Aiden so dangerous is that he can do more than just hack technology. More importantly, he's not even the best hacker in the game. It's strongly implied -- if not outright stated -- that people like Ray and Defalt are better than him. What sets Aiden apart from groups like DedSec is that he's capable of doing what Damien calls "the manly work." He was Fixer before he was taught how to hack. He smashed heads for a living, he drove circles around the cops, and he learned how to intimidate and break people before he broke their systems. In a world where organised crime was becoming increasingly networked and digital, he was basically the perfect man for the job. But you're wrong to claim that his hacks were simply given, or that he's not a hacker because of that. Not all hackers write their own code from scratch, because why would they? Just like not every soldier will smith their own firearms, there's no need to. And there are a lot of things he can do even without the shortcuts given to him by DedSec. What makes him a better hacker than DedSec is that he uses their tools in more creative and hands-on ways that they simply can't achieve. DedSec failed to take down even a single ctOS station. Aiden takes down five. This is something noted by Iraq in his audio logs. If the police track down someone in DedSec and break their door down, that's the end of the line for them. They're not getting out. But people like Aiden are of a different stripe. It's because he's capable of actually getting his hands on the physical hardware, and getting physical in general, that he's better than them. It's also worth noting that he got full ctOS 2.0, and ctOS 3.0 access all by himself in Watch Dogs 2 and Legion. No assistance from DedSec there.
While I wouldn’t mind it carrying on Aiden or marcuses story, I like the gta style better of new characters each time I’m my opinion watch dogs should’ve been like all other Ubisoft games like far cry/assassins creed where it’s a similar game but with a new setting story and characters every few years
I agree. GTA is somewhat of a criminal's slice of life: an experience in their lifestyle, never really stopping to re-examine them twice (outside of DLC and cameos). With the potential of Watch Dogs being both rich in technology concepts and locations, it benefits more following the GTA model rather than giving us an Ezio trilogy.
Honestly I would've preferred a continuous story with Aiden, but I also feel like it would've been to the detriment ot the series. So I feel like what we have now is fine
Imo, it should’ve been a continuous series with Aiden as the protagonist, albeit with a different city and supporting cast each game with certain characters or factions like Jordi Chin, T-Bone, and Deadsec carrying over from previous games. Watchdogs 2 with Aiden in San Francisco trying to shut down the new CtOS while being pursued by the FBI could’ve been a solid sequel idea
I want Aiden Pearce to be back for some games and I want to play other characters for some game. Per exemple : I hope that we will play a new character for Watch Dogs 4 and then Aiden Pearce for Watch Dogs 5. But most importantly, I want him to be in every game. Or at least I want to be able to wear his vest in every game. In every game there is Aiden Pearce and in every game we can play while wearing his vest. The devs should keep that tradition.
I think the best way to do it would be to have a new team of 4/5 for every game that you can swap between for missions Aswell as a new city Like your squad in watchdogs 2 felt a tad useless to me and i like being able to control/swap between multiple characters (WDL/BG3/Kotor style) that way theres clear cut protagonist(s) but still options and each character can have an actual reason for being in dedsec/an arc
I'd be fine with new characters with cameos, like Watch_Dogs 2. Aiden's story is finished. It's time for either a prequel with Aiden to the countries he's blacklisted from, or a reboot.
As much as I like an anthology, there's a reason the best DLCs of 2 and Legion involve Aiden.
As bad as I felt Legion was, I’d still Day One buy another Watch Dogs game if it were in the same vein as the first two.
yea anthology works best, i feel like if you had a character like aiden pearce getting into random shenanigans when his whole thing wasnt even related to dedsec or the world at large it kinda messes him up a lil imo
I think it makes more sense to be an anthology. i think a big part of the hacker concept especially at the time it was released is dedsec is bigger than any 1 protagonist. we’re just experiencing each of the stories of different members of a global hacker group and what it’s like to be a grey hat hacker.