7 Great Video Games Playing Watch Dogs Will Remind You Of
3. Splinter Cell
Splinter Cell: Blacklist is simply wonderful. The stealth is pitch-perfect, the writing takes itself seriously enough to invest the player in the characters without becoming overly melodramatic, and for a lark it's also a videogame counterpoint to that whole Edward Snowden NSA thing - ultimately highlighting the importance and awesome power of the US government when it comes to combating terrorists covertly. Watch_Dogs borrows quite a few elements from Splinter Cell, including Sam Fisher's silenced pistol and pulse-pounding stealth sections that rely on timing, distraction, and quick-thinking. The best moments on offer feel like geeked-up Splinter Cell missions where you'll infiltrate a restricted area and silently dismantle the enemy forces while hopefully remaining undetected. Also like Splinter Cell, Watch_Dogs offers different strokes for different folks. Non-lethal, takedown-oriented tactics are a possibility, though one wrong move will find you in the middle of a bad turn of events quickly. There's also the silent and deadly approach, where you can pick off guards one by one, careful not to alert enemies of your presence or the deaths of their comrades. And yes, if you're the ADHD type whose favourite Facebook group is "Conservative Guns for Conservative Funs" you can lock and load your double barrel shotgun, activate your 'bullet time'-esque "focus mode" and go Terminator 2 on their behinds. It's also entirely possible to mix and match these play-styles, and though you get docked reward points and XP for unwarranted murder, the satisfaction of eliminating a room full of guards before they even know you there tops any demerit the game can give. Up until the release of Watch_Dogs that satisfaction was relegated to the Splinter Cell franchise - which some (silly) gamers dislike due to its politics and modern warfare setting. Now, as Aiden Pearce, you too can hide behind walls, stalk your prey, and wait patiently for the moment to strike. Unfortunately Aiden's hat does not come with three green LEDs, but that's what DLC is for, right?
