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WiiU

Ubisoft Details How the GamePad is Used in Watch Dogs

by Neal Ronaghan - October 13, 2014, 1:55 pm EDT
Total comments: 5

The team at Ubisoft Bucharest has been focused on recreating the same experience as other platforms but with Wii U advantages.

When Watch Dogs hits Wii U on November 18, the GamePad will be the major unique addition.

"Our focus was in re-creating the same experience as on the other platforms, while taking advantage of what the Wii U has to offer," Ubisoft Bucharest Producer Florin Sanda told us. The Wii U advantage is off-TV play and an interactive map. The latter is useful, according to Sanda, because in Watch Dogs, "exploration is key."

That wasn't the only idea they had, though. Sanda explained that the team prototyped and playtested many other Wii U ideas, but "some of them just didn't work." After many tries, they determined that the interactive map was the best option.

The Wii U version has been primarily developed by a team at Ubisoft Bucharest, and the six-month delay allowed the team to make sure the Wii U version stacked up to the other versions.

Talkback

off-TV play

I'll allow it.

that's... that's kinda depressing that from the same company that Made ZombiU that we couldn't have gotten the gamepad as a faux-smart device. the potential for particularly frantic gameplay involving trying to operate a phone and drive in a high speed chase at the same time really had me hopeful that this would be the port to wait for...

CericOctober 13, 2014

I think what they meant to say was:

"After many tries, they determined that the interactive map was the " Easiest Option.

ejamerOctober 13, 2014


I know people are disappointed about the lazy use of the gamepad. Some of that is deserved since map/off-screen play is hardly inspired, but hopefully people don't get too upset.


Having put a lot of time into off-screen play for other games when sharing the TV with family members I do value that feature. And if they were committed to supporting off-screen play then they can't add mandatory gamepad features since the second screen won't always be available. So while an interactive map is lazy, I'm not up in arms about the decision.


That said, having a game with middling reviews arrive months late on Wii U with no significant features added but a higher price (at this point in time) than on competing platforms is a tough sell. Uncertainty about access to DLC makes things worse, although hopefully that could be included on-disc.

CericOctober 13, 2014

Off-Screen play should just be in every WiiU game.  That's like saying displaying graphics on the TV is a revolutionary use of the TV.

For the time and how in this game the neat uses for the Gamepad pretty much wrote themselves this is a lazy cop out that will not justify the price premium for this version.

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