Watch Dogs News: Gameplay Trailer Launched Before Release Date

Watch Dogs is one of the games that developer Ubisoft hopes connects with gamers in a big way, and could be the company's next marquee video game franchise when it launches for both current and next-gen platforms. At the Tokyo Game Show Ubisoft released more footage from the game to give players a new preview of what the game will be like.

The video, which can be seen here as well as below, is the first in a series of videos about the game, and focuses on the hacking gameplay of Watch Dogs. The protagonist for the game, Aiden, is able to hack into the mainframe of the city that controls various aspects of the environment such as traffic control, emergency services and crime monitoring. Aiden can use this network to control much of the city by giving himself advantages or by using the city against his foes.

Players will gain access to the systems by planting backdoor viruses throughout each district, as Aiden will not be able to access the system in a district he has not planted the virus in. Eventually the player will be able to control much of city of Chicago from the character's smartphone.

Aiden will be able to hack pretty much anything an enemy has put online, including passwords, phone numbers and bank accounts. When the player is accessing this information, the subject's image and a brief description will appear. Hacking information will help players gain new hacking abilities as the game progresses.

Hacking into the city system will also give players access to the the futuristic Chicago's crime prediction technology. Players will be alerted to crimes and be able to intervene if they so choose. However, players can ignore these warnings if they want to.

Over 75 different types of hacks will be made available in the game. These hacks range from tapping into cameras to track a target, to creating cover or distractions for Aiden, such as turning on a car's alarm system to distract a foe and allow for a stealth attack.

When Aiden gets the attention of the police, he can outmaneuver them using hacks as well. These range from simply changing a traffic light, to causing an accident, to raising bridges and overloading steam pipes to cause chaos.

Players can also access Focus Mode, which slows down time and allows players to use multiple hacks very quickly. Players can even cause a large blackout to shut down all electronics and get away.

It looks as though Watch Dogs has the potential to be the next big franchise when it is released later this year.