Watch_Dogs Live lets you get in on the fun before the game hits shelves

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      A game franchise like Watch_Dogs could not have come out at a better time. With stories in the news about the NSA following your moves online, a game about a vigilante that hacks corporations is going to be cathartic for a lot of people.

      Ahead of the game’s release this fall, UbiSoft Montreal has released an app called Watch_Dogs Live for Android and iOS devices that serves as both an elaborate advertisement and also a game unto itself where you can essentially be the character hacking into things around you.

      Watch_Dogs Live works like a FourSquare game for your phone mixed with the board game Risk. You “hack” into a location around town and, if you’re successful, you must defend it when someone else hacks into your territory. The more hacking you do, the more you can level up and increase your range, starting out at 100 metres from wherever you are.

      It successfully crosses a line between reality and video games that hasn’t been achieved before, and it's surprising that a glorified advertisement to have such thought put into it.

      You have about 50 locations around Vancouver, between art galleries, ATMs, schools, coffee shops, gyms, and even the SkyTrain to hack and defend.

      The one big drawback for the app is how limited the locations are. If you live in the most major cities in Canada (Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa), you’ve got plenty of places to choose from, but if you live anywhere else, even the suburbs, you’re out of luck.

      If there was a way you could initiate a hack into something and get the ball rolling, it would catch on, but you wouldn’t have the suspense of being able to legitimately hack an ATM and get money of out it. That element of the game is really just a publicity stunt to get the word out and your odds of winning the lottery is probably better.

      Unlike a lot of companion apps, Watch_Dogs Live holds its own as a fun experience without the game it promotes. Will it have legs to be fun after the game is on the shelves? Probably not. But for now, it’s an effective piece of marketing that’s lot more imaginative and fun than anything on Facebook.

      Watch_Dogs Live is available now through Apple's App Store and Google Play in Canada only.

      Watch_Dogs the game will be available for PlayStation3, X-Box 360, Wii U, and Windows in November, with PlayStation 4 and X-Box One releases expected later this year as well.

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