Watch Dogs

 PC
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 5182 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,662 out of 5182
  2. Mixed: 913 out of 5182
  3. Negative: 1,607 out of 5182
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  1. andermaan
    Aug 24, 2014
    9
    Многие говорили что игра не оправдала своих ожиданий но я щитаю что игра получилась очень хорошей , тем более чего вы еще ожидали графика есть ,мини игры , взломы, открытый мир, да согласен что сюжет можно было зделать интереснее но все остальное классно получилось!Многие говорили что игра не оправдала своих ожиданий но я щитаю что игра получилась очень хорошей , тем более чего вы еще ожидали графика есть ,мини игры , взломы, открытый мир, да согласен что сюжет можно было зделать интереснее но все остальное классно получилось!
  2. wootwoot
    Jun 1, 2014
    9
    Excellent game. I dont understand why the people hate it. Is amazing, inmersive, good sound, excelente open world full of life, and the graphics are fantastic. Please, dont hate, give a try a this good game.
  3. Zhael
    May 28, 2014
    10
    Tully amazing game! I've played it all day and am constantly impressed with the diversity, imagination and attention to detail. Worth every penny I paid. The best thing about this game is the immersion.
  4. reichmeister
    Jun 2, 2014
    9
    I must be playing a different game to most reviewers. All settings maxed out on ultra, 1920x 1080 and getting 75/80fps, no lag. Using 2 Wind force OC3 GTX780 in SLI and 16gb ram with I5 4670 running at 4400.Graphics and controls are excellent, maybe the game has been updated since launch. Buy the game and draw your own conclusions !
  5. XenozViews
    May 27, 2014
    8
    Game is fun and graphics are beautiful. Packs more fun than the latest two main GTAs. Although it's not perfect, like any game out there, it has potential to be a great franchise. For a first entry in a franchise, I think they did a great job.

    Car driving should be improved. I agree it's **** right now. Feels I'm driving with a d-pad rather than analog. Runs fine on my hardware too.    Game is fun and graphics are beautiful. Packs more fun than the latest two main GTAs. Although it's not perfect, like any game out there, it has potential to be a great franchise. For a first entry in a franchise, I think they did a great job.

    Car driving should be improved. I agree it's **** right now. Feels I'm driving with a d-pad rather than analog.

    Runs fine on my hardware too. Some people are upset because they don't know how to adjust the settings of the game to suit their machine and have good performance. They think adjusting = everything ultra + should run @ 60FPS. I've seen even people with low end machines complaining they cant play at max settings with 60 fps... smh.

    Go play on consoles then, the experience will be worst by a far margin.

    Running at max settings here @ 45 - 55 FPS, 1080p.    … Expand
  6. arkaram1990
    May 27, 2014
    9
    This game is great. Comparing it with GTA5 is a silly idea beacause these are two different games. Yes they both got sandbox in them and you can drive around and do things but you shouldnt forget that Watch_Dogs is more about the atmosphere and the story line. Moreover GTA5 is a bit of a silly/ funny game. Yes its fun to play but its not as serious as Watch_Dogs. Watch Dogs is more of aThis game is great. Comparing it with GTA5 is a silly idea beacause these are two different games. Yes they both got sandbox in them and you can drive around and do things but you shouldnt forget that Watch_Dogs is more about the atmosphere and the story line. Moreover GTA5 is a bit of a silly/ funny game. Yes its fun to play but its not as serious as Watch_Dogs. Watch Dogs is more of a mature game for mature players and GTA5 is more for school boys who want to have fun killing people, blowing stuff and etc. The game is great even with its minor bugs which will be fixed soon (optimization especially)… Expand
  7. 23skidoo
    Jun 2, 2014
    10
    I usually don't write reviews unless I feel strong about the consensus. That said, I think that Watch Dogs is amazing and has a great future ahead of it. The biggest complaints involving performance and graphics have not been an issue for me. I am running an I7-2600 and a 4 GBEVGA GTX 760, 8GB or Ram, Win 7 64. I mention all that because it would be considered a upper tier systemI usually don't write reviews unless I feel strong about the consensus. That said, I think that Watch Dogs is amazing and has a great future ahead of it. The biggest complaints involving performance and graphics have not been an issue for me. I am running an I7-2600 and a 4 GBEVGA GTX 760, 8GB or Ram, Win 7 64. I mention all that because it would be considered a upper tier system compared to most of the reviewers. I am running smooth with not glitches. Driving can be a bit wonky at times but is still fun. Hacking while not complicated is still enjoyable, I really like the building spying hacks.

    A lot of people compare this to GTA 4 but I cannot compare because I skipped GTA 4 since the story did not appeal to me. Even though it is light I like the subterfuge involved with Watch Dogs,the character is a criminal but a smart one.

    As for those complaining about performance it seems no different than years back when the Wing Commander and Ultima 7 came out and required a 386 processor. I remember a lot of people complaining back then but it drove people to upgrade so that other game companies could push their limits further. Anyway, while there are some people disappointed by broken promises of even more features, I am happy with the package that was delivered, and I am excited to see what kind of improvements are made in the future.    … Expand
  8. FlareFL
    Jan 16, 2021
    8
    It's a good game, not as good as GTA series games, but this is the Ubisoft game after all.
    I hope that in the following part of this game Ubisoft will improve physics of damages of cars, will make driving by more realistic, will work with shadows and reflections more carefully.
  9. ljpunksdad
    Jun 2, 2014
    9
    I really enjoy the game and have no technical issues, this is not an inflated score either. There were some hiccups in the beginning with servers but that is pretty much the norm lately. I also took my time and set up my settings so that I would get a beautiful and fluid game, and I am only using an i5-3570k (stock) with a gtx-760 ( current drivers). I enjoy the cars, the hacking, andI really enjoy the game and have no technical issues, this is not an inflated score either. There were some hiccups in the beginning with servers but that is pretty much the norm lately. I also took my time and set up my settings so that I would get a beautiful and fluid game, and I am only using an i5-3570k (stock) with a gtx-760 ( current drivers). I enjoy the cars, the hacking, and the multiplayer stuff that seems to work seamlessly for me.… Expand
  10. DN345U
    May 27, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Я сейчас не буду писать о том что игра забагованная, плохо оптимизированная, что физика плохая, интеллект плохой как пишут большинство нытиков. Вот про саму игру. Особо ее не ждал. И не сильно ждал крутости от нее. И конечно же первая часть не будет самой лучшей(Assassin's Creed I). Но это достаточно интересная игра. Несмотря что мне встречались глюки и некоторые баги играл я достаточно долго, потому что я встретил достаточно редкую возможность все взломать: счета, светофоры, отключение света и не только взломы. Игра достаточно живая с людьми. Можно наблюдать за их реакцией, какая у них жизнь, что они делают обычно. Некоторые из них обсуждали главного героя, в новостях его обсуждали и даже я умудрился нескольких фанатов встретить и сфотографироваться или они тебя(Делал много добрых поступков). Насчет оптимизаций я думаю это из-за контракта с Nvdia, я так думаю т.к. после 3 части AC 4 часть запускал в 720 пикселей. Ах да насчет взломов, я хотел бы посмотреть на ваши лица когда вам бы пришлось бы взламывать на различных программных языках в игре. Больше половины людей в мире не смогла бы пройти игру до конца) Подумайте это же единственная игра в которой ты можешь взламывать мобильником большинство объектов. Сюжет игры он одновременно простой и одновременно интересный, конец конечно не хэппи энд, но нормальный(кстати намеки на 2 часть есть). Не знаю как вам ребята, но для первой части достаточно хорошую игру смастерили, а значит есть надежда на то что 2 часть может быть шедевром. PS: 10 балов ставлю за все вышеперечисленное.… Expand
  11. Noolah
    May 28, 2014
    10
    It's Assassins' Creed meets GTA, with some Far Cry 3 and Deus Ex thrown in. Although it can't really be compared to anyone of these on their own.

    The story is rather generic, but that can be forgiven in place of game play. Yes the hacking is simplistic for the most part. But how much more annoying would it be if you got dropped into a mini-game every time you clicked the hack button    It's Assassins' Creed meets GTA, with some Far Cry 3 and Deus Ex thrown in. Although it can't really be compared to anyone of these on their own.

    The story is rather generic, but that can be forgiven in place of game play. Yes the hacking is simplistic for the most part. But how much more annoying would it be if you got dropped into a mini-game every time you clicked the hack button to empty someone's bank account. The driving seems to be about the same as in other games of this type E.G. Saints Row. Something I've never really gotten the hang of. I expect there's going to be a fair amount of repetitiveness too, but when isn't there in an open-world game like this.

    I can't comment on any of the technical problems that some seem to be having as I'm working fine at 60+ fps on an i7 with a sing GPU. Although U(don't)play wasn't working last night it didn't stop me loading the game in offline mode. It seems there are a fair number of complaints from people running 32bit OSs that didn't pay attention to the requirements.    … Expand
  12. forceinfinity
    Jun 12, 2014
    9
    The ridiculously low score has nothing to do with the actual quality of the game itself. Only people who cannot play it and are having issues which Ubi are addressing.

    I am giving a review score based on THE GAME ITSELF, NOT THE BUGS AND ISSUES this game has, unlike almost everyone else. The game itself is pretty good. I have no complaints about it besides they rushed it out the door    The ridiculously low score has nothing to do with the actual quality of the game itself. Only people who cannot play it and are having issues which Ubi are addressing.

    I am giving a review score based on THE GAME ITSELF, NOT THE BUGS AND ISSUES this game has, unlike almost everyone else.

    The game itself is pretty good. I have no complaints about it besides they rushed it out the door without much testing which is unfortunate.

    Aside from the stuttering frames, being forced to play in 720 with low-medium settings on a decent AMD rig, the loading issues, and the occasional bug, it's a great and fun game. This is a great idea for a new IP and was pulled of very well.

    It's a big turnoff that they offer day 1 DLC and the game is unplayable on day 1. day 1 DLC sucks ass.    … Expand
  13. saadrehman
    May 27, 2014
    8
    Everyone cares too much about the graphics and although they are not what looked like at E3 they are certainly not horrid as everyone suggests, It looks nice, the gameplay is where it is at, the stealth system is great that along with the hacking possibilities make it very fun, the online is very good too. I had been really looking forward to this game for the past 2 years and now that itEveryone cares too much about the graphics and although they are not what looked like at E3 they are certainly not horrid as everyone suggests, It looks nice, the gameplay is where it is at, the stealth system is great that along with the hacking possibilities make it very fun, the online is very good too. I had been really looking forward to this game for the past 2 years and now that it has come out, I am NOT disappointed, not including the campaign, there is a lot to keep you entertained, it seems as though people now a days have very short attention spans and things have to be flashing in front of their faces for it to count as entertainment. One thing however that I don't like are the driving physics, that's the only thing that let me down, the cars feel like they have no weight whilst being indestructible, you can easily plough down telegraph poles. All in all it is a very nice game that needs some tweaks in terms of performance but that CAN be patched, the campaign is solid, the online is satisfying and the city feels alive.… Expand
  14. Wyzak
    May 28, 2014
    8
    Bare through the game for the first 20-30 minutes and you'll be rewarded richly.

    The hand-holding tutorial is a bit too much and you aren't given any time to adjust your settings without missing some parts of the story which caused me to have to restart the campaign. Which meant I had to sit through the entire unskippable intro movie one more time than I would have liked, but    Bare through the game for the first 20-30 minutes and you'll be rewarded richly.

    The hand-holding tutorial is a bit too much and you aren't given any time to adjust your settings without missing some parts of the story which caused me to have to restart the campaign. Which meant I had to sit through the entire unskippable intro movie one more time than I would have liked, but fortunately it was only one time and not with every save/load.

    The driving takes some getting use to, it is different from what I would have expected. I crashed into everything at first but after 30 minutes or so I was weaving through traffic like a pro.

    The story is better than I expected so far, and I'm enjoying it.

    The in-game minigames are awesome fun - especially the carmaggeddon and spider tank games. I also enjoyed Alone.

    The multi-player is amazingly fun. I still remember the feeling when the first person invaded my game. The ensuing panic was just epic! Couldn't wait to return the favour.

    There are some issues with the game however. The vehicle damage model doesn't update properly in the event of a major collision. If I crash head-on into a truck the car should be totalled, not just have a tiny scratch. The game definitely supports more collision models as your car will look really bad after a few minutes of crashing into things, but it needs to jump to this state faster for bigger collisions.

    There are still some framerate issues as well which I hope they resolve soon. I was using the Watch dogs ready drivers from Nvidia.

    The graphics looks really good and I am spoilt for choice.

    Current review is 8, but I will make it a 9 once the frame rate issues are resolved and the collision models jump sufficiently on a high magnitude collision.    … Expand
  15. Eide
    May 28, 2014
    8
    As always the community is much more negative than the game deserves. It's quite a solid game, if overly simplistic in its approach to hacking.

    The game revolves around the main character using his magic phone to get around in the city of Chicago. As said, the approach is very simplistic but still fun as you walk around, learning tidbits, watching along with camera's a learn the secrets    As always the community is much more negative than the game deserves. It's quite a solid game, if overly simplistic in its approach to hacking.

    The game revolves around the main character using his magic phone to get around in the city of Chicago. As said, the approach is very simplistic but still fun as you walk around, learning tidbits, watching along with camera's a learn the secrets the city has to offer. Movement, combat and usage of the phone feels solid and well developed. Driving however is woefully undeveloped and can't even stand in the shade of GTA or Saints' Row. The driving aspect of this game in reality needs to a rework and deserves to be patched asap.

    The city feels ok. People are less extreme than they are in GTA but in my opinion they reflect reality better than GTA pulls that off. To continue with the obvious comparison to GTA, story progression is similar with different " acts", each with a set of missions. WD offers missions along the side like its competition. Do jobs for fixers, prevent crimes etc and do mini-games. The mini-games are hit or miss. You like them or never look at them. The side jobs feel fine, have bearing to what the main character us doing and preventing crimis does feel rewarding.

    There's a lot of complaints about performance. On my AMD Athlon 3Ghz, ATI HD7770 and 8Gb Ram setup the game runs flawlessly on medium settings. I haven't tried running it higher but considering my system is quite outdated I was pleasantly surprised by the game's performance.

    Conclusion
    It's not as huge or polished as GTA V, but Watch_Dogs is a good game in it's own right. It does al sorts of stuff very, very well but is held back by the underdeveloped driving aspect and simplistic approach to hacking, both in terms of gameplay as in terms of ethical considerations.    … Expand
  16. xMayoRx
    May 29, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Сool game about hackers, but shooting is clearly unnecessary. I liked more is not the plot, but additional tasks for hacking. A graphics and light game for me went to Plan 2… Expand
  17. Venari
    May 31, 2014
    9
    Notice how 9 times out of 10 the first thing these negative reviews mention is the game's graphics? The answer to this is simply that everyone is super "butthurt" about the "downgrade" in graphics compared to E3 2012. I've seen people claiming that it looks like Saints Row 2 on high, are you **** kidding me? WD on max settings is easily one of the greatest looking games of all time, fromNotice how 9 times out of 10 the first thing these negative reviews mention is the game's graphics? The answer to this is simply that everyone is super "butthurt" about the "downgrade" in graphics compared to E3 2012. I've seen people claiming that it looks like Saints Row 2 on high, are you **** kidding me? WD on max settings is easily one of the greatest looking games of all time, from the lighting, textures, rain, smoke and wind, to the gorgeous explosions and the astounding character models, this game is absolutely gorgeous, it's still pretty damn good looking even on low settings as well. When hacking cameras I often thought I was looking at real life, especially when spying on the character Iraq, he looks like a real person. Now that I've addressed the elephant in the review, let's get to the actual game.

    The campaign is not the longest, but it's considerably longer than most games nowadays. I beat the game in 45 hours of gameplay on my first playthrough, and a lot of that was side stuff and free roam, I'd say the campaign by itself is between 17-23 hours or so, give or take.

    Gameplay is fun as **** gunplay is fluid, animations are excellent, stealth is incredible, better than Assassin's Creed's by far. Hacking is definitely the highlight of the gameplay, hacking security cameras to get a better view of the situation, setting off traps, controlling the city at the tap of a screen, it makes you feel powerful and successfully executing a plan using hacking is extremely rewarding. Driving, in my opinion, really grew on me. It's different from most games and cars can be difficult to control, but once I got used to it I found that I was driving better than I was in GTA games. To top gameplay off, there is a difficulty mode called realistic mode, play on this, seriously. Enemies die in 1-4 shots without armor, you die in about 3-5 shots, it makes gameplay really tense and definitely rewards careful planning and stealth, and discourages balls to the wall shootouts, because your face will get shot up. Speaking of shootouts, I don't know specifically, maybe the animations, the fluid combat controls, parkour, just make it so fun to be in a shootout. Hacking isn't as complex as it could be, but would you really want anything more complicated? The way hacking is makes it very accessible and fun to use, anything more complicate and people would be whining about how it's too complicated. One complaint about realistic mode however is that armor is OP. You'll get hitmarkers with a Barrett if they're wearing bullet-proof vests. Armor is unrealistic in this game and realistic mode will become frustrating and a bit cheap later in the game, but that just made it more fun for me.

    The story may become confusing at times, and there are many anti-climactic moments, such as taking down couple of antagonists, some of them just end in an in game shootout, not very cinematic and a bit disappointing on that part, but there is one antagonist death that is just so **** cool and outside the box, I'll let you discover that if you get the game. Overall the story is good, combine the ridiculously good character models and graphics with the absolutely amazing voice actors and you get some very touching and emotional moments. Although, Aiden is by far the weakest character in the game, while his voice actor sounds nice, gravelly voice and all, execution of some lines lack emotion sometimes, kind of comparable to male Commander Shepard, Mark Meer, in Mass Effect, although nowhere near as bad. Aiden definitely doesn't lack the depth though, he has a great backstory and history. The supporting cast is really where they shine. From the French accent stereotypical young punk hacker girl with a partially shaved head Clara Lille, the charming, often hysterical and great guy Jordi and even your sister Nicole to the interesting and cold Iraq, the Deadmau5 wannabe Defalt and the manipulative monster "Lucky" Quinn, there is no shortage of lovable and incredible supporting characters and antagonists.

    In the open world there is a LOT to do, preventing crimes, criminal convoys, gang hideouts, fixer contracts, they add a lot of depth and variety to the game, and definitely do not get old quickly. Even after 50+ hours of gameplay I am still giddy when I get a gang hideout alert, those are my favorite. The game has a reputation system that can quickly change depending on your actions. You will either be a revered vigilante or a feared monster in the public's eyes, and this affects gameplay. If you're on the latter side of that spectrum you may walk into a store to find you're in a news broadcast on the TV in the back, making it difficult to complete a nice and legal purchase.

    Over the past few years, I've learned not to trust user reviews anymore. From the less than 1 rating of Mass Effect to the whiny **** bashing this game, user reviews aren't to be trusted anymore, read the reviews of the people who are PAID to review games, please.    … Expand
  18. Dkorn45
    Jun 2, 2014
    9
    I liked the game, it had some kind of humour, and some kind of story, and I had a great feeling, with the opportunities of hacking electronic devices. But the gameplay was not very good...
  19. Blackstarhalo4
    Jun 6, 2014
    10
    Absolutely amazing! This game exceeds expectations, and I would definitely play the story again! Seems a bit like a GTA clone at first, but its totally unique! 10/10
  20. jrandolph1200
    May 28, 2014
    9
    This game is great! Game play is fun and extremely interactive. Can't wait for the patches to smooth things out. That is why I give this game a 9 and not a 10, is because of the technical sloppiness.
  21. whatever523
    Nov 12, 2014
    8
    First of all, this game requires an online activation and the servers were down on the release day. It was fixed after a few hours, but the Ubisoft servers are still not fully functional again, four days after release. Ubisoft doesn't have the server resources to launch such a game and Uplay sucks. Now, about the game itself. I need to add some text here, so metacritic gets the line breaksFirst of all, this game requires an online activation and the servers were down on the release day. It was fixed after a few hours, but the Ubisoft servers are still not fully functional again, four days after release. Ubisoft doesn't have the server resources to launch such a game and Uplay sucks. Now, about the game itself. I need to add some text here, so metacritic gets the line breaks right...

    Good:

    - Great visuals, with a few exceptions. Especially when it's raining (which is often, because it's in Chicago), the game looks ridiculously good.
    - World design. The city feels mostly authentic.
    - Interesting characters.
    - Engaging story, but with a few weak points.
    - Hacking of objects in the world is well implemented and makes the game, especially car chases, more interesting.
    - Driving physics. I actually prefer the WD driving to GTA5, because it's less floaty and cars stick properly to the road.
    - There's a lot to do in the open world (finished the story after about 50 hours and 100% after 70-75 hours).
    - Some very nicely done and fun mini games (poker, chess, shell game, mobile games).
    - Good interface design. Everything is easy to find.

    Bad:

    - Some graphic settings are badly implemented (Vsync, ultra textures/multisampling AA [directly related]) and need more performance than they should.
    - Some of the content is a little bit too repetitive
    - Bad hacking puzzles. Assassin's Creed is from the same publisher and has much better hacking mechanics... d'oh.
    - The driving camera sometimes adjusts too slow in corners and you have to use the mouse to readjust it.
    - Aim assist can't be disabled.
    - Drinking minigame is very boring and almost impossible with mouse/keyboard.

    Ugly:

    - Pretty bad mouse controls. If you put mouse acceleration in an action game in 2014, you have basically failed as a game developer. The game also has two or three different mouse speeds, depending on which menu you're in and it generally feels a bit sluggish.
    - AI is cheating. Enemies and cops always know where you are and police scans stop scanning when you're out of range, relocate you and then continue scanning. It's still easy to escape, but feels pretty cheap.
    - Your notoriety points are only saved if you have online invasions enabled at all times.
    - Multiplayer is easily hackable... quite ironic.

    Rating this game is difficult. I really enjoyed it, despite all the flaws, and it has a lot of good content. But once again, it also feels that Ubisoft released a rushed and unpolished game and I hate when games could be better and are released too early. Watch Dogs is good, but it could have been great with a little more development time and fixing of some obvious problems.    … Expand
  22. mileafly
    Jun 1, 2014
    8
    I think this have been the biggest turnaround in my opinion of a game ever. I first saw the footage of Watch Dogs on its press release and was totally blown away by how great it looked, it looked like one of the next truly next-gen titles. Right then it was a must play and I went into a "media blackout" of the title after that (I like to avoid seeing footage of a title I already know II think this have been the biggest turnaround in my opinion of a game ever. I first saw the footage of Watch Dogs on its press release and was totally blown away by how great it looked, it looked like one of the next truly next-gen titles. Right then it was a must play and I went into a "media blackout" of the title after that (I like to avoid seeing footage of a title I already know I will get so to not build up my hype to much)

    Now fast forward to the release date, I install the game and begin to play. Almost the first thing I notice is how bad the game looks compared to my expectations. The graphics feel sterile and the animation of characters and car physics feels very wooden. I almost give up on playing after an hour or so. I would probably score the game a 5 at this point.

    I persist to play though and after a while the game really starts to grow on me. Now I honestly think this is probably my favorite "gta clone" out there if you don't count La Noire or The Getaway.
    The mix of sneaking and shooting in combat feels very fresh and it is imo the best combat system ever in a gta style game. I even started to get used to and like the car physics after a while.

    Now while I really enjoy the game at this point there are many things that needs to be improved if I would consider this to be a 9 or even a 10. My main gripe is that the world does not really feel like a real place. It all feels very artificial in a way, the people wandering the streets don't feel like real people. The way they talk feels very "comic booky" and unreal. When news are reported on the news and the people of the street are interviewed it feels extremely wooden and amateurish, almost like when you where young and found a tape recorded and starting to tape yourself and your friends playing you where doing a newscast.

    Also the game seems to have a major identity crisis and not really trust itself. The game is full of silly mini games that does not fit at all. You can play drinking games or "find the ball under the cup" and other silly things that does not add anything of real value or feel thought out at all. There is also a bunch of minigames where you shoot VR aliens or run around collecting VR coins. I will say that the more expansive mini games where you take some kind of drug that makes you hallucinate are quite well made (at least two of them), but they still feel a bit out of place.
    There is also a feeling the developers try to hard to be "edgy" with language and sex scenes in some places that just feel out of place and just feels like they try to put in to be "cool" and "edgy" but end up being just pathetic. Also the whole conspiracy thing and shell of the game feels very comic bookie and its hard to take any of it really serious.

    All in all despite all these things I really enjoy the game and the core game mechanics are very very enjoyable. I really think a sequel that takes itself a bit more serious and adress some of the major problems could be really amazing. Also I want to throw in as a last thing that I don't understand why more games don't use the Euphoria engine that Rockstar uses in all their games. This is an engine that make everything int he world, including the player have beliviable physics. A big reason other games feels so wooden after playing a Rockstar game is the lack of using this engine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphoria_(software)    … Expand
  23. Whity
    May 30, 2014
    10
    It may not be as good as people was waiting for, but it's a great game to put on the same level as Assassins creed.
    It has it's load of bugs but the story is great, the freedom feeling is great too. The multiplayer mode is truly immersive and innovative.
    I wish a few other game take example on their online mode (^_^)
  24. Gidein
    May 29, 2014
    10
    Watch_Dogs is a very different experience for each user, and many of the people writing these aren't realising that. I see that many of you complain about it not working - welcome to Ubisoft. All of their games have bugs and glitches when they come out, but that doesn't make the game bad. That makes it buggy. Also - the game requires a lot of machine power. You should probably check yourWatch_Dogs is a very different experience for each user, and many of the people writing these aren't realising that. I see that many of you complain about it not working - welcome to Ubisoft. All of their games have bugs and glitches when they come out, but that doesn't make the game bad. That makes it buggy. Also - the game requires a lot of machine power. You should probably check your system before buying the game, check steam for the requirements.

    Anyway - onto the actual review.

    I've not completed the game yet but so far the game has been very fun, there is lots to do and very little things holding you back from just doing what ever you feel like. I have to say the things such as destroying criminal convoys are completely out of the story life, but really fun with a 40,000 dollar grenade launcher. The main story, personally, is very good. Before I bought the game BETA critics were complaining that it's an over-reaction (the whole storyline) but I think that it really fits.

    The gameplay its self is also pretty damn awesome, the driving mechanics are a bit ... crazy. BUT are really fun to mess around with. The graphics in the game are amazing (I play on ultra). The game could do with a few more open buildings though to make the world even more open.

    The AI aren't the brightest bunch, I'll give you that. From reading 'sowingsadness's' review it seems that this person must of been previously playing minecraft and having some sort of finger increment. 'NPC' that's a non-player character. AI are the civis and soldiers that shoot at you, including the police. 'Woods cars' seems legit. The car's are a lot more sturdy than real life, but that doesn't really make a huge difference. etc... etc..

    I highly recommend giving this game a shot.    … Expand
  25. GTXMUQSIT
    May 27, 2014
    10
    Best game play the orignal game not pirated. Game with Nvidia hardware looks awesome install 337.88 driver then see it is not very heavy game GTX 760 can play it ultra but with latest driver . Consoles and amd looks same but with Nvidia it looks so much good.
  26. mcbix
    May 27, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I read that someone has triple 780 gtx ^^ and has lag problems...i play it on the 670 gtx 2 gb edition and a 4670k i5 on ultra settings and i have an average frame of 36. Don´t play the game with a 500 EUR computer and if you have the three cards you get mikro drops cause of sli! I think that u are lying but thats not whats my review about.

    The game looks pretty nice and i like all the popouls world they created. The story is good and you have a lot of side quests optional to do. It´s not like GTA but I think it's a fresh and good change for an open world game. I love the interaction with the enviroment and the skill system. Just try the game and enjoy it :).    … Expand
  27. owwo
    May 28, 2014
    10
    UBISOFT created an amazing masterpiece. Watch Dogs runs great without any issues. Most people that complain are most likely people that know nothing about gaming PC's or have sub par gaming rigs. I run the game on ultra at 55/60fps using an I7 2700, GTX780, 16Gig Ram.

    Story is amazing, plenty of stuff to do in this vast open world to keep you busy for hours and hours. Give it a shot!    UBISOFT created an amazing masterpiece. Watch Dogs runs great without any issues. Most people that complain are most likely people that know nothing about gaming PC's or have sub par gaming rigs. I run the game on ultra at 55/60fps using an I7 2700, GTX780, 16Gig Ram.

    Story is amazing, plenty of stuff to do in this vast open world to keep you busy for hours and hours.

    Give it a shot! its an amazing product!    … Expand
  28. ImGoinToWalmart
    May 29, 2014
    8
    No Spoilers.
    To all those out there that are smashing this game because they cant run it or they cant play it because they don't have a 64 bit system really need to just educate themselves about computers. Half the people that played this game probably torrented it from the internet. And half the people that have 64 bit windows probably stole that too. Why are you **** about paying for    No Spoilers.
    To all those out there that are smashing this game because they cant run it or they cant play it because they don't have a 64 bit system really need to just educate themselves about computers. Half the people that played this game probably torrented it from the internet. And half the people that have 64 bit windows probably stole that too. Why are you **** about paying for something when if you were a true pc gamer you would know how to test a game before you bought it? Idiots, the lot of you. As for this game, if you tweak it right it is perfectly playable at an acceptable frame rate and provides the fun it promised without maybe as shiny a coat of paint. IT is still very much worth a play or a rent. Stop saying this is a bad game just because your too big of an idiot to make it work properly.    … Expand
  29. kingdodee
    Jun 3, 2014
    9
    Do not believe the haters, this game is absolutely great! I've had very high expectations of it, and it delivered almost flawlessly. The PC version's graphics ranges from nice to spectacular, with the nicest water and rain effects I've seen so far in a game. The world of watch_dogs is amazingly detailed, I often deviated from my destination just to have a look at some interesting newDo not believe the haters, this game is absolutely great! I've had very high expectations of it, and it delivered almost flawlessly. The PC version's graphics ranges from nice to spectacular, with the nicest water and rain effects I've seen so far in a game. The world of watch_dogs is amazingly detailed, I often deviated from my destination just to have a look at some interesting new place. In my opinion the locals in here are much more interesting than in any other sandbox game.NPCs are really living their lives, taking pictures, making phonecalls (most of which you can even tap into and listen!), making out, or almost anything you can imagine. It's fun in itself to just pick a place and hang around, watching all that happens around you. And about the gameplay: it has a learning curve, but this can be expected as the game introduces some groundbreaking mechanics. But after a few hours you will get the hang of it, and you won't play GTA again without the urge to manipulate your surroundings the way you can in this game. Every bit of this game is fully realised and works perfectly, from the driving and shooting to the smallest minigame. I can't understand those who say that "its boring, there is nothing to do", my god, the only game you could do even more was GTA V, which was a little overabundant in my opinion (e.g. I've never used the stock exchange minigame, or played golf in it). Its ridiculous when someone starts flaming for the hacking part not being like real... People cannot appreciate the unbelieveable amount of effort that clearly went into this game, instead they whine because they don't have 3GB of VRAM and they cannot play it in full ultra visual settings (it looks good on lower as well). All in all, if you want a sandbox driving/shooting game and you appreciate quality, you cannot go wrong with this one!… Expand
  30. cain3482
    Jun 2, 2014
    9
    It is a good game and although everyone keeps ranting about bugs I haven't come across ANY. I actually care about the story and the characters in the game and I want to know what happens.

    The driving mechanic is different but all you have to do is get used to it. I did get frustrated on the first mission a couple of times but once I got used to driving it was easy. I especially like    It is a good game and although everyone keeps ranting about bugs I haven't come across ANY. I actually care about the story and the characters in the game and I want to know what happens.

    The driving mechanic is different but all you have to do is get used to it. I did get frustrated on the first mission a couple of times but once I got used to driving it was easy. I especially like that I actually have to think about avoiding civilians

    The only reason it gets a 9/10 rather than a 10/10 is that they could have added dynamic lighting/shadows as well as follow up on a lot of the game-play that was revealed as to what he game would look like.    … Expand
  31. Axiomatic
    May 29, 2014
    8
    Short review of the game, but more of a review of the bad reviewers. The game is really good. (Not great but solidly good) as far as the art, graphics, premise, story. Clearly this is a hastily created port but it doesn't really ruin the fun. As far as the technical issues go. I had about two hours of forum searching and I had 2560x1600 working on a GTX 780 2x SLI system with all theShort review of the game, but more of a review of the bad reviewers. The game is really good. (Not great but solidly good) as far as the art, graphics, premise, story. Clearly this is a hastily created port but it doesn't really ruin the fun. As far as the technical issues go. I had about two hours of forum searching and I had 2560x1600 working on a GTX 780 2x SLI system with all the graphics settings up to ultra or high.

    As far as the low scores for this game. It doesn't warrant it. Trust me, I loath DRM but uplay is no more in the way than Steam or Origin is and its where the industry is at, so just deal with it. If you read between the lines here most of these low score reviewers are just upset that this game is going to require a patch or two before its fully baked. Can you name any game out in the last 5 years that didn't need patching? I can't either. Buy the game.    … Expand
  32. bwheatley
    Jun 1, 2014
    10
    This game is an amazing must buy. Great NPCs. Plenty to do in the city and the online play is awesome. I've played non stop for multiple days and i'm loving it. And it plays great on my 1 nvidia card.
  33. CAMSHAFT
    May 27, 2014
    8
    I think the people giving this game a 5 and under are being pretentious and just need something to complain about because in NO WAY does this game deserve a 6 or lower.
    IF YOU ACTUALLY PLAY more than 2-3 hours, the pace picks up.
    The cover system is more than fine, the options during gunfights are varied. The driving is fine, I have a feeling people just accelerate and expect the    I think the people giving this game a 5 and under are being pretentious and just need something to complain about because in NO WAY does this game deserve a 6 or lower.
    IF YOU ACTUALLY PLAY more than 2-3 hours, the pace picks up.
    The cover system is more than fine, the options during gunfights are varied.
    The driving is fine, I have a feeling people just accelerate and expect the driving to be perfect.
    The chase scenes are more than just chasing and catching, you can use the world around you to manipulate the way it plays out, also with slow motion it makes it easier to observe your sorroundings amidst the chaos.
    So far the storyline is ok, its definitely picking up (played about 5 hours so far)
    The graphics might not be as good on consoles as was showcased , but on pc, they are just as good as was shown in E3.
    Some side missions get repetitive but there is ALOT to do.    … Expand
  34. Archangelz
    May 27, 2014
    8
    I don't take sides while reviewing an usually review games with an open mind. Watch dogs indeed did not live up to the hype which was provided at E3 but it still provides a fair experience worth $60.
    The pros.
    1. It's nice to see a new concept such as hacking being introduced into a game like this. It can though get somewhat repetitive. 2. The graphics are quite nice at high settings    I don't take sides while reviewing an usually review games with an open mind. Watch dogs indeed did not live up to the hype which was provided at E3 but it still provides a fair experience worth $60.
    The pros.
    1. It's nice to see a new concept such as hacking being introduced into a game like this. It can though get somewhat repetitive.
    2. The graphics are quite nice at high settings and I get a steady 45 FPS with my nvidia 650 ti boost. If no one has been watching there was a driver released optimism watch dogs.
    3. The open world and the sheer volume to explore is astounding. Many times I find myself just wandering off from the story mission to explore the open world.
    4. Relatable story. I found I had quite a number of hair raising situations during the story. The feeling of just was ting to slap Damien( the antagonist) was constantly there.
    The cons.
    1. The driving as many said was absolutely horrendous. I found many cars were either over steering or under steering. It becomes an absolute headache at times during fixer contracts and story missions. It does become easier with a controller such as an xbox controller.
    2. The MENU is atrocious. It was clearly made for consoles. Many times during fire fights I switch to guns I don't want and the phone is also hard to navigate. How hard is
    It to put a mouse there?
    3. Enemies apparently have pixel perfect accuracy especially snipers who seem to hit you with every shot even while running.
    4. The uplay service is just...ugh I won't even say it. I also get hackers into my game like way too often so much so that I disable it.
    5. Citizens over react 90% of the time. EVEN WHEN BEHIND A WALL. I hid behind a wall with a spec ops 1911 they apparently spotted me through the wall and called the police.
    6. Unrealistic guns. I had a M107 and it took 2 damn shots to kill an elite? It's a damn .50 bang round not even the best body armor can protect against that. So much for realism. This brings another point, elites absorb bullets like BBs and even a goblin with a with a whole mag won't being them down. This fondly reminds me of a review done on ride to hell where only headshots do anything.
    Conclusion.
    It was still a fun game but many flaws pull the whole rating down. I still enjoyed it though much like saints row.    … Expand
  35. Chuggnuts
    May 29, 2014
    8
    I will start by saying I think this game is getting an extremely harsh ride.

    Firstly, performance. My pc specs are: 2600k with mild oc Gtx580 stock speeds (3gb) 16gb ram Win 7 64 Nvidia drivers from about a year ago (long story involving mods and enb's) Watch dogs defaulted to high settings, I immediately turned textures to ultra. Played for a few hours and then maxed    I will start by saying I think this game is getting an extremely harsh ride.

    Firstly, performance. My pc specs are:

    2600k with mild oc
    Gtx580 stock speeds (3gb)
    16gb ram
    Win 7 64
    Nvidia drivers from about a year ago (long story involving mods and enb's)

    Watch dogs defaulted to high settings, I immediately turned textures to ultra. Played for a few hours and then maxed everything else (detail, shadows, water, reflections, ambient occlusion etc) except AA which I left on a medium setting. On the first evening (release day) it played fine, smooth 95% if not more of the time with the only exception bring a stutter fest for a second or two during some night time car chases. Last night however, I played for approx 3 hours with no issues at all whatsoever. Smooth as anything.

    I am a huge fan of immersion, and especially graphics (i mod most games I own to increase texture detail and lighting quality etc)and I think on high this game looks great, on ultra it ranges from really good to stunning, depending on location and time of day etc. I will not be Modding watch dogs graphics. There is no need at the moment.

    Bugs - usual uplay disaster with logging in on release day but I got in after a few mins of hitting retry(certainly nothing compared to far cry 2 launch day) the first time I started a game I had an issue with not being able to pick up some items (the ? Didn't change above the item) I restarted and I've not had any other issues, or that one repeated.

    Gameplay- it's a good game, it's very similar to gta.... And will probably become a bit repetative in the same way but after initially finding the controls a bit mysterious (it doesn't always tell you the buttons, and they are not listed anywhere which I found really frustrating) and the game a bit clunky, I started to get really into it. Do not turn the look sensitivity up, like I did, just get used to his geriatric turn speed. After an hour or three I feel 'at one' with the controls.

    The world- incredibly good, for me it's better than any gta game, it feels more real, more alive and more natural. I generally only play games that are first person, as I like to be immersed in the game world and especially when bearing in mind the in car camera angles like the one behind the wheel, first person view on foot would be fantastic. I wish there was a first person view, but hey ho, it is what it is.

    One slightly immersion breaking aspect is the police. They are a bit ott in general, and will often send loads of cars and start shooting for not a lot EXCEPT if you get in a boat, in which case you are as good as free, even the chopper won't follow you across a tiny lake.... dont get me wrong, AI is generally ok, It's not really bad but would benefit from a bit of subtle tweaking.

    Overall it's pretty much what I expected, it's a good game bordering on really good. The missions will no doubt get boring (like with other similar titles) but roaming the city is rewarding, with the city being the best in any game so far (car engine sounds are extremely satisfying by the way) and if decent dlc content is released then this could be a big winner.

    Overall it's a good game so far, not amazing but not the disaster it seems from some of the reviews.    … Expand
  36. Retpally
    May 28, 2014
    8
    The game is good, the only problem I have is the low fps.
    I am playing on a good machine ( 12 gb ram, i7 3770 4-cores, r9 290) and the fps range from 29 to 80+.
  37. Beepinheimer
    May 28, 2014
    8
    I don't believe that this game deserves all of the hate that it's getting, Nvidia, AMD, and UBI will release patches or updates to fix performance and game engine problems.

    Good -Graphics are great -Story is interesting -Overwhelming amount of optional activities -Fairly large open world area Bad -Cars admittedly could handle a lot better -"At the moment" you need to have an    I don't believe that this game deserves all of the hate that it's getting, Nvidia, AMD, and UBI will release patches or updates to fix performance and game engine problems.

    Good
    -Graphics are great
    -Story is interesting
    -Overwhelming amount of optional activities
    -Fairly large open world area
    Bad
    -Cars admittedly could handle a lot better
    -"At the moment" you need to have an insane system to play this on mid-high graphics.

    It's definitely something new, I personally would place it on par with something like Far Cry 3. Give it time, bugs will get fixed and performance updates will be released soon just like they were with the last Far Cry.    … Expand
  38. dtlmunkey
    May 28, 2014
    8
    I've been playing this game on a low-mid range pc (AMD quad core and ATI HD 7 Series GC), and haven't had any of the graphical issues that others have listed. Make sure you aren't pushing your rig too hard and getting some artifacting. To Teratron1, sorry, but it doesn't sound like you know too much about gaming rigs. It doesn't surprise me that you aren't getting very good graphics withI've been playing this game on a low-mid range pc (AMD quad core and ATI HD 7 Series GC), and haven't had any of the graphical issues that others have listed. Make sure you aren't pushing your rig too hard and getting some artifacting. To Teratron1, sorry, but it doesn't sound like you know too much about gaming rigs. It doesn't surprise me that you aren't getting very good graphics with integrated graphics, or on a laptop (not a poke, just an observation). The game concept is solid, and it is really a lot of fun to make it through scenarios using different methods. Using hacking to take out guards instead of going in shooting, or just sneaking around is a good change of pace. Uplay is crappy, as usual, but there is the option to play offline. I haven't even messed with multiplayer yet, but so far I think it is a pretty solid game that will only get better with time. Many people who are downing this game are comparing it to GTA4, and insist the latter is way better. I, for one, was not that big a fan of GTA4 or 5, but am so far enjoying this game. Not groundbreaking, but solid. I'm really not sure why people are giving this game 4's and below. Remember, when Crysis came out, it ate top end computers for lunch for a year or two before the hardware was cheap enough for everyone to play on ultra!… Expand
  39. Mordaith
    Jun 3, 2014
    9
    Fantastic game. Uplay, excessive DLC, and 'exclusive content' put out by a shady company makes it not get the 10/10 it deserves.

    Graphics are great. I'm never bored running around the city. Always something to do. Was very excited about it, happy to see the hype is real. But seriously - drop Uplay. And that 'dlc' you are offering after the first week. That sounds to me like it likely    Fantastic game. Uplay, excessive DLC, and 'exclusive content' put out by a shady company makes it not get the 10/10 it deserves.

    Graphics are great. I'm never bored running around the city. Always something to do. Was very excited about it, happy to see the hype is real.

    But seriously - drop Uplay. And that 'dlc' you are offering after the first week. That sounds to me like it likely should have been in the original game. Treat your customer base with more respect.    … Expand
  40. Arno20
    Sep 10, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. بازیش خوب بود
    ولی ای کاش
    یوبی انقدر هایپ نمیکرد
    من به نسخه های بعدی خیلی امیدوارم چون تجربه یوبیسافت زیاد میشه و میتونیم شاهد وا داگز فوق العاده بود    … Expand
  41. root_san
    Jun 2, 2014
    8
    Игра довольно хорошая, но со своими недочётами. Пожалуй я начну с плюсов данного шедевра.

    - Отличный и реалистичный паркур; - Большой ассортимент оружия; - Очень хороший и трогательный сюжет; - Множество дополнительных мини-игр и заданий; - Крутые и брутальные персонажи; - Хорошо продуманный ИИ; - Множество одежды; - Отлично реализованные элементы RPG, в которых стоит отдельно    Игра довольно хорошая, но со своими недочётами. Пожалуй я начну с плюсов данного шедевра.

    - Отличный и реалистичный паркур;
    - Большой ассортимент оружия;
    - Очень хороший и трогательный сюжет;
    - Множество дополнительных мини-игр и заданий;
    - Крутые и брутальные персонажи;
    - Хорошо продуманный ИИ;
    - Множество одежды;
    - Отлично реализованные элементы RPG, в которых стоит отдельно отметить прокачку главного героя;
    - Большое количество предметов и девайсов которые можно взломать;
    - Большое количество действительно хорошей музыки;
    - Очень хороший мультиплеер, с множеством интересных задумок и режимов, которые на моё удивление хорошо продуманы и так же хорошо сделаны.

    А теперь пожалуй перейдём к минусам игры.

    - Плохая физика машин;
    - Небольшое количество багов;
    - Некоторые проблемы с Uplay;
    - Графика - в этой игре она неплохая в некоторых моментах лучше Grand Theft Auto V и Battlefield 4, однако это не обещанный Ubisoft Next Gen.    … Expand
  42. Pandaconda
    May 29, 2014
    8
    Let's be clear here: Haters are going to hate.
    Watch_Dogs is an interesting, as well as enjoyable take on the open world genre. There is never a loss as to what to do; there are so many side quests and online hacker vs hacker matches to compete in, it feels almost limitless. Stealth and hacking are done spectacularly in this game. Why anyone would want to do an arbitrary mini-game any    Let's be clear here: Haters are going to hate.
    Watch_Dogs is an interesting, as well as enjoyable take on the open world genre. There is never a loss as to what to do; there are so many side quests and online hacker vs hacker matches to compete in, it feels almost limitless. Stealth and hacking are done spectacularly in this game. Why anyone would want to do an arbitrary mini-game any time you want to hack something is beyond me. One button is fine. There is no problem with the GAME itself if played the way it was meant to be played.

    The problem lies with the players. If you play this game on the lowest difficulty, with the lowest intelligence possible, it becomes nothing better than your average run and gun slugfest. The cars are not meant to feel like an arcade game; of course if you drive recklessly, you will not be able to control the car. If you expect an open world game to have the textures of Crysis 3 and not easily go over the vram limit of your card, you're foolish. The demands I'm reading from so many reviewers just do not make any sense.

    The only realistic complaints are about drivers not being optimized enough for video cards, and server issues with Uplay. Uplay is a poorly implemented excuse for a marketplace when compared to Steam or even Origin. However, let us all remember that even the mighty steam servers are sluggish when summer sales and the like come around. Uplay's servers will balance out when they aren't being slammed by millions of players.

    You think the storyline is cliche? Sure. Explain yourself.The characters aren't developed enough? Perhaps. Explain yourself. However, so many complaints i'm reading are so asinine and vague, how can anyone possibly take these user reviews seriously? Oh, you couldn't even start up the game? How do you have the right to review the game? You never played it. That is a server or driver side problem, not a reflection of the game itself.

    Bottom line, the game is great. Perfect? Of course not.
    Play the game on the realistic setting, take it slow, and soak the good parts in. Stop whining about every detail that doesn't fit into your scope of what you felt entitled to.    … Expand
  43. robdarian
    May 31, 2014
    10
    I'am just adding a 10 to offset stupid scores. When posting a review about a game and giving it a horrible score because your pc sucks and can't run it, it means nothing. They game could be amazing and you wouldn't know because your peace of junk pc is underpowered. How is it the developer's fault your pc sucks? That's the worst reason to score something bad. Would you buy a hondaI'am just adding a 10 to offset stupid scores. When posting a review about a game and giving it a horrible score because your pc sucks and can't run it, it means nothing. They game could be amazing and you wouldn't know because your peace of junk pc is underpowered. How is it the developer's fault your pc sucks? That's the worst reason to score something bad. Would you buy a honda civic and score it a 1 out of 10 because it isn't as fast as a corvette even though you didn't buy a corvette? Makes no sense.… Expand
  44. Orhunkk
    Jun 16, 2014
    8
    I don't know what people expect this game to do.It's a very good open world action game with awesome graphics especially when it rains.It is really fun to play as well and I hope ubisoft will make a better one when the day comes to publish a new watch dogs game.I see a very good potential in this game and even this is the first watch dogs game it is very good.
  45. offline_n1
    May 29, 2014
    8
    Okay, first of all, don't compare watch dogs and GTA, it's doesn't make any sense. The second. This game is great, really great, eventhough there a few bugs but it's not affected to the game pretty much. Watch dogs is great, but there something of it that may annoying you:
    -Driving: I gave it 8 because of WD's driving, it's like: the driving has destroyed this game. First it's too hard    Okay, first of all, don't compare watch dogs and GTA, it's doesn't make any sense. The second. This game is great, really great, eventhough there a few bugs but it's not affected to the game pretty much. Watch dogs is great, but there something of it that may annoying you:
    -Driving: I gave it 8 because of WD's driving, it's like: the driving has destroyed this game. First it's too hard (just like GTA 4' driving), 2nd the physic isn't great for a next gen game, 3rd, the light of the car lamp doesn't make shadow to objects........ For short, like i said: The driving destroyed this game
    -The graphic: Pretty good but the texture is not good enought, and the trees is awful ( but i've never seen a sandbox has a good looking at the trees, even GTA...)
    -WD doesn't contain much of mini games like billard, pocker....
    That's all, the rest of the game is great and hard and just like Ubisoft promised. This is a great game, but it's should be 45$ not 60$ :D    … Expand
  46. CardPack
    May 30, 2014
    8
    It seems like most of the negative comments here focus on the glitches and graphic flaws. I use a Nvidia card and I have had no problems with the graphics. In fact, Watch_Dogs is perhaps the most beautiful game I've ever played, in my opinion surpassing even GTA V (which it is often compared with). The lightning and the weather make you feel like you actually were in the living city ofIt seems like most of the negative comments here focus on the glitches and graphic flaws. I use a Nvidia card and I have had no problems with the graphics. In fact, Watch_Dogs is perhaps the most beautiful game I've ever played, in my opinion surpassing even GTA V (which it is often compared with). The lightning and the weather make you feel like you actually were in the living city of Chicago. Often I just like to forget that its a game and start walking aimlessly around the streets.

    Now, the gameplay. Hacking is a truly original idea for a game this scale. Even though it might not feel that realistic, it does give the "I am GOD" -feeling. Yet it maintains the challenge and vulnearibility, especially in certain play styles. Sneaking in the game works brilliantly, and head-to-head combat is OK too. The AI is a bit too predictable while on foot, following certain paths systematically, but when it gets behind the wheel, you're in trouble. It can intelligently predict your movements and block your path. The driving mechanics left me a bit dissatisfied, as I was looking for something more realistic than an arcade.

    It's a shame the story is so short as it actually is the only thing not repetitive in the game. But if you balance the story play and the sidequests its shortness should be no problem. There are only a few types of sidequests, aside from some random encouters.
    The random encouters are what gives the game its life. You can never know when a fellow pedestrian is going to get shot, and thus you must always be aware of your surroundings. There are also random crimes, but they are actually not so random, and often end up the criminal noticing you before the crime even has taken place, thus ending the encouter short. The game also has many sorts of cool details, such as when you shoot an enemy in the knee it neutralizes him instead of killing him. Roleplayers will love this game.

    Also to mention, in some missions and sidequests, using heavy weaponry is almost an obligation. Iit crumbles the feeling of sneaky rogue-like hacking vigilante. I prefer to use a silenced pistol whenever it is possible to maintain this theme.

    In conclusion, it is a brilliant-looking game (9,5) and the hacking is cool (8,0) as is the story (8,0) but the game crashes on too many arcade-like attributes. 8/10    … Expand
  47. SpeedProg
    May 30, 2014
    10
    Game is fluent on my PC (i7-3770K, GTX 770 4GB), I have a constant 55-70fps. Never drops below that which in my opinion for the Graphic displayed is very good.
    If your PC isn't high end especially if your do not have a lot of Graphic RAM you shouldn't use ultra settings.
    Is uses 3,4GB of my Graphic RAM on Ultra, so yeah even if you have a good graphic card, but one with only 2GB of RAM    Game is fluent on my PC (i7-3770K, GTX 770 4GB), I have a constant 55-70fps. Never drops below that which in my opinion for the Graphic displayed is very good.
    If your PC isn't high end especially if your do not have a lot of Graphic RAM you shouldn't use ultra settings.
    Is uses 3,4GB of my Graphic RAM on Ultra, so yeah even if you have a good graphic card, but one with only 2GB of RAM you can't use Ultra, don't try it and then complain about stuttering, it is your fault for not choosing the right settings, not the games.
    They seem to have done a very good job at making the game use multiple cores, there are 5-7 cores on ~40-80% load, so yeah it does use a lot of computing power but they managed to use the cpu effectively!
    Game play it self is very interesting, played it 16 hrs now, and didn't really find a need to follow the many story since there is a lot of other stuff to in the World, how it should be in an open world game!
    About the handling, well it is different how you control a lot of stuff like menus, but once you figured it out it is very intuitive and easy to use! It is a lot easier, than I thought before playing the game, to to choose the target you wanted for the hack while you are driving
    tldr; Game is great, ppl who complain about performance should choose appropriate settings. Controls are different but easy to get used to.    … Expand
  48. Mickusey
    May 27, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sadly, just as I had expected, Watch Dogs and all of its legions of obsessed, blind fans would fall victim to the hype train. It was clear when how much controversy surrounding the graphical downgrade of the game when Ubisoft had done the same thing with nearly every single demo they had done in recent memory (Far Cry 3 immediately comes to mind) that this would be different. Even if the game was absolutely perfect, people would still have been disappointed and angry because, for two years, they were being so ridiculously hyped up that Watch Dogs would never live up to their expectations.

    For PC, running a Superclocked GTX 770 2GB with a 4.3GHz 4670k, it is fairly unoptimized. I DID fix a lot of my stuttering issues, however, by changing from fullscreen to borderless window so that could help a lot of people having issues. The game is still quite amazing looking with textures on high and everything else maxed, the water and reflections in particular are gorgeous and the lighting during overcast can be absolutely beautiful. The downgrade from E3 is noticeable, but I'm pretty sure that was going to be obvious judging by Ubi's previous exploits. The most major issue graphically has to be the pop-in though. That needs to be sorted out.

    Now, for gameplay. Watch Dogs definitely thrives on how fun it is. Combinations of shooting, hacking, and stealth all provide incredibly rewarding ways to complete missions, gang hideouts, etc. I found many of this more comparable to Splinter Cell than anything else, in fact, which combined with your hacking abilities definitely isn't a bad thing. I am neutral towards the driving; it is very slidey and arcadey, which some people will love and some people will hate. I find it fun at times but it can also be very frustrating to handle, especially on KB/M. The progression system involves getting XP by doing various things in the game, and similar to the latest Deus Ex going stealthy will net you much more XP than going in guns blazing, which some may dislike. I personally found it a good incentive as I normally dislike stealth games but found it fairly enjoyable in this one. There are skill trees that range from hacking to combat to crafting, all of which you can invest in with skill points gained as you level. These provide a good sense of progression.

    The coolest part about the game is probably the digital trips, which are extremely Saints Row-esque silly mini games where you'll blow things up in a spider tank or run over demons in a muscle car, among others. Some of these games even have their own skill trees and leveling systems. Definitely very fun and zany departures from the main game which, oddly enough, you can invest hours in at a time. Now, to one of the worst parts of the game.

    The story simply isn't up to par. It's a classic revenge story overplayed time and time again, with most of the characters lacking any interesting or compelling traits. Aiden is the generic, grainy voiced action hero, who gets caught up in a larger plot as his quest for revenge gets him involved in even more trouble as his sister is kidnapped by his old partner. Its not a horrible story, and it is wonderfully voice acted and is extremely solid in length (~35 hours) but it is definitely not very memorable. The real star of the game is probably the city and its pedestrians.

    The game world has a surprising amount of variety. There are poor slums, rich high rise districts, quiet suburban sprawls, and dark, secluded backwoods areas. There is a sufficient amount of creepy mysteries. easter eggs, and collectibles spread throughout the game world along with a ton of varied side missions for you to do. Each pedestrian has their own story that you can access using the profile, where you can see their age, occupation, income, and any hobbies or unique traits they have. I thought there would be obvious repetition after an hour or so but it is very few and far in between and I still find new traits that I often laugh at.

    So, Watch Dogs did not live up to the hype, but that was next to impossible anyway. It is still a very fun and enjoyable open world game with a solid amount of content and fun refinements to the genre.    … Expand
  49. theMillen
    May 28, 2014
    8
    First and foremost... Update to the latest Drivers if you are using Nvidia... it has helped aloooot. Basically went from huuuge drops to smoothing things out. With a 3770k and gtx 780 (overclocked) I am now able to actually play at decent fps with only slight dips here and there on Ultra, tweaking a few things down has made it completely playable. Is it still poorly optimized? Yes. ButFirst and foremost... Update to the latest Drivers if you are using Nvidia... it has helped aloooot. Basically went from huuuge drops to smoothing things out. With a 3770k and gtx 780 (overclocked) I am now able to actually play at decent fps with only slight dips here and there on Ultra, tweaking a few things down has made it completely playable. Is it still poorly optimized? Yes. But after reading a few technical things it seems to point towards a port from "nextgen" consoles having ~8gb ram available for vram. And to address some of the 0's talking about playability.. There is a leaked copy that has a Altcoin miner attached (alternative to bitcoin) sooooooo yeah, take that for what it is worth.

    Nowwww onto the actual gameplay.

    Hacking - Fun at first but kinda wish there was more to it than just press and hold a button. I can see it for straight video cameras but eh, its a nice feature that could've used some tweaking. It is however fun to use as far as the stealth aspects; be it checking all security cameras to plan out your route, distracting gaurds, or even blowing them up with their said explosives.

    Driving - Personally i wasn't expecting Forza, GT, or anything else. Does it feel kinda an afterthought, and put on the back burner? Yes. Does it break the game? No. After i switched from KB/M to Xbox 360 controller i found it a lot easier to get around, and love cruising around on a motorcycle. The damage to the car is hyper-non-realistic but meh, not a game breaker for me.

    Story - As someone else said a bit cliche' but it has heart, and makes you feel for what is going on, has happened and what is going to happen. Does it pull you in bioshock-esque? negative.. Did I want to skip it or run through it with no regard? No. It has heart, and is pretty well written and acted.

    Gameplay - So much to do can be a bit overwhelming, but you can choose to what you want to do, and there is a variety of stuff to do outside of main campaign and sometimes ill hop on the game just to do some of the side quest stuff (AR Mini games, hunt down criminals, etc) and ill have fun doing so.

    Graphics - While i don't feel the graphics are truly "next-gen" but if anyone remembers when 360/ps3 came out, they weren't leagues apart either. It takes time to catch up. Having said that, the water, rain, and textures are amazing. Just don't expect the Ultimate OMG Best GFX EVERRR and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Don't believe the hype and don't believe the debydowners. It is a nice middle ground.

    Fun - Simply put, the game is fun, and for that, Ubisoft gets my vote and my money!

    Wrap-up: Could it have used a couple more months of polish, definitely but they had that. I am glad they delayed the game because i could only imagine had they not. I am sure after a patch or two some of the optimization quirks will be had and i can go back to Ultra @ 1440p. But for me, the game is fun, immersive and a good time, quirks be damned.    … Expand
  50. knivestv
    Jun 5, 2014
    9
    I can only assume, the metacritic score is so low because the people enjoying the game are too busy playing. Giving it a zero would be comparable to Big Riggs or Desert Bus. That seems ridiculous, because it is ridiculous.
  51. GT640_on_Medium
    Aug 23, 2014
    10
    so, to start off... to the ppl who say that they have GTX 780 with an i7 who barely run on medium or are having problems on the lowest setting... stop with the BS and get on with your lives. as my name suggests i'm running the game on medium with my GT640 with an i5 at 60 fps...also for the ppl that say they have sensitivity issues, there is a setting to lower the sensitivity when youso, to start off... to the ppl who say that they have GTX 780 with an i7 who barely run on medium or are having problems on the lowest setting... stop with the BS and get on with your lives. as my name suggests i'm running the game on medium with my GT640 with an i5 at 60 fps...also for the ppl that say they have sensitivity issues, there is a setting to lower the sensitivity when you drive aswell as another for the menu cursor if you even took the time out of your worthless life to check. so please you 0 rating **** don't discourage people about how high end your pc is but cannot run THIS game with no logical reason.… Expand
  52. Stalkermaster
    May 30, 2014
    8
    This is an in progress review so please don't criticise me
    I'm only about 10% through the game but have played about 10 or so hours
    Honestly I'm not gonna lie I don't have any optimisation issues, no crashes no bugs nothing My specs Nvidia 660 Ti, I7 3770 8 core, 8gb ram, 64 bit so, windows 8 I get about a 60 Fps when I'm not driving and 45-50 when driving with most things either    This is an in progress review so please don't criticise me
    I'm only about 10% through the game but have played about 10 or so hours

    Honestly I'm not gonna lie I don't have any optimisation issues, no crashes no bugs nothing

    My specs Nvidia 660 Ti, I7 3770 8 core, 8gb ram, 64 bit so, windows 8

    I get about a 60 Fps when I'm not driving and 45-50 when driving with most things either high or ultra

    The game is great soo far, the city is full of life's and the hacking is great.
    The story so far is great you play as Aiden pierce who is out for revenge because of his niece dieing and I won't go any further with that. At first on pc I found the controls wired and confusing. But now it feels second to none on how this game plays out.

    The npcs all have a story behind them. You can learn about their age, job,how much money they earn and any recent events they were in which is fantastic. It changes for everyone in game as well, during co op we ID the same person and there was two different profiles which is unique.

    The hacking is seamless compared to what some people may say as long as you have the battery you can hack it instant and there is quite a few things to hack which all change up the pace of the game during a chase with the cops such as hacking the traffic lights to make all the cars and such crash is a great sight.

    The gunplay is limited to a few rifles, pistols, snipers and such but it's fine as most of the missions can be played stealthy that's right in killing involved and because of this you can be seen as a good guy or a bad guy.

    Now the Mp is also fun. I've only played 5 of the modes but 1v1 hacking is just soo dam addictive and co op is great fun as well

    Will write the rest of it the more I play and when I think I'm done but on a side not co op is disappointing because of the lack of things to do in co op apart from drive together, heck you can not even hack and tail your own friends on your list

    The pros and cons will also come later so stay tuned    … Expand
  53. augurseer
    May 27, 2014
    8
    This isn't your grandfather GTA. Its darker. Nicer looking and has a fairly creative new game mechanic. That mechanic is simplified hacking of Chicago. Play the game as a run and gun it all it is is GTA. play it like a zero-cool punisher and your golden.
  54. GhostPiggy
    Jun 1, 2014
    8
    (TL;DR at the bottom) This game is absolutely wonderful, the mechanics of the game are nearly seamless and easy to use, anyone who complains that the concept of hacking is dumb should turn away because it's not supposed to be an in depth tutorial for hacking. The graphics catch flak from people yet I have no idea why, the graphics are wonderful any problems the game is experiencing will be(TL;DR at the bottom) This game is absolutely wonderful, the mechanics of the game are nearly seamless and easy to use, anyone who complains that the concept of hacking is dumb should turn away because it's not supposed to be an in depth tutorial for hacking. The graphics catch flak from people yet I have no idea why, the graphics are wonderful any problems the game is experiencing will be fixed soon as there are to be some bugs due to the fact that it has just come out. The story is great but my only complaint is that they are really trying to stretch for something that is hard to achieve due to the serious responses of some insignificant events. Multiplayer is a very enjoyable aspect of the game such as the online hacking game mode which, no matter how many times you play it, is always a different experience and allows for longevity of game play. Iv'e seen a few reviews about the games :terrible car physics" but to be honest they are wonderful, a few bugs here and there but overall very great. I have noticed that sometime I will shoot through the windshield of a car or be getting shot and two things occur, the windshield does not immediately shatter into a million pieces and sometimes is even able to stop the bullet in varying instances, I also have to say the impact between cars of different sizes and weight are pretty well .performed. I think I have gone on long enough, buy this game it is amazingly fun, it only lost two points for two reasons, one for the story and another for the digital trips psychedelic and madness...those games are really difficult. TL;DR - game is fun, falls short on story, car physics are good, bugs but still good, psychedelic and madness are hard.… Expand
  55. naomha
    May 27, 2014
    9
    Game is graphically amazing. Superb on pc with everything cranked up. Plays flawlessly. Story is really good until later, however, even then, it is still decent enough. The set design is just fantastic. Blows any GTA game out of the water in terms of immersion and reality.Gunplay and stealth is solid. Hacking is quite fun. You can hack everything to get anything. From money, to tunes forGame is graphically amazing. Superb on pc with everything cranked up. Plays flawlessly. Story is really good until later, however, even then, it is still decent enough. The set design is just fantastic. Blows any GTA game out of the water in terms of immersion and reality.Gunplay and stealth is solid. Hacking is quite fun. You can hack everything to get anything. From money, to tunes for your vehicle to stopping a crime and more.
    I don't understand why people are saying there is nothing to do in the city. It is, quite literally, littered with side quests and missions to accomplish. I was only 3 to 4 missions in when I ended up spending about 6 hours just doing side missions. Voice acting is top notch and so is the sound design. Weapons have a really good feel and hit targets squarely and with nice effects.
    Upgrades and perks are really good as well. You get a vast array of upgrades tied to contant perks your doing in game. You also get upgrades for side missions and other things as well. To be honest, there's so much to upgrade you'll be choosing wisely.
    Don't believe the haters. There's a LOT to do in the city. A lot. There's a plethora of vehicles to be had and some really nice weapons to attain. The story is done well enough and the cars handle about the same as GTA V or Sleeping Dogs. Motorcycles are done much better. If you're looking for something fun to play with an interesting premise then give it a try. Rent it if you must. The game is not breaking any barriers in the adventure/shooter department but it is really fun to ride it out and find everything you possibly can to do. I never ran out of missions on my first playthrough and I had quite a few missions give me a run for my money. All in all, I'm quite happy with my purchase and will be playing it again tackling different objectives from a different angle.
    Between Watch Dogs and the release of the new Wolfenstein it has been a great two weeks or game releases. Decide for yourself, do NOT read into all these negative reviews. One thing is very certain on forums such as these. 99% of the posts will be angry, illiterate and nonsensical. While 99% of the posts are bad, that 99% only makes up 1% of actual players. The rest of the 99% playing the game is enjoying it immensely and have no reason to even post anything because they're not having any problems of any sort. I'd give Metacritic a few weeks until some positive reviews from people that are actually playing the ame with no problems and wickedly enjoying themselves put in their two cents. Bunch of haters on here to be honest.    … Expand
  56. AcidCasualty
    May 27, 2014
    8
    First of all, it appears as if all the negative reviews here were written by the same mouth-breathing simpleton who lacks any sort of command over English grammar. This game is far from a 0. The graphics could be better, but the gameplay is top-notch. Driving is a bit more difficult than in GTA V, which I'm sure is why some people are complaining, but with practice even the dullest noobFirst of all, it appears as if all the negative reviews here were written by the same mouth-breathing simpleton who lacks any sort of command over English grammar. This game is far from a 0. The graphics could be better, but the gameplay is top-notch. Driving is a bit more difficult than in GTA V, which I'm sure is why some people are complaining, but with practice even the dullest noob can master it. The biggest downside here is the uPlay, but the game itself is cool.

    Watch Dogs is a fun action game combining driving, parkour, an emotional storyline, sleuthing, and admittedly simplistic "hacking" (but if it were harder than pressing a button, how would you hack streetlights while driving? Hack gates in a hurry? The hacking style WORKS for this title), and lots of sleuthing. Set aside the knee-jerking going on here and give it a try.    … Expand
  57. hasherr
    May 27, 2014
    8
    Well, hype was definately built up for this one and i can see why ppl cry so much around internets. Lets put that aside. This game is far from perfect, but it is still very entertaining - detailed map, nice original music, lots of fun stuff to do. You can play the game both gta style with guns blazing or do stealthy - this alone ads nice replay value. On PC game got nice AA rooster withWell, hype was definately built up for this one and i can see why ppl cry so much around internets. Lets put that aside. This game is far from perfect, but it is still very entertaining - detailed map, nice original music, lots of fun stuff to do. You can play the game both gta style with guns blazing or do stealthy - this alone ads nice replay value. On PC game got nice AA rooster with plenty other graphical options. Perf-wise it runs evenly on all cpu cores meaning it will scale well in future (not like gta4 for example sitting on 3 cores and maxing one of them). Overall it runs 40+ fps on my gtx770 with high settings, hi textures and 2xmsaa. On the negative side characters are a bit flat, storyline could have been more interesting, graphics and physics could be better - for example hair and facialhair seems just lazy. Ofc this does not mean graphics sux, its still very good looking game. Its just not mindblowing, as expected from heavly advertized next gen title. I give it 8.… Expand
  58. Jope
    May 27, 2014
    8
    Watch Dogs is quite a good game. It has great graphics and sound, but Ubisoft could have optimised it better for the PC. I'm running a GTX680 (using the 337.88 driver) and the game runs +40 fps depending on what I am doing, sometimes it even jumps up to 60. The gameplay is good, but not excellent, and some people will feel disappointed, especially with the driving. I do still recommendWatch Dogs is quite a good game. It has great graphics and sound, but Ubisoft could have optimised it better for the PC. I'm running a GTX680 (using the 337.88 driver) and the game runs +40 fps depending on what I am doing, sometimes it even jumps up to 60. The gameplay is good, but not excellent, and some people will feel disappointed, especially with the driving. I do still recommend this game.
    PS. If you are having performance issues, check you drivers, it might help.    … Expand
  59. kingmaker
    Jul 10, 2014
    10
    i dont know why these guys are giving bad reviews about watchdogs.dear pc users watchdogs is a evergreen game try it ultimate hacking,huge open world,great vehicle handling.the last level of the game is chanceless.

    dear GTA users without playing watchdogs dont give bad comments.
    ubisoft rckzzzzz
  60. joelm
    May 28, 2014
    9
    Don't understand why so many bad reviews! I have a GTX 750 Ti and an i5 CPU with 8GB Corsair and the game runs perfectly fine under High graphic details. No glitches and didn't crash for more than 2h of playing on Windows 7.

    The game is exactly what I was expecting (forget the hype): no more, no less. You can drive around the city and interact with every single citizen and hack their    Don't understand why so many bad reviews! I have a GTX 750 Ti and an i5 CPU with 8GB Corsair and the game runs perfectly fine under High graphic details. No glitches and didn't crash for more than 2h of playing on Windows 7.

    The game is exactly what I was expecting (forget the hype): no more, no less.

    You can drive around the city and interact with every single citizen and hack their mobile + hack anything you can on the city. It is cool! No other game has this kind of interaction.

    This is definitely a revamped version of Assassin's Creed. I wouldn't compare it with GTA 5 at all.

    The only thing I am not very used ot (yet) is the driving: very hard to turn with the keyboard. Probably with a controller might be easier?

    Great game, amazing graphics (shadows / reflections / the rain - umbrellas - water ponds is quite cool).

    Hope more stuff is added up to the game soon.    … Expand
  61. meediocre
    Jun 1, 2014
    8
    Connection issues aside, this is a solid open-world game that feels and plays like Sleeping Dogs, but with a hacking theme, and a less interesting story and central character. There's some genuine fun to be had with the online invasion and ctOS missions, as well as some exhilarating escape from the cops/baddies driving action. The world itself is incredibly detailed and there are plenty ofConnection issues aside, this is a solid open-world game that feels and plays like Sleeping Dogs, but with a hacking theme, and a less interesting story and central character. There's some genuine fun to be had with the online invasion and ctOS missions, as well as some exhilarating escape from the cops/baddies driving action. The world itself is incredibly detailed and there are plenty of side quests and distractions to keep you going for hours and hours, as per AC and Far Cry etc ..

    Negatives, in my opinion, include the average main storyline and the fact that graphically, even on PC it doesn't seem next-gen. Happy to have bought this title though, as it offers great value for money.    … Expand
  62. Jebble
    Jun 1, 2014
    8
    This game feels like Assassin's Creed 1 felt at the time. The franchise has great potential and the game is pretty good, but it just misses a lot of extra's to make it completely awesome.

    I feel like Watch Dogs 2 (if ever made) will be insanely great. It's hard not to compare a game like this to the GTA franchise and GTA 5 gave us a lot that I therefor miss in Watch Dogs. Getting cars    This game feels like Assassin's Creed 1 felt at the time. The franchise has great potential and the game is pretty good, but it just misses a lot of extra's to make it completely awesome.

    I feel like Watch Dogs 2 (if ever made) will be insanely great.
    It's hard not to compare a game like this to the GTA franchise and GTA 5 gave us a lot that I therefor miss in Watch Dogs. Getting cars is too easy, there's a **** of money you can't use anywhere. There are barely any buildings to enter and there is just a lot of detailedd functions I miss. Think of property, garages, and random buildings to enter or whatever.

    For me the story was fine, gameplay is okay, could use a lot of polish with the vehicles.
    Also the cops in this game are kinda crap.

    You do A LOT of **** like stealing everyones money, but no one ever knows and youre still the good guy.
    That has to be fixed for the next version.

    Still a great game :)    … Expand
  63. Gumbomon
    Jun 1, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Review (kind of) contains spoilers... However, nothing that the trailers haven't already told you.

    Let's start with the technical aspects:
    I got the game along with my new computer (AMD 8x 4.0GHz processor, GeForce GTX760, 16Gb RAM, Win7 64Bit). I was very hyped and tryed to install it right on its release.
    It took me an entire day to get this thing to work. I had to download it two times (about 3h each) and I had to reinstall uPlay, which also deleted AC4 as well. Ubisoft just knows how to make for a special release experience.
    However, after hours of tinkering, it finally worked. My PC managed to run it at (almost) stable 60fps on high settings ( using TXAA Anti-Alias), with some frame drops during some police chase sequences.

    I haven't seen the E3 demo, thus I cannot tell if there was the graphical downgrade everyone keeps complaining about ( to which I might add: I don't think many player would have been able to access better graphics, because the game is demanding), but it looks (at least to me) marvelous. It by not means the best looking game ever, but it can compete with most AAA titles.

    Gameplay-wise, it felt like an "Assassins-Creed 2014-ish version". And this is not a bad thing. Sure it has some similarities (like the hackable ctOS-towers, which feel quite familiar to AC viewpoints - minus the obligatory leap of faith, which in this game will lead to your death), but the hacking is a nice twist, making it just interesting enough to be an IP of its own. Also, the Gunplay is excellent, even or especially with a Gamepad (I used the Xbox 360 wireless controller).
    (Speaking of Gamepads, you will probably need one, because the mouse accelleration differs in the various sections of the game, which is very irritating.)
    The driving sections are very floaty, reminding me of some of the early Need-for-Speed games (like Underground 2). It's not everyone's thing, but I found myself really enjoying it. Though the ragdoll-physics sometimes look just... weird. Not awful, but weird.

    The story is ... actually better than the trailer made it look. The actual plot is told quite well, but the protagonist himself is quite frankly, an a**hole. Its not the story of hero, not even close. But it's entertaining, although it sometimes takes itself to serious. The voice acting (at least in the german version) is well executed and, for the most part, in sync. But it tries to be like a Batman-like story - a little too hard.

    And I think this is the biggest pitfall. Each unit works almost perfectly in itself. The theme is fresh and fun, the story is solid, the mechanics work fine (I haven't experienced any glitches aside some strange ragdoll poses) - But they failed to make them work together. Thus the game feels just like the sum of its parts, not more, not less. The experience is entirely up to the player. If you take the game serious, its loads of fun. But if you play it like GTA your actions interfere with the tone and plot, making the game seem silly and pointless.

    Overall, it's a pretty solid game - not perfect, but fine. If the sequel, which is already hinted upon at the end of the game, fixes these issues, and utilized the games full potencial, I'm convinced this is going to be Ubisofts next big IP, out-shadowing the AC series by far. I think a lot of the hate this game gets is due to the extreme hype. People are disappointed that it is not as awesome as they imagined the last 3 years (And this is why Valve won't make Half-Life 3. Imagine 20 years of hype...). I feel people are just being unfair to Ubisoft-Montrèal (the studio, not the publisher; they shall burn in hell for what they did with uPlay), same goes for the AC series (AC2 is, in my opinion, inferrior to 4 and even 3).
    I am personally looking forward to the sequel... and the movie they announced.

    If you're intersted into the theme or just like open-world games, I'd recomend you to buy it for about 40$.    … Expand
  64. EclipseEx
    May 29, 2014
    8
    I guess I am one of the lucky ones who wasn't have any in game issues o.o
    My rig is not top tier by any means i5 4670 and a 760 OC'd and im not having trouble running the game in between high and ultra. Jordi is pretty hilarious c:
  65. Eglin
    Aug 7, 2014
    9
    I'm not a big fan of UPlay and I find it hard to excuse launch issues in a game with as much pre-release hype as this one had, but Watch_Dogs is still a game worth playing. Compared to most other open-world games (GTA series, Saints Row series, etc), the control layout (on a 360 pad) in this game is very natural and comfortable. Being unable to shoot without aiming means that the rightI'm not a big fan of UPlay and I find it hard to excuse launch issues in a game with as much pre-release hype as this one had, but Watch_Dogs is still a game worth playing. Compared to most other open-world games (GTA series, Saints Row series, etc), the control layout (on a 360 pad) in this game is very natural and comfortable. Being unable to shoot without aiming means that the right trigger can be used for sprinting, instead of the typical awkward left shoulder button. Being unable to jump at will frees up the A button. Not being able to shoot while driving eliminates even more awkward contortions. These are all compromises that didn't sound appealing to me going in, but after spending time with the game I find it to be a superior setup.

    In terms of gameplay, the main storyline is of adequate length and although there aren't as many side activities as there are in some rival games, there is always something to get into in Watch_Dogs' gritty Chicago landscape. The game world is bustling with people and a variety of traffic that (perhaps because of the diversity of vehicles compared to other games) feels very organic. Add in the hacking gimmicks and the amazing paranoia that the drop-in-at-any-time multiplayer spies and hackers inspire, and the result is probably the best open-world game available on PC behind Skyrim.    … Expand
  66. Clean
    Jun 16, 2014
    10
    This game had sold 4 million units worldwide in the first week of launch. What does it mean? It means that Ubisoft is now the best developer in the world, and this game is the master of all games in the universe.

    While everyone is parsing how great this game is, unfortunately haters are pulling down the score of this game here. Accept the truth, recognize the master piece of design    This game had sold 4 million units worldwide in the first week of launch. What does it mean? It means that Ubisoft is now the best developer in the world, and this game is the master of all games in the universe.

    While everyone is parsing how great this game is, unfortunately haters are pulling down the score of this game here.

    Accept the truth, recognize the master piece of design from this game! Everyone, join me!    … Expand
  67. Bobmonga
    May 29, 2014
    8
    I've only played it for a couple of hours, but enjoying it so far. I've not had any issues apart from the mouse controls. Removing the mouse smoothing by manually editing the config file helps loads. Performance is fine on my aging machine (I7, GTX460, 8GB).
  68. Xandercz
    Jun 3, 2014
    8
    New open-world IP with an underground hacking setting and a revenge plot. The writing could be so much better, some characters are underdeveloped, some are introduced only to get pushed aside, main villain lacks any real motivation.
    Gameplay mechanics are pretty straightforward - complete main story missions to move the story forward, like in GTA, however this game lacks in side    New open-world IP with an underground hacking setting and a revenge plot. The writing could be so much better, some characters are underdeveloped, some are introduced only to get pushed aside, main villain lacks any real motivation.
    Gameplay mechanics are pretty straightforward - complete main story missions to move the story forward, like in GTA, however this game lacks in side activities - there is quite a few of them but they do get old pretty fast and only keep you hooked if you're a die-hard completionist.
    The game doesn't look as pretty as the 2012 E3 demo but it's still gorgeous, certainly one of the best looking open-world games.    … Expand
  69. Mateuskb
    Jun 1, 2014
    10
    I love this game,I dont think that the bugs aren´t important,but you can walk in the streets of the game and feel there are life.
    The history are amazing.
    Forget the hype,play the game by the he give to you,dont play the game by the what he dont give to you.
    Dont create your opinion by the reviews,Play and see.
  70. blacktarmac
    May 30, 2014
    8
    Watch_Dogs is a great game with interesting characters, a big open world to explore and an interesting story. It offers lots of fun distractions like the digital trips. Multiplayer integration seems a little wonky at this early time, but overall it's a very satisfying experience. Give it a shot!
  71. Yuusou
    Jun 1, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is really good depending on how you look at it. Sure the graphics are good, but not as good as expected, the performance by now is ranging from smooth to barely playable, the hacking is way too straight forward, but this game has so many not so obvious good points.

    Let's start with the humor. I don't know how many people have checked the billboard text yet. I don't know how many have checked the ctznOS leaks by DedSec in the bunker (e.g. falling worker is called an UFO in the scan). I don't know how many people have listened to conversations between NPCs ("Since ctOS is watching everyone and everything I don't have the urge to jerk off that much anymore."). I don't know how many people have realized that there's social criticism in the whole game. If you think this game is just a cheap GTA with hacking, you're not taking a look to the right direction the game is aiming for. Aiden barely has eye contact at the bar or newspaper stand owner when he orders a drink. Instead he's paying attention to his phone. This is so annoying, yet one of the many behaviors that people show towards their fellow men. So many people / NPCs are just staring at the phone while walking along the street. So much technology is currently in place to make our life easier, yet you don't see that it could be easily abused by anyone who has the mind and the tools to do so.

    I don't think you learn much from a GTA game for your real life. But this here should make you think about your everyday behaviour, your everyday use of technology and your opinion towards surveillance of public and private life. If you still think that after playing this game your government should have access to your digital data to "protect you", then you're clearly missing the point here.    … Expand
  72. Yoshi1
    Jun 13, 2014
    9
    Watch Dogs does have a few minor problems and its not perfect. But there has never been a game in history that is perfect. Watch Dogs single player has loads of entertainment for the price with a great Story, but I had problems with lip syncing. The game also has multiplayer with players trying to hack into your game or you can enter there's.This can be disabled if you don't want to otherWatch Dogs does have a few minor problems and its not perfect. But there has never been a game in history that is perfect. Watch Dogs single player has loads of entertainment for the price with a great Story, but I had problems with lip syncing. The game also has multiplayer with players trying to hack into your game or you can enter there's.This can be disabled if you don't want to other player to hack into your game. The game features amazing physics and water reflections. The problem is its not optimized for PC, even though Ubisoft said high end PC was one of there main priorities. Overall It's worth buying when the price drops and gets some patches.… Expand
  73. ryanch94
    Jun 10, 2014
    9
    I think this is a fantastic game that has well lived up to the hype. I got it on pre-order for PC and was among the first to play, visually it looks stunning and has many advanced graphics effects which a high end graphics card can take advantage of. I really like the concept of the game and the hacking mechanics are extremely fun to use. The story is interesting and had me wanting moreI think this is a fantastic game that has well lived up to the hype. I got it on pre-order for PC and was among the first to play, visually it looks stunning and has many advanced graphics effects which a high end graphics card can take advantage of. I really like the concept of the game and the hacking mechanics are extremely fun to use. The story is interesting and had me wanting more after each mission. The multiplayer modes are very fun, with my favourite being Online Hacking. The idea of being invaded is a unique one which I don't think any other game has done before, and I think that's a very cool feature.

    Unfortunately I do have to acknowledge the release day issues, while I had no problem downloading the game and running it in offline mode, for the first couple of days signing into uplay was patchy which meant multiplayer aspects of the game were unavailable. Now though all the issues have been ironed out and I'm enjoying the experience.

    There are plenty of things to do after you finish the campaign, as I type this I am still just 50% complete on the progression wheel so I've quite a bit more to do.

    Finally, although I have seen many complaints from users about the performance of the game I myself have not experienced any issues with performance on this game so I think this issue will differ from system to system.    … Expand
  74. hachkunhia
    May 31, 2014
    10
    The game is unique and really fun.
    Too bad many haters rate it low because some people think there was downgrade, even if there was it looks absolutely gorgeous.
  75. Chuz
    Jun 1, 2014
    9
    A great game, with good story line, good characters, and a lot of realism, where the enemies kill you with 4 or 5 shoots, Not another GTA or another Saint Row, where the only grace is to kill anyone in an easy way.

    A game where a truly champion kills his enemies with just a pair of cameras and being far enough to anyone notice his presence. They promise us a hacking game and if you try,    A great game, with good story line, good characters, and a lot of realism, where the enemies kill you with 4 or 5 shoots, Not another GTA or another Saint Row, where the only grace is to kill anyone in an easy way.

    A game where a truly champion kills his enemies with just a pair of cameras and being far enough to anyone notice his presence. They promise us a hacking game and if you try, you will manage to do everything just hacking.    … Expand
  76. ghost2512
    Jun 16, 2014
    9
    first off for those saying the visuals is a step down from E3 2012 it is true but can be made to achieve by using mods ..as for the game is pretty awesome .. one of the best new IPs out there . an interesting take on hacking . the only downside is the driving . it needs to be getting used to. other than that the story is good gameplay is fun.
  77. edencore
    May 28, 2014
    9
    It's realy great game with lot of interesting ideas. You shouldn't look for another GTA in Watch Dogs. It is completely different game with it's own style and philosophy.
  78. plotlesviolence
    Jun 8, 2014
    8
    OVERALL: Openworld Splinter-cell: 3rd-person stealth shooter with driving and remotely activating environmental cameras and explosives. Good value with all the side missions.
    PRESENTATION:8
    Graphics good, just not as good as Ubisoft's previous Assassin's Creed IV, or as advertised in E3 2013, not next-gen in any way, but certainly near the top of the previous-gen PS3/Xbox360-era. Enemies    OVERALL: Openworld Splinter-cell: 3rd-person stealth shooter with driving and remotely activating environmental cameras and explosives. Good value with all the side missions.
    PRESENTATION:8
    Graphics good, just not as good as Ubisoft's previous Assassin's Creed IV, or as advertised in E3 2013, not next-gen in any way, but certainly near the top of the previous-gen PS3/Xbox360-era. Enemies ragdoll, and most structures have real physics to drive through. The interface is very slick, with pop-ups and a cool fast white-wireframe transition when you hop from-camera to camera to keep you oriented.
    Aesthetically it's boring, browns and blacks: I'm unfamiliar with real Chicago, but I wasn't walking through a distinct city the way Rockstar's GTA series made me feel like visiting the actual cities those were based on.
    STORY: 6
    Story development is good if cliched. The protagonist is as boring as they come; when will game developers learn to stop making every hero an Everyman? Having zero character traits doesn't help me identify with him. I want to play as someone different from me, with unique quirks and flaws.
    But the biggest problem is that plot isn''t really about hacking the way it pretends to be. I expect videogames to immerse me in a new culture, like Tony Hawk and skateboarding culture, but the script here was written by authors who had never even spoken to a hacker but threw together some Hollywood stereotypes. So of course the female character is the Girl-With-the-Dragon-tattoo. They couldn't hire one single actual hacker as a consultant?
    Similarly, there are such wasted opportunities for philosophical discussions, i.e., the role of Anonymous as disorganized collective vigilantes "policing" the new field of cyberspace according to an evolving and non-codified set of ethics, copyright and the right to profit off your own work vs free expression, etc. etc. But the only plot threads the game cares about is the the dangers of overreliance on one centralized technology and Justice vs Revenge, both handled well, but again, if you're going to make a game about HACKING, I expect it to be ABOUT HACKING.
    Every character does has a little blurb about them you can read by highlighting them, which adds a bit to the fun of interacting with them, but it's not developed enough for you to do anything more than hack their bank account.
    GAMEPLAY:7
    I like that it is hard, especially at first. Without upgrades, you are very vulnerable, so stealth becomes a necessity during shootouts. There's no melee combat; you take down any enemy with one button press but this just reinforces the stealth aspects well, because you get shot to death unless you sneak up on a solitary enemy. You have no offensive capabilities while driving besides ramming the enemy and hacking nearby explosives, so you have to lead enemies on exciting chase. It makes you focus, whereas by comparison Saints Row is so easy it's a series of options for killing enemies rather than an actual "game."
    The much-hyped "hacking" ability is just a "use" key that lets you do different things: explode nearby objects, start distractions on an enemy, raise/lower cover or elevators, activate traffic lights (which causes all surrounding cars to unrealistically pile into the intersection, but it's random because of the car distribution), or switch your view to any camera in your line of sight (so you jump from camera to camera). This all works well and adds alot, and it's possible to clear around half of each group of enemies without ever entering the compound if you're clever. But later, when you realize that instant takedown opportunities flash to get your attention, car chases stop being as exciting.
    The "parkour" is functional but hardly as fun or developed as in Assassin's Creed.
    Driving is ok. I particularly like the reckless speed vs easy crashing of the motorcycles. But it's not great, certainly nowhere near the Playstation2-era-GTA series (which remain the best vehicle control in any videogame). And that's disappointing for a game where you drive this much.
    I like that the morality system is functional rather than arbitrary. Shooting feet/knees instead of torsos is a nonlethal takedown; so the distinction comes out of gameplay rather than just switching to a tranquilizer gun identical to your normal pistol. Because it added to the challenge, I also made a constant effort to avoid running over innocents during chases. It's a sign of good design that I did this even though there aren't any real consequences for mass-murderer.
    I do like the nonlinearity, even in the main missions. If police show and who that hurts depends on citizens randomly calling when they hear gunshots. You are almost never ordered to use a specific vehicle, or to kill an enemy a specific way, so everything feels organic.
    Bizarrely, the occasional hacking minigame is pathetic. I'm not saying they should and had you type in actual computer code with a keyboard, but what they came up with is sad.    … Expand
  79. Frag_Maniac
    Jun 7, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Unique and engaging story, with somewhat contrived and repetitious yet immersive gameplay. There are many objects to hack and many skills that are easily unlocked via playing vs grinding. At first glance the many items you can manipulate feel uninteresting and samey, but they do often offer great exploration, distractions, weapons and even vantage points with which to do battle. There are many missions which involve brutal combat for a game that at first seems largely stealth oriented. It scales well in brutality as you amass more weapons and progress through the game though. It also has a nice suppression system whereby the player is shaken and can't aim as well when being shot, which keeps you on your toes as far as cover and tactics. In this sense it never loses it's stealth feel even in tough battles.

    This is a game with LOTS of driving though, and it can be a pain or a pleasure depending what vehicle you're using, what mission you're on, and what system and spec you're playing on. There's lots of hacking puzzles that use 2 and 3 way intersection icons on a grid you must align to allow the source current to open up connections one by one. Some are timed, and some are just complex by design. The graphics are a mix of very good and mediocre depending on time of day, area of the map and of course system played on. In general night time and anything with sunrise or sunset looks very good. Optimization is hit and miss, with driving being the worst offender. They've acknowledged it and are working on a patch though.

    WD is often compared to GTA, but it doesn't really play like the typical GTA. Besides a huge difference in stories, the hack puzzles and hackable objects while driving, ctOS scans that search for you, and the protag being a vigilante avenging his niece vs a glorified gang banger, it makes for quite a difference in the feel and focus of the game. It also has more replay value, with many difficulty modes. It as well has many mini games, but I find many of them aren't nearly as real world as those in GTA. Instead of bowling, darts, bike riding, etc, you'll often be engaging in very retro arcade silliness, like shooting cartoon-like floating aliens, chasing after glowing cash icons, etc. Yeah they'll throw chess at you as well, but rather than an actual game it's a scenario where you simply have to take X number of pieces in so many moves, which isn't that hard really. Side events are many but could be thought out better. My fave side mission is the finding of several weapon crates, culminating in an epic mission to take on waves of enemies with some elite weapons. Solving DedSec's QR puzzles was also very good, but I found it's final mission a bit aggravating. The main campaign's final mission can also be annoying and even confusing.

    The biggest annoyance of this game though is the spotty vehicle handling, which is exacerbated by poor performance on PC while driving. For that reason alone I was going to rate it 7.5/10, but you can only rate in whole numbers here. They HAVE acknowledged the bad performance on PC though and are said to be working on a patch. Even WITH the spotty handling, if the patch significantly improves system performance while driving, I will bump my rating to 8.5/10, or 9 I guess since their rating system here isn't too detailed.    … Expand
  80. BrBa_DiAbLo
    Jun 13, 2014
    8
    Many gamers this game is very disappointing. Yes! And it is quite possible! Since the graphics in the game is great, but does not have a physics **** Here are my general assessment of this game:
    Graphics - 9.7/10
    Gameplay - 8.1/10
    Physics - 4.6/10
    Story - 8.6/10
    Music and Sound-9.1/10
    Control - 7.4/10
    Average rating - 8.0/10
  81. ryanshowseason2
    Jun 4, 2014
    8
    Some things could definitely be better. It is no 10, definitely not. But it has a solid storyline otherwise and themes mirroring headlines today from hacktivist groups to the fast and furious weapons scandal.

    Money becomes useless very quickly and I find myself only needing 2 kinds of vehicles. Motorcycles because the handling and speed is superior and whatever car is nearest because I    Some things could definitely be better. It is no 10, definitely not. But it has a solid storyline otherwise and themes mirroring headlines today from hacktivist groups to the fast and furious weapons scandal.

    Money becomes useless very quickly and I find myself only needing 2 kinds of vehicles. Motorcycles because the handling and speed is superior and whatever car is nearest because I need it now!

    Its a watered down GTA with hacking and an empathetic story instead of jerks being jerks.

    But you know what? I would play GTA with a good story!    … Expand
  82. Skippy224
    Jun 5, 2014
    9
    I'm pretty shocked to see the amount of negative user scores for this game. I think it bought a fresh perspective into open world activities and had a pretty rich story line too. Very pretty game too if you have the right hardware.
  83. V0ldek
    Jun 6, 2014
    10
    The game is just what I expected it to be. Is it bad? Hell no! It's the game of the year for me (at least for now, but I think it will hold this status). I don't care about graphics (water is amazing, though) and hacking everything is just too damn great. Story is awesome, I like the main character. Freedom is absolutely here, just like in Deus Ex: HR - you can sneak, hack, take outThe game is just what I expected it to be. Is it bad? Hell no! It's the game of the year for me (at least for now, but I think it will hold this status). I don't care about graphics (water is amazing, though) and hacking everything is just too damn great. Story is awesome, I like the main character. Freedom is absolutely here, just like in Deus Ex: HR - you can sneak, hack, take out hostiles quietly or go for the frontal assault. I don't want to convince anyone that this game is uber-awesome: I love it, I sold my soul to it, I go back to playing it right now. 10/10 would bang.… Expand
  84. Tubey
    Jun 4, 2014
    8
    It's a very, very good game, let's just get that out of the way first. Of course, reading metacritic, you wouldn't believe that to be the case, given that the score is currently lower than dross such as Orion Dino Horde...

    The reason for the lower meta score isn't because the game is bad in any way, it's more to do with the fact Ubisoft sold a lie with their incredibly over-optimised E3    It's a very, very good game, let's just get that out of the way first. Of course, reading metacritic, you wouldn't believe that to be the case, given that the score is currently lower than dross such as Orion Dino Horde...

    The reason for the lower meta score isn't because the game is bad in any way, it's more to do with the fact Ubisoft sold a lie with their incredibly over-optimised E3 video and thus expectations were through the roof. So, when those expectations are then not met, either graphically or in terms of gameplay, the Metacritic fume meter goes off the scale and you see the overreaction.

    Graphically, on the PC on ultra, the game is one of the best looking games ever made, but it isn't what E3 painted it as, not by a long shot. This is on a par with GTA5, with an Assassin's Creed sheen over the top of it. Gunplay is fine, as is driving, despite the OTT criticism of it because it's a different, slightly more arcadey style to GTA, but it's simply different, not worse.

    Hacking involves one button opportunist situations rather than anything detailed. However, it fits into the game, and when you're involved in cat and mouse chases and looking for terrain hacking opportunities the game comes to life. I'm not quite sure what people wanted here... Did you want to stop the game and put in code to hack the game? How would that work in a car chase?

    The city is well realised and gives a fair degree of things to do, such as city spots and side games. However, compared to the all-encompassing freedom of other open world games, Watch Dogs often feels a bit cramped. Immersion is lost when you don't see reflections in windows, or when you cause chaos and no police are called, yet when you rob a car they're on you like a rash.

    The plot is OK if not stellar. Characters are a bit hit and miss. Side quests provide a welcome distraction to the main missions, but don't have the diversity to really draw you in.

    It is a game where you wouldn't regret buying it if it had came out of the blue and was just released. However, after an age of hype and expectation, it falls short. I can highly recommend picking it up, but don't expect the next-gen game changer that many thought it would be.    … Expand
  85. FredWallace18
    Jun 9, 2014
    8
    This game contained an insane amount of negative hype, simply because people expected it to be the future of gaming and it turned out to be a GTA clone. I've never been able to get into GTA--it's takes place in a world that's too "real" for me. Watch_Dogs on the other hand offers a Sci-Fi adventure with fun (albeit implausible) hacking, Batman-style justice, and mini-games.

    There are    This game contained an insane amount of negative hype, simply because people expected it to be the future of gaming and it turned out to be a GTA clone. I've never been able to get into GTA--it's takes place in a world that's too "real" for me. Watch_Dogs on the other hand offers a Sci-Fi adventure with fun (albeit implausible) hacking, Batman-style justice, and mini-games.

    There are issues to be sure: the graphics could use some optimization (although they are by no means the horrible ugly mess some people are claiming; try playing games from 5 years ago you 12-year-olds!), the DRM is an issue, PC controls need tweaking, and the driving could use some work. Nothing to kill the game, though.    … Expand
  86. pekmatyi
    Jun 6, 2014
    8
    This game reminds me of the first Gothic. The car control and physics are far worse then in GTA, but still it only bothers you in the first one two ours, when you get used to it, you will forget who bad it was for the first time. I recommend this game only because the game play, because it gave me a new feel, in other ways it didn't give me anything new. Average game, interesting game playThis game reminds me of the first Gothic. The car control and physics are far worse then in GTA, but still it only bothers you in the first one two ours, when you get used to it, you will forget who bad it was for the first time. I recommend this game only because the game play, because it gave me a new feel, in other ways it didn't give me anything new. Average game, interesting game play that can be developed further.… Expand
  87. impu15e
    Jun 8, 2014
    8
    Watch_dogs is without a d doubt is not the game we saw at E3 it does not look as nice and it is missing a lot of the features you saw during the E3 game play trailers BUT i am not one to score a game on what it was supposed or what we were believed it to be and i think everyone should stop judging it that way. I am one to judge on what it is, and Watch dogs is a Great Game. I wasWatch_dogs is without a d doubt is not the game we saw at E3 it does not look as nice and it is missing a lot of the features you saw during the E3 game play trailers BUT i am not one to score a game on what it was supposed or what we were believed it to be and i think everyone should stop judging it that way. I am one to judge on what it is, and Watch dogs is a Great Game. I was originally disappointed by the dumed down graphics but when i actually look at what they looked like at E3 its not that far off, the only wig difference are the lack of Wind effects and the NPC face textures The Gun play is Fun, the Driving although it takes a long time to get used to is extremely fun once you do get the hang of it. People keep saying that Aiden is a uninteresting Main character and it was hard for them to sympathize or feel connected to his character but i personally did not have that trouble but that's just me. all the other characters were interesting and i really felt for them. The story is pretty good, not great but still pretty good, with interesting Villains. All this is coming from someone who has been Hyped since the First trailer and you don't see me giving it a 10/10 or a 0/10 for that matter i tryed to keep a cool head and take everything into account and give it what it really deserves.… Expand
  88. OliverGrau
    Jun 4, 2014
    10
    Before you read this review; mind that many of the negative reviews are based upon launch issues as well as individuals who are either mad that their PC can't handle the game or don't know how to update their drivers.

    This review will be solely based upon the game itself, not Uplay, not launch issues, not anything at all which is directly game related. But I would like to mention that    Before you read this review; mind that many of the negative reviews are based upon launch issues as well as individuals who are either mad that their PC can't handle the game or don't know how to update their drivers.

    This review will be solely based upon the game itself, not Uplay, not launch issues, not anything at all which is directly game related. But I would like to mention that the optimization is fine! People just need to update their drivers. I run the game at 1080p, high/ultra settings with a setup featuring a GTX 670 and an i5-3570, with an average FPS of 45.

    The game itself looks great! It might be one of the best looking sandbox games at the moment. The reflections of puddles and the water is spot on. Textures look great, I have not yet found spots which are muddy or undetailed. Shadows are not static as some people mention, enabling anti-aliasing will help upon it and cranking the shadow details up a little. Furthermore, it's just amazing seeing how objects are following the wind, the trees, trash, paper, leaves etc.

    The AI is not dumb, it's actually one of the most realistic and best responding AI I've tried in a long time. When stealing cars people call the police, if you draw your gun they run in fear and call the police, if you're spotted during someone doing a crime they stop it of fear. Shooting officers in the knee during a chase will take them out without killing them, why did it take so long for something so simple yet useful as this?

    Gameplay works great. There are many mini-games, many crimes and many other forms of smaller side-quests to do, which are great for the most part, yet they will become repetitive in the long run. The main story itself is long and entertaining, without spoiling anything I can tell it's different and a fresh breath in the gaming industry. The hacking is easily done by a click of a button and I like that. The difficulty of the hacking is to do it at the right moment, so you can either get past guards, escape the police or take someone out. The driving works, yet is nothing fantastic. When you start to drive the car accelerates at an unrealistic pace, it takes a while to get used to, but isn't game breaking.
    You can also see the game is made by Ubisoft, a little parkour borrowed from Assassins Creed is well executed and brings life into chases on foot.

    The game is worth it's price. I haven't met any issues yet and I recommend to anyone who enjoys sandbox games! Now go hack a dude who often buys online porn!    … Expand
  89. Invader-Nik
    Jun 18, 2014
    8
    Let me start off by saying this is NOT a bad game. It may be poorly optimized for PC, but it's still a great game. It may not bring anything new in modern Third person shooters, but it does a great job of making Chicago feel alive. Everyone has a name, and you can also learn their secrets too.

    Contrary to other people's reviews, I found this game very great, and I've been playing    Let me start off by saying this is NOT a bad game. It may be poorly optimized for PC, but it's still a great game. It may not bring anything new in modern Third person shooters, but it does a great job of making Chicago feel alive. Everyone has a name, and you can also learn their secrets too.

    Contrary to other people's reviews, I found this game very great, and I've been playing through it solidly since release. The shooting is nice, responsive and fantastic! Hacking your way around Chicago is great and it really does help out in those car chases and battles.
    Driving could do a bit of work, yet again I'm not a driving enthusiast when it comes to games, but yet for an open world game the driving could have been better. Too slippery. The story is really well done, and late into the game you begin to sort of feel an attachment to these characters, it's really great.

    This is not worthy of GOTY 2014, but it's still a good game to play, rent it if you want.    … Expand
  90. BogusBoo
    Jun 4, 2014
    8
    This game is unfairly rated because of overly high expectations (even though it was overhyped) and simply bad optimization. Here is a FAIR, unbiased review:

    - The Pros: + Great, Seamless movement/parkour system (worth at least 1 point out of 10) + Awesome Graphics + Good Story Missions (even if the story is more than a little shallow) + Gigantic, detailed city (from every    This game is unfairly rated because of overly high expectations (even though it was overhyped) and simply bad optimization. Here is a FAIR, unbiased review:

    -

    The Pros:
    + Great, Seamless movement/parkour system (worth at least 1 point out of 10)
    + Awesome Graphics
    + Good Story Missions (even if the story is more than a little shallow)
    + Gigantic, detailed city (from every warehouse to every park to every alley, the city is beautifully crafted)
    + Vigilante System - You build up a reputation, the worse it is (killing cops, hurting civillians) the more likely it is that citizens will report you to the police; same goes for vice versa
    + Great audio (especially for weapons)
    + Lots of minigames (Chess, Shell game, Drinking game - although it feels a bit as if its trying to live up to GTA V's standards)
    + Feel like batman without the cape (even sound like him)
    + Immersive environment - I love learning the backstory of almost every citizen that passes by
    + Side missions are alright, if a little rushed (such as the missing persons branch where you have to track down a serial killer, the ending is somewhat anti-climatic to be honest)
    + Stealth is great in this game (especially for gang hideouts) IF you try hard enough, if you're lazy and rush in without thinking you'll just spoil it for yourself
    + Realistic firefights, you take a lot of damage from bullets etc and the game actually feels challenging as opposed to other open world games
    + Great characters, but not paticularly Aiden (Jordi Chin and Bedbug are the best)
    + Innovative Multiplayer - Kind of like the matrix. A player blends into your game, you don't even know they're there then POOF! they're gone. Along with some of your money. And XP.

    The Grays:
    x Cover system - Not the best system ever, but certainly not game-breaking
    x Hacking is very useful at times but somewhat feels like a gimmick to be brutally honest and is not always viable in gunfights or car chases. Fun to play with though... for a while
    x Progression System - Had a lot more potential, but was let down by not enough unlockable perks in the hacking and combat tree
    x Hacking minigames - More potential, quite boring to be honest and only give you a tiny litlte kick when you get them right after hacking a billion cameras and unlocking hundreds of doors only to get a few minigames as a bonus for unlocking a ctOS station.

    The Cons:
    - The gunplay is barely above average and feels somewhat clunky
    - The story is uninspired - I was expecting a deep, rich story which roped me in, just to find that I was let-down with a hard to understand (at some points) and unevenly paced story branch
    - THE PERFORMANCE!!!!!!!!! I can run the game on Ultra with about 36-50 fps on average but there is TERRIBLE stuttering which usually comes when I'm skyping, the game hasn't been patched since day one, this is the REAL game breaker for me and so many others. Fix your damn game Ubisoft
    - UPlay. This uninspired piece of crap almost ruins the whole experience.

    Verdict: Without the performance issues and UPlay, this would get a 9/10 but I'm going to drop it down to 8/10. The game deserves a chance which most will not give it - hating on it simply "because". The game is great, go get it *IF YOU CAN RUN IT* or wait until the price drops/the game is patched.    … Expand
  91. nsonkusre
    Jun 12, 2014
    8
    negative ratings are because of uplay glitch and users hardware..
    i have gtx 660 n a i5.. it still hangs sometime but not always. and when it hangs it becomes very difficult to drive via keyboard.
    i didn't play gta5 but i can say that its graphics are way better than gta4 pc. side missions are fun not like saints row **** its an addictive game like vice city PS: it is one the best    negative ratings are because of uplay glitch and users hardware..
    i have gtx 660 n a i5.. it still hangs sometime but not always. and when it hangs it becomes very difficult to drive via keyboard.
    i didn't play gta5 but i can say that its graphics are way better than gta4 pc.
    side missions are fun not like saints row ****
    its an addictive game like vice city
    PS: it is one the best game that i have ever played.    … Expand
  92. BUDA20
    Jun 1, 2014
    10
    The game is awesome in many many ways, also has awful mistakes, like car driving mechanics, I hope Ubisoft take notes and fix the issues in the next game, I'm looking forward to play it.
  93. AndroTux
    Jun 3, 2014
    9
    Watch Dogs is a great game if we bear in mind that it's the first title in that category from Ubisoft. As a Nvidia-user there are almost no bugs except for the stuttering while driving around. Also, it's a bit complicated to climb up rocks. The storyline is intuitive, the missions are great and there are plenty of side missions. I also like the personality of all the NPCs running around.Watch Dogs is a great game if we bear in mind that it's the first title in that category from Ubisoft. As a Nvidia-user there are almost no bugs except for the stuttering while driving around. Also, it's a bit complicated to climb up rocks. The storyline is intuitive, the missions are great and there are plenty of side missions. I also like the personality of all the NPCs running around. Clearly, Ubisoft took a lot of effort to build a game like this. I'm looking forward to Watch_Dogs 2.… Expand
  94. royksteam123
    Jun 3, 2014
    10
    Great game, gets fun when u get your way around the hacking system and got some enjoyable puzzles, not too hard, but not too handhelding either. Online is alot of fun, you can do stuff like going into other players games as civilians trying to hack them for an amount of secons without them detecting and killing you. theres also stuff like racing ect. ai isnt bad, enemies are good atGreat game, gets fun when u get your way around the hacking system and got some enjoyable puzzles, not too hard, but not too handhelding either. Online is alot of fun, you can do stuff like going into other players games as civilians trying to hack them for an amount of secons without them detecting and killing you. theres also stuff like racing ect. ai isnt bad, enemies are good at hiding, sometimes i barely believe the red spots that shows where they are on my gps in game.

    The graphics are defidently the best i seen in a game like this so far, some people say its not that good but think of one other game like this that isnt a mod, that looks this good.

    it also runs well, didnt have one crash. What people are saying that they perform bad on amd gpus is mumbo jumbo , cos if you check on official benchmark, it does not say so, so its apperently something they are doing wrong.

    i think its at least an 8 out of 10, but i chosen to give it a 10 out of 10 cos of the idiot herd reviews here.    … Expand
  95. CloudyDaze
    Jun 1, 2014
    10
    Watch_Dogs is an amazing game and people should understand that if you are going to review a game, the client being used to run said game is irrelevant. A review on a game should be commenting on the game itself and it's gameplay as well as graphics rather than if Uplay is having problems or not. If your game is crashing, just lower the settings. I have a horrid computer and can still runWatch_Dogs is an amazing game and people should understand that if you are going to review a game, the client being used to run said game is irrelevant. A review on a game should be commenting on the game itself and it's gameplay as well as graphics rather than if Uplay is having problems or not. If your game is crashing, just lower the settings. I have a horrid computer and can still run this game perfectly at medium settings.

    In other words, ignore all the negative reviews saying that the game is bad because of client or crashing issues, as aside from those factors, the game is possibly one of the best games of 2014.

    Also, if the game crashes and says it dosent support your driver, go to the website of said driver and update it. It's what happened to me and that is how I fixed it.

    P.S Uplay does suck.....    … Expand
  96. herr_rosa88
    May 31, 2014
    8
    Watch dogs makes an amazing job in creating a living breathing open world city. It also has a decent amount of polish to it, even though a game of this magnitude won't have the same amount of polish as some closed world games such as Crysis 3.

    Pros: The incredible open world enviroment A lot of things to do e.g. mini games, hacking online activities and interesting story Graphics    Watch dogs makes an amazing job in creating a living breathing open world city. It also has a decent amount of polish to it, even though a game of this magnitude won't have the same amount of polish as some closed world games such as Crysis 3.

    Pros:
    The incredible open world enviroment
    A lot of things to do e.g. mini games, hacking online activities and interesting story
    Graphics and physics

    Cons:
    There draw distance is way to short.
    The driving mechanics of the cars are bad because the acceleration is way to fast and the steering is not responsive enough.
    The PC-version is not well optimized.    … Expand
  97. Acher4
    May 31, 2014
    9
    Watch dogs is a very good game! I liked the character and the world, and the hacking was actually fun doing. I have to say that my money were well spent :D.
  98. leet8845
    Jun 4, 2014
    9
    Stunning graphics. Amazing game. I think the driving is good and the damage is fine a. You wouldn't want the damage too realistic or you'd write the car off just from hitting a kerb. It runs fine on both my rigs however it will drop the framerate whilst driving.
    My desktop is an i7 @4GHz, 16GB RAM, 780Ti GTX. On Ultra settings with every possible extra maxed out, I'm getting about 50-70    Stunning graphics. Amazing game. I think the driving is good and the damage is fine a. You wouldn't want the damage too realistic or you'd write the car off just from hitting a kerb. It runs fine on both my rigs however it will drop the framerate whilst driving.
    My desktop is an i7 @4GHz, 16GB RAM, 780Ti GTX. On Ultra settings with every possible extra maxed out, I'm getting about 50-70 FPS. It varies, however when you drive fast it can drop to like 45 which creates quite a stutter. I used MSi afterburner (Rivatuner) to lock the framerate to 45 fPS and it plays completely smooth all the time with no stutter. 45 FPS is more than enough. The next gen consoles run it at 30 FPS.
    My laptop is a i7@3.80GHz, 880M GTX and it runs it on the same settings (apart from it didn't have the highest AA options). I fix the framerate to 33 FPS to stop any stuttering and it plays silky smooth even at 33 FPS.    … Expand
  99. imenso
    May 30, 2014
    9
    I do not understand why users are so angry with the game.
    It really is not a GTA but is not crap.
    I thought it was good and I'm running perfectly in settings optimized by Geforce Experience.
    Without graphics problems.
  100. jafettmisael
    May 31, 2014
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Eu sinceramente esperava mais gráficos e jogabilidade do jogo, o jogo nao vale o preço que se paga, na ultima E3 ele até valeria, afinal la estava com mais gráficos....mais no caso, gráfico nao é tudo, falta muito ainda pra esse jogo, falta mais fisica, melhorar a jogabilidade com o carro, mais o jogo em questão de cenario e natureza ele esta otimo, apesar de parecer um jogo em fase BETA ainda....… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
20
#20 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Sep 3, 2014
    79
    Ubisoft's flagship title has a really, really repulsive protagonist. The entire storyline feels like it was cranked out of a automated story generator. On the positive side, Watch Dogs looks really good on PC, especially after modding the graphics to match the visual splendor of the early E3 demos. [Aug 2014]
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Jun 29, 2014
    70
    There are some strong gameplay elements in Watch Dogs, but overall it's merely an adequate open world game. [July 2014, p.46]
  3. GameCritics
    Jun 23, 2014
    80
    Nothing could have realistically lived up to the immense level of hype that Ubisoft stirred up for this game, and while I value strong narratives and envelope-pushing technological advancements, I place just as much importance in the ability to enjoy the gameplay that's being offered to me. Watch Dogs is one of the more exciting sandbox games of the last few years, and if this is to become Ubisoft's next big franchise, I'm excited to see where they take it.
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