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. rudiedirkx
    Aug 9, 2014
    2
    The 'hacking' is horrible, the health/hurt is horrible, the driving and cars are horrible. After a while, everything's the boring same. The AR mini games are fun, thank god for those, but only once or twice. The problem isn't just not living up to the enormous hype, it's just not a good game. The story is ridiculous and I can't help but HATE the very self absorbed, annoying main character.The 'hacking' is horrible, the health/hurt is horrible, the driving and cars are horrible. After a while, everything's the boring same. The AR mini games are fun, thank god for those, but only once or twice. The problem isn't just not living up to the enormous hype, it's just not a good game. The story is ridiculous and I can't help but HATE the very self absorbed, annoying main character. Zero replay value.… Expand
  2. 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
  3. Razark9
    Aug 5, 2014
    6
    This game is not all that bad, well, at least not for me. The game ran decent on my computer.

    Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 i7-3820 CPU 3.60GHz 16GB ram. It's not perfect either though. I felt that Aiden was a very cliched and boring character and the story was ¨ok¨. Gameplay was pretty good and I liked using the environment to my advantage, but it gets boring after a while. The online    This game is not all that bad, well, at least not for me. The game ran decent on my computer.

    Nvidia GeForce GTX 780
    i7-3820 CPU 3.60GHz
    16GB ram.

    It's not perfect either though. I felt that Aiden was a very cliched and boring character and the story was ¨ok¨. Gameplay was pretty good and I liked using the environment to my advantage, but it gets boring after a while. The online is hopeless. It takes forever to find a match and there's a few hackers. When you first find a match with 6 or more people without hackers it can be really fun. Back to singleplayer. A lot of people didn't like the side missions, but I adored them. :)    … Expand
  4. TGMode
    Aug 4, 2014
    8
    I've tried really hard to like this game. I like free roaming, I like driving about and shooting **** up, but I don't like this game. It is pretty rubbish. Not just the hype either. It's pretty ****e on it's own merit. GTA5 it isn't. I've tried and tried - 10+ hours but it's a dead horse and I'm through flogging. The only way I can get anything from this game is by uninstalling it andI've tried really hard to like this game. I like free roaming, I like driving about and shooting **** up, but I don't like this game. It is pretty rubbish. Not just the hype either. It's pretty ****e on it's own merit. GTA5 it isn't. I've tried and tried - 10+ hours but it's a dead horse and I'm through flogging. The only way I can get anything from this game is by uninstalling it and playing another.… Expand
  5. jssrfx
    Aug 2, 2014
    9
    First of all let me say that I cannnot for the life of me understand why people are flaming this game so much. Maybe the expectations were too high, or people are just expecting something that is not really their genre, but I honestly don't understand it.

    I also have no performance issues whatsoever, and I am playing on a QuadCore Q9400 @ 2.66 GHz, 8 GB RAM and a GeForce GTX 650 1 GB.    First of all let me say that I cannnot for the life of me understand why people are flaming this game so much. Maybe the expectations were too high, or people are just expecting something that is not really their genre, but I honestly don't understand it.

    I also have no performance issues whatsoever, and I am playing on a QuadCore Q9400 @ 2.66 GHz, 8 GB RAM and a GeForce GTX 650 1 GB. Sure, not at the highest resolution and on medium to low settings, but that still makes the game look better than GTA IV. Frame rate is consistent and ultimately that is all that matters. I guess I'm also from a generation that played games before terms like "anti aliasing", "shaders" and "HD" were even terms used, so my expectation might be different. Each and every single GTA game was a benchmark for its time, and I'm sure GTA V will be doing the same upon release for the PC. So why should Watch_Dogs be different?

    As far as the game is concerned, I find it absoutely addictive, similar to the GTA games. To me it feels like a combination out of GTA, Batman Arkham City, Assassin's Creed and Max Payne. You can argue about the cliches, but that is part of most computer games. I find it ridiculous that most reviews appear to be based on day one performance of a game. When has there ever been a game that was bug free on day one? How many games have required patching in the past and are now absolute classics with an excellent replay value?

    I expected a GTA style game from Watch_Dogs, with some added, different features and for once not a mob, or gang background. A game that is fun and lets you play the way you like, when you like, and that is precisely what I got. If they had made the "hacking" any more complicated, the game would not have been accessible to the "normal user", to someone who doesn't necessarily need an understanding of how networks, computers and mobile devices work together. It all works well, and I have probably a good 25 to 30 hours under my belt so far, without even so much as having completed ACT 1, let alone the DLC content that's available. If a game is that much fun, that I can spend hours playing it without actually doing any of the campaign missions, that means it's entertaining and a good game to me.

    I find the missions fun, the combat satisfying and interesting, the city feels alive and even the driving makes for a fun diversion. Sure, there could have been a bit more damage to the cars and I would have liked an option to repair and/or customize cars, but then maybe that would be overkill. I'm glad Ubisoft combined elements from their other games and to me personally it's definitely a nice addition to my game collection.

    I think people need to stop being so ridiculously whiny about releases, and the developer can't be blamed for not meeting people's expectations. I watched the demo videos of Watch_Dogs months ago and knew then I would love this game. So far there was nothing shown in the early gameplay videos, that the game does not allow you to do. Watch_Dogs delivers what it said it would, no more, but definitely not less. If you don't like the game, that's one thing, but it does not deserve the 0-5 score marks it has been getting. Definitely not.    … Expand
  6. Dralidan
    Aug 1, 2014
    2
    There's hardly anything good about this game. The AI is absolutely horrid, the hacking isn't even all that interesting, and nearly all of the missions are the same. It's kinda fun for about 2 hours, but then things get repetitive. The city isn't that interesting and doesn't look that good either. It's a good game to pick up if you manage to find it for $5 or less.
  7. felix79945
    Jul 31, 2014
    9
    Great Game, It's not quite GTA Level but For a first try Ubisoft have certainly succeeded in making a wonderful, fun and entertaining game. Sure the hacking is simple but if you were expecting a hacking simulator than your expectations were totally unrealistic. The menus can be annoying to navigate but are good enough to do simple things. Overall this game is a very nice 1st attempt at aGreat Game, It's not quite GTA Level but For a first try Ubisoft have certainly succeeded in making a wonderful, fun and entertaining game. Sure the hacking is simple but if you were expecting a hacking simulator than your expectations were totally unrealistic. The menus can be annoying to navigate but are good enough to do simple things. Overall this game is a very nice 1st attempt at a GTA style sandbox game… Expand
  8. Pushistick
    Jul 23, 2014
    0
    One of the most boring games i've ever played. Primitive and boring story, boring hacking, repetitive and uninteresting missions, boring characters. Very poor optimization. Very bad physics.
    If you want to have wasted $47 - buy it.
  9. Dareviewer12
    Jul 22, 2014
    4
    this game is dumb and not next gen AT ALL
    -it is completely downgraded form GTA 4
    -worst physics ever
    -stupid reputation system
    -no encrypted data mode on 360/PS3
    -hacks get boring
    - missions are so repetitive
    - and graphics have been downgraded from the e3 2012
    EVEN GTA SA IS BETTER THAN THIS. DONT BUY IT
  10. Sinuage
    Jul 22, 2014
    0
    Game could be decent, no where near 2014 AAA standards. Pretty far from it actually. Ubi will burn for this one, such a bad PC port when PC was supposed to be the lead platform. Many users on high end rigs are still waiting for optimization patch from UBI. As other reviews have said some people are dumb and don't know how to use their computers. However that user is on a 660 and there areGame could be decent, no where near 2014 AAA standards. Pretty far from it actually. Ubi will burn for this one, such a bad PC port when PC was supposed to be the lead platform. Many users on high end rigs are still waiting for optimization patch from UBI. As other reviews have said some people are dumb and don't know how to use their computers. However that user is on a 660 and there are no issues with that card. Easy to say it is user issue when your card isn't one that has issues. Cards in the 700 series and especially the 780 ti and titan are having issues.

    Such a fail game.    … Expand
  11. Shpongle
    Jul 22, 2014
    0
    Abysmal performance for a game that looks nothing like what we were shown two YEARS ago. The game play is original and intriguing however it's impossible to enjoy it when the game stutters like Jimmy Vulmer. The driving mechanics are even worse than GTA IV and the "Ultra Quality" reflections are still the same pre-rendered crap but with a higher resolution texture. Even with a GTX 780 ti IAbysmal performance for a game that looks nothing like what we were shown two YEARS ago. The game play is original and intriguing however it's impossible to enjoy it when the game stutters like Jimmy Vulmer. The driving mechanics are even worse than GTA IV and the "Ultra Quality" reflections are still the same pre-rendered crap but with a higher resolution texture. Even with a GTX 780 ti I get stutters that range anywhere from .1 seconds to a ridiculous 3 seconds along with textures that flicker through walls. The stuttering occurs even more frequently when driving fast which only adds on to the horrible driving mechanics. I've tried downclocking everything and I've tried the latest WHQL and Beta drivers to no avail. Two months after release and they still haven't fixed the stuttering. What a joke, Ubisoft. Too bad we're the butt of that joke. If you haven't bought the game yet, don't. Even for $5 this game isn't worth it with all of it's atrocious performance issues.… Expand
  12. E71
    Jul 22, 2014
    1
    Very poorly optimized for PC:

    - It doesn't allow binding of certain keys (backspace, enter, pgup, pgdn, etc) so if you're an old-school gamer using arrow keys, you may need to resort to clumsy solutions like AHK (allows you to rebind but it won't change in-game on-screen prompts). - Runs poorly even on high-end systems with the most annoying stuttering (sinuous frame rate). Tested    Very poorly optimized for PC:

    - It doesn't allow binding of certain keys (backspace, enter, pgup, pgdn, etc) so if you're an old-school gamer using arrow keys, you may need to resort to clumsy solutions like AHK (allows you to rebind but it won't change in-game on-screen prompts).

    - Runs poorly even on high-end systems with the most annoying stuttering (sinuous frame rate). Tested both "High" and "Ultra" @ 1080p on a Core i7-3770K with 32GB DDR3 memory, R9 290 4GB GPU, HW RAIDED SSDs, felt like my computer was seriously outdated.

    - Uninnovative control scheme... One too many individual binds. For example, the cover system is a frustratingly awkward mess -- press one key to take cover, another to exit?! Why not a single key for both, like Mass Effect 3's cover system? This is only made worse by the inability to bind other keys in that area of the keyboard...

    - Forced (negative) mouse acceleration... when you're trying to "fine aim" the crosshairs at your target, it feels like you're moving your mouse in thick mud. The GamerProfile.xml "fix" doesn't really help that.

    - Can't adjust/change mouse wheel up/down ("next weapon"/"previous weapon"). I use the mouse wheel too but I need it inverted.

    At least it never crashed on me, for which I give it 1 point out of 10.

    All in all, games are supposed to be fun but I experienced frustration for much of the play through so...

    TRY HARDER UBISOFT!!    … Expand
  13. Kittensausage
    Jul 20, 2014
    2
    This game is the reason nobody should trust the hype. The game could have been so much more, but it turned out to be simply awful. Here's why :

    The game looks like a AAA game from two or three years ago. Some people often compare it to another GTA-like with a neat but underdeveloped gimmick that also happens to have "dogs" in its name... And that also happens to look better. However,    This game is the reason nobody should trust the hype. The game could have been so much more, but it turned out to be simply awful. Here's why :

    The game looks like a AAA game from two or three years ago. Some people often compare it to another GTA-like with a neat but underdeveloped gimmick that also happens to have "dogs" in its name... And that also happens to look better. However, the optimization was left to two starving interns to do and the game suffers from every optimization problem you could imagine : a whole lot of input lag, a huge memory leak on most configs, lots of stutter, terrible FPS even at the lowest settings, no DX9 support...

    The game itself is an average GTA-like built around a gimmick that is very limited in use. Whereas the game could have been an open-world Hitman with lots and lots of ways to get around an enemy or kill them directly using your environment as a weapon, most of the hacking is either mandatory or unnecessary (because a run and gun approach is just much simpler). You can't use a combination of hacks to kill an enemy (say, reversing the escalators time and time again to make him panic before he decides to take the elevator that you then proceed to drop a few hundred feet). It just ends up feeling like an other way of killing civilians when you get bored looking at the amazing trench coats physics.

    It's overall a very shallow game with a badly integrated gimmick that is just gonna end being a dumb franchise that will slowly die off.    … Expand
  14. deweee
    Jul 20, 2014
    4
    While first impression of the game makes it look like a rip-off of GTA IV, side missions an arcade games makes it a little bit fun. But that fun ends when game becomes unbelievably repetitive. Also story is not fun after couple missions, hacking is absurdly easy. AI is not fun to play with. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS GAME.
  15. uforoboso
    Jul 19, 2014
    1
    Ok, I am giving a 1. The game itself is rubbish. Except 2 things: 1) the graphics. The city is awesome, it is a pleasure to randomly wander around and discover all the nice places. it's much better than GTA V for this aspect, and I even did not have tech issues to run it at ultra even on a poor 660M GPU. 2) a few of the missions (and side activities) are actually good, the ones where youOk, I am giving a 1. The game itself is rubbish. Except 2 things: 1) the graphics. The city is awesome, it is a pleasure to randomly wander around and discover all the nice places. it's much better than GTA V for this aspect, and I even did not have tech issues to run it at ultra even on a poor 660M GPU. 2) a few of the missions (and side activities) are actually good, the ones where you have to use strategy, hacks and stealth to get to the objective. All the rest.. is just a pain in the a**, and you can't skip it. So.. I think you should actually play this, but only when it's 80% discounted on Steam, as there is so much good stuff in life than this game (even other games, for instance).… Expand
  16. TheAlgerian
    Jul 18, 2014
    4
    I really have a hard time understanding how anyone could think this game is anywhere near good.
    I gave it a try twice, one or two months appart. One after intensively playing "Volgarr The Viking", a magnificient old school arcade game, and one after beating "Max Payne 3" several times.
    Watch dogs looked already pretty bad the first time, but after "Max Payne 3", wow. If the driving    I really have a hard time understanding how anyone could think this game is anywhere near good.
    I gave it a try twice, one or two months appart. One after intensively playing "Volgarr The Viking", a magnificient old school arcade game, and one after beating "Max Payne 3" several times.
    Watch dogs looked already pretty bad the first time, but after "Max Payne 3", wow.
    If the driving looks horrendous by itself, the gunplay is really put to shame by this game. And it really didn't even need MP3 for that.

    Ubisoft should stop with the lazyness and the re-branding of their Assassin's Creed games.
    They should, will they though? No. Why would they? They still manage somehow to trick a lot of people into thinking their game is good and still manage to make money out of it.    … Expand
  17. OHIC
    Jul 17, 2014
    8
    You'll have heard a lot of negativity about this game. Personally, I expected little but was very pleasantly surprised. I strongly advise you to avoid guns as much as possible to get the best out of the gameplay. If a bad story upsets you, by all means avoid this game because the story and characters are not good. If, however, you're happy as long as you feel engaged by the immediateYou'll have heard a lot of negativity about this game. Personally, I expected little but was very pleasantly surprised. I strongly advise you to avoid guns as much as possible to get the best out of the gameplay. If a bad story upsets you, by all means avoid this game because the story and characters are not good. If, however, you're happy as long as you feel engaged by the immediate situation of the mission you're playing at that moment, you'll be fine. Frankly, I find it a bit strange to knock WD on story as if games are a medium that excel in telling stories - after 40 years, there's still a long way to go - and given the number of games with AI that simply hides behind walls and plays Whack-A-Mole, the AI is a lot better than it's been given credit for by some. The AI will flank, it'll try and bring you out of cover with grenades, and that's a lot more than can be said for many open world games.… Expand
  18. triplex01
    Jul 17, 2014
    0
    1) The most over hyped game ever? Yes, it is! 2) Next Gen graphics? No, it is not here. 3) Realistic physics? LOL, physics is the same as in Sleeping Dogs. 4) Interesting story? No, the story is very boring and full of clichés. 5) This game is good polished? No, it's not. Bugs and glitches everywhere! 6) Interesting missions? No, they are not. There are just boring and1) The most over hyped game ever? Yes, it is! 2) Next Gen graphics? No, it is not here. 3) Realistic physics? LOL, physics is the same as in Sleeping Dogs. 4) Interesting story? No, the story is very boring and full of clichés. 5) This game is good polished? No, it's not. Bugs and glitches everywhere! 6) Interesting missions? No, they are not. There are just boring and repetitive. 7) This game is well optimized for the PC? No, damn it! It is a console port! Bad console port! This is one of the most poorly optimized games!
    Conclusion: 0/10
    Ubisoft fu*ked us. Again.    … Expand
  19. JacksonHugo
    Jul 17, 2014
    6
    The game is good for the first chapter, but starting from chapter 2 onward i feel the games attractiveness has degradated greatly, lack creativity in mission. However the graphic is ok
  20. chazmire
    Jul 15, 2014
    3
    I got a quest to stop a villain. I was told I would get extra credit for not killing him. I thought to myself "This is an advanced game, surely it has some kind of advanced body targeting." I shot him in the calf...he kept running completely unhindered...I shot him in the calf again...he fell over dead. I stopped playing the game. Just one example of unrealisticness that ruins games forI got a quest to stop a villain. I was told I would get extra credit for not killing him. I thought to myself "This is an advanced game, surely it has some kind of advanced body targeting." I shot him in the calf...he kept running completely unhindered...I shot him in the calf again...he fell over dead. I stopped playing the game. Just one example of unrealisticness that ruins games for me. Add to this all the other bugs and lameness and you get a pretty lame game....but I guess hacking was kinda cool for the first 4 minutes.… Expand
  21. mwak
    Jul 15, 2014
    4
    This is not a very bad game. It's just like if the developers tried to make something and then switched to make something else. There are plenty of things to do but nothing feels like it's completed. For example the cars physics are terrible but the crs acceleration feelings are great. The background story seems deep but the campaign scenario and the characters are so B-movie like ... InThis is not a very bad game. It's just like if the developers tried to make something and then switched to make something else. There are plenty of things to do but nothing feels like it's completed. For example the cars physics are terrible but the crs acceleration feelings are great. The background story seems deep but the campaign scenario and the characters are so B-movie like ... In fact nothing intends you to stay in the game, it's not serious, it's not funny, it's repetitive. Passed the 3 first hours of fun and discovery you will be bored.
    The most impressive is the city, it's big, but yet you don't fell atracted to play in it. The game felt a little like "infamous" for me but really more boring.
    There are some good ideas (the prison for example) but yet ... it's only some minutes of fun in hours of game ...
    Moreover if you want to play an ethical hacker forget about it, you will take gun and shoot people ... ho and the police doesn't care, so ...
    This game is a good concept, had a very impressive commercial team and finally is disappointing.
    Buy it when it will be around 20/30$ else is too much expensive.    … Expand
  22. TheBlastPassage
    Jul 14, 2014
    3
    At first seemed like an amazing concept, but was disappointing and poorly executed. I really looked forward to this game but it failed to deliver.

    The NPCs aren't that great
    The vehicle physics feel very clunky and off
    The game feels quite boring and fails to grip the player
  23. ogower
    Jul 13, 2014
    4
    This game looks pretty good but that is about where the positives end for me. I wanted to like this but after playing the Saints Row and GTA games I found this lacking. The cut scenes are long and dull, the back story daft and out of context with a lot of things the character does and the missions and core game concepts are poorly explained, poorly executed and ultimately just pureThis game looks pretty good but that is about where the positives end for me. I wanted to like this but after playing the Saints Row and GTA games I found this lacking. The cut scenes are long and dull, the back story daft and out of context with a lot of things the character does and the missions and core game concepts are poorly explained, poorly executed and ultimately just pure frustrating. Nothing is fun, not driving, shooting, stealth, any part. I find myself playing this because it looks amazing before quitting in annoyance. As a last point, U-Play...why? Just go with Steam and make it so much easier.… Expand
  24. FredPL
    Jul 13, 2014
    7
    The game isn't so bad as every one says. It just isn't what they told us it would be. Still it's a good game, only good. The campaign is short and not worth remembering. But you will still have a lot of fun from hacking, running from police, shooting and hacking other players.
  25. domadordepollos
    Jul 13, 2014
    3
    THIS LOOKS AMAZING! in the trailer ;)
    Graphics are sincerely dreadful, unfinished edges, unpolished textures... lacking detail.
    Its true that you can hack, but its not worth for the 60 bucks you spend on it.
  26. chrispDUCK
    Jul 13, 2014
    6
    Graphically fantastic once modded, overall story okay but game gets rapidly repetitive and unsatisfying. Earn lots of money but not much to spend it on - outfits all look largely the same, weapons can't be upgraded and much of the time spend with grenade launcher and silenced handgun. Devs could learn a lot from games like Skyrim that have more configurable gameplay.
  27. captainkane
    Jul 12, 2014
    7
    Watch Dogs is competing in a genre created by Rockstar’s GTA series. So how does it hold up? Underneath the hood, Watch Dogs is a hybrid of Deus Ex Human Revolution, Sleeping Dogs, and Far Cry 3. Well, I find it more enjoyable than Ubisoft's Far Cry 3 and the combat mechanics superior to Sleeping Dogs.

    For the most part, I'm like the game. Fictional Chicago feels real. The visuals and    Watch Dogs is competing in a genre created by Rockstar’s GTA series. So how does it hold up? Underneath the hood, Watch Dogs is a hybrid of Deus Ex Human Revolution, Sleeping Dogs, and Far Cry 3. Well, I find it more enjoyable than Ubisoft's Far Cry 3 and the combat mechanics superior to Sleeping Dogs.

    For the most part, I'm like the game. Fictional Chicago feels real. The visuals and lighting are impressive. Although graphic quality is a sticking point with gamers lately, most are over zealous. Watch Dogs maintains high graphic fidelity while simultaneously pushing cool visual effects. When Aiden's profiler app is active, information is constantly streaming in about people and environments. Viewing Chicago thru a hacked camera takes mere seconds as the whole world is shifted to different perspectives. Even fast traveling is speedy. These seamless transitions are handled in true Ubisoft fashion. That's a good thing. Despite the huge world, it only takes up 22gb of space. THANK YOU UBISOFT!! I'm tired of 50gb+ games that offer less and look worse.

    Hacking is easy, unlike the cumbersome minigames in Dues Ex HR. In combat, hacking can be combined with stealth to provide tactical advantages. Players can craft items that will distract opponents or knock out the power grid. Hacking bridges and stoplights while driving allows speedy getaways. So one touch hacking makes sense and keeps the pacing brisk. Or players can use lethals and blow up everything in sight. And focus mode slows down time long enough for players to pick off a few baddies. The cover system is perfect for stealth, and focus mode is a treat for those who like to place headshots. However, driving is clunky and cars handle horribly. Unfortunately, players are forced to complete dozens of frustrating chases.

    There are side missions, but they don't feel quite as repetitive as Far Cry 3. There are different online game modes such as racing, and players can invade other people's games. Fortunately, the invasion mode can be turned off for those who only want to focus on the missions.

    Unfortunately, the game is not PC optimized. There is micro stuttering, fps drops, and sound hiccups. Thankfully, ATI’s latest beta driver address those. Now, I generally only experience problems if textures are set to Ultra. For now, I'm forced to leave textures at High. Occasionally, the game force quits and frames still stutter. Without ATI's effort, Watch Dogs would be unplayable. The game is extremely RAM hungry. My system RAM will peak at 5gb but my GPU's VRAM won't go past 70% load. That's a console port legacy and explains the issue with Ultra textures.

    Although gameplay is fun, there are frustrations. I can't tell Aiden which car door to exit. I've automatically exited the side of a car taking all the gun fire. Stupid. I wanted to exit the passenger door and use my car as cover while placing a few shots. Nope. And I agree with critics that hacking is superficial. It seems most beneficial while evading pursuers. However, I really think Ubisoft is trying to force players to use multiple play styles. If all enemies could be hacked, the game would be too easy. If hacking was complicated, then it becomes Deus Ex. The dilemma for Ubisoft was establishing the right balance. It wants players to engage in combat. So hacking is only advantageous for gaining intel, thinning out enemies, or escaping.
    Aiden's carries every gun, lethal, and hacking device he touches. Also, his phone (the primary hacking device) has an infinite power supply. Even if the battery drains, recharges quickly. Need grenades? Just craft those on the go. Get the point? It’s way too easy. The missions can be challenging depending on the approach players take. But there is always the temptation to take the easy route: Blow everything up and shoot survivors. There is one huge annoyance. If Aiden dies during a mission, his car disappears. So players can be stuck with a POS clunker for one of the dozens of chases unless they restart the mission.

    The story is OK. It doesn’t have the depth of Sleeping Dogs, but it’s more enjoyable than FC 3. The ceaseless propaganda is annoying . Even if car radios are disabled, advertising and "news" will still play conveying the same message over and over: Is technology evil? Are we giving up privacy for convenience? I'm tired of hearing that every 2 minutes. The lack of subtlety is irritating after the 10th time it plays. Dues Ex did a much better job conveying a similar message.

    Watch Dogs is a great effort by Ubisoft into GTA's world. In fact, I say it’s a must own. Despite the gimmicky hacking, the game is fun. I'm disappointed by the buggy PC launch. The PC gaming market is much larger than big publishers acknowledge, just look at Steam's success. ATI did what it could, but Ubisoft needs to push more patches now. The game deserves an 8 out of 10, but poor optimization and poor driving mechanics are impossible to overlook.    … Expand
  28. BoltarCavanaugh
    Jul 12, 2014
    0
    The story and the characters are made on a OK-quality level, the graphics are OK too, the gameplay is working, so are the mechanics. Its a bit like GTA, but in a hippster-dress. There are some annoying bugs and the physics are just..funny.
  29. BoTheMastaOfAll
    Jul 12, 2014
    7
    Could have been great but has AAAisms. Final encounter is a slomo QTE, Aiden is hypocritical, and I never got to see the goth girls boobs.

    Seriously though, some elements are **** stupid. Yes the AI is pretty damn good. Some mechanics like hiding in your car are awesome, but most times the game is just damn inconsistent. How is it that enemies who don't know who I am are able to get    Could have been great but has AAAisms. Final encounter is a slomo QTE, Aiden is hypocritical, and I never got to see the goth girls boobs.

    Seriously though, some elements are **** stupid. Yes the AI is pretty damn good. Some mechanics like hiding in your car are awesome, but most times the game is just damn inconsistent.

    How is it that enemies who don't know who I am are able to get alerted because they see me? This is in public, in broad daylight, and unless Aiden is wearing some invisible sign that only enemies can see that says "Shoot me I'm the main character", he looks just like every other joe walking around.
    Nikki is broken out in a stealth sequence that you direct her in, kinda like in Blops 2 with the SR71 scene. Just shooting enemies would have been more fun.

    Legend of Zelda-style zoom ins. Seriously I think every time a new enemy walked into the fray it required its own 10 second clip of me watching them enter. Hell there was one time in a campaign mission when the last remaining bad guy outside a warehouse was supposed to drive off, initiating a chase sequence. The game required me to watch him drive ~100 yards from the warehouse to the street before I could control Aiden again.

    The game yelling at me to stay within the mission zone, with timers if I leave it. Seriously wtf.

    Gears of War slow walk. Remember how in GoW Marcus has to walk super slow to talk on the phone. This game does that... a lot.

    Zoom in on vehicle kills. If you take down a vehicle using your hacks, it zooms in on that vehicle in slo-mo, which since their often behind you, causes an inordinate amount of car crashes/civilian deaths when the camera returns to your perspective.

    Story from a high level is awesome, but the details make no sense. Literally everyone in the city knows you're the vigilante before your sister does. Hell during one mission where you need to prevent some dudes from telling on your identity (even though they only saw your face and don't know your name) I had a lady on the street say "Hey you're Aiden Pearce, the vigilante". Wtf.

    Also, despite the fact that the FREAKING RADIO says Aiden's the vigilante but has the support of the people, when your nemesis posts that to public tv, everybody goes bat **** crazy and tries to call the cops on Aiden.

    Side note, somebody deserves a medal for Lucky Quinn's character design. He's perfect.    … Expand
  30. Onimor
    Jul 12, 2014
    7
    Watch Dogs. An attempt to innovate without being all that innovative.

    I am a fan of Ubisoft, I love the Assassins Creed games. Watch Dogs was misleading from the get go. It lured players into a fall sense of what type of game this was going to be. It turns out this game was restricted by the very thing that apparently made it fresh Hacking - while being able to hack into things is a    Watch Dogs. An attempt to innovate without being all that innovative.

    I am a fan of Ubisoft, I love the Assassins Creed games.

    Watch Dogs was misleading from the get go. It lured players into a fall sense of what type of game this was going to be. It turns out this game was restricted by the very thing that apparently made it fresh Hacking - while being able to hack into things is a cool concept, other than pressing a button at the right time, it in no way felt like a hack from a players 'gaming' perspective. (The game attempts to deal with this by giving what I think are supposed to be puzzles to break into networks, but are to easy to be granted that title.)

    Hacking then directs the story. The story is what really lets this game down. A single Uncle putting his sister and her kid in danger, whilst in the process of trying to avenge the death of the other kid . It''s the dumbest story for a video game I have ever seen. To the point I stopped caring about why I was killing people and breaking into places.

    What's worst is the games only difficulty is avoiding the police. That's it. And this doesn't matter what setting you are on. You use hacks to get away from them. This can be very difficult later in the game and may ruin the enjoyment for some.

    I feel if the development team during the making process consulted players and asked for feedback during; they could have or would have made a very decent game.

    Instead. If Sleeping Dogs was about Kung Fu to rip off Grand Theft Auto, then you have to think Watch Dogs was about Hacking to do the same. You cannot try and innovate by coping another working model and editing it. People will see right through this.

    I think that's what is going on with all these mixed reviews. The "bugs" and low scores are just peoples way of venting frustration. I didn't have any bugs during the process of playing this game. The overtly high scores are I think other peoples way of combating the stupid low scores people are giving. This game is a solid 7.

    Buy this game once its reduced in price. It was and is not worth the full RRP. Play it for the gaming experience that it is. It is not a horrible game and does not deserve the score of 4.6 by users.

    Ubisoft should learn from this failure. Invest in better programmers, artists, story writers. They need to connect more with the people they make games for. Otherwise they risk repeating the same mistakes with future titles. Failure is hard on anyone, Especially a large company, but you come from a position of strength by admitting you didn't get it right.    … 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

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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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