Watch Dogs

 PlayStation 4
Watch Dogs Image
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 80 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 3903 Ratings

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  • Summary: In the modern uber-connected world, Chicago maintains the nation's most advanced and integrated computer system – one which controls almost every facet of city technology and maintains critical information on all of the city's residents. Assume the role of Aiden Pearce, a notorious hackerIn the modern uber-connected world, Chicago maintains the nation's most advanced and integrated computer system – one which controls almost every facet of city technology and maintains critical information on all of the city's residents. Assume the role of Aiden Pearce, a notorious hacker and former thug, whose criminal history lead to a violent family tragedy. Now on the hunt for those people who have hurt your family, you will be able to monitor and hack all who surround you while manipulating the city's systems to stop traffic lights, download personal and private information, manipulate the electrical grid and more. Use the entire city of Chicago as your personal weapon and exact your signature brand of revenge.… Expand
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Watch Dogs - E3 2013 Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 80
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 80
  3. Negative: 0 out of 80
  1. USgamer
    May 27, 2014
    100
    Watch_Dogs combines an astonishingly detailed world, a gripping storyline, creative game mechanics, a myriad of missions and activities, and improvisational tactical sandbox gameplay to create a truly next-generation open world game. Phenomenal. No other word for it.
  2. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    May 27, 2014
    90
    It’s not often a new game franchise comes into the world so fully realized and without major shortcomings, which is why this is such an impressive achievement. Not only is it more polished, expansive, alive and fun to play than many predecessors in its genre, it’s also the best example yet of next-generation gameplay.
  3. GameTrailers
    May 27, 2014
    89
    Watch Dogs isn't inspiring or revolutionary, but it's a well-rounded approach to open world gameplay. Completing the story and merely sampling the various side activities can last over thirty hours, with plenty more left to do. The focus on hacking lends to more cerebral gameplay, and the multiplayer is solid.
  4. Polygon
    May 27, 2014
    80
    As an open-world game, Watch Dogs provides “enough” — enough sidequests, enough space, enough of a playground — to qualify, but it doesn’t quite place. Other games have nailed a better balance in optional activities and large-scale ambiance, including other games from Ubisoft Montreal itself. But when Watch Dogs focuses on the things it does better than anyone else, it finds an identity worth developing. As a hybrid open-world stealth-action game, it’s in a class by itself.
  5. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Jun 16, 2014
    80
    Watch Dogs comes close to earning Best in Show, but falters on some critical open-world elements. Bring on the sequel! [July 2014, p74]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. Eurogamer Portugal
    May 27, 2014
    80
    When I say that Watch Dogs does not meet expectations, I’m not only referring to the technological aspects - new concepts and ideas are the key parts. In this aspect, it’s definitely on the right path. it is important to mention that this is a game that most of the time is very good, but there is still potential to be explored in the future.
  7. Giant Bomb
    May 27, 2014
    60
    Even though I feel its story is often weak and its action isn't that different from other games in the genre, I still enjoyed my time with Watch Dogs. It turns out that the old stuff still works, and the strong-but-standard mission design kept me entertained, most of the time. It's rough around the edges, though, so if you don't settle for anything less than the best, you'll probably be disappointed...But hey, Watch Dogs 2? That'll probably be pretty cool.

See all 80 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 458 out of 899
  2. Mixed: 263 out of 899
  3. Negative: 178 out of 899
  1. C3realkillah
    May 27, 2014
    10
    I'n shocked at how there'd are so many haters for this game. IMO opinion this game is wayyy better than gta 5 and here is why. First off theI'n shocked at how there'd are so many haters for this game. IMO opinion this game is wayyy better than gta 5 and here is why. First off the city of Chicago feels way more real than anything rockstar has crafted. Don't get me wrong rockstar can craft some great live open world games but nothing comes close to matching watchdogs living breathing city. Random crimes happen, fights, and some nova will even call the cops on you. It just feels so real even in how the npcs interact with you and others. It's simply amazing. The animation and graphics are excellent even though there is a noticeable graphics downgrade. The shooting and hacking in the game is fun and opens up endless possibilities on how to complete missions, stop crimes, or evade the cops. There is just so much content in this game from the aforementioned random crimes to activities like chess, drinking games, races, and even my favorite activities...digital trips. There is so much more this game offers but explaining it would take a while and I'd rather get back to playing this amazing piece of work. It is well worth the money don't believe the hate. It ain't perfect but it sure as hell is close to it 9.5/10… Expand
  2. MIZVNTROP
    May 30, 2014
    10
    Watch Dogs is amazing game. I think it's realy better than GTA V. Nice campaign , great open world awesome side quets and many other thingsWatch Dogs is amazing game. I think it's realy better than GTA V. Nice campaign , great open world awesome side quets and many other things make this story about hacker realy good game.… Expand
  4. NWard98
    Sep 2, 2014
    9
    The game was great it just had a ending I didn't like, they lied about the graphics and the driving was a little funny but you will get usedThe game was great it just had a ending I didn't like, they lied about the graphics and the driving was a little funny but you will get used to it. Don't let all of the other reviews fool you it's a great game.… Expand
  5. Hi_Im_Game
    Jun 21, 2014
    8
    Just finished everything there is to do in this game. I found it to be enjoyable for the most part. The driving is below average but theJust finished everything there is to do in this game. I found it to be enjoyable for the most part. The driving is below average but the motorcycles make up for it. The game also feels empty at times even if you can profile people and random crimes occur throughout the game.

    Here are some good and bad things about the game:

    Good
    + Story is not bad, keeps you engaged
    + Lots of different varieties in terms of missions/collectibles
    + Digital Trips are awesome, best part of the game in my opinion
    + Hacking and tailing people online is fun to a certain extent
    + Variety of gadgets to use for different situations

    Bad
    - Driving can be frustrating, unrealistic
    - Game gets very repetitive
    - Online racing is unplayable
    - Online free roam is boring, nothing to do with your friends
    - Hacking is boring and repetitive

    All in all a good game but for all the hype that followed it, this game did not deliver. There is a large disconnect between the game and the user which makes the game feel fake (not sure how else to really explain it) which is not good for a game trying to have a realistic feel to it.    … Expand
  6. Masterhummel
    May 27, 2014
    6
    There's not that much to say about the graphic controversity. The game looks good, no doubt, but not nearly as good as in the E3 Trailers,There's not that much to say about the graphic controversity. The game looks good, no doubt, but not nearly as good as in the E3 Trailers, Launch Trailer or Steam Shop Page Screenshots. By all means, this form of false advertising has to stop. Also, getting hours less of playtime because i didnt bought the "Digitale Deluxe" Edition is just wrong and should not be supported.

    For the game itself, its your average GTA style game. The story is very odd and inconsistent. The one moment i beat someone up with a basbeall bat, then i'm visiting my nephew, then i'm suddenly Badass McBadBat again. The side Missions are extremly dull and usually consist of dozens of heavily armed dudes getting thrown at you. You have whole military-like mob convoys driving trough the city. Whoever runs the city is probably the worst police state in the history of gaming.

    The gameplay is uber-realistic. You have a three meter turn radius, every car handles like a formula one car that has tanked cerosine and the gunplay is quite odd. That said, there are good things in watchdogs and its fun to **** around with the city, but its not enough to keep me want to play it.

    In the end, Watch_Dogs is not a bad game. Its just extremely average.    … Expand
  7. KingSephir
    Jun 3, 2014
    5
    It's nice to see how polarized the critics are on that game. Either you like or you don't. I stand right in the middle, where after ~20 hoursIt's nice to see how polarized the critics are on that game. Either you like or you don't. I stand right in the middle, where after ~20 hours of gameplay, I'm not sure what to think of that game.
    I've never been a fan of Ubisoft, for their habit to milk the s*%t out of a franchise and force it down your throat (just like Activision is doing, however they got MP right!). Watch Dogs seems to be another attempt at pushing something down your throat, something you already experienced somewhere in other Ubi games and that they tried to hide (Ubi is found of their towers and unlocking them to reveal the map...)

    For a start, this is not a next gen game. Especially after playing Second Son or Kill Zone. This game doesn't look better than The Last of Us or GTA V but on par. TLOU and GTAV were on last gen console by the way. There is a tremendous let down compared to what they showed at E3 2 years ago.

    While the game might have been delayed because of GTA V, I don't see why it took so long to release something that looks unfinished: the free running missions, digital trips and NVZM missions look like they're patched over the game, for no reasons at all. While other side missions are part of the game and fall into the flow of the game, some others seem like a botched attempt at adding content.

    The game aslo suffers of the "Skyrim" syndrome, where you can just go everywhere and do what you want, without guidance and boundaries. Right out of the box, you get thrown in there with no real incentive to do the main quest. On top of that, side quests keeps poping in you HUD, like they're trying to convince you to do other stuff than the main quest. By the time I was at the 3rd mission of act one, I already had unlocked 7 guns, without shooting anything or anyone. You get rewards for side quests, that aren't relevant to the main quest, therefor overpowering you quickly.

    Ubisoft has the tendency to throw tips and help at your face when you start to play a game. However, instead of making short and concise, they give you a whole freakin paragraph, that you need to read, while getting shot at, hacked, hanged by the balls and raped... Just to learn how to run... Either show me how to play slowly, or give me quick tips, with concise sentences : "Press R2 to run", "Hold O to jump over obstacles", etc.

    There is one thing that I don't understand. While Ubisoft is know for milking their franchises, some of them got really good, like AC. Controls are spot on in AC. So I don't understand why they decided to remap the whole controller with new controls instead of using those from AC. They might claim that it's a new game and they don't want us to associate it with other games they made, but we know you Ubi, so why pretend when we know that most of Watch Dogs mechanics come from other games?

    The main story is fun, secondary characters are well written and interesting. Online is new and fresh, but often bring bugs into the game when you leave a MP match.

    Controls are clunky, driving is bad (like driving a Zamboni with a Turbo), side quests are irrelevant and badly implemented, HUD is overcrowded with info. Can't shoot while driving and hitting the car doesn't affect it much, though the AI is pretty dumb when you race a NPC.

    Watch Dogs is awfully standard at best. Far from next gen, this game isn't worth 69.99 CAD. Then again, when there is nothing to play on PS4 you might think about getting it. If I were to get the game again, I would wait for a price cut. This is not GOTY material: scale isn't everything... Ask Arkham Asylum ;)    … Expand
  8. TakeMyRupee
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Game stopped in the middle of the tutorial. "installing 41%". climbed to 45% after 10 minutes.
    "Do you want to quit? Progress will be lost". I    Game stopped in the middle of the tutorial. "installing 41%". climbed to 45% after 10 minutes.
    "Do you want to quit? Progress will be lost". I had very low expectations but this joke surprised me anyway.    … Expand

See all 899 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

37
#37 Best PS4 Game of 2014
4
#4 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2014
9
#9 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2014