Watch Dogs

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 3903 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,988 out of 3903
  2. Mixed: 1,104 out of 3903
  3. Negative: 811 out of 3903
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  1. billruller
    Dec 4, 2014
    7
    Honestly, I think that people are overheating this game way too much. Sure, the graphics don't look as next generation as it was in E3. Even for PS4, this is very unacceptable. But aside from that, the game isn't as awful as many people proclaim it to be. It's not the best game ever made, but I had a lot of fun with it. The gameplay was nice, with the ability to hack on technical objectsHonestly, I think that people are overheating this game way too much. Sure, the graphics don't look as next generation as it was in E3. Even for PS4, this is very unacceptable. But aside from that, the game isn't as awful as many people proclaim it to be. It's not the best game ever made, but I had a lot of fun with it. The gameplay was nice, with the ability to hack on technical objects is pretty friggin' awesome. The creativity to the androids is awesome especially when you play as them. I also love that you can blackout the entire city, that is awesome! The story was kinda flat, but not terrible, it's as lacking as Assassin's Creed. I like the sound track. I like the gameplay, it makes me want to keep playing for the side missions, hack missions, and even the storyline. Overall, I really like this game. I don't think it's great, but I definitely don't think it's awful. I'm seeing here that most people are giving it 0/10 all because of the graphics…that's it. Everything else other than the graphics are average.… Expand
  2. rickyrb
    May 29, 2014
    7
    A wonderful new creation of ubisoft, they keep amaze me about how emotional and amazing the stories are being put forward, the game mechanics are working perfectly, the game is flawless (server overloads, but thats common stuff these days), and the whole scenario of Chicago is just mind blowing.
    This is a good start for a new franchise with allot of potential.
    Every game got its    A wonderful new creation of ubisoft, they keep amaze me about how emotional and amazing the stories are being put forward, the game mechanics are working perfectly, the game is flawless (server overloads, but thats common stuff these days), and the whole scenario of Chicago is just mind blowing.
    This is a good start for a new franchise with allot of potential.

    Every game got its moments of problems, regarding overloaded servers, bugs, if you know how many codes a A.I like in watchdogs need to get to be working, and how many variables being compute, you would be crazy to expect it to be flawless!

    10/10 - amazing details, great story, amazing active and alive open world, very smooth, and amazing and fun multiplayer.    … Expand
  3. drlowdon
    Jun 25, 2018
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Watchdogs focuses on Aiden Pearce, a hacker that can access many of the cities electronic systems (such as traffic lights and bridges) and use them to his advantage as he attempts to track down the people responsible for the death of his young niece.

    The game is based around an interesting central concept and features solid shooting, stealth and driving mechanics. The majority of the campaign missions are pretty entertaining, often offering the player some flexibility in how to complete them, and taking out or escaping enemies using the variety of electronic devices found in the environment is always great fun (although can I ask for no more missions that involve slowly following someone!).

    The bewildering array of side missions on offer are also mostly just mundane mini-games and item collection and, while the hacking tech adds a nice puzzle element to proceedings, accessing towers to unlock points of interest on the map is hardly original anymore. There are a couple of more interesting ideas, such as tracking down a serial killer, but even these amount to little more than going from point to point on the map.

    In the end the biggest frustration is that Ubisoft have just played things a little too safe with their insistence on sticking to the over used structure first seen in Assassins Creed about a decade ago. Had the developers been willing to take a bit more of a risk Watchdogs could have been something really special instead it has to just settle for being a good, if slightly too long, game that most people will only play through once.    … Expand
  4. HitmanStryker
    May 27, 2014
    7
    This action game is an ambitious project. I have read a bit of reviews on it and some of it is spot on while others are complaining mostly about the graphics. I will break this down into three sections, the first will be the graphics, the second will be the game play mechanics and the final is on the game itself.

    GRAPHICS; Billed as a next-gen title, I believe that the graphics are a    This action game is an ambitious project. I have read a bit of reviews on it and some of it is spot on while others are complaining mostly about the graphics. I will break this down into three sections, the first will be the graphics, the second will be the game play mechanics and the final is on the game itself.

    GRAPHICS; Billed as a next-gen title, I believe that the graphics are a bit of a letdown, the pale in comparison to InFamous Second Son and the latest installment of Killzone Shadow Fall where the graphics were crisp and clear. The graphics on this game are comparison to GTA V. They are good for the PS3 and XB360. but are not mind blowing for XB ONE and PS4. The graphics suffer in the PS4/XBONE, especially in the day time sections where the although they look good, I found them to look just as good as a last-gen game. In some daytime section the characters look stiff and the textures are not as clear as one would expect. The shadows were muddy and the people had no expression. Now the surprising part is that on nighttime missions, the graphics shine through as if it were being played on higher setting. In my opinion the PS4 outshine all the other consoles except for PC's on the higher settings. Even on the PS4 it is a bit of a letdown. (Five out of Ten Stars).

    GAME-PLAY MECHANICS; The games has excellent game-play mechanics. The cover system is responsive, the shooting is stellar and the controls are tight, especially when driving. The only problem I had with the game play is the tiny hacking instructions which I had a hard time reading. I have a 54 inch set and found it a bit hard to read. Another problem is that once you're spotted, (as in stealth play) you must react fast or else the auto restart system kicks in and you start where you left off. The menus are good and the game can even show you yours waypoint if you en able it, this makes things much easier, since its a huge game. (Eight out of Ten Stars)

    GAME; This game is huge, it is an ambitious project with a lot of missions, side stories, online components and other side games that will make this game a high replay value. It will take you a good twenty hours just to complete the main campaign, which does not include collectibles, trophies, audio files, music, side games ranging from slots to a racing zombie type game. If you thrown in the online component and you'll instantly add hundreds of hours in an living breathing city that changes constantly. Other than some repetitive dialogue abd you can enjoy this games for months to come. (Nine out of Ten Stars).    … Expand
  5. 53bload53
    May 29, 2014
    7
    I can understand people are hating on this game because of the E3 2012 and the trailer which caused a little too much hype for it but it's not a bad/horrible/unplayable game either. I've played for a while now and yes, it's not the greatest game I've ever played but in terms of fun for me it's pretty enjoyable, I don't understand people saying it's controls are awful because I find themI can understand people are hating on this game because of the E3 2012 and the trailer which caused a little too much hype for it but it's not a bad/horrible/unplayable game either. I've played for a while now and yes, it's not the greatest game I've ever played but in terms of fun for me it's pretty enjoyable, I don't understand people saying it's controls are awful because I find them pretty easy to control and the A.I is not bad at all. All in all I will give this game a 7/10 because Its original idea of hacking and action that you can do, besides, citizens profiles are hilarious LOL… Expand
  6. KSP2011
    May 28, 2014
    7
    So much potential in this game, but some aspects felt unfinished. Driving for one, which to me felt clumsy and broken. The free roaming aspect also got boring very quickly. Having said that, the missions were varied and a lot of fun. Plus the on-foot segments worked very well. The hacking also put an original feel on a very tired "GTA Clone" genre. Here's hoping they fix the driving andSo much potential in this game, but some aspects felt unfinished. Driving for one, which to me felt clumsy and broken. The free roaming aspect also got boring very quickly. Having said that, the missions were varied and a lot of fun. Plus the on-foot segments worked very well. The hacking also put an original feel on a very tired "GTA Clone" genre. Here's hoping they fix the driving and add some extras if there will be a Watch Dogs 2… Expand
  7. RoccosRant
    Jun 2, 2014
    7
    Fun game, obviously the hype hurt it a bit but still a very entertaining game. The driving needs a little tweaked but all the other aspects of the game will keep you coming back for more.
  8. VaaderDj19
    May 31, 2014
    7
    First things First, I do think Watch Dogs is a good game but it certainly isn't a great game. The E3 reveal of the Game set the bar way too high and unfortunately this product just comes up short. It reminds me of the First Assassins Creed Game, which was a rough diamond that was ultimately polished into the true gem that its sequels were.

    To put it bluntly, the game just doesn't    First things First, I do think Watch Dogs is a good game but it certainly isn't a great game. The E3 reveal of the Game set the bar way too high and unfortunately this product just comes up short. It reminds me of the First Assassins Creed Game, which was a rough diamond that was ultimately polished into the true gem that its sequels were.

    To put it bluntly, the game just doesn't connect. The storyline is all muddled up and all the way through Act I, I just don't get why i should care about the plot. There is no world morality, Aiden's actions don't seem to have an impact on the world at large and with the personal plot so shaky, I began to lose interest pretty quickly.

    The Gun Play is passable, but I don't think that the game is meant to be played as a shooter since you can be overwhelmed and shot to pieces very easily. Stealth on the other hand is a bit overpowered, accept in the auto-fail levels. Basically Stealth is the best way to get to an objective and is pretty easy to execute unless the Game forces you to be stealthy..I can stealthily hack and kill all enemies to reach a target or just hack cameras to reach the objective without a problem. But moving around a Hi-tech Prison, am going to have to replay sections multiple times.

    The Driving is pathetic, every car feels like it is being driven on ice and your reputation gets adversely affected by each Civilian you accidentally mow down..

    On the flip side the Spider Tank Digital Trip is a brilliant game in itself, and you can spend hours stalking and hacking various NPC's..However, again what is the point of it all..You really cannot impact their lives unless it is the generic crime prevention missions or steal their money. It would have been cool if they added a little consequence to all the hacking and privacy intrusion. You hack a low income guy's bank account and then he pops up as a potential criminal in a crime prevention mission. Or maybe you could hack into a poor old lady's account, who needs Money for Cancer treatment, and plant some of your ill gotten gains to help her out. Ubisoft has taken a giant step towards making a city feel real but the lack of consequence and the lack of an ability to impact the lives of these people makes the city feel more artificial than a GTA or Read Dead. The Far Cry 3 Island felt more alive and vibrant than the dreary Chicago in Watch Dogs. It seems to be going for the Sleeping Dogs style and basically doesn't match up in the story department.

    Let me become a crime lord or Philanthropist. Give me something to do with all the money I steal. A better story, more character depth, more consequence and more interactivity will lead to a far better game when and not if the sequel arrives. Till then us gamers will continue to wait for the first truly great AAA game of this generation.    … Expand
  9. Reviz
    May 27, 2014
    7
    The game isn't as bad as people may think. It brings some original gameplay elements as well as decent graphics and interesting storyline with well-written characters. Is it worth 60$? I'd say yes if you enjoy stealth gameplay and don't mind GTA-style big city
  10. cylentstorm
    Jun 5, 2014
    7
    Forget the silliness of the "hacking" or the sometimes stiff character acting and animation. Ignore the dated visuals that look like a barely dressed-up 360 game. This is a game about living in a surveillance state--you know, just like in real life--whether you want to acknowledge that or not. As such, I can forgive the cliches and goofs, because this is something that needs to beForget the silliness of the "hacking" or the sometimes stiff character acting and animation. Ignore the dated visuals that look like a barely dressed-up 360 game. This is a game about living in a surveillance state--you know, just like in real life--whether you want to acknowledge that or not. As such, I can forgive the cliches and goofs, because this is something that needs to be addressed, and I applaud the devs for it.

    Now, taken purely as just another open-world action/driving game, it is mediocre, at best. The gunplay is fun, but flawed--as are the driving mechanics. Online multiplayer is present, but 90% of it is either hopelessly broken/bugged, or entirely forgettable. It does make one wonder how bad the game was when they decided to push it back...perhaps they should have taken a bit longer.

    Okay--my final word: Worth playing--just don't expect too much from it. Play it for fun, but consider its theme--your smartphone is NOT your friend.    … Expand
  11. sityoazzdown
    Nov 16, 2014
    7
    Ok game, but definitely not worthy of all the hype it got pre-release. Pros: I liked the level design of most of the missions a lot, the hacking definitely is unique and fun to some extent, especially when you need to stop pursuers during car chases. Technically there is a lot to do in the game (including a decent multiplayer), but not much really arouses me personally to stick around forOk game, but definitely not worthy of all the hype it got pre-release. Pros: I liked the level design of most of the missions a lot, the hacking definitely is unique and fun to some extent, especially when you need to stop pursuers during car chases. Technically there is a lot to do in the game (including a decent multiplayer), but not much really arouses me personally to stick around for long. Now the cons: A horribly bland and boring/lifeless city with not much to see; sometimes I feel like this game would've been better off being a linear game as opposed to an open world game, as driving from point A to point B was such a chore to me. The side missions never really excited me, I just really stuck to the drinking mini game and crime prevention side quests and not much more. The driving was comically bad, especially the collisons to surroundings/ other cars; felt like the road was butter and I could crash into the back and somehow take no damage and end up sliding to the side of the car I just crashed into. The characters in the game were pretty bland too, I had no emotion playing through the game, just played it to finish it basically. Bottomline is lower your expectations of this game, it's no where near gta or even sleeping dogs standards. If you like this game, you'll be happy to know there is a lot of things to keep you occupied for a while. But the hacking aspect alone probably saved this game for me.… Expand
  12. carlingtat
    Jun 28, 2015
    7
    If it wasnt for all the hype that Ubisoft put into this game as well as the graphics downgrade, I think more people would like this game and what it can offer. Its a good action game with innovative puzzle type elements to it.

    Escaping the police can be both amusing and fustrating as they seem to be able to spot you even when way out of sight but the manipulation of the city's    If it wasnt for all the hype that Ubisoft put into this game as well as the graphics downgrade, I think more people would like this game and what it can offer. Its a good action game with innovative puzzle type elements to it.

    Escaping the police can be both amusing and fustrating as they seem to be able to spot you even when way out of sight but the manipulation of the city's electronics are fun and creative ways to sabotage the police cars. The car physics and handling are very meh and the storyline is ok but not very fresh and the missions a bit repetitive. Overall I think if they makes some good changes to the sequel I will probably play it just no monster hype or graphics downgrade please.    … Expand
  13. Elli27
    Oct 3, 2018
    7
    Good game, if you did not expect it to be the GTA killer, I am impressed with what the devs have done with the game I wish there is a bit of real hacking where you type in commands and such don't really like the puzzle hacking part of the game
  14. Jack97
    May 5, 2016
    7
    Nowhere near as bad as some say (I say that a lot when it comes to some films and games). OK to get it out of the way the biggest negative for me is the driving mechanics. The driving feels way to fast and unrealistic. And the story although serviceable is not really memorable. But the rest of the game I found enjoyable. Especially in the parts that require you to be stealthy and remainNowhere near as bad as some say (I say that a lot when it comes to some films and games). OK to get it out of the way the biggest negative for me is the driving mechanics. The driving feels way to fast and unrealistic. And the story although serviceable is not really memorable. But the rest of the game I found enjoyable. Especially in the parts that require you to be stealthy and remain undetected. Plus the hacking mechanics where solid and challenging at times. Driving around and hacking into traffic lights and mobile phones you feel like the whole city is under your control. Watch Dogs is a mostly enjoyable open world game in my opinion and I'll look forward to any sequel that comes out.… Expand
  15. FrostyReviews
    May 31, 2014
    7
    When I first saw the trailers, the gameplay, and all of the interviews titled for Watch Dogs, I found myself yearning for this game every day up until the release date. When the company announced it would be holding off the release of the game, I was content with the news, and here's why:

    The news of its delay affected people a lot more than it did me, because I knew a delay meant more    When I first saw the trailers, the gameplay, and all of the interviews titled for Watch Dogs, I found myself yearning for this game every day up until the release date. When the company announced it would be holding off the release of the game, I was content with the news, and here's why:

    The news of its delay affected people a lot more than it did me, because I knew a delay meant more work, which 99.9% of the time leads to a better gameplay experience. The gaming community covered most of what was a highly anticipated game all up until its official release on May 27th. I, myself, bought the game the day it was released. Truthfully, I honestly played it for the rest of the night. However, during the time I played it, I noticed some very clear flaws in what was supposed to be promised. Ubisoft promised a game of an open world, highly detailed, realistic future-view of Chicago while bringing you a new, long awaited physics engine with a fresh image of what will be the future of Ubisoft video games featured on the next-gen consoles. In my opinion, they did not deliver all that they promised. Part of me believes it was the hype that made the company rush the game to its release, regardless of a delay. Here are some of the problems I experienced while playing the game:

    I was glitched under the map or out of the map around three or four times, I found myself stuck in a tight space that I guess Ubisoft assumed players would not find themselves in. This is an easy fix, but it's an annoyance most definitely.

    Police do not chase you when you are swimming and there are no police boats, they simply stand at the edge of the water and fire at you while a police helicopter circles the vicinity you are in.

    Emergency vehicle lights do not remain on if you turn them on and get out of the vehicle.

    You can not fist-fight anyone in the game, regardless of who they are.

    Citizens die in one shot, no matter where you shoot them.

    Hollow buildings that you can not enter have blank textured windows on them that only reflect light. (see next point for light issues)

    The sunlight can be seen reflecting on the blank textured windows (see previous point) during daylight. Even when the sun is hidden behind the mountains, the windows show the sun high in the sky. The lighting is not as dynamic as I expected.

    It is nearly impossible to get hit by a car, and absolutely impossible to get hit by a train. In regards to the train, no matter how far away you are from it, it will instantly stop if you step out in front of it. This seems to add a futuristic safety feature of the city, but was a useless feature in my opinion. If players want to get hit by trains, let them get hit by trains.

    The ragdoll and world prop physics are terrible. When I was playing, I drove my car into a streetlight and the entire structure of the light-post broke into several pieces. In regards to the ragdoll physics, this is mainly directed towards when you are on a train and you shoot a passenger. The passenger simply falls back in their seat and stays in that position for the remainder of the time you are there.

    Cars disappear after so many feet, as seen in many other games.

    You can not fly any aircraft.

    Driving doesn't feel real.

    Excessive and repetitive radio alerts and breaking news alerts from the city. Occasionally when you are out in the streets/on the sidewalk, a breaking news alert will appear on your screen, and it will speak of the main character, Aiden Pearce. The news refers to Aiden as a "vigilante," and citizens tend to say things such as: "I think that's the guy they are (or "were") talking about on the news!" They will then proceed to call the police.

    The city takes on average 5-10 minutes to drive through.

    Hacking is useless unless you are using things for cover, police chases, or taking an enemy down. Shocking an electric gate is one way of taking an enemy down. Players have also stated that missions are easier and quicker without hacking.

    Cliche voice acting and characters.

    Previous-gen consoles do not experience bullet effects on water.

    Bugs have been reported that Uplay passes are not activating, but Ubisoft is working on this issue.

    Bugs have been reported that mainly on the PS4, the loading screen reaches nearly 90% progress and freezes.

    Those are the problems with the game.

    I wanted to make sure I touched up on the main issues of the game, but there are good aspects to it such as the graphics on the next-gen are pretty good. The world around you is also extraordinary, and the campaign was well developed. Don't let the scare of the issues keep your from getting the game. If Ubisoft has enough intelligence, they will update the game and try to satisfy players.

    The multiplayer is great from what I've heard. It's a fun open world with friends.

    I believe I'm scoring the game fairly based off of its release. With that being said, I'm giving the game a 7/10.

    To make some light of it, enjoy your experience in the city of Chicago    … Expand
  16. Alsvha
    Jun 1, 2014
    7
    Well - have mixed feelings about this one.

    The main gameplay is rather simplistic and uniform. Run or drive around doing and mostly pressing Q to hack something, and occasionally shoot at something. But it is strangely intriguing to escape the police by stopping a train, jumping in and drive on. Also there's some stealth gameplay when taking out gangs and racing gameplay when driving    Well - have mixed feelings about this one.

    The main gameplay is rather simplistic and uniform. Run or drive around doing and mostly pressing Q to hack something, and occasionally shoot at something.
    But it is strangely intriguing to escape the police by stopping a train, jumping in and drive on.
    Also there's some stealth gameplay when taking out gangs and racing gameplay when driving challenges (although car handling is waaaay out the window and actually quick frustrating as your over civilians for penalty).
    There's gameplay where you stop crime where it can be difficult to avoid detection (eagle eye NPCs) and then take down the culprit at the right time. So there's a good deal to do - but as said - most of the time it's rather uniform and ultimately simplistic.
    It's also completely overpowered that you can almost instant hack from surveillance camera to camera and blow up bad guys that way - but I guess it would be difficult to make a proper stealth game when the theme is hacking.
    Money in the game comes from just randomly hacking civilians back accounts and then going to an ATM - again - rather simplistic.
    The story I've not advanced much but it is also a minor thing compared to the sandbox game.

    I did get some sort of hacking mini-game when hacking a cTOS tower, but there wasn't much game in the mini-game as it was just pressing some nodes to allow a data flow.

    I did try an on-line portion and this might be where the game shines a bit more. There are a number of missions where you either hack or prevent hacking from real life player enemies and some driving contests (which given the handling of the cars could be quite chaotic). Unfortunately I suck in this game and failed my first on-line mission terrible - so newbies might get run over by experienced players and that would kill the on-line part for newcomers and detract a lot from their experience - but I think the online part could be an addictive and different experience compared to so many other games. Especially if they expand a bit on the missions and make a few more non-combat missions.

    All in all - the game is decent enough in smaller doses (I don't see myself playing 4 hours in a row) and does have a lot of qualities. But it is let down by simplicity which makes me wonder what they've actually spend all the time on.

    The city is beautifully created - but as always with all these games. There's not much to do as most building are closed to you. A lot of civilians are rendered giving a nice populated feel to the city, but these moving objects are little other than ways to get cash.

    For a game with the hacking theme I feel this game misses it mark and it could have been much more fleshed out instead of just pressing Q to hack traffic lights, Q to hack trains, Q to hack signs, Q to hack for money, Q to .... well, you get my drift. It could just as well be any theme game.

    But all in all - it still is strangely fun, but it just falls short. It's definitely not a 9 or 10 game but neither is it a 0 or 1 game.
    7/10 from me so far.    … Expand
  17. Kunrya
    Jun 30, 2014
    7
    If you forget about all the hype and expectations and just focus on the game itself, it's pretty good. Is it going to go down as one of the greatest games ever? Not a chance. But, it's a good-looking game that provides hours of consistent fun with enough variations in the missions to keep you going. The main story is good and the secondary characters are intriguing enough. Unfortunately,If you forget about all the hype and expectations and just focus on the game itself, it's pretty good. Is it going to go down as one of the greatest games ever? Not a chance. But, it's a good-looking game that provides hours of consistent fun with enough variations in the missions to keep you going. The main story is good and the secondary characters are intriguing enough. Unfortunately, Aiden's persona is probably the weakest thing in the entire game. Bottom line though: It's worth playing.… Expand
  18. tonylionedo
    Sep 13, 2014
    7
    OK after 20 hours of gameplay i have to take back my initial review and rescore it 7 point, this game is truly exciting and entertaining in the first 5 hours, the main mission and side mission are both interesting, hacking and shooting and driving is so fun, but after that,I start to find this game dull and repetitive, I feel like playing a demo again and again, especially the sideOK after 20 hours of gameplay i have to take back my initial review and rescore it 7 point, this game is truly exciting and entertaining in the first 5 hours, the main mission and side mission are both interesting, hacking and shooting and driving is so fun, but after that,I start to find this game dull and repetitive, I feel like playing a demo again and again, especially the side mission.the story is weird and meaningless, character design is insane, and i find myself dont care about it all the while, the great shining spot is digital trip, but it's too damn short. and hacking feels more and more like button press game, it's a totally gimmick, after all, this is a game content entertain and fun, but never expect it to be a great innovation, but its worth play if you like open world and shooting game… Expand
  19. sems1193
    Jan 29, 2015
    7
    Watch_Dogs at first glance gives off a vibe of originality. No, that isn’t sarcasm, in case your first thought was “but, GTA…”. In this case I’m referring to the gameplay. The hacking element is something I had never seen in a game. While simple, it works in such a way that it’s fun and engaging. It’s enjoyable seeing the environment react to your interactions, aiding you in the action. IWatch_Dogs at first glance gives off a vibe of originality. No, that isn’t sarcasm, in case your first thought was “but, GTA…”. In this case I’m referring to the gameplay. The hacking element is something I had never seen in a game. While simple, it works in such a way that it’s fun and engaging. It’s enjoyable seeing the environment react to your interactions, aiding you in the action. I can say Watch_Dogs is fun, however the story-line is nothing to be amazed by. Expect a cliché, “I’ve been there before” kind of story. This story is not going to surprise you. The characters are interesting enough, Aiden doesn’t really crack a lot of jokes, but his character can still be taken seriously. His presence is authoritative; he isn’t an underdog, he knows what he’s doing and he’s a pro at it. The story is enjoyable and well crafted, but in contrast to the gameplay it’s nothing new—just decent.

    Then there’s the driving. There’s not much to say about the driving other than it’s all right. There’s an undeniable awkward sensation to it, but after a while you should be able to get used to it. It’s not bad, just different. I did not like the fact that you can’t own a car at any given time, nor are there any customization options. You can only steal or “order” cars through a phone app, but they’re not for you to keep.

    The setting and environment in Watch_Dogs is impressive. Ubisoft created a beautiful representation of Chicago. While not as colorful and vivid as Los Santos in GTA5, Chicago gives a more photorealistic and darker tone than the latter. The whole game is a lot darker, at that. Do not be discouraged by the “graphic downgrade” — On the PS4, the game looks beautiful. Cutscenes are superb. The city looks amazing close and at a distance. The NPCs are varied and feel alive in the city instead of robotic entities and that gives a lot of credibility to the environment. I will say that there isn’t as much detail like the way it is in GTA5 as far as the open-world goes, but what is there is polished and good looking. There are a few things here and there such as the reflections in the windows and awkward world interactions, but it isn’t enough to break the experience. Chicago looks beautiful.

    There’s also multiplayer in Watch_Dogs, and it’s thankfully a deviation from the traditional. There are modes where you can stalk or hack other players. These tend to be passive but they’re incredibly tense and fun. There are also online races and deathmatches, for those who prefer the traditional.

    Watch_Dogs is a fun experience, but the story will not fulfill everybody. It’s one of those “either you like it or not, there’s not really an inbetween” cases. But even if you’re not a fan of the story the game packs a hell of a lot of side content (I was at around 50% completion when I finished the story, and I had done plenty of side content by then) to engage in. Side content goes from fixer contracts (car delivery missions, cop evasions, among others), clearing enemy hideouts, etc., to collectibles and mini-games. Thankfully they feel relevant to the game instead of wastes of time, *cough* AC3.

    Let us hope we see a gigantic improvement, sort of like we saw from AC1 to AC2, in the sequel.    … Expand
  20. fabiolfpinto
    Sep 6, 2014
    7
    It is a fun open world experience, but it lacks a lot of things. The world of Chicago is very believable, its very real, the driving is not good, not good at all, its very difficult to drive for 1 minute without crashing on something. The voice acting is average, only Chin is good, Aiden's voice is so boring and so bad, it pains me to hear it.
    The game is good looking, but even The Last    It is a fun open world experience, but it lacks a lot of things. The world of Chicago is very believable, its very real, the driving is not good, not good at all, its very difficult to drive for 1 minute without crashing on something. The voice acting is average, only Chin is good, Aiden's voice is so boring and so bad, it pains me to hear it.
    The game is good looking, but even The Last Of Us on PS3 looks better than this on the PS4, the gameplay its very fun, the gun mechanics are vey good, but if you try to make things a little more quiet, you get spotted easily. The hacking is very good an easy to do, the interaction with other people from the city is bad, they can call the police on you when you haven't fired a single bullet, its ridiculous, the story is kind of average too, which leads to an average game, this is not the E3 demo, its worse, very worse. 7.5/10    … Expand
  21. Sionnach
    Jun 23, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. NOTE: This review is for the Campaign game only, will focus almost entirely on the story itself and WILL contain major spoilers.

    Watch Dogs seemed to hold a lot of promise in terms of a new style of gameplay. I knew almost nothing about it going in, but the hook of hacking as your weapon rather than straight combat was pretty intriguing, and the scores I saw up on Metacritic seemed promising, so I decided to give it a shot.

    It starts off well enough, with protagonist Aiden standing before the man who killed his niece and the narrative making a clear statement regarding the path you're meant to go down. Unfortunately, this premise is quickly forgotten. The vast array of weapons, from silenced pistols and sniper rifles to pump action grenade launchers and IEDs tend to take precedence over hacking, and even if you have the perseverance to stick with your phone to beat the bad guys as often as possible, that isn't what Ubisoft wants, and they give you very little reason to play this game the way I expected I would have to.

    There's a mission maybe 3/4 of the way through where you *SPOILER* have to rescue Aiden's nephew after he wanders off to try and track down his kidnapped mother and is himself abducted. In order to progress, it's necessary to take down every enemy on the field, but even if you stealth them all and choose to go the K.O route rather than killing them, the story doesn't care. When you find the boy, no matter how you chose to play, he's just witnessed you committing mass murder. *SPOILER ENDS* You are The Punisher with a smartphone, whether you choose to be or not. I was really looking forward to a smarter game, where stealth and cunning took the front seat, but apparently Ubisoft thought nobody would go for that. I would have. I thought that was what I'd bought.

    Despite railroading the player as a bloodthirsty thug just so Aiden's mournful narration can try to make you feel bad about it later, the story is actually quite good. Chicago under the ctOS is a very relevant cautionary tale in our tech-driven world, and Aiden's quest for answers and the resultant fallout makes for a great journey, but I would have liked it a lot more if how I chose to play had some effect on that story. And sometimes, you don't get a choice. This grated on me more than any other time during the end-credit sequence, when *SPOILER* you have to deal with Maurice, who your sociopath colleague Jordi has been helpfully holding hostage for you since the beginning of the game. I get that they were trying to give Aiden a clear journey, and that in their mind it's only in the end that he can choose to rise above the violence of his recent past, but I'd been rising above whenever possible all the way through, and the game didn't care. Only now can you suddenly decide to spare or execute sad little Maurice, when up until this point you were a murderer even when you weren't. *SPOILER ENDS*

    Hopefully when the inevitable sequel arrives, Aidan's character evolution will have come far enough to keep the promise this game failed to uphold.    … Expand
  22. dazza
    Jun 4, 2014
    7
    When I first heard of watch dogs, I thought it was going to be another GTA5. Another really hyped up game with a boring storyline and retarded characters. But I was wrong. At first, watch dogs seemed very enjoyable. Even though I was bad at it at first, I improved in the long run. The missions I found quite repetitive. You go into some restricted area, kill bad guys, and something happens.When I first heard of watch dogs, I thought it was going to be another GTA5. Another really hyped up game with a boring storyline and retarded characters. But I was wrong. At first, watch dogs seemed very enjoyable. Even though I was bad at it at first, I improved in the long run. The missions I found quite repetitive. You go into some restricted area, kill bad guys, and something happens. And the character development is **** I didn't feel any emotion when Clara died, or when Aiden's family had to move away from Chicago. Other than that, the game is perfect.

    Now, one thing that REALLY pisses me off is the final mission. THEY **** BOTCHED THE FINAL MISSION! You just go around to three cliché hacking things and stand near them while hacking them. The twist is, you have the entire police force on your ass and if you shoot them, it ruins your reputation. So you have to stand near a stupid hacking thing while being chased by a seemingly infinite amount of helicopters and cars. This mission is retarded, and I am yet to complete it.    … Expand
  23. angelooliveira
    May 27, 2014
    7
    Watch Dogs are a really nice game. Ok, looks like AC, of course, but in a new world. The problem is a big hype we were.

    The best part to me was the idea of hacking stuffs and when you are been chased, there aren't the whole NYC behind you in a minute. It's a little more real and actually fun. The worst is not everything you can interact. I thought you could go in every grocery store    Watch Dogs are a really nice game. Ok, looks like AC, of course, but in a new world. The problem is a big hype we were.

    The best part to me was the idea of hacking stuffs and when you are been chased, there aren't the whole NYC behind you in a minute. It's a little more real and actually fun.

    The worst is not everything you can interact. I thought you could go in every grocery store or restaurant, but you can't. Another problem is this interaction is not even acceptable, sometimes people start running away just because you touched somebody, what is that? Old GTA???

    By the way, I'm enjoying the game and the storyline is nice and attractive.

    Image 8/10
    Gameplay 8/10
    Intelligence 4/10
    Story 9/10
    Map 7/10
    Driving 5/10

    I RECOMMEND THIS GAME!!!    … Expand
  24. joao1198pedro
    Nov 22, 2014
    7
    Perhaps of not being an gta game or skyrim, watch dogs is still a good open world game, but it still have a weak story and it isnt revolutionary as i thought it would be.
  25. Plasmaneedle
    May 27, 2014
    7
    Watch Dogs features a large fresh open world with some interesting characters and a fresh new ideas for multiplayer. The hacking features are innovative and open up some gameplay possibilities. Unfortunately the stealth and vehicle mechanics are poorly done and the rest isn't anything special.
  26. Dfreeney
    Jun 6, 2014
    7
    Hello, this game is good, but i dont feel hooked at all, i have so far done almost all sidequests, and im at act 2. And im progressing slowly, if a game needs to get a higher score, i need to be hooked, and this just doesnt do it for me.
  27. Game_Row
    May 31, 2014
    7
    The game has potential. But sadly all this game is a modern Assassins Creed (first game) mixed in with Grand Theft Auto added some hacks and PRESTO, you have Watch Dogs. The gameplay is pretty much like Grand Theft Auto except you have hacks to help you with your missions, and there are tons of mini side quest that can be done. And if you are OCD about these side quests, then this gameThe game has potential. But sadly all this game is a modern Assassins Creed (first game) mixed in with Grand Theft Auto added some hacks and PRESTO, you have Watch Dogs. The gameplay is pretty much like Grand Theft Auto except you have hacks to help you with your missions, and there are tons of mini side quest that can be done. And if you are OCD about these side quests, then this game will drive you nuts! haha. Besides taking the elements from 2 different game franchises and creating one, it's still a fairly decent game to play. I have not gone far on the story (due to my OCD...got get all the hacks!), but knowing Ubisoft, it'll be good. For now there is nothing else to play out there, so take a chance and give it a try.

    Instagram: Game_Row    … Expand
  28. Munkey
    Oct 2, 2014
    7
    Watch Dogs the GTA lite with hacking. That's how I see it and how it feels like.
    The game in general is good. Solid gameplay, good cover system, hacking and side quests. The thing is does side quests get boring after a while. Especially fixer contracts. Gang hideouts are great and you have multiple ways of entry and if you want to go loud or silent.
    The story and Aiden. Another sad man    Watch Dogs the GTA lite with hacking. That's how I see it and how it feels like.
    The game in general is good. Solid gameplay, good cover system, hacking and side quests. The thing is does side quests get boring after a while. Especially fixer contracts. Gang hideouts are great and you have multiple ways of entry and if you want to go loud or silent.
    The story and Aiden. Another sad man with a mission. Really Aiden is boring as hell, sad and sad and sad and angry. Plot is staightforward with one or two interesting twists. Campaign missions are for the most part interesting with the exception of the last one. The open world stuff is there and it's a lot. It'll last you an extra 2h of gameplay finding everything. Don't miss out on digital trips which are awsome. Spider tank and Alone are the best .The game is good maybe not as much as it was hyped but still has a lot to offer. Graphic wise on PS4 looks good nothing to complain about..Solid 7 out of 10.
    Multiplayer is there but for me nothing special. GTA V did it better.
    Got it new for 25£ and was worth it.    … Expand
  29. Almighty-koz
    May 27, 2014
    7
    Lets start with the good, its a fun game and it looks great, now the OK its GTA with hacking you cant really argue you that, im finding myself in the car more then i am hacking crap. the Bad there aren't really many bad things about the game i mean it sticks close to the GTA formula of grab a car run from the cops hunt down bad guys so on. its good but not bad also nothing groundLets start with the good, its a fun game and it looks great, now the OK its GTA with hacking you cant really argue you that, im finding myself in the car more then i am hacking crap. the Bad there aren't really many bad things about the game i mean it sticks close to the GTA formula of grab a car run from the cops hunt down bad guys so on. its good but not bad also nothing ground breaking. The only part is dumb cause it mostly doesn't work yet. i try to get a 1v1 hacking session and it just comes up nobody found. i have however been able to defend myself 3 times successfully.… Expand
  30. Yahdaree
    Feb 21, 2015
    7
    Average game with an average main charectar. Not bad but nothing special... definitely worth getting for half price. I spent a lot of time playing this game but it's not one that you need to pay full price for.
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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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 80 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 80
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 80
  3. Negative: 0 out of 80
  1. Softpedia
    Aug 6, 2014
    85
    Watch Dogs is a fun open world experience. However, the repetitive chases and the formulaic gameplay tend to get tedious and boring after a while. As such, you might want to enjoy the different multiplayer experiences and take frequent breaks to just roam around the city.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Jul 25, 2014
    70
    It’s a bold first step on the new terrain for Ubisoft. The game is enjoyable, offers some interesting mechanics and lasts for long enough, but is bland as a whole. The characters lack personalities, the city could use more distinctness and the story is instantly forgettable. [07/2014, p.46]
  3. SpazioGames
    Jul 18, 2014
    85
    Overall, it is almost without a doubt the best platformer that has popped up on the current generation of consoles and is a bedrock on which Ubisoft could build a brand to remember.
    Read full review
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