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. LG_Fox_Brazil
    Aug 5, 2020
    4
    One of the most disappointing games of the generation. Extremely buggy at release, I even got two game breaking bugs in week one. Bland characters, mediocre story and horrifying driving mechanics. While it has an interesting hacking component and surprisingly fun multiplayer modes, it still is a major letdown
  2. Grippa123
    Dec 28, 2020
    6
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  3. iCampoRamil
    Nov 12, 2021
    6
    No fue lo que prometió, aún así mola jugarlo y la historia está bastante bien.
  4. LMaoTse-tung
    Dec 2, 2021
    7
    Gioco con un idea originale alla base, una buona trama che però non spicca e un comparto grafico nella media. 7 mi sembra il voto più corretto.
  5. FckWatchDogs
    Dec 5, 2021
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Nice game mechanically, the story sucks. Key events happen like they are marked off a list not making much sense. And then the god damn Damien sequence. Unavoidable CtOS scan and no idea where your objective is unless you made a god damn picture at the start. Ridiculous, attempted it multiple times, there is not a second to breathe on hard diff, no skill can help you and i don't bother lowering diff. Uninstalled don't care to see the end, the story went to **** anyway after forcefully killing a key character. Was wondering why the game was hated but now i get it. Wasted potential, wasted 5 h of mine, fire your writers.… Expand
  6. Dan9el99
    Dec 26, 2021
    7
    Dieses Action-Adventure besticht durch seine düstere Atmosphäre und interessanten Gameplayansätzen. Es schöpft jedoch auf Grund der oberflächlichen Story und durchschnittlichen Graphik nicht sein Potenzial aus (7/10).
  7. Iowntheworld
    Feb 15, 2022
    10
    Great open-world AAA GTA style hacker gamer, that is unique enough to stand on it's own from GTA series. I'm saying all this as a hardcore GTA fan btw. Aiden is very cool, serious, deep main character. He is not you average hero who saves the day and acts nice. No. He is serious vigilante on revenge quest and that's what makes him actually interesting and cool. People often say that he isGreat open-world AAA GTA style hacker gamer, that is unique enough to stand on it's own from GTA series. I'm saying all this as a hardcore GTA fan btw. Aiden is very cool, serious, deep main character. He is not you average hero who saves the day and acts nice. No. He is serious vigilante on revenge quest and that's what makes him actually interesting and cool. People often say that he is "bad take on Batman" NO. Unlike Batman, Aiden actually kills his victims and that's no hate on Batman, i like Batman and that's whole another debate, but Aiden is very, very cool and likable character. Anyone who wanted him to be perfect hero, can look for some other game, Sims maybe. There's lots of similarities between Max Payne and Aiden, i have never seen anyone whining about Max Payne or maybe these haters have just never played that masterful shooter series, that is Max Payne. Either way Watch Dogs is already a classic and has huge fanbase. Two sequels were absolute garbage, only Aiden DLC was decent. Hopefully Ubisoft want actually make money again and next WD game will be prequel with Aiden as a main character.… Expand
  8. AwAtF
    Mar 13, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Personally, I think this game its overrated. The story shows to you a criminal who lost her sister-in-law, the only person who was happy with him. For his fault, Maurice killed her, and Aiden thinks that the only way to redeem is the revenge. But thats a big mistake. He tries to kill maurice, a few days, her sister gets kidnapped and he tries to go after damien, but hes does criminal things. After a while, he mets clara lile, her helper, after, he meet T-Bone, unfortunately, he starts to loose, things at the end of the because his obsession to kill damien, he loses clara, she is killed; he loses his family because they don't wanna be on risk, he loose his dignity and finally, when he kills damien, he kills his friend, jordi-chin. I personally think that the story represents how bad is the revenge, and how a criminal, usually can't become good person. Honestly, i hate the end because jordi-cin for no reason is still alive, but the story is breaking-down, you feel bad for the characters around Aiden pearce. The graphics are generic, in 2014 were good, but nowadays,
    some moments growned very bad at the time. The world is interesting, has some interesting activities but are very short and its easy to get the final trophie (platinum, in ps4, for example). The gameplay its very good, and the car persecutions are spectacular, with all of the hacks and slow motion, the final boss its very original, because you needd to drive around the city escaping and trying to go places wich in a short time, get hacked. The atmposhere is good, and dark. The game has a lots of bugs. Good performance. I recommend it, but only for 30$    … Expand
  9. Carloss1997
    Mar 31, 2022
    6
    If you are a hardcore gamer and have a bit free time and cannot decide what to do it is a very good game for that.
  10. 120070
    Aug 27, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Watch Dogs was a highly anticipated title for months, and for the most part lived up to its hype. Its story, while good, shot off in a lot of different directions. They were able to keep the story coherent enough that you knew what was going on, but, the ending kind of lost some luster because of how many directions this game went. "Lucky" Quinn being revealed as the person who put the hit on Pierce, I thought, was also kind of a let down. He wasn't prevalent throughout a whole lot of the game, and turned out to be the main enemy (behind Damien, of course). Overall, the story was good, and sometimes gripping, as well as sometimes confusing. Voice acting as a whole was done well enough, with no one really bad or no one really exceptional, with exceptions put on Jordi, Quinn and Damien. Graphics were impressive, outside of facial animations. You can tell they really only put work into the main characters for that. Late in the game, when you are engaged in more firefights, hacking to beat enemies becomes more frustrating, but that aside, the hacking was a phenomenal feature that made you feel awesome. Combat and stealth were perfect. Cars handled great, and in terms of long-term play-ability, this game knocks it out of the park. I still have so much to do after the main game was finished. A great game that may not have lived up to the big hype, but came very near to it. I would like to see a Watch Dogs 2, but, I don't know what the story would be. The end had Dedsec declaring war pretty much. Maybe that will be the premise? Who knows… Expand
  11. robinzvak
    Feb 25, 2015
    6
    Good idea with hackers world. A lot of side missions. But thats all. Procesing is bad, story bored (soo stretched) The big problem for me is multyplayer game are non playable (game is horrible laggiing)
  12. gypsygib
    Aug 11, 2014
    8
    The core mechanics of shooting and infiltration are great, the driving needs work but doesn't detract from the gameplay and the hacking is more functional than exciting. From a gameplay standpoint it's a solid game and very good for an open world game. However, where the game falters is the story. it was so convoluted that by the end I just didn't care anymore and wasn't really sure whyThe core mechanics of shooting and infiltration are great, the driving needs work but doesn't detract from the gameplay and the hacking is more functional than exciting. From a gameplay standpoint it's a solid game and very good for an open world game. However, where the game falters is the story. it was so convoluted that by the end I just didn't care anymore and wasn't really sure why Aiden was doing anything.

    The graphics had plenty of wow moments, especially at night or in the rain and the sound and music were excellent. Downgrade or not, the game looks great often. A major issue is that you're constantly being notified about side missions which gets annoying. Regarding the same, there were too many to do on a single play through without sacrificing the immersion of the already disjointed, convoluted and forgettable story. For the most part the side missions are decent but with the sheer number of them and collectables, I just ignored them halfway through the game to see I the story would get better - it didn't. This game should have had a New Game Plus to allow me to replay the story and continue with my progression. Maybe a second play through with more audio files would have made the story make more sense...

    The online is very intersting. Ubisoft is definitely trying to meld SP and online and what they've done is innovative. The standard MP plays well, the racing is particularly fun.

    Overall it's a game with very good shooting mechanics and a lot of potential but the convoluted story and lack of new game plus keeps it from being great.

    It's hard to rate, at times it felt like a 9/10 at others a 6/10. A new game plus would have increased replayability and its rating as a result. Having just completed the game, however, my feeling is it's a 7.5 overall. I don't regret buying it, but there's no reason to keep it either.    … Expand
  13. tekshow
    Sep 18, 2014
    8
    No escort missions? No find the package routine? No obvious ambush scenario? Watch Dogs does a great job of spinning the open world genre like a top and a little bit on it's head. At it's high point it revels in itself and dodges all the popular genre tropes. Whatever extra time Watch Dogs had in the cooker must've been spent refining the quality of the missions and side quests. The latterNo escort missions? No find the package routine? No obvious ambush scenario? Watch Dogs does a great job of spinning the open world genre like a top and a little bit on it's head. At it's high point it revels in itself and dodges all the popular genre tropes. Whatever extra time Watch Dogs had in the cooker must've been spent refining the quality of the missions and side quests. The latter stands out for it's sheer variety in diversion, one minute you're racing stolen cars through checkpoints where you may or may not have to dodge cops, or deliver under a damage and time restriction and the next you're hacking into peoples private lives at a leisurely pace through peepholes throughout a sprawling city. Chicago is big too, well laid out and easily traversed. Absolutely nothing in Watch Dogs feels cumbersome, and that's the point, from the mission structure at its core to the endless stream of information about Chicago's virtual citizens, nothing is obtrusive to the player.

    You're free to ignore it all and head toward whatever you fancy, games of poker, hacking bank accounts, the main campaign, none of it gets in your way and at the same time it never feels overwhelming when it comes to what to do next. Objectives are snap and if you find yourself with a heavy dose of gaming ADD you'll feel right at home either way and accomplished at whatever task you choose.

    The character development of the anti-hero Aiden Pierce is compelling at times, but might be the only weak link in the Watch Dogs debut. Overall Pierce is a great character that's relatable and delivers with a voice that could fill more dirt than Shovel Knight. The stone gravel tone eventually compliments Pierce and feels like it belongs to him. What sets off the game's only piece of disarray is the fact that Ubisoft never commits Pierce to the full anti-hero nature and waffles between the many mixed personalities of humanity. Which would be fine, but the plot design is such that we're led to feel bad for Pierce and his poor familial tragedy and at the same time look at him as a hero righting wrongs. It's a tough act to follow when Pierce is running around killing bad guys, maybe cops, stealing millions from citizenry (I literally ended the main game with over 2 million!) and my favorite; disrupting the gang hideout. The gangs provide some of the best game design and entertaining missions in the game, and we always get a glimpse to their activity before hand. Pierce is determined to put them down because sometimes they're stealing from people! And one of the main points of the game is to go after a crooked mob boss. These motives hardly make any sense when the game reflects back on Pierce's motives.

    Don't let this deter you though, as the game is great, and hacking everything is brilliant. It had to take the team at ubisoft some time, but the gameplay is great. Cars are the weakest component, but admist an awesome cover shooter, bullet time, and hacking any electronic in a 4 block radius a little loose driving is hardly anything to complain about. The cars, guns, and tasks that involve them are all pretty entertaining. Your character level ups as the game progresses too offering a stellar reward system. There's almost a power system that boosts your tool kit to use better hacks and more control. For instance at first all you can do while driving down the street is trip street lights in your favor. Eventually you can take over city infrastructure and raise bridges, overload transformers and cause blackouts, blow up steam pipes, and drop helicopters from the sky.

    It's all handled through a choose your own path skill tree that plays to your own tastes. It's broad and sweeping at the start, but it's also adept at giving you clear choices. If you prefer stealth to combat its simple to see the layout, or if you'd like to toughen up Pierce right away into a one many bull time tripping rambo you are welcome to it.

    And that's the last gripe some have with the game. In the end Pierce goes from soccer dad who's into computers to ultimate hacker badass with a cadre of weapons both technical and ballistic. I actually found that all gratifying. I related to Pierce better the more he found skills and didn't come off as a weakling, almost akin to Batman he's capable to deal with any situation and that piece of his character seemed very fitting to me. Currently you can pick up the game for around $30 if you dig for it, and at that price it's an absolute steal. I also liked it better than GTA 5 and can't wait to see what Ubisoft does with the franchise next.    … Expand
  14. 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
  15. Makaveli
    Aug 18, 2014
    5
    I'm re-writing my review of this game I did back in May....
    I just realized that I still had this game to be honest. After I beat it I put it on the shelf and just forgot about it, until my friend today asked me if I thought it was a good game..
    It can not be that good if I have already forgot about its existence. To be honest I don't even remember the story very well, I just remember    I'm re-writing my review of this game I did back in May....
    I just realized that I still had this game to be honest. After I beat it I put it on the shelf and just forgot about it, until my friend today asked me if I thought it was a good game..

    It can not be that good if I have already forgot about its existence. To be honest I don't even remember the story very well, I just remember that your daughter is dead and you are out for revenge.. I also remember the "next gen" handling of cars.. Ya right...

    I mean it is OK, but if you are expecting something to keep you busy for awhile, this isn't it..
    The graphics are not bad, but it's hardly next gen like the devs wanted you to believe... The car handling & physics is defiantly 3 gens back... Every car in this game my as well be a tank because you can smash these cars into a wall 40 times and the car will still be running...
    If this is suppose to be next gen where cars are bouncing off of walls and trains can stop on a dime then my physics teacher was a no good liar...
    Don't call your game "next gen" just because it has a 1 button hacking mechanic that IS fun for about an hour, until you get used to it and gets boring..
    I actually liked AC4 better and that is saying a lot considering Ass Creed has been milked to the bone..
    The pvp kind of uses the same mechanic of Dark Souls, but it defiantly isn't as fun.. Hacking peoples phones and you have to catch them before the download is complete... Give me a break, it's stupid..

    I'm not even a big GTA 5 guy.. I have it, it's good but I got sick off that too considering I've been playing GTA since GTA 1, it just all feels the same, but I will say that it is leagues above Watch Dogs.

    This is my opinion of the game, some people may not agree, that is fine, everyone has their own taste and different experiences. My experience with Watch Dogs was not a good one.. To each their own..    … Expand
  16. davor
    Jul 2, 2014
    6
    The game play is very easy, the driving is generally bad, you can be rich in no time and own all the buyable guns, clothing options and cars in no time.

    The story is weak and forgettable. There feels like there's a bunch of missed opportunities with what the character can do/deal with, such as stealing money should be harder to do, after you "prevent a crime" you call the cops to pick    The game play is very easy, the driving is generally bad, you can be rich in no time and own all the buyable guns, clothing options and cars in no time.

    The story is weak and forgettable. There feels like there's a bunch of missed opportunities with what the character can do/deal with, such as stealing money should be harder to do, after you "prevent a crime" you call the cops to pick up the perp and have to escape the area or hide. Funny how everyone in the city knows who you are meanwhile the actual story characters have no clue.

    I finished the game, just because there was nothing else I had going on and it was so easy to do. Online stuff is okay, but after a few sessions, I'm not interested in going back. The sessions with multiple players tend to get some awful frame rate where it's pretty unplayable.

    When/if Watch_Dogs 2 comes out, I won't be pre-ordering it until I'm sure they've made it actually a fun game to play and have made the story/characters actually interesting.    … Expand
  17. Fortysixter_UK
    May 9, 2015
    8
    A fine game. Dark, gritty & violent with a great story. A much more grim GTA 5 ( in that it's an open world city ), and in my opinion, more enjoyable that GTA 5 for the fact. I was surprised when recently ( early May 2015 ) the Developer admitted to the game having two main flaws, one was an unlikeable leading character and the other poor driving mechanics.
    I dis-agree with both, and have    A fine game. Dark, gritty & violent with a great story. A much more grim GTA 5 ( in that it's an open world city ), and in my opinion, more enjoyable that GTA 5 for the fact. I was surprised when recently ( early May 2015 ) the Developer admitted to the game having two main flaws, one was an unlikeable leading character and the other poor driving mechanics.
    I dis-agree with both, and have found the leading character to be necessarily opaque, so as to allow the player to place elements of their personality over the main character using their own in game choices.
    The driving is just as bad ( or as good ) as GTA 5. Motorbikes and high performance cars ( but not stupidly twitchy sports cars ) handle just fine as long as you respect the road.
    If anything, the game could do with more gunplay, especially the gang take down missions.
    Watchdogs is a highly recommended open world action game, with a long campaign and many, many side quests and objectives. ( all similar to games like Assassins creed series, Farcry and the new tomb raider ).
    Buy Watchdogs if you want a dark story and dark gameplay with lost of player choice. 8.5/10 and on my second play through.    … Expand
  18. Markus_monty
    Oct 31, 2014
    8
    Several months after release, and this time allows me to look back at the game. I really enjoyed it, from beginning to end, initially loved the multi aspect of invasions but that quickly got old when it got in the way of me completing the single player story so I turned it off.

    One of the best things this game will do is expand on the open worlds others like rockstar will create. It    Several months after release, and this time allows me to look back at the game. I really enjoyed it, from beginning to end, initially loved the multi aspect of invasions but that quickly got old when it got in the way of me completing the single player story so I turned it off.

    One of the best things this game will do is expand on the open worlds others like rockstar will create. It introduces new ideas into the mix which create a more vibrant world, something gta 6 or other benefit from and something like watch dogs 2 will be better for.    … Expand
  19. DSouls_guy
    Jun 12, 2016
    8
    I don't get all these Negative scores, Yes Watchdogs isn't perfect but it's way better than gta series.
    If you like a great action game and also gta then Watchdogs is for you.
    the graphics aren't what we seen so many years ago at E3 but they are still very nice. watchdogs hacking is super fun and I truly enjoy what Ubisoft has made here and i'm a fan of the watchdogs series. I can't    I don't get all these Negative scores, Yes Watchdogs isn't perfect but it's way better than gta series.
    If you like a great action game and also gta then Watchdogs is for you.
    the graphics aren't what we seen so many years ago at E3 but they are still very nice.
    watchdogs hacking is super fun and I truly enjoy what Ubisoft has made here and i'm a fan of the watchdogs series. I can't wait for watchdogs 2.    … Expand
  20. Nigelbillson
    Nov 9, 2014
    8
    If you like open world games, you'll like this.

    If you've been swept up in the pitchfork grabbing mob bashing Watch Dogs for little else other than it's graphics you probably haven't even played the game much. Yes, the graphics have been toned down. But imagine the backlash if Ubisoft released on PS4 a game that looked like the trailers and then on PS3 released a game that was... well    If you like open world games, you'll like this.

    If you've been swept up in the pitchfork grabbing mob bashing Watch Dogs for little else other than it's graphics you probably haven't even played the game much. Yes, the graphics have been toned down. But imagine the backlash if Ubisoft released on PS4 a game that looked like the trailers and then on PS3 released a game that was... well the videos explain all.

    Story-

    The game is set around Aiden Pearce, a vigilante. That's all you need to know. The story is bland and cliche, if you buy games for the story experience you won't enjoy this. The game struggled to provide any motivation for the character yet fails spectacularly. If you see a review praising the story, it's probably a troll.

    Gameplay-
    The gameplay is basically an open world stealth game with the addition of controlling elements of the world. The hacking isn't gimmicky and is legitimately helpful. Take this example:
    I've stealth killed a guy and a different guard spots him. I bring down the load on a nearby forklift to block his path and remain stealthy and take him out. Highlights include several bases of this evil corporation Blume and the gang hideouts which require you to stealth kill the enemy.

    Graphics-
    Not spectacular.    … Expand
  21. 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
  22. Makorov
    Aug 30, 2014
    10
    The hype for this game was just to much for it to cope worth it's absolutely crap, and it's shameful in comparison to old generation GTA5 and I played this game on PS4 it's just not worth anything don't get it!
  23. Northur
    Nov 16, 2014
    6
    I finally did WC after I skipped the hype. The game is not ny anymeans GOTY candinate but it's definitely not a bad game. I was just wondering why there is no melee button but only automated and scripted takedown events.. Also as a gun enthusiastist I noticed that a lot of the guns were holding wrong amount of bullets in the mags, sight were missing etc. Story is nothing new, but it'sI finally did WC after I skipped the hype. The game is not ny anymeans GOTY candinate but it's definitely not a bad game. I was just wondering why there is no melee button but only automated and scripted takedown events.. Also as a gun enthusiastist I noticed that a lot of the guns were holding wrong amount of bullets in the mags, sight were missing etc. Story is nothing new, but it's still solid. For this reduced price I recommend WC.… Expand
  24. 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
  25. Kaniya
    Jul 26, 2014
    10
    people who have rated the game below 6-7 they even didnt take time to play the game for an hour or even dont have the game. some people say "its expensive" then rated it low, some say the graphics are on par with spider man on ps one and so on . Digital Foundry analysis shows the game graphical quality is as same as it was adv on e3 and beside the haters of this game has no brain sincepeople who have rated the game below 6-7 they even didnt take time to play the game for an hour or even dont have the game. some people say "its expensive" then rated it low, some say the graphics are on par with spider man on ps one and so on . Digital Foundry analysis shows the game graphical quality is as same as it was adv on e3 and beside the haters of this game has no brain since they only judge over a game based on its quality of graphics.
    Watch dogs features fantastic story and gripping gameplay, it is not flawless but for sure just like assassins creed 1 it will start to grow much better in the future series.
    I really loved the game and i think its awesome.    … Expand
  26. Matty2012
    Sep 28, 2014
    6
    A solid game but doesn't compare to other open world games like GTA. This game is a mix of Splintercell, Grand Theft Auto, Assassins Creed and Hitman. It mashes them all together and adds a bunch of hacking shenanigans on top. The hacking is kinda cool for a while, but it soon repeats itself and becomes too gimmicky. Some of it is down right frustrating as well. For instance, you will beA solid game but doesn't compare to other open world games like GTA. This game is a mix of Splintercell, Grand Theft Auto, Assassins Creed and Hitman. It mashes them all together and adds a bunch of hacking shenanigans on top. The hacking is kinda cool for a while, but it soon repeats itself and becomes too gimmicky. Some of it is down right frustrating as well. For instance, you will be being chased by some bad guys and have the ability to hack into and blow up steam pipes in the road and put up block barriers and such. But because they are behind chasing you, you can't really see exactly when to hack these things. Sometimes it will let you know when to do it and other times it won't. You will often try to hack into and blow up some steam pipes in the road behind you, but will end up accidentally raising some block barriers in front of you or changing a set of traffic lights which leads to you crashing at high speeds. The times when the game lets you know when to hack, the camera angle attempts to spin round to show you the bad guys being blown to bits, but it fails 99% of the time. The camera will spin round miss the action then spin back and put you off the game so you crash. The controls can be stupidly clunky in some places, like when trying to get on or off a boat for instance. You can only get on and off a boat in certain places, which is annoying. Graphically it is quite nice, but not what we were all expecting, it won't wow you. The story is ok but nothing special.… Expand
  27. chrisjones914
    Jul 28, 2014
    9
    Watch Dogs is without a doubt a game that will be talked about for a very long time! "The game that defines next-gen" was the slogan Ubisoft used when selling Watch Dogs and they weren't far off of that statement! Whether you are exploring the beautifully detailed world, taking part in one of the varied story missions or saving an innocent man from the hands of those who mean him harmWatch Dogs is without a doubt a game that will be talked about for a very long time! "The game that defines next-gen" was the slogan Ubisoft used when selling Watch Dogs and they weren't far off of that statement! Whether you are exploring the beautifully detailed world, taking part in one of the varied story missions or saving an innocent man from the hands of those who mean him harm everything feels extremely well done! The story is consistently interesting and never really has a dull moment, you will be asking yourself the questions "who?" and "why?" all the way up until those final credits roll! The only thing that took me out of the experience was the steep learning curve when it came to the driving, at first it feels very unresponsive which isn't very fitting seeing as they make Aiden out to be "the best driver in Chicago". However, you will quickly learn to maneuver with skill while driving and this is what bring me to my favorite part of Watch Dogs! You constantly feel yourself getting better! After every mission you complete you will feel yourself becoming a faster hacker, a better shot or just more smooth operator! It is this sense of progression that made Watch Dogs great for me, and along with a great story as well as an impressive showing of the PS4's power make this what will surely be an instant classic!… Expand
  28. 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
  29. 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
  30. Hufff
    Sep 7, 2014
    8
    The concept is very novel and the mechanics are very tight, but despite all that there winds up being a good bit of repetition in this game. The story isn't nearly good enough to be the sole reason for one to purchase this game, but it does give a setting for all of the game's interesting characters, the exception for this being Aidan Pierce himself, who is far more cliched andThe concept is very novel and the mechanics are very tight, but despite all that there winds up being a good bit of repetition in this game. The story isn't nearly good enough to be the sole reason for one to purchase this game, but it does give a setting for all of the game's interesting characters, the exception for this being Aidan Pierce himself, who is far more cliched and two-dimensional than all of the interesting three-dimensional supporting characters in this game. There is a wealth of things to do, but very few of them were developed enough to hold my attention for more than ten minutes at a time. Regardless though, this game's strength lies in its core combat, which seamlessly blends the novel one-button hacking that the game so heavily advertised and the very tight gunplay which manages to create a unique feel of each weapon and permit both the stealth and guns-blazing approach (although I imagine most players will go for the much more rewarding stealth).… Expand
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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.
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  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.
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