Watchdogs (PC)

Hmmm... What to say about this game? I mean it was fun. But, is it really up to par? My standards overall were far from met and the "next-gen" was lost by try to appease to cross-gen again. Ubisoft even took some slacker approaches in design and I'm not particularly happy with that. Whether it be budget or time constraint. Both of which I highly doubt were the case due to a delayed release. So what went so horribly wrong with Watchdogs and for that matter what did they do right?

Story: Eh, pretty generic, albeit well written. I can't give them any points for creativity on this one. It's a revenge plot and a very generic one at that. However, mechanically its told both through environment and well coordinated characters. Characters, unfortunately feel rather shallow, they're non adaptable and generally only feature one main trait that is fleshed out; given how much openness the world possessed and how much opportunity was lost in developing the characters. There's no reason for this bland story given the extended development time and unfortunately I can't give them any big points in this category because of this. Watchdogs's story receives a 7/10 for being solid but nothing past ordinary.

Gameplay: Perhaps where the game shines most and also fails most. I have a lot of issues with mechanics here. Especially for the PC version. Driving is horrendously implemented. It reminded me of the Mako from Mass Effect. Steering is utterly horrible in the pc version. Acessing weapons will make you want to cry. Changing between the squares on the weapon wheel while fleeing an enemy or driving a car is a deal breaker. You also can't run while shooting like in the old Resident Evils and can't use anything other than blackouts and jams while driving a car. The weapon switching is probably alleviated in the console versions, but for PC players like myself, navigating the UI is just head-bangingly difficult. For a city there's an abysmal amount of people, it's like the apocalypse struck and all we're left with is the survivors; forget hiding amongst the crowd in online modes or fooling people by fleeing when other people panic too, Stealth in this game is a sad joke. Even though its one of the most highlight mechanics throughout the game.  While I don't have any particular complaint about how hard the police are during the chase. It is a bit of a headache to lose people in this game. It's neither easy or fun and with controls that are unresponsive it can be difficult at times. However, I'd like to highlight where it's not all doom and gloom. Online modes are fun (when working). Hacking and controlling the city is an interesting mechanic, perhaps one that was overly emphasized. Skill trees are well developed and entice the player to work in the online mode as well. Fixer contracts and side-missions are plentiful and a vast array of pistols keep you pretty occupied for a while. The Digital Trips are perhaps the best mini-games I've played in a while. For a host of problems and success, I had to give Watchdogs a 6/10.

I don't own the rights to this image

Graphics: What to say about this? Both impressive and unimpressive. Textures throughout most of the game are pretty fantastic, However, problems regarding the look of windows. Really detracts from the city environment. This is probably due to the size and scope of the game. However, it feels slightly inexcusable considering they had extended development time to fix this or at least make it marginally better. Aiden's running animation feels recycled. I can't confirm it but it reminds me almost exactly of the running animations from Assassin's Creed. In regards to that running style Aiden's pants physics were a deal breaker in the graphics department. Character designs were very limited. for the scope of the game. I think there's like ten different city character models total? Highly disappointing. Among the unique characters we do see none of them are impressive except for Clara, T-Bone, and Defalt. That's a pretty limited roster considering how many interactions we're given. Perhaps one of the more refined sections of the game, but it still doesn't come without its own set of problems and I can't give it full score for that. 8/10.

I don't own the rights to this image

Sound: Hmm. I'm not entirely sure there's much to complain about here. I think my one complaint is that all recorded sound is really quiet. I have no idea why. I've played many other games on this computer all with my sound dialed extremely low. But, I can hear everything. Yet when I play Watchdogs I have to crank up my sound to 3/4 the full bar to even hear anything. I even have the master volume, voicing, and sound effects on max in the settings page. So I don't quite get what is going on regards to that. Combat sounds are well mixed and varied, soundtrack is suitable albeit overly reused, and voice overs are generally good. There are some points where lip movements don't sync with their designated voice overs but I can forgive that since the characters don't sound monotone and actually have some vocal inflections as well as emotion. I have to give the sound department a 9/10 for minimal faults and voice acting that doesn't leave me feeling absolutely empty.

If you haven't already purchased this game I'd say rent it. See if you like it before  you buy it. I won't provide an Amazon link for this one since my expectations weren't met on this one. The overall score boils down to a 7.5/10 which is average but because Watchodgs promised to be so much more and had extended development time. I can't full recommend this "game changer" without asking readers to try it before you buy it.