*WARNING: Some minor story elements will be touched upon in this review, read at your own caution!*
Ubisoft is well known in the community today for it's arrange of AAA titles and high budgets as well as high class games and iconic characters. Watch Dogs is a game that has been pushed back and delayed several times, originally meant as part of the Xbox One console launch back in November of 2013. Fans have been patiently waiting, cosplayers have been making costumes in anticipation and finally, Watch Dogs was released to the world. How can I describe the game in a single word? Only one word comes to mind: Sublime.
Watch Dogs takes place in modern day Chicago, the city all connect by a program called ctOS which allows the Blume Company to record, monitor and observe the day to day life of the citizens, even down to their biometrics. But that's not all it can do; wired into the city itself, to those lucky enough, the city can become theirs to control with the entire system of hardware right under their fingertips. But with power, comes those corrupted to it, those trying to control it and others wanting to be freed of it. Enter Aiden Pearce AKA The Vigilante, a man on the run from the law and our protagonist, hell bent on discovering the truth of a single night that changed his life forever; becoming a man willing to change himself in more ways than one in order to uncover it all.
First off, let me touch upon the storyline of the game, which can be no less stressed as beautiful. With 40+ missions in the main storyline in 5 Acts to do so, the game opens up slowly to a massive build up of plot twists and turns as Aiden discovers the truth of how he became what he is. I will admit that the final level is tense and heart-pumping, the end seems a little rushed to make ends meet, with the build up by then almost gone, not to mention the first and only use of Quick Time Evens in the last hour of gameplay. However even then the game's story won't end as midway in the credits you will come to a choice. Thankfully it's not like a Deus Ex choice, as you are presented with the choice but sadly, it does not effect the outcome nor the ending, it's simply a moral choice. With main missions aside, the side missions are phenomenal and by far the best that I've experienced in any game. With things such as Criminal Convoy, Digital Trips and more, with Side Missions and activities, there is plenty to do and see, almost indefinitely as Potential Crimes continuously pop up now and again. Missions alone will set players back 20-25 hours and Side missions even more. Watch Dogs has done something that very few games have ever managed to do; keep me continuously interested in side missions, at points more interested in them.
Which brings me to gameplay. What I'm about to say may cause a lot of controversy: the game's shooting and driving mechanic is arguably better than Grand Theft Auto and the hacking is just gravy. With Focus activated, players can knock off enemies with ease but in this mode, you can truly feel the weight and difference between weapon choice, the shock paddles in the controller clear evidence of that. Driving is fluid but overall realistic-jumping over bridges is one of my small joys as you can see the physics in each vehicle differ, each bending downwards over time instead of soaring off into the air. Crafting gadgets is creative and fun to do so, but players will find themselves only using a selected amount, as many are just there to give alternative options to the four or so that the game mostly promotes during the storyline. Navigation through these menus could have been slightly better or offer more areas to cover, as weapons and gadgets will bundle up to 6-12 options in the same category and trying to find one that you need in the midst of battle is a massive pain. I suggest players use Focus to give you more time to navigate.
In a small mention, I'd also like to touch upon customisation. The game does offer a lot of different options for players to enjoy, with a mass amount of cars or clothing to try, but lacks the option for players to have any depth. Assassin's Creed offers players to dye their clothes (And capes depending on game) different colours in the least, here there is a lot of pick and tolerate in the game, personally liking the look of a jacket but hating the army cap or Fedora (Yes there is an option to wear a Fedora. Much awesome. Wow.)
That being said also, money is much too easy to obtain. Do a few Side Missions or unlock the perks in your tree and each NPC you hack can potentially give you $10'000 at a time. Not even halfway through the game I owned all the clothing options and a lot of the cars, the only ones I missed were the collectables and the highest paid that can be stolen at specific areas. Players can easily earn six figure digits within thirty minutes but other than cars (Weapons costing nothing at all if you loot dead enemies), having nothing to spend it on.
The musical score of the game is perfect; the perfect mix of tragic and meaningful, gunfights and police chases heart racing to slow tragedy of the atmosphere. However the games soundtrack is pretty bad, almost terrible if you will. Limited to four specific music groups (Alternative Rock, Dubstep, Country and Pop), players can activate this music list anywhere and anytime. While giving a vibe to what type of music Aiden likes, variety would have been preferable, or customisable. Players can find more music by hacking NPCs or unlock naturally during gameplay but they offer little else than bands that personally I haven't heard 90% of.
Graphics are also beautifully done, the scenary of day to night and the backdrop of Chicago is terrific. Characters look lifelike however hair can have its moments, especially facial hair. T-Bone (A character you meet midway through the game) beard tends to glitch through his face however has volume, whereas Damien's soul patch looks glued on his face. These aren't game breakers but just little observations that break the realism of the game at times.
Voice acting, if not all unknowns to the voice acting game, have done a brilliant job. NPCs hidden coverstaion have depth and value to even some of life's small quarrels, sometimes even comedic views on life and gamers in a whole (If you can find them, many hidden easter eggs involving Assassin's Creed and the rage quits we all do) The main cast has a terrific back and forth, Aiden's shifting between talking to his family and then his distrustful allies is clearly seen. It's hard to describe; the game's voice acting is lifelike. Conversations have few raw emotional scenes and this can seem flat at times but otherwise scenes act almost like everyday life which is something games have a hard time doing. Lastly I want to touch upon the Online aspects; online players have the opportunity to stalk you without you knowing and initiate mini games as soon as you try to play any other mission outside the free roam. This can be particularly annoying, as the mini game is forced upon you, even as you're trying to save and quit the game. You do have the option to turn off the mode completely but your stats level to 0 and no one can join without your permission and even then, stats will remain at zero.
Personally I have experienced two Kick To Dashboard issues and a lot of bugs and issues with Side Missions and these do take away the fun of the game at times but overall, you will find yourself playing more simply for the fun and ingenuity that has gone into this brilliant masterpiece. Because of these and the few issues the game presents I cannot give it a perfect score with a whole heart. Watch Dogs deserves its praise and more as a true contender for GOTY, Watch Dogs has plenty to offer players for months to come, even without DLC. With the addition of the Season Pass and the UPlay downloads, this game is just one of the few that comes from me with a high recommendation of playing.
In short, this game deserves your attention.
Out of 10, I give Watch Dogs a 9/10
+Gameplay is terrific
+Shooting/Driving is better than any other modern day game
+Hacking is fluid and vary among perks
+Musical score is perfectly matched with the mood
+NPCs/Side Missions are sublime
+Mini games such as Chess and Drinking are fun and addictive
+Graphics and Scenery are beautiful
+As an uncle, much sympathy/connection to Aiden
+Loads of customisation
-Not enough mix & match
-Navigation can be a pain
-Odd glitch/KTD here and there
Watch Dogs is out now for the standard price of $100
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