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US Standard | |
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Global Standard | €19.20 |
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Global Standard | €22.41 |
Watch Dogs (stylised as WATCH_DOGS) is the feverishly anticipated and highly ingenious game developed by Ubisoft Montreal, who are best known for their widely and critically acclaimed Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed franchises. Watch Dogs PS4 is stylised as an open world action adventure game, and depicts an innovative style of gameplay that revolves around cyber crime, all in a very large scale setting. The game is set in an alternate reality in the city of Chicago, Illinois, which is one of many cities that features a super computer known as a CtOS – a Central Operating System that controls almost every piece of technology and possesses almost every detail of information on the people within the city.
The game revolves around the premise that everything is connected, and that connection is power, which leads us to Watch Dog’s protagonist, or perhaps even its antagonist, Aiden Pierce. Aiden Pierce is a highly skilled hacker who possesses the ability to hack into any device linked to the CtOS, and then use it as a weapon; gameplay centres on Pierce’s talents to hack into various electronic systems, either to obtain information or control a particular device. The information that Pierce can divulge about a citizen is incredibly detailed, including their health, criminal record, medical history, bank history, and even their probability of violence.
Watch Dogs boasts a perfect fusion of cutting edge technology and innovative, sophisticated game design, resulting in a realistic and living massive open world. This is enhanced by the player’s ability to fully interact with a 3D map of the city, which offers the player the ability to control it, giving the term open world new meaning. Controlling the city can range from manipulating traffic lights, to tapping into the city’s security camera feed, and everything inbetween.
Information warfare is raging, and you as Aiden Pierce may be the only person capable of coercing and controlling every element. Nobody knows who runs the computer that the city depends on, and you must utilise every means at your disposal in order to take down a corrupt system.
Watch_Dogs combines an astonishingly detailed world, a gripping storyline, creative game mechanics, a myriad of missions and activities, and improvisational tactical sandbox gameplay to create a truly next-generation open world game. Phenomenal. No other word for it.
It’s not often a new game franchise comes into the world so fully realized and without major shortcomings, which is why this is such an impressive achievement. Not only is it more polished, expansive, alive and fun to play than many predecessors in its genre, it’s also the best example yet of next-generation gameplay.
Watch Dogs isn't inspiring or revolutionary, but it's a well-rounded approach to open world gameplay. Completing the story and merely sampling the various side activities can last over thirty hours, with plenty more left to do. The focus on hacking lends to more cerebral gameplay, and the multiplayer is solid.
As an open-world game, Watch Dogs provides “enough” — enough sidequests, enough space, enough of a playground — to qualify, but it doesn’t quite place. Other games have nailed a better balance in optional activities and large-scale ambiance, including other games from Ubisoft Montreal itself. But when Watch Dogs focuses on the things it does better than anyone else, it finds an identity worth developing. As a hybrid open-world stealth-action game, it’s in a class by itself.
Watch Dogs comes close to earning Best in Show, but falters on some critical open-world elements. Bring on the sequel! [July 2014, p74]
When I say that Watch Dogs does not meet expectations, I’m not only referring to the technological aspects - new concepts and ideas are the key parts. In this aspect, it’s definitely on the right path. it is important to mention that this is a game that most of the time is very good, but there is still potential to be explored in the future.
Even though I feel its story is often weak and its action isn't that different from other games in the genre, I still enjoyed my time with Watch Dogs. It turns out that the old stuff still works, and the strong-but-standard mission design kept me entertained, most of the time. It's rough around the edges, though, so if you don't settle for anything less than the best, you'll probably be disappointed...But hey, Watch Dogs 2? That'll probably be pretty cool.
April 17, 2018
Sam, Ubisoft’s personal gaming assistant, talks about Watch Dogs 3 development. Watch video
November 7, 2017
Origins confirms that Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs are set in the same universe. Read more
March 29, 2017
Ubisoft changes its mind with the Watch Dogs 2 DLC & includes more free content. Read more
