Watch Dogs Review. Truly Immersive Stealth Gaming Experience

Ubisoft was laughing all the way to the bank back in 2014 when this game was first released, and it’s easy to see why. The game brings back the spirit of GTA, with an open-world environment filled with the juiciest details.

Graphics: 5.0

Though the characters may be nothing like what’s really in Chicago, the spirit of the city is captured perfectly in this game, and though I was dropping frames persistently to a cartoony effect, I still got to enjoy more than enough of the Windy City. There’s a unique method to the madness with Watch Dogs, as the graphics complement both the story and gameplay. The on-screen prompts become familiar with time, with little to no cluster.

Gameplay: 5.0

The game has quite the appeal to techies with whom the accurate depiction of the systems and the coding environment has resonated well. Through the game, your character as Aiden Pearce is brought to life as you hunt down the people who murdered your niece and in the process, uncover a much bigger plot that affects the entire city of Chicago.

Through your excellent hacking skills, you go through a vast free-roaming environment, coming into action with new characters and unleashing your brand of assault on those who stray into your path. All decisions, good and bad, affect your ultimate relationship with the city law enforcement. Four options are offered with regards to skill: combat, crafted items, driving, and hacking. Skill progression earns you in-game money which you can use to purchase inventory such as ammo and vehicles.

Multiplayer mode lets you engage with as many as 7 other free-roaming players. There are several different mini-games you can play as you try to earn skill points which won’t affect the story mode.

Controls: 5.0

While Watch Dogs is a third-person shooter game, which isn’t particularly my favorite type of gaming when it comes to controls, it still manages to hold its own with fluid controls. Though the framerate might drop in great action sequences, my movements aren’t impeded as I initially expected. Melee action buttons are also responsive where you want to come up to the enemy up-close from the rear without getting your weapon out.

Replay Value: 5.0

While the story is at times disconnected from the actual gameplay, this may be more because of a lack of proper game direction. For its other objectives, the key of which is non-stop action, Watchdogs delivers perfectly. Multiplayer mode is exhilarating, as you jump into Chicago with other free-roaming players. The game provides an incentive to play with its numerous side missions and skill progression system that sees you getting better at specific tasks.

Conclusion

Watch Dogs delivers an excellent performance, and the only major complaint I have about the game is the checkered storyline, which would have done better with proper direction. As a third-person shooter, it stands out for delivering excellently, especially in combat and driving. I’m tempted to wonder if a linear storyline with multiple side arcs would have been better for this game, but the exceptional gameplay redeems watch Dogs.