In 2014, Ubisoft released Watch_Dogs, what they all but promoted as their answer to the "Will there ever be a modern-day Assassin's Creed?" question. It was greeted with very lukewarm reviews, with complaints targeting graphics downgrades and allegedly 'generic' gameplay. It wasn't until a year later that I got to play it for the first time. My immediate thoughts?

What on earth was everyone on about?


I don't know exactly what people were complaining about because, having replayed the game in its entirety (and working on 100%), it still holds up as an outright stellar game.

Watch Dogs is effectively what you get if you combine hacker techno-thrillers like Mr. Robot with a A-list 2010s action film and open world gameplay that feels like a middle point between Grand Theft Auto, Splinter Cell: Conviction and old school Assassin's Creed. The tone and art style in the game have an unmistakably noir-like aesthetic, as the game world of mid-autumn Chicago ensures you have a lot of grays, regular rainfall and autumnal leaves rustling in the wind. It is a decidedly cold feel, one that works in perfect unison with the story, which is a bleak and mournful story of bitterness, guilt and vengeance.

It also doesn't hurt that the world building of the game is heavily influenced by themes that inevitably lead to a cyberpunk dystopia. Surveillance, street gangs holding power over corporations and city politicians, and naturally, the ability to hack the "smart city" infrastructure of ctOS during the course of your missions. More on that later.


One major criticism people had at the time was against the protagonist, Aiden Pearce. "Too stiff", "too boring", "no personality", they said. Similar complaints to another Ubisoft protagonist, Connor Kenway from Assassin's Creed 3. I, on the other hand, find Aiden to be one of Ubisoft's best protagonists, hands down.

His cold, 'stiff' personality are what make him compelling. Throughout the game, you see that facade crack and reveal a man who has undying (and sometimes extreme) love for his family, as well as a man who is being haunted by guilt over the tragedy that claimed his niece's life, which you see in very early moments.

That knowledge, combined with the ruthless, maybe even cruel actions he sometimes commits, makes for a superbly compelling character. Seeing him stalk, kill, ruin lives, all while also protecting the innocents of Chicago, it never stopped making me want to see through the whole story. It also doesn't hurt that side characters like Aiden's sister Nikki, ancient patriarch of the Chicago South Club "Lucky Quinn", and former mentor Damien Brenks, they all play together with Aiden's story in a way that just feels like a well-written action-drama.


Chicago feels very believable to me, particularly looking at it from the perspective of a 2014 release. The AI would be vastly improved in the 2016 sequel, but it wasn't too bad here. The way you could hack into their social graph and figure out details about their lives, steal from their bank accounts, eavesdrop on conversations, that alone made the world feel reasonably realistic. Combine that with the way the streets are continually filled with traffic, and the occasional random events (murders, muggings, arguments, etc) made Chicago feel colder than the aesthetic and story... but that's a good thing in a game like this.

You could also hack city infrastructure, which made for some very fun, dynamic gameplay moments. Being chased by the cops or a gang? Hack into bollards, overload a sewer pipe, or confuse the traffic lights so you have a window of opportunity. Trying to sneak into a fortified gang hideout? You can use power tools, cameras, appliances, computers to your advantage, for stealth or to cover your exit. You can even hack into enemies, disabling their ability to call reinforcements, distract them with a phone call, overload their comms (another distraction) or even remotely blow up a grenade they have on them.

It also creates a pretty funny, and sometimes sad side activity: invasions. Around the city, you can hack into buildings and snoop on its inhabitants. Sometimes, you'll a man getting friendzoned in real time. Other times you'll come across moments that effectively captured memes of the early 2010s (hack billboards for more of those!). Sometimes, you'll see sadder moments like a bad mother verbally abusing her children or a pervert spying on women with a telescope. The invasions are a powerful reminder of the importance of privacy and the vulnerability of "smart" systems to hackers. As an ethical hacker (rather, someone studying to become one) who also values my privacy, this is one of my favorite themes of the game.

To round things off, you have some side activities/distractions like chess, a drinking game, slot machines, a parkour minigame. While none of them are outstanding, they're nice to help add a little variety to your gameplay and make the world feel a little more immersive.


One major marketing point about this game was its seamless multiplayer. I remember being blown away by what they were mentioning in the promotional materials: drop in without a trace, hack other players, be hacked when you're not expecting it, opt into open world multiplayer, etc. In practice, the sequel did the multiplayer significantly better but I will say: it's pretty fun to test your skills by tailing and hacking another player. On the flip side, it can be a tad bit irritating to have your session invaded while you're trying to get somewhere for a mission, especially if you don't have a lot of time to play. You can turn that off but then you lose all multiplayer access, which is a pain.

That said, the online open world multiplayer and other multiplayer misions could be a lot of fun. My brother and I would spend hours rushing through Chicago trying to see what chaos we could cause. Occasionally, we'd flip on PVP and get into all-out warfare with others in the session. It wasn't quite the level of freedom of GTA Online, but still a lot of fun!


I'm not ashamed to say that the Watch Dogs games are some of my all-time favorite video games in any genre. They're a load of fun. I'd genuinely take them over GTA any day of the week, maybe because you're playing as someone with undoubtedly noble morals (even if the actions aren't always good) trying to protect others and change the world.

I also don't really understand the complaints over the graphics downgrade. What we have vs. what the trailers showed... I mean, our version of the game is far less dingy. I know the theme is supposed to be cold, but the reveal footage was just too dark, in my opinion. The lighting was a bit more realistic in the demo footage, though, I will admit that.

It's certainly not perfect but I consider Watch_Dogs to be an unsung masterpiece of open world action-adventure games. If any of that sounds remotely appealing, you owe it to yourself to play this game, as well as its first sequel (haven't played Legion as of this review).