Watch Dogs was highly anticipated when it was first announced, but the graphical downgrades it suffered caused a huge backlash. So, is it still playablea after almost 9 years?
1- Gameplay
When you compare Watch Dogs to today's games, of course it's normal to feel behind. Even Ubisoft's most recent games are lagging behind. But if you lower your expectations, it is possible to be satisfied. It can be problematic once in a while, but it still works. The hacker theme is well handled and integrated into the game in terms of both mechanics and gameplay. There are usually 2 ways to go on missions. One is stealthy by using a camera and a silenced pistol, and the other is by attacking. But the game wants you to go stealthily. If you try to attack, the game usually forces you to deal with it for a long time.
2- Weapon System / Hack
It's not GTA, it's not weak. It's not bad. The variety is good, but they didn't balance the system well. You can finish the whole game with Silenced Pistols and Scanning weapons like MP5. I used a Sniper once in a while but that was like 3 times. So at the beginning of the game, get a Silenced Pistol and a scanner that will do the job. Since the aim of the game is stealth anyway, you don't use the Scanners much.
But you can also use this variety as you wish. As I said, I went through the hacking system with less emphasis on weapons.
Let's talk about the hacking system. Here I think it is still improved especially from the 2nd game. Especially during the chase, it's very fun to blow up the roads, to wreak havoc around. The hacking system is also used like a puzzle in the missions.
3- Cars and Driving
Let's talk about the part of the game that attracted the most reaction, and for some, perhaps the reason for quitting the game. Driving mechanics. I won't specialize by saying "car", but in general terms, the "driving" mechanics of the game are difficult. Especially after a game like GTA 5, it can be hard to get used to. When you press the gas, the screen shaking like all hell is breaking loose and the unstable acceleration of the car undermines the pleasure a bit. The brake is also not very successful.
But I can still say that it's fun once you get used to it. Even though the variety of cars is abundant, unfortunately it doesn't do anything. You feel the same whether you drive a pick-up truck or a sports car. There is no weight.
4- Graphics and Optimization
That was the most negative part of the game. It got a lot of backlash when it came out after the E3 conference and maybe that's why it's considered a bad game. With AMD Ryzen 3 2200G, it was able to provide a smooth experience at the lowest settings. Of course, the reason for the lowest settings is that the processor has a single channel Ram. Even at the lowest settings, it didn't make me say that the moon is ugly, disgraceful, my eyes are bleeding. Of course, there is a big downgrade compared to the E3 version, but if we don't count that event, we can say that it is above average. The only problem for me is the color palette. I think it's too pale. They printed pale colors to give the depressive hacking theme.
5- Story and Quests
As I understand it, the beginning of the story is as follows: Our character Aiden Pearce loses someone and we're looking for the person who killed him. In the meantime, things happen...
There are certain levels in the game. There are 5 levels, ACT 1 and ACT 5. Think of it like mission progression. As you progress through the missions, this progresses and ACT 5 is the final mission. After ACT 3, even if the game occasionally gets repetitive, it makes you say "What will happen next?" and makes you forget the feeling of repetition. By repetition I mean go somewhere and hack a place without getting caught by the infiltrators. But this doesn't bother me because there is a goal on the way. The variety of missions is not bad but it could have been improved.
Apart from that, although the story is generally cliché, some parts of it can attract the player to the game. I recommend it. I found it successful to leave the control to us in the final scene.
As I said, it is clichéd, but after a certain point (I can say ACT 2-3) it can draw the player in a little bit.
6- Characters
The characters are not overly detailed. Not too empty either. I wish there were deeper characters, especially our main character. At least the game can say one or two things.
7- Open World
It's huge, but there's a nice Ubisoft formula here too. It's an extremely big map, but it's a bit of a backward world. You can feel that it's alive, but it's good in that way.
8- Music
This game is very nice with both the music that plays in the cars and the music that plays when you are in action. I like it.
9- Bugs, Artificial Intelligence and Physics
Is there? Of course it does. It's a Ubisoft game, so there's plenty. For example, what happened? I was closing the bridge and the car got stuck. I said I'd open it back up and get rid of it, then when I opened it, the car got stuck in the gap and fell into the water. Moreover, the bridge is broken, it neither closes nor opens. Artificial intelligence is not very good, but it works. There are those who jump on me while driving and those who run away from me very well. For example, they are smart and go around me while fighting. Or an enemy in Heavy Armor trusts his armor and comes at me. Physics are very well balanced. I've never seen a character get into a weird bug or kill a man with one punch.
10- Point
Even if it gets a bad reputation for its graphics and driving physics, it will remain on the list of games I love in my heart. Even if it feels boring at first, it envelops you very well in the future. Even though the atmosphere is drowned in pale colors, it makes you feel a beautiful city.
So how many points do we give it?
72/100
Have a good game!
