"Watch Dogs" - Full of Potential, Falls Short of Expectations

      Watch Dogs is much anticipated game from Ubisoft in which you play the gritty Aiden Pearce as he tries to achieve his sense of justice for the city of Chicago. This game has been building a lot of anticipation ever since E3 2013. The idea of being able to hack the city of Chicago into your own personal technological wonderland certainly appealed to a lot of people. Also the idea of being able to hack in to other people’s games and mess around with them was also a really exciting concept. 

      However at least with the multiplayer part, it was great in concept but ultimately failed in execution. The multiplayer modes feel like they were added after the fact and really do not add much to the world, narrative, or gameplay. I did not happen to find these unique or really fun compared to the main single player storyline and side missions.  

      That being said the single player campaign was really quite good. The story was compelling and I like how they manage to put the protagonist in interesting moral situations. The scene toward the end with Aiden and Nicky I found to be particularly powerful. However for the great writing the story had, I found the ending of the main missions to be rushed. The gameplay overall was really fun with a challenging AI making just about everything difficult and a challenge. The final mission ups the difficulty to 11 but it still is possible to complete.  

      The side missions provide enough variety to keep you invested in the world. Between the discovery parts, stopping crime, and other missions it provides a well rounded experience. Looking at the multiplayer in this light makes a bit more sense, however it should not have been pointed out as a selling point from the beginning. 

      I am excited to see where this new IP will go. The end of the game certainly pointed to a sequel, and much like other successful IPs in this genre (I’m looking at you GTA) this series has a lot of potential and I’m sure will only get better. 

      Out of 10 I would give this game a solid 8 as it is a compelling single player experience, with multiplayer that was more proof a concept than engaging gameplay.