Watch_Dogs - 5 Point Review

The 5 Point Review

I'm going to be trying something a bit different. Similar to the end of Kotaku's reviews, they have a little bar of score and if you should/shouldn't play the game, I wanted to streamline the review process instead of going so into depth that it takes me a massive amount of time to write and read. Also it would allow me to make a call based on only playing a portion of the game without having to dive into 40 hour games and give a review a couple weeks later.

So the 5 Points will be

• Quick Summary
• Pros and Cons
• Should you play it
• Should you buy it
• Score

Watch_Dogs

Summary - When Watch_Dogs is at its best, you're on foot, hacking cameras, phones, explodable environments, traffic lights, and so on. When it's at its worst you're stuck trying to get away from cops with terrible driving gameplay, the inability to shoot while you drive, and wading through a lot of added on content that just seems to be there to be there. Overall the game is fun, and its idea of where it wanted to end up as a total package is a good one, but the final product is a mixed bag.

Pros - 

• Hacking is a lot of fun
• Progression system is pretty deep and rewarding
• On foot gameplay/gunplay/minigames all work well
• There is a ton of stuff to do, and they don't hold anything back
• Graphically is a very good looking game
• Fast travel is convenient
• 1v1 hacking multiplayer is tense and fun

Cons -

• Driving is awful and has no consistency.
• A lot of the minigames, side missions, etc., seem tacked on just because.
• Repetitive a la Assassins Creed or Farycry.
• In my opinion, the voice acting is pretty poor.
• Police wanted level system is awkward, and coupled with driving, its downright frustrating
• The game is a bit buggy
• The multiplayer has a poor showing, with only 1 team event and no party system.

Should you play it? Probably - If you're not really invested in anything else and are looking for a game to pickup to kill time then yes, this is a play. Especially with not much on the horizon.

Should you buy it? Yes - If you have Gamefly, or a friend willing to give up their copy, go that route. If not it is worth the money to kill 30 hours or so.

Score - 7.75