Watch Dogs - PlayStation 4

My son loves this game

I held off on doing a review on this game because I wasn’t really sure if I would like it, and I didn’t want to do like many and give a bad review because I didn’t understand or get into it deep enough.This game is awesome… Plain and simple.It’s not perfect because like many games, when they get so complex and detailed, sometimes the control mechanics can be cumbersome and takes some adapting to use the controls. I have seen where people are saying it’s a combination of Grand Theft Auto and Assassins Creed. I can see why this comparison is made, but this game is much BETTER than both for a few reasons. The first reason is that it is not a sequel series.I am a firm believer that game sequels have a tendency to go stale unless they are online multiplayer formats. The whole hacking genre of this game is pretty sick. Like I said, it took a few missions to really get into it, but I am getting addicted to it quickly.The free roam capability that is comparable to GTA is much more advanced. I think the next generation development has allowed the game to literally allow the player to go where they want. The interactive environments are really awesome. You knock trash cans over when you are running through alleys, you can drive through chain link fences when eluding police, etc. That’s another thing, The police pursuits are exciting! The cops aren’t as easy to outrun like they are in GTA. The AI is far superior. You have to rely on the expanding free roam environment and hacking into traffic systems to get away. Which brings up the issue of controlling vehicles. The vehicle driving mechanics could be better, and I find myself losing perspective when hitting high speed turns because the camera angle puts you in blind spots. When you make vehicles crash behind you, the slow motion camera capture of the crash is cool to watch, but the down side when the perspective returns to you, you can sometimes crash yourself because the view returns you to a bad spot. But I can live with this because the game has so many strengths that outweigh this. My solution is to use the available motorcycles. They are smaller and more nimble and easier to get through traffic . Not to mention, its easier to ride a motorcycle between barriers that you trigger during police pursuits.The hacking puzzles are top notch, and makes the hacking theme seem more realistic. And people need to realize that Watch Dogs is not some boring hacking puzzle game. It is packed with high paced shootouts which are reminiscent of Max Payne on PS3, but with next gen detail. The graphics are amazing. The roads and sidewalks have cracks and stains and the leaves on the trees, the rain drops and the appearance of the roads when they are wet. You can definitely tell this is a game on a next gen console.This is a game that grows on you the more that you play it.

Watch Dogs is the new intellectual property (IP) from Ubisoft Montreal, the studio who developed the Assassin's Creed (AC) series. Watch Dogs is a rather ambitious attempt to rival Rockstar's smash-hit, Grand Theft Auto (GTA). While Watch Dogs presents a unique experience that is very polished and well presented, many fans of the GTA series will find that Watch Dogs falls shorts of expectations to improve upon the GTA series as a sandbox game. However, after playing several hours of Watch Dogs, the new IP from Ubisoft Montreal impressively stands as a new series that I am excited to see develop throughout the new generation of gaming. Fans of the GTA series who are expecting Watch Dogs to be a successor or clone to GTA will surely be disappointed in some regards to the overall presentation of Watch Dogs. However, those who will approach Watch Dogs with an open-mind and as a unique experience will be pleasantly surprised with the development that Ubisoft Montreal has put into Watch Dogs.As is expected, Ubisoft Montreal has developed Watch Dogs using many lessons learned throughout the development of the AC series. Watch Dogs borrows on many of the exploration and map completion that became popular with the AC series, and players will find themselves traversing Chicago in a wide variety of ways to stop randomly occurring crimes, steal cars, hack control terminals and break up gang hideouts. In addition to the wide variety of side quests and missions which will constantly occupy your time, the main campaign of Watch Dogs is rather compelling and provides challenge where other series have utterly failed. Watch Dogs puts you in the role of a realistic character, with realistic goals, and realistic tools. Where competitors such as GTA provide an experience that is exceptional in regards to sandbox play, Watch Dogs provides a unique and immersive experience that is sure to excite fans of the Assassin's Creed series.Simply put, Watch Dogs is not a ground breaking title and is surely not a clone of GTA as some reviewers would have you believe. Watch Dogs provides a compelling experience for those who are fans of both GTA and Assassin's Creed. Approach Watch Dogs with an open-mind and you will find that you are pleasantly surprised by the variety this new IP has to offer. This game is a must have for anyone who wants to see the benchmark for new IPs in 2014 / 2015.