Ubi Soft's new IP "Watch Dogs" was built for the next-gen consoles. It was hyped as the next big action franchise due to a spectacular demo shown at E3 2012. However, the final product isn’t exactly groundbreaking. Basically, it is "Grand Theft Auto" for the Wi-Fi generation. The game's protagonist Aiden Pierce is a hacker who uses his smart phone to hack into Chicago's “central operating system”. From there, he can create havoc by controlling traffic lights, creating black outs, raising street barriers and stopping trains, etc. It's an interesting concept, but the game's familar open-world mission structure is what keeps it from being truly original. As it is, "Watch Dogs" is an entertaining, even addicting diversion, but "Game of the Year", it is not.
I've played both the PS3 and XBOX 360 versions of "Watch Dogs" and the 360 is the one to get if you don't own any of the next-gen consoles. Both versions do suffer from screen tearing, but it's considerably worse on the PS3. The 360 version also has a higher resolution; the graphics looks sharper, more detailed and more colorful. It's a playable game on both systems, but performance wise, the 360 port wins hands down. And as far as the game itself, it's not one of Ubi Soft's best creations. But it's fun and jam packed with plenty of diversions in addition to the main story. Like "Far Cry 3", you'll unlock weapons and abilities as you partake in side-missions, puzzles and all sorts of mini-games. You can also hack the phones of pedestrians to unlock licensed songs, discover potential crimes and fatten your bank account.
One of the best diversions in "Watch Dogs" are the "Digital Trips", which are basically arcade-game simulators. And if you're a fan of retro-gaming, then you'll have a blast with the the "Phone Games" which bring to mind "Space Invaders" and other 80's vid games. And "City Games" are composed of chess, drinking contests and other irreverent activities. If you want to add more activities to the map, you'll have to hack into areas which are reminiscent of the radio signal towers in "Far Cry 3". Aiden can also use his SmartPhone to order vehicles, customize the music playlist, replay missions or play against other "Fixers" online. Gang hideouts, fixer contracts, "investigations" and hidden QRS codes are other side-missions that can be tackled. You can also gather parts which can be used to create items such as frag grenades and health packs.
The four online modes of "Watch Dogs" are fun, but nothing innovative or complex. In two of the modes, you can either hack or tail another player which can lead to chases or deaths if you are discovered. Thirdly, you can race another player (or players) while they try to stop you by raising barriers or bridges and hacking traffic lights. Finally, the Mobile Challenge is basically a race to the finish line. The catch is that a person tries to stop you by controlling patrol cars, police helicopters and raising street barriers from their real-life tablets or cell phones. As you succeed, you'll earn different abilities.
"Watch Dogs" is a game that will probably be liked, but not loved. It's not a masterpiece and it doesn't really do anything better than "Grand Theft Auto V". It is, however, entertaining and that's what video games are suppose to do. Hopefully, "Watch Dogs 2" will be the "Assassin's Creed II" of this new franchise.