Watch_Dogs

Well, I at least owed an apology, right?

So, this game is on sale on PSN for £12.95, and I still kinda want to try it (didn't get it on release because it seemed like it was only getting average reviews). Worth getting at that price?

Oh, yes. It's a really good game; the major reason it got such overwhelming negative response was related to release issues, not the core product.

Watch Dogs is a good game in my opinion, a solid 8/10. Hype Backlash really did it in, and in general you have to accept that it plays like Grand Theft Auto with hacking.

Yeah it's loads of fun. Does that sale come with the Bad Blood DLC? It's a pretty nice post-ending plot with unlimited side missions (you have to fish for them from conversations in the main game, Bad Blood just pops a new one to keep it always at a set number)

I don't think it does.

And yeah, I figured part of it is that it simply didn't live up to the hype. I was pretty hyped too.

Man there's too many watch games now ffs. Shit I can't wait for Yokai Overwatch_Dogs now exclusively on Apple Watch

Back on topic I never got sucks into the hype and honestly it's pretty average. Like that's the best I can say, it feels like a Ubisoft game and if you like the usual Ubisoft tropes (dead father, climbing towers to unlock parts of the map, loose heavily interpolated movement, Mark and Execute, the floating text in the world like in Fringe) you might like it but safe to say I'm not a big Ubisoft fan so I just thought it was "whatever"

edited 1st Dec '15 2:00:22 AM by RoboZombie

Tower climbing is at least much more interesting than ye olde assassins due to being coupled with hacking puzzles.

true Dat but Seriously though Ubisoft needs to chill with the towers. I mean shit, The Crew (Ubisoft's Need For Speed killer) has towers you climb to unlock the map. For God's sake they need to chill with towers.

edited 1st Dec '15 2:07:35 AM by RoboZombie

So I got it, and yeah, so far not amazing, but still pretty solid, much as I expected. The hacking elements are a lot of fun, especially during chases. Feels badass to take out a police car with some bollards, or one particular occasion where I stopped a criminal from escaping by raising a barrier ahead of him. Small but related note; I have to applaud the game for not doing the Assassin's Creed thing where targets or enemies run at the same speed as you or faster, which made catching (or trying to escape from) them very frustrating at times. Here, at least so far, they run just slightly slower, so catching them still takes time, but it's not impossible.

If I have a problem with the game so far, it's that there's too much side stuff to do. On top of all the standard side objectives and extras marked on the map, the way it'll pop up with messages about things like detected crimes, well, it just means I've only done about three story missions so far.

Similarly, the online 'invasions' are quite fun, but rather annoying when you're on your way somewhere and you have to stop to deal with it. I've opted out for now, and am glad there was the option to do so.

"Too much side stuff" is a perennial fact of open-world, sandbox style games like this one. It's possible to lose the thread of the main story when you get immersed in them. I don't mind.

edited 1st Dec '15 7:52:53 AM by Fighteer

It is, down to it all, your choice on whether to do plot stuff or side stuff. The game just drops all the options in front of you.

edited 1st Dec '15 8:40:59 AM by Adannor

It's fun. Not super amazing, but fun enough. For side content I'd say do a few until you get bored, then move on to the next story mission. And if any of the side content bores you (I disliked most of the driving missions since handling was terrible), just ignore it. The rewards aren't worth it unless you're gunning for 100% completion.

As long as the side stuff doesn't cause ludonarrative dissonance, I'm fine with it being in abundance. All I ask is that it not feel OOC to do it.

If you're giving me a predefined character, the sidequests should be things the character would reasonably do. If you're giving me a blank slate, obviously there's more flexibility.

Also, there should be gaps in the plot, spaces in which to go do side stuff. Rockstar and Ubisoft are pretty good at that. Bethesda and, to a lesser extent, Bioware tend to run afoul of what I call the issue of Sandbox Urgency; story missions that say things like, "Your son has been kidnapped, go to this next mission point to begin rescuing him!" Things that make you an asshole for faffing about.

Sandbox Urgency can be mitigated through careful use of one simple phrase: "I need time to look into this, come back later." This allows the player to decide when the character will be finished researching whatever they need to help the protagonist, creating a narrative break to go run side missions. Watch_Dogs did a pretty good job with this, I think.

edited 1st Dec '15 8:57:09 AM by TobiasDrake

Well, I personally got quite immersed in the middle-late section of the plot, so I've done it almost without any sidequesting breaks - the game did good to create an atmosphere of urgency when appropriate. I did all the faffling about in the early game, before things got heated up.

edited 1st Dec '15 9:51:57 AM by Adannor

Exactly. There are points where additional open world content open up, and you are encouraged to thoroughly explore those before diving back into the narrative. Once things become urgent, you know it.

Sequel will feature a new protagonist.

Good. Maybe we'll have someone interesting to follow this time.

I would like to see Aiden Pierce return, just not as the main character.

/sigh. I know I won't win the argument, but I found Aiden acceptably interesting as a character and this constant negativity about him is tiresome.

Also, it would be nice if Ubisoft doesn't over-promise this time so the game will be reviewed on its merits.

edited 3rd May '16 11:47:48 AM by Fighteer

I wouldn't mind him as an NPC, he was just a shitty protagonist.

One can say the same about blind optimism :-P

Anyway new main character. Maybe we'll all like this one.

edited 3rd May '16 11:48:08 AM by CobraPrime

You forgot "in my opinion" after that first sentence. Omitting it makes everything you say suspect.

edited 3rd May '16 11:53:53 AM by Fighteer

I liked Aiden. But I'll be interested in a new guy.

Maybe it'll be like Prototype and Aiden will be a Rogue Protagonist.

More instead that I just want to see new things to do with ctOS (cough pilotable helicopters cough).

edited 3rd May '16 11:51:50 AM by Keybreak

"Anyway new main character. Maybe we'll all like this one. In my opinion"

Better? I think it's nonsensical.

Anyway, cautiously optimistic. I am glad Ubisoft acknowledged issues with the first game, and I do believe in their ability to improve - Assassins' Creed 2 rest atop my list of "most improved sequel".

I'd like a bigger emphasis on the hacking as opposed to the generic "modern day big open sandbox GTA style" content all games of the genre have (Poor 3rd person shooting, carjacking/driving/racing, etc...). See the franchise play up its identity.

edited 3rd May '16 11:54:57 AM by CobraPrime

My big thing about the sequel is that they need to dial back the ludonarrative dissonance in the side quests. The half where you were hitting the mob were great, the other half where you were working for the mob were confusing. Also maybe not stealing your money from random passersby would be good.

That's if the character's meant to be a vigilante, of course. If he's something else, different gameplay ideas apply, but the point is that the gameplay in the sandbox should be appropriately suited to the character.

I don't remember how well the game did with Sandbox Urgency. If it was good, keep doing that. If it was bad, uh...work on it.

Other than that, more opportunities to utilize the protagonist's cyber-skillset are always appreciated. For me, the best part of the game is the infiltration puzzle of using the Hollywood Hacking mechanic. The combat sessions with lots of hackables are also cool. Any time the game places emphasis on the protagonist's cyberwarefare, the game shines.

For the action pieces, more like the infiltration and confrontation with the mob boss and less like the shootout with Iraq would be preferred.

>.@ Please no. "Remember your last character? He's now THE VILLAIN and you must KILL HIM!" was absolutely obnoxious in Prototype 2. I spent the whole game waiting for the inevitable twist that never came and was left completely dissatisfied.

Players don't like spending 20-60 hours getting invested in a character only for a writer to turn around and go, "F*ck you, he's evil now."

edited 3rd May '16 12:00:52 PM by TobiasDrake

Especially when the reason for the protagonist's Face–Heel Turn are in a comic and not in the game.