Watch Dogs Is An Underrated Gem - Watch Dogs Review

There have now been a handful of Watch Dogs games but I've never really had much of an interest in them before now. I was always told that the first Watch Dogs game was bad and that Aiden Pearce was just a bad character. Now that I'm a little older, I decided to take a change on this game and try it out, especially with the news that they added Aiden Pearce to Watch Dogs Legion and also put an Assassin's Brotherhood character (Darcy) from Assassin's Creed in Watch Dogs Legion. I played Watch Dogs on Xbox Series X with FPS boost enabled and the game ran fantastically. I really liked a lot of the supporting cast including Clara Lille and T-Bone and I found the world of a futuristic Chicago to be very interesting and engaging. #watchdogs #assassinscreed #ubisoft
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[@vineetdesai6396]

I love this game. I wish they gave Aiden a trilogy.

[@thereseemstobeenanerror1219]

His character isn't strong enough for that.

[@thereseemstobeenanerror1219]

@@nickneal8676 Allright, looking at Legion shows how his character could have been improved. I still stand by the idea that he couldn't support a trilogy, but maybe a sequel.

[@JoshMC2000]

100% would have been a better idea.bloodline should have been the main games story with more detail instead of what we got in legion.

[@de4d_x_v2]

True, it would be great if he would be in the fourth watch dogs game

[@mr_indie_fan]

@@thereseemstobeenanerror1219 he could support a trilogy what the hell are you talking about?

[@BIGG_BOI_M9]

Watch Dogs 1 has the story Watch Dogs 2 has the gameplay Watch Dogs Legion is just there

[@DegenerateJay]

I haven't played legion yet, just watched from the outside, I was going to ask you personally did you play it since they added in Aiden or the Assassin's Creed character? I heard that both of those characters helped improve the narrative and that you could play as them through the entire story if you wanted to as well. But again, I only know information from the outside I'm kind of working my way through the series.

[@BIGG_BOI_M9]

@@DegenerateJay I’ve only played the base game. It’s fun for a few hours recruiting a bunch of people but after a while it gets boring. I think it’s because there’s no real main character the gameplay seemed like a downgrade from 2 and the story was kinda boring

[@atas2561]

I found Legion to be OK, but the first game is absolutely fantastic in my opinion.

[@notdaniel6158]

I liked Legion but it is the weakest in the series

[@benrake5272]

Legion is legitimately one of the worst games I have ever played. Watch dogs 1 and 2 on the other hand are criminally underrated and all Ubisoft had to do was combine the incredible gameplay and freedom from watch dogs 2 with the gritty and weighty style of 1. I honestly don't know what they were thinking with legion. If anything, I guess you can give them props for taking a risk and trying something different but boy did it not pay off.

[@tarunperera1181]

You cant expect aiden to be a fun, extroverted guy considering his sad story and how it changed him.. and I like his personality anyway. It added a more serious tone to the game

[@wacky-physics7506]

I enjoy how he's actually quite manipulative, maybe not a sociopath but defo traumatised or hardened

[@warv6039]

Agreed I always rode the bike and pretended he was Batman cause it looks like a cape and I love the idea of being a vigilante I wish the put more time into it or expanded upon it in a sequel

[@annabelnades3693]

I was a kid when this game came out and all I knew about it was that you play as a badass hacker in a gta like map with missions So I bought it day 1 and absolutely loved it Didnt even know people are dissapointed in it until a long time after that I hope that one day ubisoft will get back to making games like this

[@RegularJohn53]

Ubisoft been making games exactly like this ever since, that's the problem with them. This had the "ubisoft formula" early on, back then wasn't such a big deal but after this every game from them is just like this.

[@negawatt359]

@@RegularJohn53 i think even though the new games follow the same formula, they’re less innovative, less focus on story, and more on big open worlds that lack life. Watch dogs 1 had a very good story and side content, games like oddysey are filled with mindless missions and unpolished gameplay.

[@SpectreMkTwo]

I want a Watch Dogs 1 remake

[@SpectreMkTwo]

​@@negawatt359absolutely

[@CrunchyTheCrunch]

​@negawatt359 watch dogs 2, while lacking an actual reason to care for the story has an open world full of life, there is so much that npc can randomly do in 2 that you can walk around for 10 minutes watching the npcs and see the everyday life of most of them

[@unr8ted77]

Everyone loves Aiden now haha. The reaction to his return in Legion was really well received. It’s like it took the irritating hipsters in 2 and the faceless nobodies in Legion for people to actually see that Aiden was actually a cool character who was unfairly dismissed due to a graphical downgrade (and it wasn’t that big of a downgrade either, the game still looks beautiful).

[@an-animal-lover]

I agree. Even though I went into the game blind of the controversy, when I found out, I just rolled my eyes. So what the game isn't exactly like the E3? It's not ugly, either. It's pretty good to look at, so what is there to complain about?

[@MaxTheLazyCat]

Ikr, people downplay how story and atmosphere can sometimes substitute graphics. I love walking or driving in the rain in watch dogs because it just fits the story and Aiden's siutation in that game.

[@kwc0435]

@@an-animal-lover fr, it's still a really good looking game combined with the atmosphere

[@an-animal-lover]

@@kwc0435 exactly

[@destinmorrissey6058]

Dedsec was cool they're not irritating

[@fedoramafioso6245]

Oh man do I love this game. It's my favourite out of the trilogy, and I'm so happy it's been getting more love in recent times.

[@SaiyanQuad92]

There's a 3rd game? Who knew lol

[@DegenerateJay]

I wish I had checked it out earlier on but also at the same time I feel like I'm playing the best possible version of the game now with the FPS boost and everything else so I'm pretty happy with when I played it but it is too bad that this game got so much flack early on. Ubisoft really set themselves up for it though.

[@mauken-dyn6685]

There was a 3rd game? I thought there were only two.

[@deardearry3375]

Because it's on huge sales and people like me are finally able to afford it. The whole complete edition + watch dog 2 bundle on steam is just 15$

[@lordartin8687]

Then who hated it in the first place? It was underrated by someone I thought I made a wrong decision of buying it but everyone likes it then how the f it flop

[@Cross_Bear]

I completely agree with everything you've said. This is one of my most favourite game I've played, but it does have its problems. I'm glad that it's getting more appreciation. I hope more people try playing it and enjoy it as much as I have

[@1989SupraGuyFIN]

I actually have one funny memory from this game. I think it was my 3rd playthrough, was just chilling out while being bored and tried to obey real life traffic laws (yeah, I'm one of those, who do that when they got bored while playing). Was slowly making my way towards the bar, where you can start one of the missions related to the gang, that has taken over the big appartment complex. Only, I didn't know, that at some point some other player had started one of those shadowing missions you can do to shadow (or hack) another players. Well, I got to the bar, parked my car at the back alley and went in from back door of the establishment to start the mission. Of course, me being shadowed it didn't let me start it. At this moment, mind you, I had completely forgotten that you can do said missions, I just stood there thinking "huh, that's weird. Must be a bug". Started to wander back to my car at the same moment this person shadowing me came through the same backdoor I had used. When I saw that, I was like "huh, since when has NPC's walked into various shops in the game?" Obviously still not remembering, that the shadowing the other players missions were a thing. Now, I know, that at that point the other players game informed, that he just got caught. Don't remember what the game says to you when you get caught, it's been quite long since I last played it. But he bolted, fast. That was when I remembered those missions. I let them get away, because that must of been confusing (and probs annoying too) to shadow me stopping at every single red light and otherwise being a slowpoke. 🤣 That, and they stole my way faster car, than what they had used. No way I could of caught them.

[@genericwhitedude]

@@1989SupraGuyFINWait a goddamn minute… that wasn’t just me that had one of those at the WORST time?

[@1989SupraGuyFIN]

@@genericwhitedude apparantelly not. Still haven't played it, as no way am I going to pay Sony those rates they are asking from PS+.

[@Jack_80]

​@@1989SupraGuyFIN$60 a year isn't really bad, especially considering you get free games every month, and some of those free games got me into completely new genres. slay the spire was one of those free monthly games that got me into the deck building genre. some months the free games are shitty, but so far i've gotten enough good games every year to make it more than worth the $60 a year.

[@visionary1138]

Always thought I was the only person who actually liked Aiden

[@1989SupraGuyFIN]

Well, you're not. I liked him as well.

[@MerlautJones]

Nope, Aiden's a favorite of mine.

[@Geordie1892]

I think a lot of the negative perception of Aiden is down to the mainstream game journalists not liking him and them pushing the narrative that he was a dark brooding edge lord who players didn't relate to or like. The quirky hipster characters that ubisift introduced in Watch Dogs 2 seem like an attempt to pander to said journos and it worked as WD2 got better review scores and more praise if I recall correctly. It's very refreshing and nice to see so many people now showing support and giving the deserved praise to Watch Dogs and the character of Aiden Pearce. Would love to see him get another WD game or perhaps a similarly well written character in a darker more nuanced story akin to Aidens.

[@raimiallpowerful2020]

I really love this game. I played it in 2021 with no context to the graphics and disappointments. and it's one of my favourite games. I love aiden pearce. i played all of legion with him and wrench. because I love superheroes. but I love the vigilante types like punisher. this is essentially a punisher game. I love the grounded takes on vigilantes that aren't superhero stories per say. like unbreakable. this is very realistic though. I love aiden. people who say he's edgy confuse me. people love batman, punisher, john wick. this dude is the same

[@DegenerateJay]

Dude you're a fan of unbreakable? You're my kind of person. Nobody knows about Unbreakable and that is seriously in my top 10 favorite movies of all time. I'm still slightly butt hurt at the ending of Glass but overall I like that whole trilogy a lot. I was going to ask, since you're the only person I've seen here who actually talked about playing as those characters in legion, does it.make the game better? There's not a lot of information about the update so bear with me, my understanding was there is a dedicated story-based DLC to Aiden and Wrench But that they also added voice lines throughout the entire Game of legion for Aiden so that the story is better if you play as him and Wrench through the main story as well. I guess I'm just wondering is that actually true or is that something that people have sort of hyped up beyond what it is? Because I thought it would be really fun to play that DLC and then play through that game as those two and even play some as the assassin girl but I just have not gotten to it yet and I'm sure I'll play the second game first but I wanted to get someone's opinion who actually played it and could break it down for me without me like frantically googling and not understanding what I'm reading. Thanks a ton for the feedback and the kind words by the way I really appreciate it.

[@steveosk8s]

Playing as Aiden and wrench in legion is really the only way to do it and enjoy it imo lol.

[@PaoMej]

The serious tone in WD1 was pretty great. Honestly reminds me of Max Payne too or GTA 4. Since similar games like GTA 5 & Saints Row at the time were leaning more towards the "fun & crazy" aspect of themes. WD1 is a good contrast and its serious theme could have been better fleshed out aside from the misleading marketing/trailers, there are some flaws in it like in some story elements, character aspects, gameplay features & choices etc. I like the serious nature of Aiden Pearce. He's got that presence of vengeance and controlled chaos to him. I thought that was cool. Really fits the game. I just wish he could have been even more fleshed out in the story. WD2 on the other hand was a total different direction though good in a many aspects too but it kinda feels weird that the characters there generally act so casual, hip, and like college kids yet you can murder people left and right so easily. Even though you can use non-lethal ways to dispatch enemies, it just feels so disconnected. Would have been a nice sequel for Aiden Pearce and retain that awesome serious tone but maybe mixed with some lighter elements here and there for some people who would like to have some fun.

[@UranousImpala]

I dislike how the sequels took away the serious tone. I love serious crime games.

[@HuskeyYT]

Honestly I love the young free running parkour and the outfit customization of the second one but not a big fan of the villain. The first one I like a lot but it could use some stuff to make it more fun I guess

[@UranousImpala]

@@HuskeyYT yeah the sequels had more customization and doing a non lethal run in Watch Dogs 2 was fun. I just wish the story kept the serious tone. It's the same reason I love GTA 4 and Sleeping Dogs.

[@HuskeyYT]

@@UranousImpala GTA 4 and sleeping dogs are amazing games but they weren’t 100% a serious tone. They both had a lot of funny moments while watch dogs 1 I can’t really remember anything funny from it

[@UranousImpala]

@@HuskeyYT "Not the Pizza guy."

[@HuskeyYT]

@@UranousImpala nope

[@handonherpanz6779]

Completely agree Ubisoft really messed up on the marketing. It's a shame because if expectations were lower I really think more people would have enjoyed the game. They made the thing look like a late PS4 game when we were in the PS3 and 360 generation and then didn't deliver on that which is frustrating and it was a trend with games at the time that watch dogs took the fall for.

[@itsClaptrap]

honestly growing up, I NEVER saw promotional material or commercials for Watch Dogs, I just saw it in GameStop once, thought it looked cool, and bought it zero expectations and it was a fun experience, I had like 3 total playthroughs of the game. I remember being a huge fan of the digital trip mini games (Mecha spider and Robot Takeover were my favorites)

[@jamesmiles3341]

@@itsClaptrap bought the game randomly because it’s on sale didn’t know anything about it except i remember wanting to play the game so bad back then (because i’m a huge fan of open world city) but i don’t have any device when it was came out i was 13, i didn’t expect anything from it in 2023 because of ubisoft current reputation. But godamn this game is so good, the game doesn’t feel repetitive like almost every single ubisoft game, the npcs are incredible, they’re talking doing their normal activities, and i love the dark tone of this game it gives me breaking bad vibes for some reason, i just love the game surprisingly.

[@genericwhitedude]

@@itsClaptrapBest games that don’t have any marketing at all. 1. WATCH_DOGS 2. Hitman (dont quote me on that.)

[@Jay-qu2bc]

I honestly think they did deliver. Even today, the game looks beautiful and runs incredibly well (atleast on ps4).

[@mapmoop451]

@@genericwhitedude assassins creed: odyssey

[@forgottenredemption4970]

Honestly his character I think is very relatable to some of us who have experienced trauma and know just how much that can change you as a person and not for the better. I can imagine there isn't a day that goes by he didn't think about her. Blaming himself. Maybe considering not being alive. The shame and perhaps self hate. Becoming overly protective and stuffing out anything that could be considered the slightest threat. That pain turning to anger and now he's out for blood. I have PTSD and I think that he shows signs of mental illness aswel. At the end of a game you get to make a choice. And Decide how he will be going forward. Can he forgive himself? Can he move on from her death? Looking at the game like this makes me personally connect with him. Edit: Removed ending spoiler and spelling

[@greengrugach1984]

7 months ago and I hope life is treating you well, you put into words why I connected with Aiden Pierce's character and articulated it far better than I could, I've got complex PTSD as well my friend so I know what you are struggling against, I'm an Irishman, ex BAF three combat tours amongst many other combat drops in many other places I cannot mention here for obvious reasons, no one forced me to sign up so it's on me, my poor family deserve far better than me that's for sure, if I had a pair I'd put myself out of my misery and free them from the burden that is me, thanks for writing what you did, I bought this way back in 2014, I never finished it until recently as it had the fps boost on SX and I started from scratch, just playing the Bad Blood dlc, I bought WD Legion (bloody soulless game) just to play Bloodlines with Aiden again and maybe try base game with him as my character, he's lost his niece and blames himself i understand that feeling as I've lost brothers right in front of me, sorry mate, I seem to be throwing a pity party 🥳 here, time to put my mask back on and pretend I'm OK, mad that with a mental illness people can't see it so they expect you to carry on like normal and I'm trying but my life is unravelling, I know out of all the people here you understand what I mean by that, thanks for even taking the time to read this and I'm sorry I've taken time out of your day, respect and wishes for your wellbeing from Ireland 🇮🇪🤝🇬🇧🤝🇭🇺🤝🇸🇪🤝🇯🇵🤝🇨🇦🤝🇺🇸🤝🌎

[@greengrugach1984]

I couldn't shoot Maurice in the end, it didn't seem to fit Aiden's character, nor mine 😄

[@SaintDiaz]

​@@greengrugach1984 yeah i spared him too. He just did a job and when you found the audio logs you even find out that he didnt even want to do it but that was his only way out of the game.

[@SaintDiaz]

And yes, it made sense on why he came off edgy. Not his niece's death, but also the fact he thought he was the cause only to find out he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just acted as the ultimate blow. And then on top of it his love interest clara betraying him and then dying when he was going to forgive her, his old hacker buddy Damien kidnapping his sister, his sister looking at him like he's a monster and even freaking jordi getting ready to put one in your head for money. By the time that final choice went by to kill maurice, i felt like at that point letting him live felt like the most fitting ending because after everything had happened and you learned the truth about everything, shooting maurice would've made Aiden's character arc seem almost pointless.

[@greengrugach1984]

@@SaintDiaz I think you spared him because you have honour, I know it's a video game but for some bloody reason I can't be horrible to nice NPCs or defenseless ones, real lifes the same, I always playing thinking "oh next time I'll be bad" but I never do....wait I tell a lie, in ME even though my Shepherd was a good guy I had enough renegade points to 👊💥 that reporter lady right in the face, finished it a few times when I should be playing the other 100's of games I've bought, all the best to you from Ireland mo chara 🇮🇪🤝

[@nickstrife8312]

People seems to complain about "dark" characters that experienced traumatic experiences. I found weird when I read on the internet people disliked Connor because of that, and didn't paid much attention to Altair for that same reason. And how people loved young Ezio, where in AC II I always felt he was pretty much a "playboy" (best Ezio for me is the one from Revelations, mature and badass at the same time). Cool review, Jay. Now I really want to try out WD. Are you going to review WD 2 as well?

[@ReVita.]

Revelations is underrated. Such a good game that had me hooked with its reveal trailer when Ezio “sees” Altair about to do the leap of faith.

[@nickstrife8312]

@@ReVita. That trailer is amazing! Being able to play as Ezio and Altair was so good.

[@benrake5272]

Altair has more to him than just that. He starts out as a borderline sociopathic and narcissistic hothead and by witnessing the horrors of his creed, he gets insight into the type of person he turned into over time, thereby becoming a wisened and enlightened person in the process. His redemption arc and the fact that he starts out as a completely terrible person, not just a morally grey character, is what makes him special. Connor was two dimensional and ultimately didn't convey any point or meaning. Aiden was just your typical, "I'm doing this for my family" asshole. All of his misfortunes are caused directly by him being a self-righteous idiot.

[@MerlautJones]

Agreed. I really liked Aiden and Connor. Niko Bellic and Max Payne are also favorites of mine. There's some light-hearted characters I enjoy too.

[@kwc0435]

@@ReVita. personally revelations has been my favorite since I first played it

[@talkaboutnowt6644]

Playing as Aiden (to me) felt like the closest we'll ever get to a modern day Punisher game

[@an-animal-lover]

Damn, a Punisher game would be awesome

[@lucamenani]

Mafia 3 too, very fun gameplay

[@-Eskel]

​@@lucamenanibro fuck mafia 3, wtf?

[@-Eskel]

​@@lucamenaniliterally ruined mafia franchise, which may I add was my damn childhood, I played mafia 2 in like 2011 on a shitty computer, and it was awesome

[@dannyboy591]

​@GeraltOfRivia- mafia 3 is actually pretty decent game play wise, but it's not a good mafia game

[@dedspecrad3071]

i think the most interesting part about the game's world that not many talked about is how it presents the concept of the control of information, interconnectedness, and safety at the expense of privacy. im happy that you talked about it for a bit here

[@blaynebittencourt5076]

The reaction to this game was insane. What Ubisoft did pales in comparison to what is happening now in the gaming space.

[@nathanfiala3719]

This game is the best Ubisoft game to me... Aiden is an amazing character

[@Masochistickoala]

watch dogs 1 is one of my favorite games of all time. Open world games that are rough around the edges like prototype 1 and 2 are just always a great time for me.

[@ReVita.]

I loved playing Prototype 1 along with Infamous for the PS3. Fun as hell

[@TayRich93]

@@ReVita. ikr!

[@thereseemstobeenanerror1219]

I think people issue with Aiden is that so many of his problems are caused directly by his actions and nobody really calls him out on it.

[@DegenerateJay]

No that's definitely true he does cause a lot of his own problems and solves them as well but he certainly is also a source of a lot of issues he has. He's very dysfunctional person in a lot of ways for sure.

[@thereseemstobeenanerror1219]

@@DegenerateJay Somewhat off-topic but did you know according to the writers of this game he supposed to be the "Heisenberg" of video games that was the idea behind his character. Supposedly anyway they only said this after the game actually released and people were criticizing his character which makes this clarification suspect.

[@itsClaptrap]

@@thereseemstobeenanerror1219 I think the issue with that is we never really got to see Aiden as what he was like before his Niece died, if we even saw his gradual decline I feel like people wouldnt just say he's a 2edgy4me hackerman but since all we really got was a cutscene of him smiling while driving that van, and assuming he was normal then, we cant entirely connect to him on that "Heisenberg" level

[@thereseemstobeenanerror1219]

@@itsClaptrap The issue with that is, according to the backstory for Pierce. The man always was a morally ambiguous violent person. Even as a kid, as the wiki says and I quote. "As a young adult, Aiden became a member of a criminal gang." "He purchased lessons in hand-to-hand combat, marksmanship and weapons all of which contributed towards his career as a thief." "He also operated as a fixer which provided him deep insight of the criminal underworld." There was also that time he murdered a gym teacher for noticing the injuries he got from his "job". "In 2005, Aiden was nearly arrested by a gym trainer who had noticed his injuries, and unable to afford the risk, he swiftly eliminated him." So as you can see the man already was kind of a Heisenberg right off the bat, so there's nothing for him to transition too.

[@itsClaptrap]

@@thereseemstobeenanerror1219 well that's all well and good, but that wasn't really present in the game. At least, not somewhere easily accessible to people to learn more about him, I certainly didn't know about his past until I read this comment just now. Granted, I didnt run around and collect pick ups around the map that might've given lore background for him, but I don't think his story should rely on esoteric details that can be parsed through a wiki. It really should've been showcased in the game more directly

[@will_da_man_]

Super underrated game. Even though it might not of lived up to expectations, I still loved this game when it came out.

[@deathwish374]

Being too serious and edgy's not a fault ..it's one of it's strong points ...the seriousness is what made u invested in the story ...I just hoped they showed more of Aiden, how he thinks, how he feels, his philosophy, and understand him more...uk

[@michaelr19YT68]

Watch dogs is very well written

[@megaDA619]

If you like the psychological side of Aiden you'll love the bloodline dlc in legion it really goes into his trauma

[@lockheartbleeding]

It's crazy that you say "modern assassins creed" because the game actually has easter eggs that connect it to that franchise if I'm not mistaken

[@Geordie1892]

Yeah, there was a side mission involving an Abstergo Entertainment employee from AC IV Black Flag. They even have an Easter egg about it in AC Origins.

[@shamefulwingingit5480]

watch dogs is one of my favorite ubisoft games and i thought i was the only one who loved it

[@Geordie1892]

I couldn't agree more with you, its very refreshing to see somebody defending Aiden Pearce and Watch Dogs 1. I got the Dead Sec collectors edition for a good price a few months after the game launched and ended up thoroughly enjoying the game and even platinumed it on PS4. A large part of the reason why I loved it so much was the character of Aiden Pearce and how relatable he was in a very dark and mature revenge story. We all know that there are no bounds as to how far most of us will go to protect or avenge those we love and care for, its human nature and a tale as old as time. I even enjoyed the side content, especially the assassination mission that involved a certain abstergo entertainment employee since I loved the Assassin's Creed games too. I really wanted to like Watch Dogs 2 but the shift in tone was far too jarring and the San Francisco hipster characters and setting were completely unrelatable to me. Would love to either see Aiden get a full sequel or for them to try a similar mature story with a new well written character. Keep up the good work with your channel Jay.

[@toastinos1135]

This video convinced me to redownload this game. Never got very far in it, gonna try to get lost in it now. Thanks man

[@HunterX05]

I got this game from a friend... I have never understood what the game did to deserve the level of disdain it had from the gaming community beyond the E3 f*ck up

[@gamingvideos3692]

When I first played this game, I knew nothing about it and didn't know about the tech demo issues or any of that, so when I found out people didn't like it, I was quite surprised

[@waynotheinsano3577]

What a cool coincidence that I just played again last night, I love watch dogs 1, a total gem

[@demonte5305]

I’m so damn glad I found your channel dude. I have been saying this for yeaaarss, I got the game when it originally came out and this is one of the few games aside from uncharted that I’ve replayed the story 2+ times. I think video game/pop culture fans usually just always have a huuuge Herd mentality thing going on when people start hating on something everyone else joins in on it just to fit in and as it escalates more and more people will make videos ripping trying to scavenge for any of the smallest imperfections you could think of. This game was a whole lot of fun and I’m glad someone finally made the video to do it justice.

[@decklanphillips6813]

Thank you so much for making this video,I love watchdogs so much, honestly really one of the best games and I think the franchise should go back to the original feeling

[@DegenerateJay]

I haven't played two or three, so I'm only saying this as someone from the outside, but from what I've watched because I have watched some gameplay and the promotional material, it seems the two tried to be much more light-hearted than the first one. Watch dogs 2 seemed like it was directed at a light-hearted approach and humor versus the serious approach of the original one and then the third game looked to me like it was supposed to be more experimental with letting you play as anyone but from what I've read and what I've seen it made it so that nobody had any sort of emotional attachment to any character because they were all pretty disposable. Now that they've added in characters like the Assassin's Creed character and Aiden I'm definitely excited to play that one as well much more than I would have been say when it launched.

[@decklanphillips6813]

@@DegenerateJay playing the third game as Aiden or wrench during the story in my opinion is alot more fulfilling especially if you play the dlc first and then the story, that way it really does feel like the ending of a trilogy rather than a brake from form,also if you play the story after playing the dlc and you play as Aiden and don't kill anyone sort of showing that Aiden might have realized that to be a hero you don't need to kill everyone, bringing back elements from the first game,it is an interesting way to play instead of just offing everyone

[@decklanphillips6813]

@@DegenerateJay but yeah man love the video, super excited to see more about this franchise from you, and I definitely will be subscribed for it

[@maurader]

This is also one of my favorite games of all time. I've had so many good experiences with this game and this franchise. I love the plot and characters and I agree with probably everything you've said in this video. I'm so glad you liked the game

[@alejandroquinones3636]

I loved watch dogs 1. The sort of humorous route they went with the sequel was just cringe inducing. Also watch dogs 1 felt like a John wick simulator at times which was sick.

[@idroid2542]

One of The greatest games accompanied by one of the greatest Protagonist when I first played the game I had no idea what it was and I’m glad that’s how I went into it

[@bourne.]

I love what they did with Aiden's character in Bloodline, he seems to have gotten over Lena's death and is not grump at all

[@TheFuri0uswc]

People who complained about tone and adian character(even those he literally just batman) actively made what I enjoyed about 1st game worse

[@Frogman1212]

People only want protagonists like Ezio and Nathan Drake, ignoring heavy themes and being a medicinal jokester. Even when it's completely nonsensical. Very childsh really.

[@CP-uw4ts]

@@Frogman1212 it’s why I’m worried about moon knight, The MCU makes all the characters jokesters even though he’s never been one in the comics. He’s always been twisted and dark.

[@thesabertooth9039]

I completely agree with you Jay! This is my favourite game of all time and it doesn’t get enough love as it deserves.

[@Afterthought_]

Awesome video! Funny anecdote: this game began its life as a Driver franchise entry. Obviously it got adapted into what it is now, but those are its roots - funny how the driving is the worst part of the final build. On top of that, the handling files included in beta versions of the game are a lot less “heavy” and feel very arcadey, and also have a neat interaction where if you shoot out the tires of a pursuing enemy vehicle, it would crash and roll over. Source: been a part of the Watch Dogs modding community for going on 8 years now. Back in 2020 we had a early 2013 Xbox 360 devkit with ~AUG 2013 WD files on it fall into our lap.

[@DegenerateJay]

This is really cool to read. I never knew it started as a Driver title. I've been playing the game on Series X, but I'd love to check out some of the modding stuff. Is most of it located on Nexus Mods or is there another place where that community is strong? I will warn you links get auto removed (not by me) so I'd sadly need you to just tell me the name of where that community has been going strong vs link it because I am interested in would love to check it out. Really appreciate hearing from you! I have a lot of passion for this game.

[@Miguel__2099]

Just completed this game last week. It's incredible. I loved it. Completely agree with everything you said. Also a very good review.

[@themultiversalmagpie7827]

I remember hearing that the game didn’t live up to promises so I just cut myself off from any info about the game past being a vigilante hacker, and I loved it, I just experienced the game as it’s own thing not bogged down by the expectations, I also do like Aiden even tho Conor isn’t someone I like, I still like this series and hope it isn’t done yet tho I doubt it will continue sadly

[@garrethall3486]

This is one of my favorite games of all time. I never understood why it got so much hate when it first came out.

[@alexstray7758]

I’d love to see you talk about more games that you like and review of them

[@matthewtaylor2933]

Dude I replayed this game after getting seeing the second one one Xbox Gamepass. (Got the first one free as a Gold member in the past). Playing it as an adult who's been through shit, makes this game 10x more relatable and fun to play. As opposed to when this game first came out, and I was a baby in freshman High School lol. (FPS boost probably helped a ton too) What I'm saying is, give the game a second chance. Seriously, I've just started Watchdogs 2 and I liked that games silliness better in the past. But now... I kinda like the tone, revenge plot, and seriousness of the first game more XD! (Gameplay improvements are still better in the 2nd, but ofc it's a newer more thought out gameplay wise.)

[@G0DLIKE92]

This game made me never preorder a game again. After being mad at the game for over a year I finally played it and it was a very good game. I don’t understand the dislike for Aiden because what do you expect from a dude who’s nephew died because of his own actions? Be cracking jokes whenever he sees his sister? Your comparison to the Punisher was accurate. I could not play more than 2 hours of WD2 because of how hipstery and non edgy it was lol, I don’t know why I am so opposite of most people.

[@majormom357]

Aidan deserved a trilogy. Watch dogs is one of my favorite games of the 8th generation

[@yurr4270]

I love this game, played it again last year after so many years, and boy I was shook from how much I enjoyed it. I ended up getting 100%, and I’m tempted to get back into it. Definitely one of my favorite games ever.

[@dpmacattkgaming1187]

I loved this game too. I do agree about some of the criticisms about the “downgrade” and the moody main character.

[@lukapetrovic412]

A few days ago I finished playing the game, and it's already one of my favorites. After a few hours, I got used to the driving. The car on demand app, as well as the loading screen tips mention the car types what they're good for etc. so knowing which car was what is kinda important. Aside from the random frame drops (gotta blame my PC for that one), the only thing I didn't like about the game is how OP it made you right at the beginning. I get that Aiden is a sneaky guy, but giving the player a silenced gun right from the get-go just reduces stealth to walking around and getting headshots. Act IV onwards I had to force myself to use the starter pistol, the one used in cutscenes. All in all, I really enjoyed the game, hope that the others hold out aswell (Forgor to say, nice video!) P.S. also forgor to mention the music. Brian did an amazing job on the ost and the radio songs are great. Really adds that oomph to some missions. Sorry for this wall of text, it just came out lol

[@lordeddy05]

21:16 that's not an npc, it's a player that looks like an NPC

[@Ravenetic]

Definitely an underrated game, I actually played this on the WiiU when I got one

[@Frogman1212]

This was on wiiu? Wiiweird.

[@MetalAllDayAllNight]

I do understand why people were so disappointed by the game but there was genuinely a lot of fun to be had. Jordi was a hilarious character as well. The multiplayer was super cool too. Someone could pop into your game and start hacking you and you had to find them or you could do the hacking in someone else's game. It was pretty cool!

[@Smurfaliscous]

I love the first Watch Dogs. Got it close to launch but that was before I was in to following gaming news and stuff, so I had no idea of the negative reception it was getting because of the "downgrade". I just jumped in and enjoyed it for what it was. And yeah, I loved the gritty story and darker tone (dealing with drug running and human trafficking and all sorts of nasty stuff). To me, it's really a shame where the series has gone from there though. WD2 plays much better (especially the driving) but the tone was miles away from WD1 and it never really clicked for me. And Legion just looked like a hot mess so I never even bought it

[@pierceon]

Lucky if you play on PC you can make the driving much more reasonable with a simple mod. One of the biggest issues of the game so it helps make it a solid experience

[@DegenerateJay]

That's certainly good. Yeah I played it on Series X that's one of the great things about PC in general. It's sort of a double-edged sword because obviously they don't deserve a pass, not that you're saying they do, for not fixing it themselves but at least somebody did it. I kind of feel the same way about fallout and the elder scrolls and other games like that. It's like if we're reviewing the game as is they have their issues but it's nice that the community went out of their way to fix them on purpose on that platform when the developer didn't.

[@manajoyce-grace2644]

I think it would be so cool if they implemented the karma system like Sony and Sucker Punch did with the infamous series. Like you said with the money and that would've been cool getting consequences and that

[@nickelakon5369]

I mean there kind of was The reputation system was basically the morality system. Do bad things, cause collateral damage, don't save people, etc. and your rep goes up or down. It's just severely under-utilized.

[@r3dsnow757]

​@@nickelakon5369 it serves as a tool for immersion and fighting cognitive dissonance, if you have bad rep, civilians will call the cops on you if it's neutral not much, if it's high you'll have civilians recognize you and news stations mentioning the vigilante.

[@rayraysphone]

Knowing nothing about the release drama and having cringe quit WD2, I am playing this game for the first time and am absolutely in love.

[@tennisthelegend]

Played this game with TheWorse Mod, one of the best games I've ever played, so many badass moments outside of cutscenes. I spent hours just walking around Chicago in the rain.

[@alexcallaghan969]

Love your view on this game I wasn't aware of all the hate when I played it for the first time on the 360 but loved the mechanics and story anyway

[@JoshMC2000]

Honestly still annoyed Aidan was given a very clear middle finger in the second game. Id love for them to do another full game with him set before blood line especially some of the places other characters said head been in blood line Also honestly Aiden is one of my favorite Video games Vigilantes

[@homiefromfl]

During the pre-release marketing and interviews for Watch Dogs 2, the devs stated how they had re-worked the driving mechanics/engine from Watch Dogs 1, as players were more accustomed to more arcade-style driving mechanics (a la GTA IV or GTA V), and revealing that the driving for Watch Dogs 1 was much more simulation-based than arcade. If you pay close attention, and with that info in mind, you can actually start to tell that they were telling the truth. While the driving in Watch Dogs 2 "feels" much better, it's actually less realistic. In WD1, the steering dramatically changes depending on the speed you're going, to a far greater degree than in WD2, or other arcade-style driving games. Handling, braking, acceleration, all those things were actually dialed in much more to a realistic/simulation style, and since we're not too used to that (unless you're into driving sim games, generally), the driving would feel very off, unresponsive, or dead. If you now try to apply a more realistic mindset when driving in WD1, you might get better results, than if you want to drive like you would in GTA V.

[@YeaiMeanYeah]

Gta 4 wasnt arcade. But interesting insight.

[@justdro5282]

Car handling is top tier IMO.. not to mention that this game’s engine was originally intended for a driving game. To each his own I suppose.

[@tamoghnapal6619]

So if you play the Bloodline DLC of Watch Dogs Legion, there's a mission in which Aiden falls in coma and Skye makes Jackson get into Aiden's Brain, and then it goes into a Silent Hill PT type loop in Nicky Pearce's house which actually shows why Aiden was that way , why he became vigilante. So the game actually makes more sense after adding the context of that mission for Bloodline DLC.

[@Coltrain93]

I wish watch dogs 1 would be remade with next generation graphics then continue aidens story I love the darker tone

[@Swagonslayuh]

This was the first open world game I owned on my Xbox one and damn did I love it. It was just fun by itself in a vacuum, I liked the story, gameplay (albeit a bit shallow with the hacking) and the little world of Chicago they built through this gloomy hipster lens. I thought Aiden was an alright protagonist and had a solid enough motive, questionable a lot of the time but understandable. I just really enjoyed the heavy and depressing tone of the story and the distopian, grimey, and oddly hipster setting. In conclusion this game is so good when there’s not a bitch in your ear telling you how disappointing it is.

[@angelob2375]

Bro this game was amazing imo. Story was awesome and impactful, characters all played their part well, gameplay was smooth and responsive, and the hacking, although lacking now because of Watch dogs 2, was still so dam cool

[@treemasterbob]

The one thing this game does amazing that no other game did at the time was fluid and aggressive stealth. Even the sequels can't hold a candle to how quickly Aiden can clear a room by sprinting around with a silenced pistol which the gas pedal style sprinting from AC really lent well to. The vicious mid combat executions for each gun type was the cherry on top.

[@rootpower8664]

I would love to play a sequel to the first Watch Dogs where you'd play as Aiden's nephew Jackson. Or maybe something similar to what Ubi did with AC3 with Haytham and Connor where you'd play Aiden in the first chapters of the game and then play as Jackson.

[@andrewrodriguez6172]

Bro Aiden is a mixture of John wick, Batman, and Jason Bourne combined.

[@TheSmokingSkull]

I did find I enjoyed the first Watchdogs moreso than 2 or Legion, Watchdogs 2 felt very... "hipster hacker"? While Legion was ok but the story felt way too short and it definitely suffered from a lack of connecting with a main character. I mean, I enjoyed having a random character that I made my own in Legion, but not having any backstory, not knowing if they have family/friends/enemies, etc etc, lowered the stakes. Aiden just had that driving force of vengeance that made you want to take on a whole city. The Bloodlines dlc for Legion really felt like a good course correction and a return to form, the story felt like it should have been Watchdogs 2, haha. Seeing what Aiden thought of himself, as some kind of bloodsoaked killer haunted by the voice of his niece, moved me more than the entirety of Legion's main story. And there's a great reference to PT! Bloodlines did their own version of Silent Hills and I'd be totally ok with a full game ;-]

[@vincentnguyen1995]

Playing Bloodlines then all of Legion as Aiden is the closest we can get to an Aiden Pearce Watch Dogs sequel. It makes me really wish we had a true sequel to the original.

[@HuwRees]

We really didn't know how good we had it between 2008-2014

[@00Batman]

I bought this as a bundle alongside Unity and I only cared about Unity and didn't at all care about Watchdogs. So when I got it I played Watchdogs first thinking get the game out of the way and then enjoy Unity because I really didn't care about Watchdogs but I ending up loving it and loving Aiden

[@usr188]

as an introvert, i loved every second with Aiden. I'm sitting at about 50h in game with roughly 70% completion and i haven't even touched the online content or dlc.

[@pandoriasbox]

I have long been a defender of WD1. It's one of my favorite games. The ambience is so freaking good, I love the music, I love Aiden his character is deeply flawed but in a really human way... A lot of people say he's badly written for grieving his niece's death and then going around destroyinf families, but they don't realize that they themselves have also done awful shit to others just because they needed to feel vindicated. It's very human and a good character exploration, imho. WD1 has a very special place in my heart. Thanks for this video.

[@DegenerateJay]

Thank YOU for the support. I definitely want to make some more WD videos in the future but this game really connected with me and I was surprised when other people agreed with the video. The game gets so much hate so it really warmed my heart that others enjoyed it (and Aiden) as much as I do.

[@neon13602]

I think the issue is that marketing was werid and Watch dogs tried to hard to be a compelling story still really good

[@poetikinjustice]

I played in its day. Got distracted, didn't finish. Finally found my way back. Am enjoying it more the second time around (started fresh cause there was too much I didn't remember). I will readily admit that I did let all the negativity, surrounding it, impact how I felt about it back then. Now I'm just enjoying the ride, without lamenting what it isn't. Good review. I think you got this thing spot on.

[@TheVeryRandomPerson9055]

I absolutely love this game, as it was one I played on my brothers xbox all the time and I never knew about the trailers or promotional stuff or promises Ubisoft made, just saw it on his xbox and started playing (which I think is a big factor as to why I love this game). The graphics, driving, scanning people to see or hear info/text/calls, digital trips and amazing music choice was perfect for my little brain, and I still enjoy it now. I was never pessimistic about this game, expect when I raged.

[@CamoFlash7_]

Cool to see Watch Dogs here!

[@mcm426]

Im only a couple hours in and am pleasantly surprised so far. I'm surprised it got so much hate at launch

[@NotAstroMan]

Man I haven’t been watching you for too long but I don’t think that matters cuz I love your channel very chill very AINT I toxicity very nice

[@yan-rayiller-may8443]

I always saw Aiden as a hyper intelligent tortured genius. You start the game with him in a dirty apartment with the crazy conspiracy spider web. He does digital drugs to escape his own mind and you can go to bars to drink your sorrow away. He is a genius mad man. It's actually a really fun and cool player character archetype. The fact that he walks around with the pistol hidden behind his back should really let the player know whom they're supposed to be playing as.

[@devinaustin1833]

I love buying games without checking what people say about it so i can either genuinely enjoy it or be disappointed. I loved this game and I know personally I wouldn't buy it if i had seen all the negative reviews

[@realdealofskills]

Watch dogs is no doubt of the most overlooked game ever known. Despite the controversy it got from some fans, journalists and others because of the graphical downgrade, it still was a really good game to play, to me, I see it as a hacking version of assassins creed. what I find compelling and intriguing about it is the main protagonist himself, Aiden Pearce at least on my view is one of the most humanizing and relatable character because how flushed out his character arch was. Everything he’s been through since he was young growing up in Chicago is the reason why he’s mostly being edgy and serious. he’s feels connected to me the more I play as him. It’s sad and selfish that many criticize him without understanding his character arch.

[@misha6699]

I agree with just about everything you said. I was one of those who gave it a pass because of the fake footage scandal (as you said, pretty much AAA standard behavior at the time, but this was one too many) and then just went on to other things. Until I found it on sale years later and decided to give it a go. And yes, if viewed only based on what it delivers and NOT what Ubi hype had made us BELIEVE it would deliver, it's a fantastic game. I also love it precisely because Aiden is a standoffish, wry, "cold" character in his interactions, not the goofy kind of characters that other games in the genre like to throw at us. This is a serious story about a serious situation and deserves to be treated that way. Not to mention that Aiden isn't all THAT cold and edgy, as some of his interactions and monologues show. Jaded, yes. Cynical, yes, but who wouldn't be?

[@thps3ps2]

I played trough sleeping dogs recently and i think that sleeping dogs is underrated af. Could you review sleeping dogs? Would be great ❤️

[@jax_wildguess]

Really solid game imo, finished it 4 times already

[@Ryan.2]

I love this game, just finished replaying it a few days ago. On the whole driving and gun play for the game I've never had a problem with them and I found both to be really fun. Granted, I haven't played any other game with driving mechanics in years so I wouldn't be able to compare it to others.

[@SHQIPEGHO5T]

You can tell your employer I’d call again. If ever I need another delivery. - Lucky Queen a.k.a the best villain in a game ever

[@SHQIPEGHO5T]

Dont let me start on Damien Default the twist of Jordi and the guy which his name i do not remember but he was black and such a badass as well

[@juliasanchez9055]

One of my favorite games tbh, the second game had more open gameplay, more things you could hack and control, but the characters were essentially, "Yay, we are young, we are hackers, we can do anything and we are so cool!!" People hated Aiden because he was a gruff white dude out for revenge in a dark cruel disturbing world with no obvious hints of hope in it. People hated that, but to me that feels way more realistic and grounded. Which is what I want from a hacking game, the hacks can be a bit out there, but I want to feel like it's a somewhat realistic gritty world. I never bothered playing the third game, I don't remember what year it takes place in but lots of people having their own full body cloaking devices and such just sounded far fetched and dumb, not to mention I wanted a close personal game like the first one and they seemed to have done the opposite. I wish they would make another one with similar mechanics to the second and third but with a dark blues filled world like the first... Place it in Seattle with blues and grunge and it might be interesting.

[@Blue_Phenoix]

I really do love this game, I was first introduced to the franchise with the 2nd game, I did have fun and enjoy with WD2 but it wasn't my cup of tea, but when I heard of the first WD I bought and fell in love with it, not only because I'm a sucker for a good vigilante story but because after the ending and feeling like an actual man who cant handle grief and takes it out on people who were responsible for his grief and wants to have his connection to he lost loved one to never end by taking his anger out on bad people could actually exist. I also love this game more after watching prisma's video "The mindset of the fox" Aiden Pearce psychological vigilantism

[@mrosos7308]

Huh. That intro just told why I love the game so much. It has a personality just like mine.

[@richardremillard4451]

Just bought this game because of this re-review. I think your right. I can’t wait to give it another try.

[@Realunmaker]

Man I'm only 4:26 into the video and you're speaking so many facts. Watch Dogs I really liked so I never saw the major flaws others saw in it (except overselling the graphics on the demo), the character made sense for me. I kinda think people were mad about the demo thing and just built stuff around that anger to justify it, rather than the other way around.

[@Particle_Ghost]

It's near perfect, I give it a 9 out of 10, but I would give it a 10 if you could turn off the mini map, turn off enemy outlines and turn the auto aim fully off. The next gen version looks far better, the PS3 version didn't even have heavy wind, grass, first person view while driving, and lots of other smaller details. The game does look way better at night. I play it on Series X now, it's a solid 60FPS. I also think this game is 1 of 4 of the last great games the Ubisoft ever made before going to crap, the other 3 would be Blacklist, Far Cry 4 and Ogrins.

[@stillcontinue]

I just completed watch dogs. It's great actually. I dont know why no one recommends it

[@jtfuka7356]

I play Watchdogs and WD2 with the mindset that Deadsec is the modern day Assassin Brotherhood and Templars are behind cTOS. The stealth gameplay is so fun, melee takedowns and suppressed pistol/taser.

[@itsvolskay1146]

this is so out of nowhere, watch_dogs is my favorite game ever.

[@BULLETSCARER]

I love Watch Dogs, I enjoy the game. My friends didn't really care for it and I loved it. I heard it sucked and didn't do anything with it till I got it free on Epic and basically just said, screw it and gave it a shot. I wish I could've paid for it, I loved the game. I would've easily paid for this if I knew how much I would've enjoyed the game.

[@Maya_Ruinz]

I prefer Watch Dogs Legion myself because the game covers so much territory that is becoming more and more relevant to the modern day. Subjects like immigration, drones, the militarization of the police, AI etc can all be found in the main story and also in the hundreds of datatexts. I also really enjoy trying to create the perfect team by recruiting a variety of specialized members.

[@pyroAdapt]

This game is especially fun when you set boundaries for your self. I common criticism ive heard is that aiden serves as a vigilante but is able to cause infinitely more death and damage than any other character almost. I get srohnd this by playing him like s batman type character. I make it a point to never ever kill innocants and try to cause as little damage as possible and spare lives when the game allows it. Definitely makes the character and the game feel more conplex. I also like tp imagine watch dogs is indeed set in ACs universe so i can feel like an assassin.