Ben-DutkaNow that the dust has settled a bit and we've had time to reflect on all the reviews and headlines, what's your take?
After a ton of hype, did Ubisoft's hotly anticipated new IP live up to our expectations? Or did it fall short?
If we're to go by the review scores alone, the answer would have to be "no, it didn't meet expectations." I mean, based on the hype, anything less than a 9 would've been considered a disappointment by the majority of gamers out there. However, not everyone cares so much about the scores; maybe they picked up the game, regardless of what any review said, and they're loving it. So, maybe this question is more for you: Compare the reality of the situation (the final product) to what you expected…are the two experiences close?
It's always dangerous to place games on such lofty pedestals, especially when they haven't even arrived. Over the past year, Watch Dogs attained a nigh-on mythical aura: Some were expecting the second coming of open-world games, while others had this vague – yet strongly felt – vision of a "true next-gen sandbox experience." The bottom line is that this game had a lot to live up to, especially if your expectations weren't exactly realistic. That's another very good question- were your expectations realistic?
What say you?
Related Game(s): Watch Dogs
I just finished the campaign and while the game has a few flaws, it has many strengths and is definitely worth playing. Also it's unique enough that a sequel has the potential to be amazing if they refine the mechanics and maybe make the hacking more dynamic. The story wasn't bad either, especially for an open world game. Graphically, the city is fantastically detailed and it's the only game that has managed to humanize every NPC by showing a mini bio above their heads when you're profiling them. I just couldn't bring myself to hack the account of people who were down on their luck or had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness, on the other hand I was all too eager to steal from those who had criminal records for assaulting their girlfriends or various other bad deeds.
All in all I'd say it's a great game, it didn't blow me away but I wouldn't say it disappointed either. I'd give it an 8.8 overall.
I've had my copy since Tuesday after UPS finally showed up some time around 9:00PM. I installed the game and downloaded the update, but that's all I've done. I decided to wait until this weekend before I play it.
I wasn't following the game too closely, but I thought it sounded interesting and it's definitely different from everything else. I'm starting this game without any expectations.
The review scores I've seen have been all over the place, so I'm glad I wasn't overly excited as I waited for its release.
Last edited by tes37 on 5/29/2014 11:14:28 PM
I just started and am not very far along. Initial thoughts are that for me, the craving for a AAA open world game were mainly satisfied by GTAV. It has an affect on how I view this game.
My initial drool over this game when I saw the first E3 previews could've filled a lake. Then it got delayed the way GTAV was. Then GTAV proved the delay was worth it. In my mind I figure there is no way this game will be a lot better than GTAV in terms of detail and game mechanics. Its very nice so far, and it meets my tempered expectations. I am slightly disappointed that it did t wow me in the first couple of hours like GTAV did
I didn't get caught in all the hype or drama over the graphics and delay. I had lots of interest in this game but my expectations were reserved and I'm enjoying the game immensely so far. Fun factor is quite high. Maybe more so than GTAV. But I'm still early in the game.
Furthermore, what do folks think of the protagonist? Is he a keeper?
World, the protagonist is cool. So far it seems that you wont get emotionally attached to him. His gravely voice takes some getting use to. The mo cap is pretty good. Im more impress with the surrounding cast But Aiden Pearce gets the job done You feel like a total badass while playing as him
Aiden makes a better assassin than Desmond or Connor lol
Actually I was feeling pretty bad for him the first time he went to sleep and had that nightmare of his niece.
It's a sad story.
The protagonist is a but too anonymous and covered up. Makes sense but very detaching
Everyone's better than Desmond, I wanted to smack him.
Some people have been criticizing the protagonist but I actually think he's perfect for the game, it was smart to make the protagonist the most restrained character. And they more than make up for it with an excellent supporting cast, which as I said suits the game very well. And it's not like Aiden has no personality, he does and you can definitely empathize with him.
So he's a bit of a disturbed mystery man? That sounds like a good fit.
My expectations were high and only dwindled after initial reviews of the game. When I started playing, I was dissapointed with the driving but eventually got use to it.
Now 2 days after playing, I can safely say I'm hooked bad.
The graphics while not as impressive as the first E3 gameplay demo, are impressive on its own. For an openworld game, it's pretty awesome. Hacking is awesome I thought hacking pedestrians would be more fleshed out but it's entertaining enough.
The story so far is pretty intriguing. The voice acting, dialogue and animations really pulled me in.
The gameplay is what really has me hooked. As a 30 year old gamer who gets bored of most games (shamefully i admit GTA 5 is one of many), I simply have a hard time putting tthe controller down. The controls are very responsive and side missions like gang hideouts and criminal convoys have me addicted to playing.
So for me, this game exceeded my lofty expectations. It's not the second coming of video games but it's damn near close.
the E3 demo was definitely PC, I've been been playing on PC and it looks just as good.
This is a weird one for me. I impulse bought it on launch day with really no intention to. Turns out despite a few noticeable flaws the game is just pure fun. Best of all it has some nice spins on the now repetitive mission structure of open world games. The haters are just hating as usual.
Yep I would say I'm completely happy with the game. Free roam online is probably 150 times better than GTAO, and thats saying a lot. My one and only complaint is the driving sucks. Not a fan of it. I mean, I'm used to it now but its kinda ugly.
The driving mostly sucks. Small cars have the best handling by far
Last edited by broox9 on 5/30/2014 1:36:48 AM
I managed to keep my expectations in check but I still came away not especially impressed. The driving is painfully bad with cars sliding all over the road and using bollards or gates to deter pursuit is awkward at best. Add to that a pretty anemic combat system and you have something of a disappointment.
Contrary to fears before launch, it doesn't look too bad but nothing visually really pops. The story and voice acting (Jordi is a standout) are good to excellent and the way that they implemented a multiplayer element with players contending to be "mayor" of a particular hotspot works well, but overall it didn't grab me the way that Second Son or GTA V did. If they can keep what worked and improve the overall package then I'd be up for Watch Dogs 2.
Last edited by Kryten1029a on 5/30/2014 1:00:41 AM
I am giving up on gamers expectations. I mean, everyone just complains and complains and complains. The gaming community barely seems to care about playing games anymore, it is just for complaining about games.
There are so many complaint band wagons, FPS, resolution, downgrading…..
Reviews are just as bad, people post stupid reviews just for clicks, review scores can't be trusted these days.
I'm getting over the gaming community…..
"Reviews are just as bad, people post stupid reviews just for clicks, review scores can't be trusted these days."
Yeah, no they don't. Well, SOME do but that's if you read reviews from crap sources.
GameSpot, IGN, Polygon, GamesRadar, Destructoid, etc. are not posting "stupid reviews just for clicks." That's…idiotic.
Plus it's pretty easy to spot the reviews that are there just for clicks, I remember looking at uncharted 2 on metacritic and it was pretty much getting 9s and 10s across the board except for this one review that gave it a 4…And if you actually read the reviews rather than just looking at the score you can tell if it's a proper review. Same goes for gamer's comments actually, avoid the ones with poor spelling/punctuation and especially avoid the ones with EXCESSIVE USE OF CAPS AND EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There's a few friendly tips to sort through the crap.
It's a very good game. I wouldn't say it lived up to the super high expectations I had after its initial reveal at E3 2012 but putting that aside and just judging the game on its own, it's very solid. It's a lot like the first Assassin's Creed in that it lays a solid ground work for a potentially great future. I just hope Ubi doesn't start annualizing it. Now that it has a foundation to build off of, the development team could make Watch Dogs 2 something truly special, but not if they rush it out for May 2015.
Last edited by Gamer46 on 5/30/2014 3:55:10 AM
Meeh from the Ps4 live streams i've been watching the game doesn't look like its worth the full sixty dollars im gonna wait to grab it when it hits 40 dollars.
ive got a better question, does ANY game!?
nope would be the answer.
maybe people wouldnt be so disappointed with games and wouldnt have to trade them in so often if they lasted longer, and the media stopped hyping things up as the second coming!
i swear tomorrow doctors could announce the cure for cancer, china would renounce communism, we would FINALLY find out what happened to MH370, and all put together would STILL get less attention than what watch dogs was given!
one thing i hate about this industry, a drop of water falls and the media suddenly turns it into a freaking tsunami!
"ive got a better question, does ANY game!?"
For normal people? Yes.
Yeah, some do. Heck, some even exceed expectations.
Last of Us was perhaps the most hyped game in playstation history and it exceeded pretty much everyone's expectations.
no.
I much rather play GTA5 a third time than play watch dogs but then again that's JUST ME.
While GTAV is still better overall, WD has many unique elements that make it worth checking out at some point.
I'm liking it so far, though I'm not far into the game.
I hate when people post that they hate the game without even playing the game!! I will buy it today!!
Last edited by RICHIECOQUI on 5/30/2014 9:47:25 AM
Knew it was never gonna look like that initial trailer. Im enjoying playing it but it doesn't wow me. Would give it like an 8 out of 10.