Watch Dogs Reviews

Watch Dogs is ranked in the 79th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7.5 / 10.0
Sep 30, 2016

Watch Dogs was graphically disappointing on launch from how it was presented in E3 2012 but what it offered in terms of gameplay and replayability, the game does not disappoint. You'll have a lot of things to do in Watch Dogs to keep you company and that overshadows the flaws of it. We hope to see more better gameplay, improved driving, and an interesting story in Watch Dogs 2 this year.

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Avoid
Mar 22, 2016

Watch_Dogs is a game that tries to be fine for just about everybody, but in doing so makes for one of the most mediocre games I have ever played.

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Fextralife
LostMyHeadache
Top Critic
9 / 10
Mar 19, 2016

All in all, definitely one of the most unique and creative games of this genre I've played. Great voice acting, excellent cut scenes, damn decent dialogue, and lots of replayability.

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6 / 10
Dec 11, 2014

Unfortunately, the extra time it took to get on the Wii U did not lead to improvements over the other versions and some technical issues remain unaddressed.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 9, 2014

Watch_Dogs on Wii U is a tricky one. The game isn't bad, far from it even, but the six month wait is a bitter pill to shallow. Not much has been added to make it truly different from other systems and the overall presentation could have been slightly better. The large amount of missions, the huge world to traverse and additional functions give this game a solid running time of 20 hours. There are problems here and there, but if you decide to pick it up, you can have potentially fun with it.

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6 / 10
Nov 27, 2014

Watch Dogs is a bold, ambitious game that delivers well in some areas, though nevertheless feels like an iteration away from reaching its potential; the inevitable Watch Dogs 2 could be one to keep an eye on. It's a sizeable, enjoyable game, but one that is let down on the Wii U by poor optimisation and disappointing performance; the frame-rate is inconsistent but tolerable while on foot, but often struggles badly when driving. It's possible to play Watch Dogs and work through these bottlenecks, but that shouldn't be expected of the gamer in a big-budget, pricey retail experience.

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7.5 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2014

If you are a Wii U only owner, Watch Dogs is a decent buy if you want a GTA-like experience, but I'd wait for a used copy or a price drop. Although the driving hinders the game, good graphics and a decent amount of content make this a good, but uninspired game.

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6.5 / 10.0
Jun 27, 2014

Ultimately, there are a number of things Watch_Dogs does right. It's a solid enough feeling open world to warrant checking out. The hacking mechanic, whilst at times negated by an easy shootout, does open up a huge number of possibilities within gameplay. A solid base for Ubisoft to build upon, Watch_Dogs does more wrong than it does right, and ultimately results in a frustrating example of a game designed by committee and with very little that is "next gen" provided. Oh, and Ubisoft? Please get rid of that silly underscore for the sequel.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 24, 2014

Fundamentally that's the overriding feeling of Watch Dogs. It's a game that has so much to offer and so many things to do that it can't fail to engage you as a player. But eventually you'll realise it's not all good and what you find interesting is done. There's little to compel the player to finish in terms of the way it does things, aside from that square button which allows magical occurrences to happen. With this introduction to the world of hacking Ubisoft have created a behemoth of an IP, one that promises much. Like its predecessor though, we'll have to wait for the tighter and more focussed second iteration, removing what didn't work and improving that which did, to realise that full potential.

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Az Elias
Top Critic
5 / 10
Jun 21, 2014

It's obvious a sequel will be coming, but Ubisoft really needs to take a good hard look at this title and address the glaring issues and stereotypical plot if it wants the future of Watch Dogs to be a successful one based on quality, and not the result of a huge marketing push that hides the fact this isn't the next level in the genre it was touted as being.

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Jun 20, 2014

I have very little doubt that there's a bright future ahead for Watch Dogs, at least at the cash register, and I'm sure I'll be fairly hyped for whatever comes next in the series. But, it's hard to recommend Watch Dogs to anyone that isn't absolutely ravenous for a new PS4 or Xbox One game to play.

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8 / 10
Jun 19, 2014

Watch Dogs is a solid game, but I feel it falls short of the mark Ubisoft set for it. The single-player experience is a decent length and there's plenty to do around town, it's just too bad I never know what the game wants me to focus on. Aside from that, the game's world is rich in fascinating points of interest for you to explore. Throw in some decent multiplayer that works somewhat seamlessly with the single-player and it's an overall solid game. Too bad Aiden is just such a cardboard prop.

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9.2 / 10.0
Jun 16, 2014

Rent first, buy if you like. Watch Dogs isn't for everyone. However, if you do like stealth-based open world action games, there are hours of gameplay, so it's well worth your money.

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GameGrin
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Jun 14, 2014

Watch_Dogs may not be the benchmark experience for sandbox gaming that Grand Theft Auto V was, but it's still an enjoyable experience in its own right. Compelling side missions, refined combat and some unique hacking elements make this a must for fans of the genre, but if you're looking for a grand, city-spanning story to get stuck into, this won't be a game that will hold your interest beyond a few hours.

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Gamers Heroes
Captain Camper
Top Critic
9 / 10
Jun 14, 2014

The story highlights underlying issues in society while still staying true to the original point of video-games, to have good fun. As a package, Watch Dogs is easily one of the greatest titles available on next-generation consoles and I for one cannot wait to see what Ubisoft do with a sequel.

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ThisGenGaming
ThisGenGaming
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jun 13, 2014

Watch Dogs was a decent first attempt in what I guess will become a series of games due to the new IP record breaking sales for Ubisoft. I would like to see a second game that fixes some of the games biggest and also small issues. Watch Dogs does many things right though like the hacking being a stand out feature in the game due to its endless amount of fun moments that can come from it, and also have gameplay is effected due to hacking elements. To sum it up Watch Dogs gets a majority of it right, but some big fixes are needed in Watch Dogs 2 to make it the game we all expected in 2012.

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4 / 5.0
Jun 10, 2014

The game won't be for folks who prefer a more straightforward action game or shooter. But if you're a fan of open world games and would like to try one with a more cerebral approach, then you'll want to hack into Watch Dogs and give the title a spin.​

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8 / 10.0
Jun 9, 2014

Ultimately, the vast amount of content that you get for Watch Dogs help inspire us to overlook its graphical shortcomings. It may simply be yet another GTA clone that didn't meet our expectations, but it still plays efficiently and offers a staggering amount of fun for players to explore every pocket of this tech-noir version of Chicago.

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7 / 10
Jun 8, 2014
Watch Dogs Angry Review video thumbnail
Jun 6, 2014

On the whole Watch Dogs is undoubtedly worth a play. It may have its faults but Ubisoft have kicked off a new series that not only delivers promise but a tremendousamount of choice as to how you want to approach your game.

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