So as of yesterday very late I have finished the story of Watch Dogs and completed most of the side missions, mini games and mysteries. I am nearing 80% completion and obviously I'll try to get a Platinum trophy now that I'm this far. I really can't wait for Watch Dogs 2 but to be honest, just two weeks ago I was on the brink of selling the game. So what happened?
I got Watch Dogs knowing that it wouldn't be the killer game that everybody thought it would be but I thought that people were exaggerating. I played the game and soon figured that some of the remarks were true. The graphics were a downgrade, and story wise it was lacking. So after 4 - 5 h of gameplay I gave up and never expected to play the game again.
I didn't play the game for at least 2 months but somehow I wanted to give it a chance. And now play the game for what it is. And guess what, after a mediocre beginning the game really held up and I enjoyed it from beginning to end and it was a great game (not without flaws though). Instead of really focusing on the story I was doing the mysteries and side missions first and sort of created my own story as a vigilante so that I could relate more to the character. The endings of each mysterie were solid and had a good conclusion, sometimes giving you more insight of the world of Watch Dogs. As the game progresses I found out that the gameplay mechanics were great, handling of vehicles, weapons, free-running and hacking goes smooth and is really a plus for this game.
The storytelling was bad to be honest. Being spoiled with some great storytelling in games like Uncharted, The Last of Us, The Walking Dead and Ni No Kuni this could have been a lot better. Because all the background and the storyline and events were very well thought out. The way the camera pans and, the emotionless Aiden with little chemistry with other characters would have worked if it was only for the side missions. But they used the same style for the main story which was a bad decision from the developers. The story itself was good, especially when focusing on the audiologs, mysteries and reading about certain people and organizations. Because I was really trying to follow I felt like some sort of detective that tried to do good so when Aiden received the stamp of vigilante I finally was able to start relate myself with the protganist and other characters. The premise for the next part sounded really good and I'm curious to see how the end credit scene will influnce part 2. I hope it will play a significant role.
And regarding the graphics I have mixed feelings. The city design is good for a first game and mix of certain weather situations and lighting can make the game look great. But when that mix of effects isn't there than the game looks bland (usually midday). I noticed the 900p graphics (less sharpness in distance) and if this was 1080p then it would have been better.
Online: I liked the races and sometimes I find it funny infiltrating or getting infiltrated but sometimes it comes and very bad point :p You can turn this off though. There was no real competitive MP otherwise and I hope they won't focus on that. Maybe some sort of co-op/free roam for part 2.
I give this game an 8.0/10 and have the feeling that Watch Dogs 2 will be just like Assassin's Creed 2. One of the great games of a generation.
What I want to see in part 2 is 1080p obviously with a bigger more interactive city and more indoor areas. And storytelling must be top notch. Gameplaywise they should tweak and improve a bit because it was already very good. I see WD2 really becoming a GOTY contenter if it follows the same way as AC did.
Stories unfolded with my home made rap songs. Feel free to listen here with lyrics: https://youtu.be/vyT9PbK5_T0
