Watch Dogs

Supposed to be release bundle along with PS4 , Watchdogs was the most expected Next-Gen Game that created a new fever among Ubisoft Fan Boys . In fact the response for the game was so high that even Ubisoft got scared that the just released AC IV: Black Flag will take a hit . So the PR and the financial team thought about it and finally pushed back the release date for the game to a much more safer zone of mid 2014 . Not to mention the huge backlash Sony had to receive because Many had pre-ordered PS4 in the hopes that they would get a Watch Dogs Bundle but now they have to settle with Killzone. Gosh ! such was the uproar that even I thought that Ubisoft had scarred its fans . But Finally the roar subsided and we get our hands on the game at an approx 5 months delay . Ubisoft had commented that they needed the extra time in order to polish the games . But we all knew wat that really was about ;)

Story ::

Players take the role of Aiden Pearce who lives in a Futuristic Chicago where the entire city is under one network , CTOS . All it takes is a click of the button to control crimes or to stop criminals in engaging in their day to day activities . Of course if the Good has so much power the evil will find ways to take control of it in order to maintain the balance . That is the nature of Karma . So what is the most scariest thing that can happen when everything is controlled and handled under one Network. HACKERS . Yup , tat is wat happens. Aiden starts the role with small time fixer contracts and slowly grows to be known for his special skills . Armed with his friction locked Baton ( Asp) and his trusty weapons and also add in the Free Running and Street Fighting tactics , this guy is unstoppable . A unreputed force that has to be feared because of his abilities to hack almost anything in the city . So when Aiden Attaks the Merlaut Hotel , Owned by Dermont Quinn , he sets off a chain reaction that results in the death of his Niece Lena Pearce . Now Aiden is out for blood . All he wants is to get to know the real person who was behind the hit so that he can put a bullet in between the mystery person's eyes . But Revenge is a not an easy choice . Regrettably or favorably the activities that take him on the path to Salvation turns him into the Vigilante who protects the city ;)

A Quote from the Final scene in the game ,

"I don't look back anymore. I don't regret. I look forward. Everything is connected, and I'll use that to expose, to protect, and if necessary, to punish."

―Aiden embracing his role as The Vigilante.

Graphics ::

The game engine that was used for Watch Dogs had used 2 of the best of Ubi Engines . Anvil and Anvil Next used in Assassin's Creed ( AC 3 and AC 4)  and Dunia ( powered Far Cry games) , Combine it together and you get the all new powerful Disrupt . yup a new engine which has the combined power of both engines and also has the added benefits of the AI and NPC characterizations they had required . One look at the game in Ultra Settings is enough to make you believe that this indeed is the next gen. I am not just talking about the Sun Rays or the lighting effects that make the game so special but its the number of person's who are available on screen . And The Profiler does the job of scanning everyone on screen at the same time that its almost impossible for the VRAM to incorporate every detail on screen. Sadly that was the cause for the game to be so demanding on PC . Even Enthusiastic gamers who had gaming Rigs much more powerful than the recommended specs were frustrated with the laggy frames and stutters . On a Cheerful note the Nvidia drivers did an amazing job of boosting the FPS in Nvidia cards [ AMD not so much :( ] and The Game's Lead Developer has mentioned that the team is working on a patch that will make the game work seamlessly . So far no other updates from the team . I guess this is the one of the major Drawbacks when they release a Multi platform title in all systems at the same day .

Get a detailed know how of how Nvidia has introduced Gameworks by Clicking on the Link Below

NVIDIA GAMEWORKS details .

But still the game Looks astounding even in the Medium settings . Although many players commented that GTA IV which was released for Last gen had much better attention to smaller details like , Scratches on Car and blood on hood while hitting a civilian and Watchdogs being a next gen game had failed to implement that .Check out the video that was uploaded by a very astute Gamer .

Gameplay ::

Free Running has never felt so good in a city . Aiden Moves the same way Connor in AC3 moved except he does not fly over rooftops or through the doors of houses . He is capable of Free running by jumping over fences and grills and even some car hoods if you time it just right. And he can carry a load of weapons with no restrictions implemented ( Thank god for that :P ) . I hate games where you have to decide between whether to drop a gun and pick a new one or not . Along with Crafted items like Frag Grenades , IED's , Pills that will give you  a Focus boost , CTOS scan , Blackout buzzers .

But the most powerful one is of course Aiden's phone . It looks like an Apple but Dev team had squirted around the actual logo as they had to get a copyright stamp from the company :P Same has to do with all the cars you find in the game . Every famous car you know , is right there in the game except they just don't have the Company Logos on them  :P Aiden can use his Phone to hack Street Signals ( to prevent pursuers from catching up with us by making all signals Green and Go in a intersection) or blowing up steampipes and transformers to prevent Runners from escaping .And the most useful as well as a irritating feature is the Blockers . Conveniently placed crossing the roads but underground , these thing have the power that is equivalent to running straight into a wall . One time I triggered it too early and I smashed into it in full speed causing me to abandon the car and of course to die in the mission . Grrr !! But very handy as the game progresses and you get to know how to use them . Especially while trying to get away from cops . God they are so easy initially but as the heat level increases they bring in the SUV's . Man that is when the going gets tough as nails . Once you see them approaching , just tuck your tail and run. Or just jump into the water ;)

Apart from the main missions , you do get a lot of Side Contracts known as ,

Fixer Contracts ::

1. Driving Missions ::

Mostly has to do with acting as a Wheelman while driving a  stolen car from one place to another without getting caught by the police . Or acting as decoy while some other crooks have their free time with whatever heist they plan. Most Fun ones are where you have to reach a spot and then jump into another vehicle and then cross over to another spot . God these ones are really Thrilling .

2. Crime Prevention ::

CTOS analyses all the data it has and comes up with Citizen names who are probably going to commit a crime anytime soon . So you just have to be in the place when the system says that a crime is supposed to be committed and right when its about to happen you can intervene and take down the criminals . There are a total of 40 Fixer Contracts .

3. Gang Hideouts ::

These are the best ones . As these are the ones that concentrate on your Stealth kills. Being a Hacker you can hack cameras in a secure way and " Ride " the cameras to scope a area and find out your desired target . Believe me , don't ever think of going into a gang hideout with Guns blazing . You will either Die or end up killing the guy whom you are just supposed to beat . So end Result is :: Mission Failed :P Just make sure to identify your target , and then approach him from the least protected way . Take down one or 2 guys who are in your way and then once you take down the leader , run like hell out of the area . These guys are very good when it comes to gun fights that they will easily Flank you from sides or back . Very tricky . and the AI is really good . No matter how good you are , you always come within a hair of dying .  Most important use of Gang Hideouts is that you get to upgrade Skill points easily .

4. Convoy Missions ::

These are the worst or atleast tat is what I thought when I played them first . Bcos for one you have to take down a guy who is travelling in a motorcade that is fully loaded up with goons who can tear a whole in ur face with Machine guns in seconds . Initially I used to chase the guy in the car and try to take him down , but his motorcade always comes in the way and tries to push me off road . God these guys are good . I mean they can literally stop me from moving . Sadly when i try to do it one of them , it never works .
But finally I found a move that can end this mission so easily . All you need is to get a Rocket propelled Grenade Launcher . 3 Rockets to take down the motorcade is just enof to end the whole mission . KABOOM !!  easy peasy ! :P

CTOS towers ::

Ah the ever famous Area Unlocks that started out with Ubisoft's AC series and then continued on in FC 3 and now its available in its next series ( oh yes , its a series . Ubisoft has confirmed it .) This time its in  the form of CTOS towers that you have to unlock in order to gain access to the area so that you can hack your way out of trouble when you get into one again. Its almost like a puzzle section for the game . You have to use your Profiler and identify the unlock button as to where its hidden . Again its all about " Riding " your cameras . Quite a satisfactory touch when you do get to unlock it finally .

Mini Games ::

There are mini games that are scattered throughout the cities . There is digital trip section where you get a "Digital Weed" and get high and thereby taking you upon crazy trips like Spider Tank missions , Madness ,
PSYCHEDELIC ,  Alone , Conspiracy . I don t want to spoil the fun so just go ahead and have some fun with it . I am sure that you will come away impressed and surprised .

There are still a lot of side missions that I have not mentioned. just explore the world and get to know all :) 

Skills Upgrades :: 

You do have a skill upgrade system that is split into 4 sections Combat , Hacking , Crafting  and Driving . Depending on the skills you upgrade the gameplay changes dramatically . Concentrate on Combat and Driving and you are good to go ;) 

There were some complaints regarding the actual driving in watch dogs that was said to be horrible . But it looked fine to me. I mean it was difficult at first . The cars were too responsive and reacted immediately .  But think about it . the Developers are not idiots . If they build a game in a specific way there must be a reason for it. In order to navigate the confined alley ways and corners and streets you need the car in order to respond like that . I mean I have never seen a car respond so quickly . So instead of complaining just take the wheel and man up and start practicing. Its easy , My advice try some of the Driving Fixer Contract Missions and you are good to go .

Pro's ::

1. Amazing City that will open up to you with just one touch of  a button .Every thing is hackable and believe me they have tried to encompass everything as much as possible .
2. Breadth taking Graphics that will strain your GPU if you have a AMD card but smooth as a butter with the added benefits of Gameworks Technology if you have an Nvidia Card .
3. Excellent story script that starts out simple but in the end syncs up with the Protagonist and molds him into a Vigilante who stands up for the Good .
4. A lot of side missions that are just new and varied that it distracts you like crazy . You can spend hours and hours lost in this virtual Chicago .

Cons ::

1. Cars and vehicles are a little hard to handle . But nothing some good old practice can't rectify or a Controller ;)
2. AMD card users are going to grumble a lot as the game takes a huge hit in FPS while running on it .
3. Side Missions give more skill points for upgrades than main missions does . So its a must for you to complete side missions.

Verdict :: A Must play for Open World Sand Box Lovers . And a definite must play for all gamers as this may be a start of a beautiful Series like AC :D

Verdict :: 9.5 / 10