Watch Dogs review: fantastic sandbox action crippled by its own hype

Unless you have been living in a cave, on the far side of the galaxy since 2012,
I don’t really need to introduce Watch Dogs, do I? Watch Dogs has been the most anticipated game this year, and probably also is the most anticipated console game of the last five years. Since its debut at E3 in 2012, it has been a fan favorite with its hacking features and Grand Theft Auto-style action.

Watch Dogs follows anti-hero Aiden Pearce as he digs through Chicago’s dirty laundry for his niece’s killers. Aiden takes on criminals, cops, and companies while exploring the dark heart of the city. But after so many years of hype, has Watch Dogslived up to its own reputation, or does it disappoint?

My verdict: it’s a bit of both.

Aiden, I don’t care about your family

The most disappointing thing about Watch Dogs is the plot which is staler than old bread. Aiden Pearce is a dull character who assumes the mantle of miserable anti-hero and glumly takes on missions to enact vengeance on those who wronged him and his family.
(See: Republique Episode One: Exordium review: Espionage and voyeurism have never been so much fun!)

Maybe it’s just because Hollywood plays the “family in danger” card so often, or maybe it’s because I am soulless, but I just don’t care. I don’t give a damn about the traumatised boy Jackson, or Pearce’s whiny sister.

There are a few curveballs here and there, and some of the characters (especially Lucky Quinn) are really interesting, but there’s nothing new.

I like Lucky Quinn, the aged gangster with walking stick that doubled as a knife, and I loved Jordi Chin the humorous assassin/thug/weirdo, and I found the Iraqi, the African-American army veteran, and the gang leader to be enthralling, but these guys get bumped for trivial family drama! I wanted a game about hackers, criminals, and the underbelly of Chicago. What I got was a crappy morality tale about the importance of family and sacrifice. Yuck!

(See: Agent RX review: a sexy, sneaky, stealth adventure)

Without the family element, Watch Dogs would have been a game about competing hacker factions, gang wars, and the clash between old and new as crime moves from the streets into cyberspace. That would have been way more fun than weepy phone calls to an irritating sister and an annoying kid with a face like a slapped arse.

How cool is hacking?