The Wii U has had a chequered history with third-party support, particularly from Ubisoft, and the belated arrival of Watch Dogs feels a little like a final hurrah — whether we'll see many more big-budget multiplatform mature titles on Nintendo's system is certainly a cause of doubt. This title is here, however, and a viable option for open world shenanigans as 2014 comes to a close; unfortunately, however, the extra development time doesn't appear to have been put to good use.
Watch Dogs is impressive in its scope and ambition, a key point to make in its favour. Its recreation of Chicago is on a substantial scale, taking in suburbs, dock areas and the bustling downtown; it's unsurprising that the open sandbox genre is so desired among publishers and gamers alike. There's a thrill to blasting through a city, breaking rules with impunity and exploring the many hidden alleyways and subtasks.
The main twist, of course, is hacking. System vulnerabilities, access to technology and invading the privacy of others is the core of the concept, and it works well in a crowded city setting. With simple button presses you can hack civilians to steal their cash, unlock new cars — we're not sure of the logic, but don't particularly care — or simply learn that they're a nurse with a gambling problem. Though we think there is a bit of occasional duplication, there's still a convincing sense that you're in an interesting virtual world with a sizeable, diverse cast.
That's just as well, due to protagonist Aiden Pearce being a rather dull protagonist full of contradictions. In a sense this works, as the grey areas of hacking and committing crimes to tackle nefarious powers while protecting a family don't call for absolutes, while your actions in the world can be positive and negative at once — for example a bizarre gauge of your reputation with civilians jumps up when you prevent a crime, yet goes down 'less' when you casually run over and kill an innocent bystander. The game tells you a civilian has died, yet doesn't seem to care even if you've clearly been aiming to be the angel rather than the devil. That whole mechanic falls down, as a result, simply making it an inconsequential way to earn points, undermining the good work done with profiling a legion of NPCs.
That aside, the main campaign is a reasonable blend of missions and a solid plot. As is the norm you quickly start repeating established ideas — you hack your way into ctOS bases (think Assassin's Creed's vantage points) to unlock the digital goodies of an area, you hack into the data of persons of interest, and you engage in shoot-outs with a variety of goons. Though we typically preferred to be stealthy as far as possible and used our XP Skill Points to strengthen our hacking abilities, we nevertheless found ourselves in some mandatory gun fights. Occasionally beefed up enemies that require tricky environmental kills emerge to soak up bullets, and it feels like a classic example of a concept being overtaken by what is supposed to be a gaming norm. Quite why boss-like guards are required in a game that also attempts to provide a narrative on real-world modern technology and privacy issues is beyond us.
Overall, however, there are some good ideas that are executed well when on foot. Traversing an area virtually by hacking from one security camera to another is clever, and though the AI is typically rather daft it's nevertheless satisfying to lay traps, set off explosions, move mechanical contraptions or, occasionally, retrieve the data you need with them being none the wiser. When you do inevitably get into gun fights Watch Dogs delivers competent — though unexceptional — third-person action, with the ability to take cover and even enter a 'Focus' mode with a click of the right-stick, slowing time for short bursts. Pearce also employs the 'sprint and hold A' traversal mechanic familiar from the Assassin's Creed games, though is limited to sensibly vaulting low barriers and generally moving like a realistic human being.
Through all of this action on foot Watch Dogs performs decently, though does still struggle when there are a lot of characters on screen; we dreaded rain, too, as it could slow things down even further. The bigger problems arise when you hop in a car, as the act of driving through the environment increases the load on the system; to be blunt, it's been optimised extremely poorly. The frame-rate dips significantly when driving, and the crux is that it greatly affects the enjoyment of these moments, making handling sluggish and difficult. The game simply cannot keep up with itself, and the biggest loser is the player.
This is exacerbated by the fact that driving is integral to the experience. You're often chasing down other cars or attempting to escape pursuers, and these sequences are an exercise in frustration and irritation. It's playable, and objectives can be met, but it's a struggle and anything but fun; when hacking traffic lights and road blocks to foil foes is a battle against laggy controls, priorities have clearly been wrong.
It's a pity, as while a portion of the game runs tolerably, the driving is a let-down that diminishes the experience. There's no way to avoid this issue; travelling by vehicle is of vital importance to various missions and essential when traversing the massive urban sprawl of Chicago, and it consistently falls below the level of performance that we consider necessary to fully enjoy a game. Rather like Pearce himself, it contributes to a Jekyll and Hyde nature, from enjoyable moments to disappointing — and unavoidable — sequences.
Beyond that issue this title does serve up plenty to do beyond the campaign. We've already mentioned a reputation gauge reflecting Pearce's standing with the public, and this is largely driven by general actions. You may be exploring an area when notified of a potential crime, and if you scope out the area and catch the criminal you become known as a protector; it's frivolous, but these distractions can be entertaining. You can also tackle sub-plots and extra missions that give a little extra scope beyond the core mechanics. With progress, increased abilities and after buying or crafting more gadgets, there can be moments where Chicago is an enjoyable hacker's playground.
There's also some pleasing online functionality, which seems to have made it across rather well onto Wii U. After a short while you unlock the ability to hack into the games of others, which can involve tailing them or — far better — stealing their data. These sequences provide a form of zonal cat and mouse; once a hack is initiated the victim is made aware and begins rapidly scanning people, with the search area shrinking as time runs out (in the other player's game, you appear as a random citizen and not as Aiden Pearce). There's real tension as the data hacked percentage slowly increases, and if successful provides a major boost to a separate XP meter that unlocks more in-game items. If you do get spotted, however, it becomes a chase in which you try to escape — as per running from enemies or the police in the campaign, you need to get outside of a wide zone to officially 'escape'.
That also works in reverse, of course, with others spontaneously 'invading' your game, which prompts a quick dash to the area before using your phone and available cameras to hunt down the villain who, once spotted, needs to be killed as soon as possible — the game's instructions, not ours. It's chaotic fun whichever side you're on, and our most memorable encounter was hacking someone else and hiding in our impeccably parked car; panning the camera around and seeing another character manically dashing around was — intentionally or not — rather comedic. It was so fun that we didn't even mind that we were caught with just 9% of the hack remaining. This online interaction can be disabled, though, which is especially useful if invasions and prompts to jump into an online race or hack prove more than a hindrance to your experience.
Beyond the hacking and the 'typical' side-quests are some wackier examples, which generally play on pixellated visuals or an excuse to cause mayhem; to find these side quests it's worth simply wandering around the city, hacking some phones to get cash and to explore. This aspect of Watch Dogs is done well, and Ubisoft is well-drilled in the concept of packing a sandbox world with frivolous but enjoyable extras.
We've already outlined that the performance of this port is a problem, with the game largely playable but not meeting what we consider to be a suitably solid and consistent frame-rate. We do feel this is down to the team producing the port struggling to really use the hardware well; the Wii U does have an infrastructure rather different from its contemporaries of the last or current gen, and it shows. We don't have a port that finds a way, we have one that just about eeks out the bare minimum and declares it good enough. The visuals are reasonable, nevertheless, while audio was clearly given a lot of care in the project. We encountered some odd audio balancing discrepancies on Wii U that we didn't on PS4, for example, but that aside there's a strong soundtrack and high production values all around.
Performance is particularly disappointing in light of the delay to this Wii U version, a feeling not helped by the mediocre usage of the GamePad. The second screen is used an an interactive map, which has the benefits of easy browsing and waypoint setting, which is undoubtedly nice; on top of that we have off-TV, as expected. Opportunities are missed, however, considering the subject matter of the title, though the fact that hacking is typically done with one button or — occasionally — through one puzzle game, does highlight a key aspect of Watch Dogs; for all of its grand ideas it's still a first draft, full of potential but lacking polish and substance. Nevertheless, Ubisoft's claims that a delay on Wii U would allow it to maximise usage of the Wii U's capabilities feel hollow.
Conclusion
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.
If the Wii U is your only console, then Watch Dogs is certainly worth consideration to fill that sizeable open-world gap in your current gaming library. If you have other options, however, it's far tougher to recommend.
Comments (194)
Oooh just 6/10! I'll strike it off my Christmas list
So... wait until it is a $10 game...? got it.
Oh well, bye bye Ubisoft. See you on the next Nintendo system.
So they made a poor port? I think you can find that under 'Ubisofting' in the dictionary nowadays.
I knew we would get a crappy port
throws Assassin's Creed 3 out the window
seems a bit low! (Just like splinter cell, a 7 out of 10, really!!!)
The game still looks great! Does any body really likes it?
The end of the multiplatform era can't come soon enough... we need more Wii U exclusives like Bayonetta 2 and Devil's Third, pronto.
@wiiuprotacker14 My beef with Watch Dogs isn't how it looks... it's far too much like other Ubisoft titles being ported to the Wii U, on the count of them being too lazy to shell out the cash for something like a follow up to Rayman Legends...
Prepare for Ubisoft saying their games don't sell on Wii U... again...
I was feeling a 6/10 before I even clicked on the review.
Ubisoft is one of my least favorite developers now... would be my least favorite but unfortunately they do have the Rayman IP in their possession.
Well I guess that settles it. I will just get the 360 version when it goes down to ridiculously cheap prices, though I would have preferred it on Wii U it looks like that is certainly not going to happen!
do i need to rec a video of my WD driving?
i dont feel all that drops that you say guys, i give it a 7
It's an inferior port that released months after the other versions and right next to Smash. You can't convince me Ubisoft didn't want this game to fail.
Meh.I'll pass..
Let the hating begin..
Let's look at what the game is, an open world game. Something the wiiu lacks. it's a game that's ahead of its time with ideas.. and just like the wiiu system,it has "stumbled" because it failed to capitalize on its ideas. The game features a robust story mode,good plot.decent online. . so the game is awarded a 6/10 essentially because of a frame rate that doesn't run above 30 fps?well it doesn't on xone or ps4 either ..I think the review is broken more so than the game. I'm still highly interested
Savior it folks, savior it. This is your third-party swan song. (Well minus Skylanders, Lego and.......just dance)Though this final effort isn't as much effort as it could've been (though how the efforts of the third parties done to the WiiU and consoles in general and how nintendo could've have done the WiiU differently and it's history through the third parties can be debated til the end of time) All right Nintendo, the torch is yours, lets see how well you're going to fill the WiiU's third-party gap throughout the remainder of this generation and see if the next generation can be a more fruitful one.
Hmm, that's a slightly lower grade I was waiting for such good slice of content for us starving for Wii U content. For what I played, I score it 7.5. My biggest complaint is the current price for a one year old game, it should be cheaper. I still recommend you give it a go, it's the only GTA style of fun you can get on the Wii U right now. I hope to see more Ubisoft games in the future that don't have the words "Dance" and "Just" in the title...
That conclusion was perfect, a fair enough review.
It's a shame to hear that there are some optimisation flaws in regards to the driving aspect, particularly when it rains, and that the Gamepad is not put to more use given the subject matter.
The review did a nice job of covering the good aspects of the game, the simple but understandably so hacking mechanic which still manages to bring some fun into the game, the amount to do, and the cool online hacking experience. It also covered the flaws of the game, and furthermore, covered flaws regarding it's port to the Wii U.
Watch Dogs has always been a bit of an odd game for me to have an interest in, I'm not a fan of open world games, but the hacking concept seemed great, and a perfect fit for Wii U. I've still a passing interest in the game though, so I shall keep it on my Christmas/Birthday list, though if I don't receive the game on either date, I don't see myself going out of my way to get this game.
Inb4 week one buyers will justify their purchase.
Edit: too late.
Looks like yet another 3rd party game gets dumped onto the Wii u.
Maybe the marketing strategy is, Nintendo gamers are so desperate for games they will buy anything.
I was already expecting a 6/10. It has an interesting premise, but there are some problems to be found. Quite frankly, I just don't care about Ubisoft at this point. They've pi$$ed me off so many times that if they want me to buy one of their products, they're gonna have to do things better. A LOT better. Also, I can already tell that they're gonna say Nintendo fans don't buy mature games because this game bombed. And you know what? They are idiots for thinking that way.
A mediocre port six months after release at full price when you can get it on the outlets for more than half off. Ubisoft will blame Nintendo customers for not buying it or supporting Ubisoft on the system. I'd love a ZombiU 2, buy I doubt we will ever see that now.
Oh well. At least they also gave us Rayman.
@Jordie "Ubisofting" love it! we need to put that into he dictionary... Essentially building hype, postponing release dates until a more polished product (that was not in development yet) can be produced for the competing consoles, that were not part of the launch in the first place. Followed by company statements that since the original title didn't hold up too well against said competitors, THAT console was a failure. Jerks.
Get Lego City Undercover to fill in that open world stuff. Ita cheaper and better and exclusive to the Wii U
If Ubisoft don't support Ninty, I don't support Ubi.
If Ubisoft want Nintendo players to buy their games, they will have to raise the standard of their games to Nintendo's level. Simple.
People can complain about the rating, but I'm seeing the same problems listed repeatedly from many different sources: very poor framerate, graphical issues, and a game that overall just isn't compelling enough to be considered top tier.
When you factor in that the Wii U release is happening months later than any other platform, performs worse than any other console, is considerably more expensive right now, and is missing the generally well-regarded DLC content... well, a 6/10 seems very reasonable.
I was hoping Watch Dogs on Wii U would be worth buying. Nothing I've seen or read online has convinced me that is the case - at least not without a very steep discount. Incredibly disappointing.
@Shiryu I agree (concerning the "dance" titles)... I was on Uplay the other day and it asked me to choose my console; XBox1 PS4 or I only play Just Dance, which I cliked and took me straight to the Wii U site.
@MikeDanger
Now that's a great suggestion. Lego City Undercover has some issues of it's own, but sounds like a choice game than Watch Dogs. My "buy" list has been updated accordingly.
Just picked the PS4 version at a black Friday sale at Best Buy.
Ubipoope
@wiiuprotacker14
Yeah I like it. Now I understand the game has a few issues and isn't perfect, but at least the game came to the system, which really is a blessing considering most Nintendo fans will be on the lookout for any excuse to skip the game they can find.
If people own another console and want to get a different version, I can't say I blame them. But, I think the Ubisoft hatred is getting way out of control. Considering all other 3rd parties bailed a long time ago, or even worse, never supported the system to begin with, I think it's commendable that we're getting one of Ubisoft's top rated games this far into the Wii U's life span. Sure it may have some issues, but it's not like the game is broken or anything, and there is DLC on the eShop.
Especially if you don't own another system, at least you can enjoy this game now. That's how I see it anyways.
@Platypus101 Profiling! That's terrible! Not all Wii U owners are alike!
I think the review was made to please the ubi-hater nintendo gamers, not that I can defend this port too much. I do still think a 7/10 would be the right score.
Diamond in the rough.
@mariovslink62 You know, AC3 worked like crap from the start pretty much everywhere.
Anyway, in my opinion the biggest problem of Watch Dogs is it's main feature and selling point - hacking. Most of the time it's just "press x button" or Bioshock hacking and that's it. Pretty stale and generic for a new IP that was forseen like second coming of Jesus for gaming. I still don't know why.
"the inevitable Watch Dogs 2 could be one to keep an eye on."
Which of course Wii U only gamers won't get. I did not buy this on PS3 at $25, nor I will buy it here for $60.
Yes, watch dogs 2 will never come on wii u
How'd I guess that this would be a 6?
I saw some other versions on sale for Black Friday, but not on the Wii U version. Who knows, if the price was reasonable I might've picked it up.
So the Xbox one version of watch dogs in purexbox they gave it an 8,push square as well.But this site gave it a 6?Wow then it must be bad port,they really used the 6 months they had huh @Mega719.
It's a Ubisoft game. Wait a few weeks and you can get it for $15 anyway.
I like this game on Wii U. Below my own review (link with google translator)
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwiiu.com.pl%2F&sl=pl&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
It's about 2 fps worse than Black Flag, yet that got a 8/10...
This score won't scare me away because I want to play this style of game and don't like GTA. I think I won't find it as bad because it's my only option. I'm sure I will love it but definitely not at full price or even half price. Definitely 25$ or less.
The game is good it just does not have the total freedom of gta 5. I ha e been playing for hours.
"There's also some pleasing online functionality, which seems to have made it across rather well onto Wii U."
I'm really surprised this made it in, and Ubisoft deserves some credit for getting it to work on Wii U, I was pretty sure this was one of the reasons they delayed the Wii U port so people wouldn't complain when this major component of the game was left out.
Of course the big problem is how often will online take place with so few people owning the game?
On the bright side, maybe it's time for us to get Lego City Undercover. Well as soon as it drops in price to $20 like an 18 month old Lego game should. Lego Hobbit, Lego Marvel, Lego Batman 2, Lego Movie are all about $15 and some of those just came out earlier this year. Nintendo still doesn't get it.
@SuperWiiU Were there any driving sections in that?
I bought it and love it, and I have a ps4.
I hate playing a spoil game so I'm not and never going to pick this one up whether here or the other ports. Had it release same time with the other versions so it wouldn't get spoil or came with tons of exclusive features then I will give it a shot but it seems that all UbiSoft did was hold it back just to piss Wii U owners. I already gave them a chance with Rayman Legends, I'm not going to with Watch_Dogs, they had their chance and they ruin it. Like I said, late, expensive, no exclusive features of any kind, no point in buying it. For this long and at this price they might as well just make it a different game.
@Damo No, but the running has about the same framerate as the driving in Watch Dogs, so that's a good thing. It does have boats though.
Love the game
Are all these companies teaming up to take down Nintendo? This is rediculous already.
@midnafanboy
A score of 6. Delayed by 6 months. Costs $60. 3 instances of six.
Total is 18, divide that by 6 and you get 3...
Oh my, Half Life 3 is confirmed for 2016! You've solved mysterious puzzle! (Well I did, but you provided the pieces)
@Damo the driving is fine. You want to drive buy a racing game.
Glad i gave up on the wii u version and picked it up on ps4 back when it released for everyone else first.
@midnafanboy it depends how you approach it. If it was released the same day as other versions then it may have gotten a better rating. Most reviews from users give it a good rating while other users from sites like Metacritic give is a baised low rating (because of the wait and lack of new features not the port itself) the verdict on most sites like this one say it's a good game but should wait for it to be cheaper. I need reviews for bigger sites before i can be convinced this port is that bad
@Jordie I don't think it's a poor port, it's just that the WiiU hardware is lacking.
@Punished_Boss_84 Half life 3 confirmed for 2016,to be an exclusive for the Wiiu!Oh damn that will make people mad.
Hmm, I was expecting a 7 maybe 8, but mostly a 7. I was a little surprised to see a 6.
We need more time to make sure the Wii U version is awesome. Yeah....sure.
I have this on Xbox One and enjoy it WAY better then the Wii U version my friend has. Kinda unfortunate the Wii U version sucks, it's actually a pretty fun game on the X1/PS4 version.
@Knightsmetal You clearly must be playing an entirely different game than me, then. The frame rate during the driving sequences is terrible.
@SuperWiiU First, the frame rate in AC3 was pretty sluggish during the on-foot sections. And second, I'm not sure you can compare a boat gliding across a largely empty ocean to a car driving though a bustling metropolis.
@Kit Yep, don't buy the game just because a single review site said it was sub-par. Genius.
Exactly: look at all the reviews and see what they are saying!
So I did that, and these are the common factors brought up in many reviews: framerate worse than other versions, weak use of gamepad, missing the most important DLC.
Wii U version is consistently reviewing as (technically) the worst version of the game.
Wii U version is by far the most expensive right now, since all other versions have been out for months.
Original reviews for Watch Dogs on other platforms averaged about 8 - good but not great - so now Wii U owners have the opportunity to pay double (or more) to get a lesser version of that not great game. Hmmm...
The game will still be worth playing for many people, but the apologists here need to back down a little bit. Poor port got a poor score, end of story.
@readyletsgo With as much hate as I have seen here I would not bet on that happening.
It's missing online game modes. My rule for 3rd parties: You want all my money, well give me all the game.
@TooManyToasters. So you expect Ubisoft to spend more money than they realistically going to get back? That is extremely bad business sense.
@abbyhitter Me too .-.
@Damo is it true that when driving, the frame-rate, is really terrible??
Does that stop the driving experience fun being fun!! I mean is it really that disturbing!
I played this on ps4 and it wasn't that great on that so I didn't expect much of the wii u version. Watch dogs was incredibly over hyped and ubisoft yet again failed to deliver they haven't had the best track record lately I hope they put out some games soon that are actually good and maybe ya know working properly on release... that last part is pretty important.
I'll get this as a £5.99 eshop promo in 6 months that ubisoft always do. Maybe this game was just too big for the wii u?????
RUBBISH!!!!
If GTA v can run better on an inferior ps3, then this can certainly run on wii u. Isn't the new zelda world meant to be the size of Japan aswell or something???
Although I swear, if nintendo released a "Wii U-ltra 64"
That was identical in appearance and function with same gamepad but came with a bluetooth pro wavebird and carried a 2.8GHz cpu and an 8gb DDR5 gpu for £350 and opened up the licence protocol so I could access eshop downloads between two consoles assigned to the same NNID in the same house, I would queue up midnight tonight for one and pay full price.
@NbaJunkie is not the FPS running above 30 FPS.
is the FPS dipping down during driving down to 15-20 FPS, which is bad.
@Ulkaton yeah prob right. I was gonna buy it this week but bad reviews and under €20 on every other system, no thanks
@Mega719 And what this site is not big enough to tell you wasted 60 dollars on this port that can barley get to 30 fps.All the other so called big sites will tell you the same thing this review said "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."Get over it this is a bad port.
Played this at my cousin's house on his PS4 yesterday after he picked it up for like $25 and we were both dying laughing the whole time. He and I have wildly different tastes in games and we both agreed that it was just awful. I initially thought I'd just pick this up on sale down the line at some point, but is absolutely not happening after getting my hands on it. Bad game is bad and this is apparently the worst version so it really seems like all of the apologists are just bitter that they threw away 60 beans on this heap.
...Like I'm gonna miss this discussion...
I'm more disappointed by the gamepad features than the framerate. I've put up with playing whole PC games at 20 FPS and I didn't notice it until I found the option for the framerate counter. You can't convince me low framerate = a bad port. But it's a port that didn't capitalize on the system's capabilities, much like every other thing this game doesn't capitalize on. I like that there's a map and way-points can be set with a tap. But they could've done more in other areas, especially with the hacking and cameras, etc. It's not hard to imagine little things they could've done...
I'll probably pick it up when it's cheap ($20) but I may not make a point to get the Wii U version anymore...
Well I have the game and I think this rating is quite low. The framerate isn't as bad as they make it out to be. The only time you will notice the issue is while driving and it really has no effect on the gameplay. Driving is hard to master, but the framerate doesn't cause you to fail in anyway. I have no problem hacking things while driving and find driving/chases to be a fun experience.
Honestly I can't put this game down. The fun I have more than makes up for some driving frame rate dips. The only thing that seems like an afterthought is one particular mini game. Its completely optional and I just avoid that one. It's not bad. It's just nowhere near as fun as everything else. Otherwise every single thing I have done in the game was enjoyable. It's fun as heck. I would recommend it to anyone that owns a Wii U.
I'm glad I waited on this review.... Its in my Gamefly queue, this isn't a purchase. If they fix the frame rate issues in a patch I'll buy a copy.
Being a Nintendo and PC gamer has really turned me into a frame rate snob. Its sad the other consoles and developers are still stuck with this urge to make 30fps and below games.... once in a blue moon they will release a 60fps game. Of course it looks like poop, but there you go.
Nintendo doesn't seem to have any trouble making a gorgeous game run at 60fps that is supposedly "inferior hardware" as the trolls say.... Either the hardware isnt' has inferior as proposed by internet trolls, or Nintendo developers have some magic sauce and 3rd party developers are too lazy to mimic it.
@hydeks its pretty inferior and ugly on xbone/ps4.... On PC its a full 60fps when you add mods it looks close to the reveal video from 2012 that had everyone creaming in their pants.
3rd party games are TERRIBLE with frame rate on any console. Choosing another half assed 30 fps mess on a different system doesn't excuse Ubisoft's laziness.... Platinum Games is the only 3rd party developer really puts a priority on frame rate.
Lego City, while plagued with pop-up, screen tearing, ridiculous load times and other technical missteps, still performs quite well once loaded. The city itself is fully explorable without load times and remains consistent throughout.
The only issue comes from starting story missions and entering or leaving the station. It's a great game to play with a snack (and gives perfect opportunities to use the restroom).
I could mention how I was able to play the game for 14 hours the weekend I bought it and not feel eye strain or fatigue that normally accompanies extended play sessions, but really all I'm trying to do is reaffirm that the gameplay more than makes up for the flaws, some Watch Dogs fails spectacularly trying to do.
@JaxonH I don't hate Ubisoft, but I also do not think that they deserve $60 for anything they have recently released either. That generally has been my feeling since the sequel to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time so this isn't a new thing for me. As a company they have decided to release poor product and bank on pre-orders and hype sales. I blame the gaming media and gamer impatience as much as Ubisoft as they are only doing what they can get away with.
Their games are not bad, but they are also not good either. I generally see them as a B or C Studio now (To compare to film, they make Army of Darkness and Sharknado), filling in the gap created by the loss of THQ and Midway. It is reflected in how quickly their games are reduced to $20 or less.
Shame its a bad port, since Assassins Creed IV was actually very good on the Wii U.
This version should've been canned, or done a remaster, adding dlc and new content.
Shame as the game is great.
Too me the game seems fine so far, and since it's the only game of it's kind on the console the score seems too low.
I bought the game and I think that the Ubisoft team has done a nice port. The game does have few issues (frame rate slowing down) but other than that everything seems good, in fact, way better than this review tells us. Certainly, this is not a 6/10 game. It deserves a little more.
@Darknyht I actually really love Ubisoft's games. Probably more so than any other AAA developer. Playing Far Cry 4 right now and it's just excellent. Watch Dogs might not be GotY but, still think it's a pretty good game worth playing, just like Assassin's Creed. I don't LOVE Assassin's Creed, but they're still solid games. Rayman Legends and Splinter Cell Blacklist were the games that really elevated Ubisoft in my eyes.
I think the suits rush the developers and that bleeds through into the games, but as far as the games themselves are concerned and how fun they are to play, Ubisoft is best in class as far as I'm concerned. I do wish the suits in charge would give the developers a little more leeway and not force strict deadlines, but it is what it is.
Rayman Legends it is.
Meh. Score it as low as you want. All of these frame rate issues that people are talking about seem to be nonexistent to me. Could be because of the fact I usually play off TV while I'm working on my character in Final Fantasy XIV, but whatever.
I thoroughly enjoy Watch_Dogs, regardless of the regurgitated arguments against Ubisoft's ports. ACIII and Black Flag were superb, in any case, and they don't deserve all the crap they've been getting. I'm inclined to think that all of the propaganda against Ubisoft is coming from first-party purists or fanboils...or perhaps trolls, but who am I to know what the agendas of other people are? I generally buy what I'm pretty confident I'll like.
This last month alone I bought Bayonetta 2, Watch_Dogs, Smash U and Dragon Age Inquisition on my PS4. I'm going to be busy until the end of spring, at the very least, and I couldn't care less about this relentless back and forth about third-party ports. I have the money to spend, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let some halfwit who spends all their time polluting public forums with their refuse tell me what I should do with my money.
Just about all third party games seem to have had this prob. Assassin's, 2 Batman games etc! Regardless of the troublesome infrastructure being different - surely it cant be that hard to get reasonable results!! Its probably extremely different to the original Wii also - yet Ninty game devs (who didnt actually design the consoles inner workings) can milk it for everything its worth!
6? Ubi bias. It's a 7.
It's not a bad port. People saying that just don't know the game. Watch Dogs was never great in the first place. It's pretty much a 7 on any console. The issues the Wii U version has exist on the other consoles as well. Mediocre games can be ported as well as possible and it won't change the fact they're mediocre.
I'll finish it. It's not terrible. Better than AC3 (that game sucked across every platform) but not as good as AC4. I still recommend AC4 to anyone who hasn't played it. Plus it's a lot cheaper than Watch Dogs, for the moment.
"So... wait until it is a $10 game...? got it"
Shouldn't take that long. All Ubisoft games on the Wii u e-shop go straight through the bottom.
But seriously, that this has still arrived on Wii u is a complete miracle. Faaar to late of course. I probably won't buy it but to the few others that want to buy it: Enjoy!
On a side-note: Do I understand correctly that this year Ubi has not 1, but 2 (!!) Assasin's creeds released?! Speaking of milking a franchise!!
I didn't want this game but got it anyway cause there are not alot of options on Wii U for this type of game I actually really like the game so far and I'm glad I didn't read a review befor I bought it cause I probably would have passed up a fun game I agree with some of the few comments that I to have not experienced any performance issues with this game on my Wii U and I dont notice any frame rate issues I think people just want to dog this game which is unfortunate because it deserves more attention than it's getting it's a solid 8 out of 10 in my opinion and I would recommend it as well I've not had any issues with finding people to play online with or noticed anything different while driving in the game I hope more people give it a chance and form there own Opinion after spending some time playing the game .
If only wiiu kept an architecture closer to psbox, we would probably have better, and numerous, multiplats... just saying...
wow 6/10 is even lower than I was expecting this game to get. I knew ubisoft were going to put in minimal effort with the wiiU port but this just seems weak. I was never going to pay full price for this but now I think I'll just skip this one entirely.
@arnoldlayne83 Wouldn't help why would they try to make a good port, if they know damn well it will sell terrible.
Very fair review. This game is just clearly a lazy-effort all around on Wii U, which is too bad for those with only one console who were looking forward to this release.
It's not a reflection on the console itself, merely on the development team of this port.
This is a sensible score. I agree with this.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uGRt1WKsHOE
A review by Nintendo Enthusiast with video of driving sections right out the gate.
After watching actual footage of the driving sections I hardly feel a 6/10 was justified, considering that was really the only complaint. Especially considering all the other versions had to pause the game to see where you were going, and that's very aggravating in an open world game where you're always going somewhere.
Idk, watch the vid and see for yourself people. Nothing jumps out and screams "this game is totally a 6/10" when I watch the gameplay footage of driving sections. If Assassin's Creed Unity, a bungled mess of an excuse for a game, can score a 6/10, I hardly see it fitting for a game that runs relatively well all things considered to get the same score, especially when one considers the Gamepad Advantage.
Since I have plenty of other options to play this game on, I'm going to give the Wii U version a pass. I'm not sure if I'll be getting this game at all honestly.
@JaxonH the problem is people are taking the 6/10 to mean how it rates as a port, and that's just wrong. In terms of how it stacks up to the original releases on PS4 and X1, it's about 8 or 9 out of 10 as a port. The only thing about Watch Dogs on Wii U that is truly handicapped compared to the others is the missing main DLC.
But again, the game itself isn't great. Put away Ubisoft hate, graphical nitpicking, or how much the Gamepad is used. It's just not a great game. Again, 7/10. The reviews on its initial launch were spot on.
@KillScottKill Like I said, it's not going to win GotY or anything but it's enjoyable enough. As far as open world games go of this genre, it's standard fare. Though that's not really a bad thing, as standard fare of this genre has always been enjoyable to me.
I don't know, I just read a few members comments about picking up Lego City Undercover instead, and while I do understand everyone has different tastes, I personally think that is a grave miscalculation. Whatever Lego City is, I don't think there is more enjoyment to be had than with Watch Dogs (and that's overlooking the fact that LCU isn't even open world- it's divided up into different sections which all have 60 second load times). Again, not to say this game is exceptional or anything but it's by far the best open world experience on the system at the moment. Xenoblade X will certainly change that, granted that's a different kind of open world experience.
@BinaryFragger "where's the incentive to make good product when gamers will buy it nonetheless"
Ironically, the statement that comes to mind for me here is "where is the incentive to make good product when gamers WON'T buy it nonetheless". Seems no matter what third parties do with the gamepad, or how good the game is, or how well it runs, AAA games are destined to fail on Wii U. Where is the incentive to do something different with the gamepad when it's not really being reflected in the sales? All that indicates is that we talk a good game about wanting gamepad support, but when it comes down to it we'll find some other reason not to buy the game. We always find a reason.
I see things a little differently. Where others see lack of gamepad support, I see an interactive map on the fly that wasn't available in any of the other versions. I see off TV played that wasn't available for any of the other versions. And I see free multiplayer that wasn't available for any of the other next GEN versions. Where others see a framerate dip as an excuse to skip the game, I watch the video and barely notice a thing.
I guess what I'm trying to say is people make up their minds to find something wrong with the game, they look and scour for any reason they can to skip it. So there is no incentive to go above and beyond for third parties with their AAA ports, because they could have the most innovative gamepad use ever, release it on time with full parity, multiplayer modes and a full season pass, but once people find out the frame rate dips five frames less than another version they say it's a shoddy port and a cash grab, and they're not buying it.
There's been about two or three dozen AAA games to come to Wii U, and people can't play the gimped port card with all of them. Yet none of them sold well. Where is the incentive? Even Bayonetta 2, which really set the bar as the gold standard, and even came with a free game that was optimized better than other versions and had additional content, even it was destined to fail. Where is the incentive?
I feel that we, myself included, should do a better job of buying good games when they release, otherwise we give third parties no incentive to make a solid port, or port their games at all for that matter. There are too many critically acclaimed games on the Wii U that failed to even remotely sell well. And it's not just third-party either. Even Nintendo themselves have fallen victim. Why give us F-Zero or Star Fox when we don't buy Pikmin 3, or DKC, or W101? If those games won't sell what makes anyone think the other ones we ask for will be any different?
Totally off base score, penalizing the game by comparing it to release dates and frame rates on other platforms that the reader may not even have. Don't you already have Digital Foundry to take care of the multi platform comparisons? In isolation of other platforms, this is easily an 8. Considering the dearth of similar games as this on the WiiU, I think a 9 wouldn't be shocking.
BS score!
Video comparison show the wiiu version hold up really well. Frame rate comparison showed like 2 frames/second less - hardly noticable. On the flip side the reviews never mention the gamepad in these tech comparisons.
There are mindless people out there.
All they see is the 6 and no more thoughts go on in the brain. What an empty-headed way of making decisions.
@SuperWiiU
That's why this is a bogus review. I noticed what you noticed too.
They totally make mountains out of molehills with 2 frames/second, meanwhile ignoring the gamepad features that are impossible on other consoles. If that's not biased, I don't know what is.
The ones that want to jump on the bandwagon of hate for this game should go check out the comments on Miiverse if they are or ever were seriously thinking about getting Watch Dogs seems to me there are alot of happy gamers there that would give this game a higher rating than a 6 .
@Sampras It's a map on the gamepad WOW!That's new!I never seen any Wiiu game have that!Oh wait every Wiiu port Ubisoft made has that.What you wanted an 8 or a 9? Really?Just because of a map on the gamepad the score will get higher?Wow.
@Jordie Idk, i had it on PS3, i didnt much care for it on there, it was made for more Next Gen consoles i.e. PS4 and Xbox ONE.
@Sampras Oh watch Digital Foundry frame rate comparison of the Wiiu version stacked up against the PS4 and the PS3.Then say it just drops 2 FPS,cause i assure you the frame rate of the port is terrible it can't even get a stable 30 fps.
Just watch as Ubisoft will abuse its fault's by blaming it on the Wii U.
I still dont know weather to buy this or not, 6/10 doesn't help me choose either, i only have a wii u so will this fill a void? Is online any good? Whats the peoples verdict?
I just don't know. What is it that Ubisoft don't get? The Wii U is not a x86 system, it's architecture is completely different and they don't even bother making use of the GPGPU setup and clearly don't use the 32mb Edram available.
Criterion put out a vastly superior Wii U port in NFS with ultra textures, higher resolution, higher quality lighting, more effects than the Ps3/360 versions in less than four months with excellent gamepad integration at a silky smooth framerits - so it can be done.
Ubisoft must really hate Nintendo fans, they didn't even bother to try so much for fun gamepad integration. It is clear that this is the finished Wii U port Guillemot was talking about. There was clearly no work done on this game in the last 8months. This is a shovelware port pure and simple. Ubisoft have lost my custom for good. They make EA look amazing.
Seems a bit harsh, but I guess the technical problems really get in the way? Either way, a decent 3rd party swan song as Captain_Toad points out.
I second Lego City as a great sandbox title. Sure it's not "mature" but it's a great fun title with pleanty to do and explore. Tons of unlockables to go back and revisit after you beat the game. I had fun finding hidden super bricks to unlock all of the builds in the main world. Once you get past the fact everything is made of legos, it makes for a really awesome GTA / Sandbox clone. Loading times are a bit of a bog, but it by no means harms the excellent gameplay.
@JaxonH completely agree with everything you said at post 112...
If it s not nintendo, is gonna fail... no matter how good it is
@liveswired Ubisoft must hate wiiu owner so much that they give us at least 4 great games (ZombieU, Ac4, child of light and rayman legends), and they all had abysimal selling numbers. Moreover is the only and last western developer making some port.... yeah, they are very bad, so evil.... lets meet on a public square and set their games on fire....
I knew this game was trash from the get go.
@arnoldlayne83 I wonder what the cost is when porting a game to PS4 versus Wii U. Does Wii U has a very different CPU as compared to PS4 or Xbox One?
Reading the comments I am glad that most of the readers who have bought Watch Dogs on Wii U understand that this is not a 6/10 game but it is closer to an 8/10 game. Well done NintendoLife readers.
Also, if Watch Dogs is getting a 6/10 then using this logic, Assassin's Creed should get a 5 and Zombi U a 4. Readers, please give a try to this game without thinking it is made by Ubisoft. It really deserves your attention. Thanks.
@GreatPlayer you got a PowerPC vs x86 architectures -> different set of instructions in the code. You got huge differences in hardware specs -> different performances. While porting between Xb1 and Ps4 is immediate and merely a matter of rescaling fps and resolutions (sometimes), porting to WiiU requires extra development time (coding and downgrading/optimize the graphics) -> higher developing costs.
Then consider that: a) WiiU is not such a popular console (has an install base close to xb1, but as I told you, the latter allows easy ports from pc or ps4); b) Nintendo fanbase is generally picky about 3rd parties games and they generally sell bad (ZombieU is the best seller with 700k copies....), then you realise that not so many developers are prone to do such ports.... it is capitalism, nothing to do with conspiracy theory or evil corporations.... surely you can blame them to be lazy, but on a commercial point of view, they have their own rights, and Nintendo has to be blamed for this.... the market nowadays is ruled by 3/4 big devs (EA, Ubisoft, Activision...) and Nintendo deliberately choose not to be "friendly" towards them, starting by choosing such "complex" hardware (not to mention the extra "headache" given by the second screen....)
@Captain_Gonru - "The one big thing though is LCU was a Wii U exclusive"
Oh, I know why they do it, b/c they can. But I think when parents are out shopping for gifts for their Wii U owning kids (or online) this holiday and they see 5 Lego games next to each other - Hobbit, Marvel, Batman 2, Lego Movie, LCU - the parents are more likely NOT to buy the 1 that costs $50 when the others each cost $20. Or if they want to spend $50 buy the NEW multiplayer Batman 3, not the year old solo game. Yes, they can make more of a profit selling it at $50, but at some point they don't make money if they don't sell any copies and price it accordingly so they can sell some copies to make some money at least. If people wanted to pay $50 for this they would have done it last Christmas, how many 1 1/2 year old videogames still sell for full MSRP?
Guess my thought it, just b/c they can do it, doesn't mean they should. And it's supposedly a good game, too bad more kids won't get to play it b/c of the price.
@rjejr No to mention, a lot of parents tend to be strict with ageratings too
@arnoldlayne83 I thought powerpc was dead since Apple switches to Intel Processor. What is the motivation behind Wii U to keep using powerpc? I also thought that powerpc cpu is more expansive because they are less popular and profitable. Well, at least because wii used powerpc, and thus wii u still have the backward capability, although I doubt the next generation after wii u will backward capability is meaningful — Nintendo is probably going to throw out the gamepad.
@GreatPlayer I believe the motivation was, as you said, that this CPU is a successor of the one used on Wii, and this would allow easily retrocompatibility.
Don't know what will be the next step, with Nintendo you'll never known, they can be able either of great ideas or stupid choices.... for sure, if they wanna have some chance of holding the multiplats, they'll have to move towards x86 multicore architecture.... with HW specs close to Sony and Microsoft....
@midnafanboy
A whole review and score based on 2 frames/second. Occasionally 5 frames/second. That's called making a mountain out of a molehill.
28fps / 30fps = 0.93
And that's just on the tv. They don't even count the gamepad fps.
Did the score or review reflect only a proportional 0.07 decrease (while ignoring the gamepad for some strange biased reason)?
Answer: not even close! The score drop was more like .25!! That's the definition of making a mountain out of a molehill!
20h in, I like the game.
It's fun and varied.
I enjoy this much more than any Acreed.
It has its flaws but still a solid 8
@midnafanboy
Other consoles don't offer gamepad features WOW! That's a rip! Oh wait other consoles don't have 2nd screen at all, nevermind 2nd screen features!
Oh wait every Wiiu port Ubisoft made has the additional feature that its console competition lacks .What do you want for lacking an entire gamepad feature in exchange for an unnoticable 2 frames, an 8 or a 9? Really?Just for an unnoticed 2 frames and complete lack of gamepad?Wow.
I am very interested in this game, but first I need to buy a used Wii U ... anyway, I do have a question: is there an option, that you can turn down different graphic stuff (aka simpler texture, antialisaing, etc.), so that it could run "better/faster"?
@Sampras
You consistently talk about 2 frames per second difference... but that's simply not accurate according to any of the tests I've seen. The Wii U framerate fluctuates between 20-25 frames per second, sometimes falling under 20, while on PS4 it's a steady 30 and even on PS3 it remains consistently higher.
It's great you enjoy the game. But it's the worst performing version of a game that received middling reviews. It's being released months after all other versions, is currently more expensive, and will never receive the best rated DLC. Those are facts - not opinions.
@JaxonH The problem is that Third Parties want to treat the Wii U as a third console like the Xbox or Playstation and it is anything but that. A FPS or Action-Adventure game is going to have difficulty using the gamepad effectively, even Nintendo struggles with that. Where the gamepad would have shined would have been in other genres.
EA should have launched The Sims U or Sim City: Wii U Edition, along with Mass Effect Trilogy, and the EA Sports games. Ubisoft should have come with Heroes of Might & Magic, ZombiU, and an console exclusive Rayman Legends.
If you make games that fit the system and they will be great. Shoehorn cookie cutter multiplats and you can watch them fail because other consoles will do them better.
@Sampras It doesn't lose just 2 fps it loses ten or more,it can't even get a stable 30 fps!This is worst version of watch dogs,the PS3 can get a stable 30 fps and that has screen tearing.Don't know what you're talking about it only loses 2 fps.Oh and the gamepad features yo won't shut about,it's a map that's it,to lazy too look at the screen?
@Darknyht Hmmm, interesting. So you think it's a matter of the wrong games coming to the system. Basically, Wii U owners would be much more interested in the games you mentioned than the standard AAA title. Right? Or do you mean Wii U owners are only interested in games that use the gamepad well?
I'll address both just in case. I don't believe using the gamepad well really makes a difference as far as sales are concerned. I think when it comes down to it, people just buy the games that look fun and if that happens to have some awesome gamepad integration, that's a bonus. On that topic though, I think people expect too much from the gamepad and expect every game to use it (and as you rightly pointed out, some games are more suited to a second screen than others). At the end of the day, any gamepad use, even just off TV play, is still more than the other versions have. So I can't fathom skipping a game over such a trivial matter.
As for different games coming to the system, I think you might be onto something. The fanbase does seem to have a very particular taste when it comes to videogames. And as it's been proven time and time again, multi plats just don't sell well. Now, I am of the belief that any game can fit any system. As long as you have a controller with a modern button layout, any game should fit just fine on any system. And even if it doesn't use the gamepad whatsoever, it's still no different than any other version because they don't have a gamepad. I used to hear people all the time say "What do you mean you can't figure out what to do with the gamepad, just bring the game! I don't care if it uses the gamepad, I just want to play the game".
So I guess the question stands, why don't AAA games sell on the system? I don't think the gamepad has anything to do with it, because pretty much every AAA game has used the gamepad at least to some extent, which is more than can be said for Nintendo's games. I also don't think parity or DLC or any of that stuff is a factor either. I think people like to use it as an excuse, but I don't think that's the real reason. Because let's face it the stuff people are nitpicking about his small change stuff.
I think the answer could lie in A) like you said, most Wii U owners have a second console where they can play those games, or B) Wii U owners just aren't interested in gritty realism. But that begs the question of why Sonic Racing Transformed and Rayman Legends didn't sell. Both games best in class of their respective genres.
And the answer? I don't know. But it does seem only big name Nintendo games ever have hopes of reaching a million copies sold.
@JaxonH "But it does seem only big name Nintendo games ever have hopes of reaching a million copies sold."
It is exactly this... despite Nintendo fans calling for novelty and innovation (and saying there is nothing new on ps4 and xbox1), New super mario Bros U (with its 30 years old gameplay) sold 4.32 millions copies and is the top seller on WiiU. The first five top seller positions got Mario Involved, then Zelda, then pikmin (8th with 830k). First non-Nintendo game is ZombieU at 11th (730k). Rayman legend, a wonderful 2D platform (so to speak the favourite gender for Nintendo Audience), got 17th with 400k (sold more on Ps3, and hey, it utilize the gamepad at its best...). Two praised gems like Wonderful 101 and Bayonetta 2? The latter is 20th (360k), while the superheroes wonder is 27th (260k).... My opinion? as you said, nothing without Mario or Link on it as any chance to sell and appeal Nintendo users (large part of them). Another prove? Hyrule Warrior, a musou dressed like zelda game, is 11th with 560k copies. A pretty decent (for me amazing) next musou on the same platform: Warriors Orochi? 63th with 70k copies sold.....
Is there the online decryption mode in the wii u version?
So I just played Smash Bros 8 player Wii U for the first time with a lot of people for a couple of hours and with Bayonetta 2 and Hyrule Warriors giving me plenty to do, I still have no interest in this, thing.
@JaxonH Your first paragraph is spot on. Everyone complains about a lack of third party support but won't buy the third party games. Framerate aside (which isn't great on any console by the way) Watch Dogs is amazing. If people want third party support then they need to buy this game and others. Honestly since the "next gen" consoles barely have better graphics I like this one the best because of the gamepad map. Other games on Wii U that make better use of the gamepad are even better. Batman Arkham City is amazing and they did a great job utilizing the pad for that game. Same with Splinter Cell Black list. Or Darksiders 2. There's a lot of good third party games already on this system but people just don't buy them. Then they complain about not getting third party games. If you want better third party support then buy the dang third party games. There is nothing wrong with Watch Dogs on Wii U. It's great. Slight framerate dips while driving is nothing to get fussy about and it has no effect on the gameplay. Just go buy the game people. It's awesome. And out of all the crazy side quests and optional things to do only ONE of them is boring to me. The money game where you have to collect icons that look like money. That's the only one that seems boring to me. But if you don't like it, or any of the others, they are all OPTIONAL. You aren't forced to do any of it. But I recommend you do. It's a lot of fun.
From reading the review, it seemed to me like the score would have been a 7-8. Unless that frame rate drop is horrendous, I don't feel like anything that was mentioned really justifies the score. That being said, I have watched a few videos of the game, and the driving parts look like they control poorly. I agree that the sequel will probably smooth over any problems the original had (just like with Assassin's Creed) and this will be another solid series. Unfortunately, this version is not going to sell well enough to justify that sequel to come to the Wii U.
sigh Why did I not expect this??
@kensredemption That's a great attitude. As long as you are enjoying what you bought, it doesn't matter a darn thing what other people thinks.
It's sad that Ubi would delay it to say that its refining the game to be the best it can, and then give rubbish! I'm not sure I care for any more games from Ubi, most of their ports (save for rayman, just dance) are sub-par versions with iffy frame rates etc... So Ubi wanted this to fail, otherwise they would have actually put the effort the promised, did those 6 extra months do anything?? They nipped themselves in the butt by releasing this game alongside smash as well. I didn't expect it to fail as miserably as it did, but I knew it wouldn't be great.
@midnafanboy
And you won't shut up about the 2fps. There's no reason why we must make a mountain out of a molehill over that, which is hardly noticable, versus blatantly ignoring how the wiiu provides something that is totally impossible on the other consoles. Too lazy to look at the consoles indepentently rather than blindly accepting media articles' campaign to dismiss all aspects of a gaming experience except frame rate?
Not surprised by this. From what I saw, the visuals were decent enough but the game definitely ran the worst.
@Nap03 Agree, fun game and cant notice that much fps drops and in enjoying thecar sections
@midnafanboy almost every port on wiiu just use the second screen as a map....
@arnoldlayne83 Any reason why you're telling me this?
I got it on the PS4 on black friday other than the obvious lackluster job of the Wii U version, this game is really fun especially the multiplayer hacking.
Just beat it with about 40 hours logged and only a handful of sidemissions done so far. This is one AWESOME game. The gamepad map was useful but for long sessions I find the pro controller more comfortable. There are a number of aspects in WD that I think are better than GTA 5, for example in the density of interactive objects, and the variety of side missions / mini games. And the entire final mission and epilogue explores the "main character is a madman seeking justice that ends up on a killing rampage" supposed "paradox" that many reviews harp on. In fact the game presents a way for the player to "reconcile" that with a sort of demonstration of character growth in the final minutes of the game. Any other hardcore Nintendo fan that isn't going to get an Xbone or PS4 soon should by WD for their WiiU and experience this fun techy pulp adventure. And the online modes are really, really intense (when both parties are in the spirit of it, which has been the case in my sessions (over 50 so far) more often than not)
@Nap03 From what I hear many Nintendo gamers have the personality trait of narrow-mind (i.e., low in openness to new experience), and does not accept anything that is not from Nintendo.
@JaxonH What I am saying is that a Wii U is not the same as an Xbox One or PS4, just like the Wii was not like the Xbox 360 or PS3. Nintendo stopped competing with MIcrosoft and Sony directly last cycle because there is no need for three identical consoles on the market.
The best way to look at this would be how EA and Ubisoft have been treating the 360 and PS3 lately. Ubisoft did the right thing in that while neither got Assassin's Creed: Unity, both got Assassin's Creed: Rouge. It was a game developed to the capabilities of the system. EA on the other hand tried to force Shadow of Mordor onto everything and ended up with a horrible port on the 360 and PS3. Just because a console is there doesn't mean you should shove something on it, instead you should develop to it's strengths.
Rayman Legends suffered because instead of releasing in the middle of a six month software drought where there would have been zero competition for attention, they released right in the middle of Nintendo's second wave of software (New Luigi U, Wonderful 101, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD all dropped within the month of release along with Disney Infinity).
Sonic Racing has fans, but it is not the greatest racing game ever. However, like most third parties it is available on everything including your washer and dryer. Perhaps it's problem is that there were more compelling hardware to play it on.
@Captain_Gonru -
Not to belabor the point but I thought this was funny when I saw the ad this morning:
Target this week, 3 week old multiplayer Lego Batman 3 on Wii U $39.99:
http://www.target.com/sb/nintendo-wii-u-video-games/-/N-56dubZ5tdv0Z5tdv2Z55e6tZ55dw7Z55e6uZ55e69Z5tdv1#?lnk=lnav_shop categories_4
LCU still $49.99:
http://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=lego+city+undercover&category=0%7CAll%7Cmatchallpartial%7Call+categories&lnk=snav_sbox_lego+city+undercover
For it's part Amazon is matching those prices, LCU is $1.56 cheaper.
And as the Wii U is 2 years old it probably is time for the "Selects" line, Nintnedo Land is already $30, often on sale for $20, NSMBU could be $30, LCU $30. Need to push those 2 year old games w/ the current Wii U line-up finally looking good - MK8, SSBU, Captain Toad - who wants LCU @ $50?
@midnafanboy cos apparently for you using the second screen as an interactive map is a major letdown and a sign of lazyness....
The so-celebrated Lego city did the same...
@Darknyht "What I am saying is that a Wii U is not the same as an Xbox One or PS4, just like the Wii was not like the Xbox 360 or PS3. Nintendo stopped competing with MIcrosoft and Sony directly last cycle because there is no need for three identical consoles on the market."
So then Nintendo deliberately decided to release only secondary consoles by doing so (for everyone except fundamentalist Nintendo fans, of course).
Still I don't get why they couldn't keep the pace with Xb1 and Ps4 having the plus of their amazing exclusives.... to me, it is still an idiotic decision
@Darknyht
Ah, ok, I get what you're saying. Yes, I agree. The appeal of the system is in games you cannot play on the other consoles. Most definitely. I'd rather have Monster Huntter 3 Ultimate, Bayonetta 2 and Devil's Third than 2 dozen ports I can buy on either of my other two consoles. However, if more people don't start buying those games, we might see them bite the dust as well.
That's not to say I don't like to see multiplats on the system as well because I do. And I will buy any that come to the system. But apparently I'm in the minority, not to mention I have multiple other options to buy those games. Truth is I didn't buy a Wii U to duplicate what the other two consoles can do, I bought it because it offers something different.
@arnoldlayne83 You cannot blame Nintendo for consumers who refuse to support those types of games. Their hands are tied. Not only is it not their games and not their decision to make, but they don't even have a leg to stand on as far as convincing 3rd parties to bring those games when nobody's interested in them or buying them.
People can't legitimately skip every single multiplat on the Wii U, then blame Nintendo that more aren't coming. The system's appeal is indeed in the exclusives. But Nintendo didn't decide that. We did, by only showing interest and only buying the exclusives. Had the AAA games ported to the system actually sold more than 5 copies, the system would very much indeed be for both types of games.
But the bottom line is the market decides what the system is for. When nobody is interested in AAA games, you can't complain that the system doesn't have AAA games. Truth is the system was designed for those multiplats also, but nobody bought them and now we don't have any. And fair warning was given too. Ubisoft told everyone last year "If you want AAA on Wii U, you MUST actually start buying them". Everybody complains they want the games but nobody buys them. The same goes with new IP's. Everybody says they want them but when we get them nobody buys them.
How is this game a 6!? It's the best version of Watch Dogs since you have all of your map and information on the gamepad, and the graphic are good. Watch Dogs on Wii U is an 8 at best.
@arnoldlayne83 The market appears to only support two consoles at that level. Much like Sega, Nintendo would be run into the ground by two companies that have much deeper pockets and other product lines to keep them afloat. So Nintendo could continue to fight a losing battle or attack the issue from another angle, to meet a demand that was not filled by the other two.
@Meaty-cheeky it's a good game. It's just bunch of bias people that will bad mouth Nintendo because they can't think for them selves
@JaxonH monster hunter sucks
@Darknyht but doing so they already lost all the battles since nintendo 64, wii excluded... still, keeping the pace, they could beat at least one of the competition... they have now the same number of console ad xbox1, so this generation they could have crushed microsoft if only they got a more decent hardware. As long they alienate third parties support, they will never be anything more than a sparring partner.
@Knightsmetal hahaha, Monster Hunter is the greatest game that ever was. But it's not for everyone and certainly not for the impatient. Like a good Platinum game, once you learn the mechanics and know what you're doing, it opens up as an entirely new game.
The only franchise I like from Ubisoft is Splinter Cell.
@Kit Nah man, don't let one review throw you off. Read other reviews as well, or look up gameplay and decide from that. I have bought plenty of games which got meh reviews but ended up loving them. It's opinion.
6/10 isn't even that bad anyway.
Buying this won't make Ubisoft release more Wii U games. Stop lying to yourself.
I'll get it eventually because of the mess I went through with the pc version (I've since uninstalled it) but since I'll be double dipping and im not THAT impressed with the game in general (I just don't want AC) I'll hold off for now.
@arnoldlayne83 Like I said, their path is to offer and be something different. Nintendo's strength is offering experiences you can only have on their console. Be that with first, second, or exclusive third party offerings. If third party publishers want to participate and succeed, then they will need to bring something unique.
Take any game that multiplats on the Wii U as an example. No matter how sound the game may be, it is going to be hammered by the general gaming press because it lacks features or doesn't have the highest level of graphical detail. Gamers, being who we are, will automatically go purchase the best version we have access to and the Wii U version will suffer in the sales department because of it. Yes, there is a stigma against buying third party on the Wii U, but how much of that is because of reason just stated? (Personally about half my library is Third Party titles). That trend will not change if third parties keep releasing multiplats on the Wii U and would only get worse as this cycle progresses and the power of the newer (and more powerful) consoles is tapped into.
So what if instead, there was the Assassin's Creed VI: Return of the Assassins on XBO/PS4 and Assassin's Creed VI: Revenge of the Templars on the Wii U. Both present well written stories within the universe, but are built to the capabilities of the system. Now there would be a compelling product on both systems, and a reason for the Wii U version to also sell. Let's not forget that the engine it most likely would run on is built (Assassin's Creed III & IV), and without being tied to the XBO/PS4 edition they could innovate with the gamepad even by doing something as simple as building the companion app into the game.
Ubisoft already did that with Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands last generation. I've played both and while the Wii version had issues with waggle (like just about every Wii game did), it wasn't a horrible title.
@Ryu_Niiyama did you do the fix to the PC version that made it infinitely more playable? Not saying you're missing out, but that allowed me to at least play it at 60fps..
@B3ND3R Nah not really. I installed one patch and since I still didn't like the performance I uninstalled it. My backlog was/is too big for me to be bothered. I'll go back eventually but I have to much stuff to play and little time as is.
@Ryu_Niiyama if you go into the config files of the game there are a few settings that are turned off (set to "false") and if you set them to "true" it makes it waaaay better. Although I still didn't care to play more than three or four hours.
@B3ND3R I'll likely take a look at that once I decide to play it again. Honestly I've got better stuff to play right now. Just picked up Far Cry and I'm getting dragon age on Friday. That doesn't even include the Nintendo titles I still have to take out of the packaging.
UBI never delayed this game to improve it.
@Prof_Clayton and ZombiU
@arnoldlayne83 Zombie U? Lazy cash in - It was already made for the 360, obviously it had no chance of even selling, so a simple port to Wii U with some admittedly excellent Gamepad features - comes no where near to utilising the Wii U or it's more powerful GPU, it's average fun. Assassin's Creed series - small porting teams, low cost with much less time to work on - again no utilisation of Wii U, average port work. Splinter Cell - another lazy cash in. Watchdogs - cheap and lazy cash in only released for contractual reasons probably.
Rayman Legends? The only game designed for Wii U but it was clear the PS3/360 versions were in the picture from the beginning - Ubisoft just didn't announce it. The Wii U version sat on the shelf giving the Rayman team time to clean up the PS3/360 versions. Child of Light - a simple port.
It is clear Ubisoft haven't bothered - at the end of the day they aren't going to invest in developing their engines for the radically different Wii U architecture if their games aren't selling and the Wii U and Wii U owners won't buy because of lacklustre ports so it is a no win situation or either side.
@Darknyht Wii U 3rd party games are being hammered because the gaming press know the Wii U is not being utilised properly and games developers are being criticised rightly so. The press don't expect PS4 level graphics but they and us gamers should expect better than 360 with higher resolution texturing and lighting at the least - this hasn't happened with most multiplats because devs are simply shoehorning existing code from the 360 without taking advantage of the Wii U's more modern, capable hardware. This was the bane of the PS3 multiplats for most of the generation. Second party PS3 games rose way beyond the best the 360 could muster yet nearly all 3rd party games on PS3 fell a distance 2nd to their 360 cousins.
The funny thing is all Indie developers seem to have no issues making superior Wii U ports - I've lost track of the amount of Indie games that look significantly better than their 360/PS3 counterparts. Some even look as good as their PS4 counterparts however @720p instead. It is laziness and zero investment on behalf of the big publishers.
Watchdogs is another poopoodoodoocacapoopledoople port unfortunately. If Criterion could manage ultra textures, more and higher resolution lighting and higher native resolution in less than four months what the hell have Ubisoft been doing?
I've got about 30 hours into this now, and I have to say I've been enjoying my time with it. I've spent most of my time just exploring around and doing random things, which is pretty much what I like to do in any sandbox game. It's not as good as AC IV, but way better than AC III (I know these are pretty much different all around, but I mean in terms of sandbox).
It's not optimized properly for Wii U but it is not bad. They could do better but do not hesitate to buy it.
You look like little kids.... Stop complaining about the mediocre review and start seeing for yourselves... I'll be damned if I let a magazine or a game review site controll my choices... Thats right, the last choice its yours. Stop following to the letter all kinds of review articles and start following your own personal thoughts, this site is meant to guide you, not control you... Im really excited about watch dogs, and even if all sites and magazines gave it a 0/10 rating I will still buy it because i love open-world games and i like the ideia and the hacking mechanic of the game... Just grow
Sighs
This game now retails for 29.99 in canada.
Might get it, but only when it hits the prive range of under 10 euros. Not worth more than that.
After playing through much of this game either the framerate issue was just for the disc version or a pile of BS. I know reviews are opinions, etc, etc. If you were put off by the review but think the game looks interesting don't let the review hold you back. Easily an 8 out of 10.
Having picked up this a few weeks ago for $9 (after amazon credit was applied) it isn't a bad game, but at the same time it isn't a great game either. Since this is the closest we will get to an open-world game on the Wii U, it is worth spending some time with. My most enjoyed parts so far, like in most Open-World games, is when I am just messing around.
The campaign missions tend to offer the usual mix of enjoyment and frustration I've come to expect from Ubisoft, and the best parts of the game seem to be not related to the campaign. Digital Trips, chess, poker, and Cash Run seem to be my favorite activities.
@mercurio2054 I agree with you on the frame rate being better than reviewer experienced. I enjoy driving in this game. The only reason I haven't played it more is because I have kids and this game has a bit too much profanity. 7.5 of 10 for me
@mercurio2054 I agree with you on the frame rate being better than reviewer experienced. I enjoy driving in this game. The only reason I haven't played it more is because I have kids and this game has a bit too much profanity. 7.5 of 10 for me
@mercurio2054 I agree with you on the frame rate being better than reviewer experienced. I enjoy driving in this game. The only reason I haven't played it more is because I have kids and this game has a bit too much profanity. 7.5 of 10 for me
@mercurio2054 I agree with you on the frame rate being better than reviewer experienced. I enjoy driving in this game. The only reason I haven't played it more is because I have kids and this game has a bit too much profanity. 7.5 of 10 for me
This is a very harsh score. I bought the game at full price long ago, and for several reasons never got around to playing it until about 2 weeks ago. I am having an absolute blast with every aspect of this game and would easily give it an 8 or higher. I don't see what all the complaining is about.
I love speeding away from the cops or chasing an online hacker, setting off traps, cutting corners, and trying not to send pedestrians pin-balling off into lamp posts and mail boxes...
Sure, the gamepad could have been used more, but i feel it is perfect for setting points on the map and then driving to them quickly. i never feel lost in the big city due to this feature, it is really like having real world gps in my car, but way better! i feel at home in this city and never like im struggling to find where i want to go.
i can't imagine this title being any better on another system. sure you might get a few more FPS, but if that is your biggest complaint, you are reaching for something to complain about.This game is good at any price!
For the 200th comment, here is a little anecdote from my experience with the game.
I was spending the evening driving around scanning hot spots (places of interest or historic value in the real Chicago). I was speeding around on a motorcycle, stopping quickly, scanning the spot and hopping back on the bike and continuing on my way.
I stopped at one spot and hopped off my bike only to get bumped into by a car sending me to the ground. This had not happened to me before in the game so I decided to get out my gun and kill the driver.
As I got up and pulled my gun out, the driver also got out of their car. My scanner identified them as a hacker! (another player online trying to get some street cred by stealing my info). The nice looking lady pulled a machine gun out and a gun-battle in the middle of a busy downtown street ensued, similar to the movie Heat.
Just a classic example of how the online feature of this game is done very well! That kind of random, surprising, instantly intense experience is very rare in gaming these days.
@JadedGamer Very late reply of course, but I was wonderin, in retrospect, how you feel about this game, if you've played it on Wii U?
it's feel great!!! a overrated game who aren't at his just valour!!!
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