Watch Dogs

[Spooky]

OMG the online stuff is F-U-N!! I did one campaign mission and spent the next two hours just doing drop ins. What a riot and what a cool, seamless way to integrate it into the single-player world.

I don't understand the online stuff really and I have no idea how to open up the online modes that require the 'Online Tutorial' or something. Please explain...

[RobVarak]

Once you complete the second or third campaign mission, you'll see an option in your Smartphone for Online Contracts. You just highlight the mode that you want to play. It will put you in a matchmaking queue, during which time you can continue to play your single player game.

Here's a good, if clumsily written, summary of the modes:

http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2014/05/27/ ... ltiplayer/

I spent most of the time doing the Intrusion mode, which at first seemed incredibly stupid and then revealed itself to be brilliantly fun.

What I haven't figured out is if there's a way to easily jump into a specific friend's game. I expect that there is, but I didn't see it.

[Spooky]

Thanks Rob. I guess I haven't done enough single player missions to open up all the online modes. I know I can access 'Free Roam', 'Races' and 'Decryption' but the other two are still locked. I think I am on the 3rd or 4th mission right now. It's called 'Backstage Pass' and I'm having a hard time getting past all the guards in the building.

[Pete1210]

I'm enjoying the little of the campaign and few side missions I've played so far. The hacking does make the game stand out. I have not tried MP yet.

The driving is bad. The graphics look a little better than GTA V, except for some of the character models. The sister and nephew at the birthday party looked awful.

[10spro]

The driving is bad.

Initially. It evens feels twitchy. But it does improve as you accumulate points and apply it to your driving skills. Depends on the car too, there's some good sense of speed for some cars.

[RobVarak]

I've found that switching the camera from 3rd person to dashboard for driving helps a ton.

[Sudz]

Great looking game, good controls, poor plot. Just can't get into it at all. Sold it.

[10spro]

I am enjoying quite a bit. The main draw of any open world game is the gameplay, and while is not perfect, WD's hacking abilities keep me quite engaged with enough twists that gets me looking forward to the next mission. What I don't care for are the mini side games and the time it takes me sometimes to hack a lock.

[Pete1210]

The more I play the better I like it. And I haven't even tried MP yet, aside from killing a couple of intruders who made the mistake of trying to hack me. Story is about what I expect from a sandbox game, not that engrossing. So I don't mind that the mini games are completely random. In fact I think they're great fun. Last night I went from a coin collecting platform game to chess puzzles to psychedelic flower bouncing. Plenty of distractions if you want them.

With the parallels to AC (cMos and Viewpoints), I was thinking Ubi should make an Assassins Creed/Watchdogs hybrid set in the same city/area old and new. When you leave the animus/ancestor's memory you play in the present as the protagonist in Watchdogs.

[MizzouRah]

I picked it up tonight and I can't stop playing. Kind of a GTA with a stealthy hacking sort of game play. I'm surprised I'm this much into it, but it's been a great ride thus far.

[RobVarak]

Fun with shotguns! I especially like the animation on the last kill, and my unnecessary coup de grace. Those armored enforcers are tougher than I made this guy look, btw.

[MizzouRah]

That's awesome.. I'm really enjoying the game, even if I'm trying to remember all the button presses.

[TCrouch]

Yeah, the enforcers annoyed me until I could do a simple 1-button takedown on them.

[Danimal]

I finally got around to opening this game and I'm simply overwhelmed by the amount of information on screen at one time. I'm sure it will become comfortable but at this point I feel as if I am stumbling through a bad person of interest episode.

[RobVarak]

I finally got around to opening this game and I'm simply overwhelmed by the amount of information on screen at one time. I'm sure it will become comfortable but at this point I feel as if I am stumbling through a bad person of interest episode.

You'll definitely get used to it. The Person of Interest vibe never really goes away, though. It's kind of the point, actually.

I'm probably 75% done with the campaign. I would've finished days ago, but there are many, many nights where I'm just playing the MP, which is crazy fun.

[LAking]

I finally got around to opening this game and I'm simply overwhelmed by the amount of information on screen at one time. I'm sure it will become comfortable but at this point I feel as if I am stumbling through a bad person of interest episode.

Pretty much how I felt and still kind of feel with the game. It's getting a little easier as i very slowly progress. It's just not one of those games where I'm excited to fire it up the moment I get home. I play once every few days.

[Danimal]

You'll definitely get used to it. The Person of Interest vibe never really goes away, though. It's kind of the point, actually.

I'm probably 75% done with the campaign. I would've finished days ago, but there are many, many nights where I'm just playing the MP, which is crazy fun.

Yeah it was just a lot to take it. I don't think it helps in the first mission you don't really know what you're doing besides hacking security cameras, then I'm driving in the dark trying to escape police who I have no idea how they picked me out of a crowd.

I like the concept but was just overwhelmed and not sure what I was doing. I had no idea there was even a MP portion.

[dbdynsty25]

I played it the first night I got it...and it's been collecting dust ever since. As I mentioned in my initial post...I played about an hour and literally fell asleep in my recliner playing. I thought it might not be a good thing and apparently I was right as I really couldn't care less about it. I'd much rather play another game of The Show. Maybe I'll fire it up again someday, but...well, I just don't care.

[RobVarak]

I had no idea there was even a MP portion.

The single player game is a pastiche of other Ubi titles. The hacking gimmick is the only innovation. Still, it's enjoyable if not groundbreaking.

The seamlessly integrated multiplayer is genuinely brilliant, both in the way it's incorporated into the campaign and within most of the game modes themselves. Hacking is fun. Being hacked and ferreting out the invading fixer even more so. It's bonkers and simple and totally addictive.

[RobVarak]

Finished the campaign tonight.

Holy crap does this thing fall apart over the last 1/3!! Just awful. Tedious missions with stupidly difficult segments, endless rounds of the truly terrible hacking mini-game, idiotic cut-scenes and the story just hammers one note over and over until it's positively flattened!

Such a waste. The world is really well realized, the profiling is fun and the integrated multiplayer is a genuine innovation. Lots of little things are well done, the music, random dialogue, side missions are all strong points. But the campaign just flatlines. Damn shame.

[Pete1210]

I'm almost through act 2 and getting its getting a little repetitive. I'm enjoying the side missions more. Still hardly played the online.

[Macca00]

Finished the campaign tonight.

Holy crap does this thing fall apart over the last 1/3!! Just awful. Tedious missions with stupidly difficult segments, endless rounds of the truly terrible hacking mini-game, idiotic cut-scenes and the story just hammers one note over and over until it's positively flattened!

Such a waste. The world is really well realized, the profiling is fun and the integrated multiplayer is a genuine innovation. Lots of little things are well done, the music, random dialogue, side missions are all strong points. But the campaign just flatlines. Damn shame.

Really disappointed to hear this - am rounding the last corner and (into the penultimate act) and quite enjoying myself. Not a fan of the driving. Their interpretation of Chicago looks great but just feels a bit empty and soulless. Cut scenes and narrative are dumb BUT - I'm really enjoying the combat. I think the shooting and cover system is great, I love the stealth and hacking that's used for different scenarios - that you can go in guns blazing, or just stand outside a compound and bounce from camera to camera to distract and even take out guards remotely. Really enjoyable.

Also, as you mentioned, the multiplayer and the way it's integrated is great. Lots of tension behind what is basically hide and seek.