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[IbizaPocholo]

The use of computer-run industrial control systems has grown exponentially over the last decade and change. Such infrastructures help cities and nations around the world manage power plants, surveillance, and countless other integral functions. But as sci-fi media has long predicted, interconnected supercomputers can facilitate just as many problems as they solve. In 2010, 100,000 Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, or SCADA, networks were discovered to have been targeted with the sophisticated Stuxnet virus, a digital weapon allegedly co-engineered by U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies to debilitate the Iranian nuclear program. Developer Ubisoft Montréal studied such headline news when formulating its cautionary tale about the horrors of an interconnected world in Watch Dogs.

Announced with an awe-inspiring trailer during E3 2012, Watch Dogs counted among first games shown for the eighth console generation. While its final form failed to fulfill the promise of the original teaser, many would argue the title's gameplay mechanics still showcased the power of next-gen technology. These talking points undoubtedly boosted Watch Dogs's sales numbers early on and helped it sustain long legs with over 10 million copies sold.

But this incredible momentum waxed and waned over the course of the series's life cycle. Watch Dogs 2 released to better reception, though it came and went with little fanfare. And the third installment found itself beset by game-breaking performance issues at launch. Watch Dogs has, thus far, managed to claw its way back from multiple downturns, raising questions as to how Ubisoft will reinvent the hacking-focused series next.

This is the Rise and Fall of Watch Dogs.

 

[Filldo]

I do hope we get another one eventually. 2 was probably my favorite. The hacking was a huge step up from the first and not sure why they got rid of so many cool things in legion like cops and gangs. My favorite thing about 2 was calling gang hits and cops at the same time and just watching everything go to hell while I snuck in and finished my mission. Didn't really love the tone of 2 though. Super cheesy.

 

[Moses85]

Rise and Fall?

It was trash from its beginning.

All games together:

 

[Arachnid]

It never had a rise lmao

 

[IbizaPocholo]

Taking a look back at Watch Dogs after playing it again so I could finally get around to reviewing it for the channel!

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:43 Overview
03:10 Multiplayer
05:00 Technical State
05:44 Difficulty
06:29 Story Set Up & Thoughts
11:00 Progression Systems
13:00 Gameplay & World
19:37 Combat
23:17 DLC
24:52 Steam Deck
25:33 Positives/Negatives
28:00 Conclusion
30:00 Wrap Up

• 00:06 The review is based on a full 100% completion of Watch Dogs, with the reviewer having over 100 hours invested across multiple playthroughs.
• 00:48 Steam achievements were added years after launch, allowing long-time players to retroactively unlock most achievements instantly.
• 01:44 Watch Dogs stands out among Ubisoft open-world games thanks to its darker neo-noir tone and heavy focus on environmental interactivity.
• 02:10 ️ The core hacking mechanics—manipulating traffic lights, bridges, and infrastructure—are what make the game uniquely engaging.
• 02:39 The game was ahead of its time in exploring themes of digital surveillance and privacy, which feel even more relevant today.
• 03:18 Multiplayer is still online and conceptually fun, but modern players may face connection issues due to Ubisoft launcher integration.
• 04:57 The game has technical issues on modern hardware, including crashes and persistent visual bugs, though none are game-breaking.
• 05:53 ️ Difficulty options exist but are poorly communicated, offering flexibility that most players may never discover.
• 06:35 The story is compelling overall, but protagonist Aiden Pearce is widely seen as lacking charisma despite fitting the bleak tone.
• 07:44 The narrative expands into a broader conspiracy involving corporations, hackers, and organized crime beyond simple revenge.
• 08:40 Side characters like T-Bone, Clara, Damian, and Jordi are highlights and better embody the game's themes than the main character.
• 11:10 Progression revolves around skills, weapons, vehicles, and hacks, with city-wide hacking upgrades being the most impactful.
• 13:13 ️ While structurally a typical Ubisoft checklist open world, Chicago feels more alive due to constant hacking-driven interaction.
• 15:22 ️ Investigations, side missions, and mini-games reinforce the game's darker subject matter, including crime and privacy violations.
• 16:19 The profiling system adds depth by giving every NPC personal data, forcing players to confront the moral cost of their actions.
• 17:31 ️ The reputation system reflects player behavior, reinforcing Watch Dogs' core theme: power, surveillance, and moral ambiguity have consequences.
• 19:26 Beneath its flaws, Watch Dogs contains a strong core message and creative spark that the sequels failed to fully build upon.
• 19:40 Combat is simple and favors stealth, with players being fragile and rewarded for careful planning over brute force.
• 20:10 Environmental hacking and camera access allow players to plan encounters in advance, creating satisfying emergent gameplay.
• 21:07 A wide variety of gadgets and explosives supports flexible combat approaches, especially for stealth-focused playstyles.
• 21:48 Late-game weapons and the Focus ability enable fun, over-the-top combat options like wall-penetrating sniper shots.
• 22:31 The Bad Blood DLC expands combat with new gadgets like an RC car, previewing mechanics later used in sequels.
• 22:46 The cover system is clunky and unresponsive at times, making direct shootouts feel awkward and frustrating.
• 23:27 The Conspiracy DLC is shallow and unrewarding, offering little value beyond a novelty AR mini-game.
• 23:55 The Bad Blood DLC is a strong narrative expansion, letting players control T-Bone and explore meaningful new content.
• 24:52 Watch Dogs runs well on Steam Deck hardware, but Ubisoft Connect launcher issues can make setup inconsistent.
• 25:34 The game's biggest strength is its concept and highly interactive world, making it a memorable and fun experience.
• 26:02 Aiden Pearce is widely viewed as a weak protagonist, lacking charisma compared to standout side characters like T-Bone.
• 26:30 Frequent forced car chases, especially late in the story, feel repetitive and artificially inflate difficulty.
• 27:12 Aging multiplayer systems and launcher dependencies are increasingly unreliable and unlikely to be improved.
• 28:10 ️ Even 12 years later, Watch Dogs remains unique and relevant due to its themes of technology and surveillance.
• 28:36 While its open-world structure is checklist-driven, the game still feels distinct thanks to its hacking mechanics.
• 28:51 ️ Community mods like Living City significantly enhance gameplay, exploration, and replay value.
• 29:19 The reviewer recommends buying the Complete Edition on sale, as the low price offsets technical and aging-system risks.
• 29:48 Overall, Watch Dogs is a flawed but worthwhile experience, especially for players aware of its multiplayer limitations.

 

[Danjin44]

For me the way Ubisoft design games is so fucking dull….i just can't never get in their games.

Mario + Rabbites games is only ones I genuinely liked from them.

 

[rm082e]

Yeah, it never rose in the first place.

It was an eye-popping E3 demo for a boring looking game. Then the huge downgrade and subsequent scandal occurred. That first game was pretty boring.

Seemed like they turned it into a less crap action game with 2, but I never heard anyone being a die hard fan for this IP.

 

[EN250]

Watchdogs had so much potential, but it's not just about the downgrade, the design of the game is your standard ubislop copy/paste repetition of the same 3-4 activities mixed together in random places in a huge map, some camps you have to deal with, a bunch of main missions and you're done, nothing stand out

Then the second game came out and they tried to overcompesate for the "seriousness" of the first game with a bunch of clowns that you can't stand for a minute, last game was a complete disaster, franchise is done for

 

[IbizaPocholo]

Chapters -
Intro: 0:00
Watch Dogs: 0:22
Watch Dogs 2: 1:03:38
Watch Dogs Legion: 1:50:23

To say the first Watch Dogs game was received poorly would be an understatement. Its finished product was nothing like what was shown in previews, and the game, to many, was disappointing. Aidan Pearce was a well written character, but Ubisoft were too afraid to put the spotlight on him. Instead, only allowing his most unlikable qualities to shine through. One such quality was his hacking ability, which for a game all about hacking was barebones, leaving Watch Dogs to function better as a John Wick simulator rather than a hacking game. Despite this, the general public came back around to Aidan, with even myself making a video talking about how great the game is in spite of its release. What further aided Watch Dogs was that it released in 2014, just months before Assassin's Creed Unity, causing many to look back at Watch_Dogs and consider that it may have been treated too harshly, but it was too little too late. No amount of retrospective praise could save Ubisoft from looking at the state of their heavy hitters in 2014, and deciding to make a drastic change.

Watch Dogs Legion, is a game that is, at its core, and I rarely say this, fundamentally flawed. The idea to play as anyone, can only result in a game where you play as no one. Sure, there are some ways to still deliver an engaging story, but I think with this concept, and given what the first two games established, Watch Dogs Legion was starting on the back foot, and would need to deliver something truly amazing to rise above the inevitable backlash. But, before we look at the game itself, I want to talk about what the first two games established, as it's critical context for the reception and conception of Watch Dogs Legion. The first thing to note is the tone difference between Watch Dogs 1 and 2. I discussed this shift in tone a lot in my Watch Dogs 2 video. A lot of you didn't though, as evidenced by the people who thought the video was ragebait, because everyone knows the most efficient way to pump out ragebait is to spend nearly 100 hours writing a critique of a game, and given my track record, it's clear I never talk about the things I like. With that in mind inhale HEY. PAY THE FUCK ATTENTION. If you've seen it, then you'll know that I argued that, the tone shift in Watch Dogs 2, as well as the gameplay being so radically different compared to the first, despite it being good, led to the series being split in two fanbases, meaning that Ubisoft had the choice to please one side, or try to please both, with the risk of pleasing neither. Watch Dogs Legion, is their choice. I'm sure you can imagine who was pleased here.

Watch Dogs is a series I hold close to my heart, especially Watch Dogs 2, and not so much Watch Dogs Legion. This video, on the rise and fall of Watch Dogs is the compilations of my many Watch Dogs review, Watch Dogs critique, and Watch Dogs analysis, as part of my series wide Watch Dogs retrospective. I'll be chronicalling what the series stands for all these years later, and finishing with the endless failures of Watch Dogs Legion.

 

[MMaRsu]

Did it ever rise?

 

[Negotiator101]

Rise and Fall?

It was trash from its beginning.

All games together:

I remember that first showing at E3 it looked incredible, then the game released and it was a shell of what that was, very disappointed.

 

[Dorfdad]

It never rose it was always a mid game to most. Better franchise have disappeared when this one went in far to long

 

[darrylgorn]

I really enjoyed the first one, especially Aiden's character. Despite the whole E3 thing, the game still looks quite nice, graphically and there are some excellent mods out there that really make it pop.

The use of your phone to hijack electronics was especially fun and you could spend hours just flipping through cameras.

Mechanically, it felt like the precursor to Cyberpunk in many ways.

 

[PeteBull]

I for one own both launch ps4 copy of watch dogs and pc version too(just to max it out and compare vs trailers), beat it back in ps4 days at launch ofc, back then even tho it was downgraded to hell and back vs epic bullshot e3 2012 trailer it still looked decent for early open world ps4 game and as a fan of a genre who beat it i give it solid 8/10 score.
Obviously didnt buy wd3 coz it was disgrace(it flopped compared to wd1/wd2 sales wise too).

 

[GymWolf]

Both games had a couple of good things going on between the npcs simulation and the hacking abilities that were super fun to play with, but the story\characters were absolute crap and they get boring after a while.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Meh, worthwhile experience my ass. Too many games to spend time playing 7/10 one unique thing game. Additional points if it's open-world Ubislop.

 

[winjer]

I played the Watchdogs and Watchdogs 2 and found both games to be mediocre. Like GTA but without the fun.
In the first game, the main character was extremely boring. And in the second the cast was very annoying and unlikable.

 

[archangelmorph]

What's "Guh-Vummers"..?

 

[Snake00]

The best thing about Watchdogs was it's announcement trailer.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

I finally got around to finishing this game up and while it is aging pretty poorly it still did a couple of things really well.

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:12 Overview & Technical State
03:44 Difficulty
04:15 Story Set Up & Thoughts
07:40 Progression Systems
08:58 Gameplay & World
14:10 Multiplayer
15:53 Combat
19:00 DLC
19:36 Steam Deck
20:30 Positives/Negatives
22:00 Conclusion
22:48 Wrap Up

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

What's "Guh-Vummers"..?

It's like a G'vnor, but in the gaming world.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Cringe for people who thought this looked good back when it was first shown at E3 2015 or whatever. So easy to fool.