Thanks to the most immersive vehicle combat game, War Thunder, for sponsoring this video. Play for free by using my link to receive a new player bonus pack that includes vehicles, boosters, and more! playwt.link/thatboyaqua Here is the mod I used to fix the coat www.nexusmods.com/watchdogs/mods/83?tab=files
Aiden Pearce really made watch dogs, special for me, watch dogs was never the same without him. sure there were other interesting characters like T-Bone but he really didn't get much time to shine, its a shame that we didn't get to see more of them, I couldn't even touch the last watch dogs game because I felt like it lacked a strong protagonist.
@@ianmitchell5979I didn’t eat it lol I ended up giving it away after throwing it back in the oven to bake thoroughly but the people I gave it to said it was good
I remember when Aiden kills the last guy, he goes on a slight monologue. About how he knows that it's supposed to be meaningless, that getting his revenge 'doesn't change things', and he says that is wrong. Things have changed, he finally feels free. And that was just so real, I knew I loved this guy.
@@Patrick-ho3stWell 1.) the game is 9 years old, if you haven't played the game yet that's on you. 2.) this comment was made under a video which just went through the entire story, so people would have already seen the spoilers.
@@AnonD38point no.1is just plain wrong lol, not everyone have played the game nor aware it existed even if its a 10 year old game. I started playing the games this year lmao. Agreed on point 2 tho.
It was the start of a era where 6/10s or 7/10 games were mistakenly seen as the worse thing ever. People over exaggerated how bad the game is but in reality it ain’t that bad. Those games had more redeeming qualities than we realized
Starfield is now the newest victim of exactly this. I have 2.5k hours in skyrim and i know for a fact that it would have been burned to the ground if it was judged by modern terminally online people. Not everything can be flawless and the games that are close to that tend to be coridor simulators i personally dislike.
I played the original Watch Dogs recently, and it's genuinely great. It's not a masterpiece or anything, but it's great. A lot of people wrote it off because of the false advertising and the confusing DLC. Aiden Pierce is an underrated character imo.
@@inputcape You can like anything you want but that still doesn't make it more than mid. You can say I like this even though it's bad. Just don't false advertise products. That's what created a problem with this game in the first place
Becoming an uncle in recent years has had an impact on my perception of Aiden and his motivations/personality. I don’t want to even fathom what it would be like to lose a niece, but if Aiden’s circumstance happened to my family I’d have vengeance on the brain too.
One of my favorite moments from the story would definitely be when killing the crime boss, and Aiden isn't like "Was this all really worth it? Will this bring me satisfaction?". He's like "FINALLY! I took him out! I'm done with him! What a relief!"
"I have avenged my niece and now I can sleep soundly at night!" "It has been 2 decades of struggle. I still do not sleep soundly at night. I was robbed!"
The Silent invasions are probably my favorite form of online play, because you're just watching somebody play singleplayer. I know not everyone will find it as interesting as me, but the idea of watching someone run around an open world while they think they're alone is just so cool.
@@joshuasatterwhite9520 yes. Ubisoft did not killed (yet) another perfectly fine working multiplayer that probably runs on a single laptop in their office and does not need much maintenance since it's mostly peer-to-peer. Finding players (or more than 2-10 different players depending on your region) can be a challenge though. God I wish someone will write a mod and a server-side for this game to preserve its multiplayer.
@@descree7 I've hopped into a world and didn't even have to hide because the mfer was stuck in a tunnel, blocked in by like 6 cop cars and a helicopter
Honestly, I still really like his game, almost 10 years later. I was never as disappointed as others were, when the downgrade happened. The gameplay was still pretty much as advertised.
@@Johnnyupsideif it was just a command line, where is e3 graphics now? And if you tell me that "The Worse mod" brings it back, its not even close to e3. The story of hidden files inside the game is fake.
Pulling up to the outskirts of Chicago at night, switching off the engine of the car and just sitting there with the rain dripping outside is the sort of thing I love Watchdogs for
I was 12 when the game released, I remember pre-ordering it, playing through it all within a week and enjoyed every second of it. It was one of my favorite games of all time for a while after that. It was only quite a few years later that I learned a lot of people didn’t think too highly of the game and I remember just being baffled at that realization.
That's the 2002 experience😂😂. Myself I played the game only seeing some trailers and gameplay and being thrilled to get to do that roleplaying. It's not very often that I can say my kid self was fuckin right and the world didn't have its shit together!!
18:02 the risk factor for this part is in my opinion is what makes the main character the main character… he takes risks in the story and understands that every moment for him is risks, someone once said that he has ptsd and is always in a fight mode and just has a normal (new normal as in healing from truama) risk like behavior which is is fight and think clearly from that event.. also when your a vigilant like him (he’s not batman please note) he doesn’t have much time and escape methods and tools are limited too so he has to act fast from that factor as well… so to simplify risk in a short time or risk in general for aiden pearce is from his ptsd/traumatic experience that puts him in fight (kill) and flight (his thinking) and that risk is amplified by time which is his vigilant like behavior that is not on the scale of batman
@@PhantomRemmyhe aint got no grapple tho and thats why i say time and planning is more vital, its so much easier to have that linear grappling hook and gliding to move and escape faster and replan in the arkham games.
During blackouts the player is not supposed to shoot everybody, simply go and take down by pressing O (PS) button on the target. Useful in situation where the player has to immobilise the target instead of eliminating them (Criminal Convoy & Gang Hideout). In short it prevents shootouts. Also helps in escaping pursuits during night time.
Someone finally said it, the blackout is for you to get in and out while being stealthy The last mission, I used the blackout to get into the elevator I used the cameras to get my path, used the blackout and got to it only to get shot in the head because a guard was in it. But the plan worked, it provided the darkness I needed to sneak past a room filled with people
This game is so underrated. I don't understand why Ubisoft marketed the game as a hacker game. They should have focused on showing the John wick like combat
@@Sageleader3 Combat is very basic. It has probably the worst gunplay from any Ubi title, the game really tries to force your hand to be stealthy with how bad the gunplay is imo. Meele was decent enough but there's little variety in combat situations and mission design. I finished this game last year (along with Legion and 2) and i found that the game becomes a chore after half of the second act.
@@redcobra6016That’s what the guy you’re replying to basically said, just in less words. They said that they WISH Legion took the best parts of both, not that it actually did
Dude this is one of the best Watch_Dogs retrospectives I've ever seen I really hope you cover Watch_Dogs 2 and Watch Dogs Legion and complete the trilogy
I am SO GLAD this video has finally been made. The story of this game is heartwrenching and great, and I'm sad the sequal didn't keep any of the cool noir vibe.
I have this theory that if you go in to Watch Dogs with the idea that it is a "John Wick" style action game, it gets so much better. I've replayed it like 5 times already.
One of my favorite games of all time, I always make sure to replay it once a year to understand simply how much fun this game was. Really really hoping for a fourth watch dogs game, a return to roots would be nice.
As WD1 modder I have to share my point of view on certain things in the video. It will a huge wall of text: Physics in game tied to fps, thats why coat flipped like crazy and you got stray bug, which displaces you a lot when you go left-right when running. Coat physics made for 30 fps only. I disagree on civilians being alive - they are really bland, they do not interact with you at all, they do not fight you or challenge you, it is worse than GTA 3 in that aspect - no civilian will fight you back if you steal their car, no one of them will try to fight you when you do something bad, when news reports about you coming out, no one is trying to fight you, every civilian just calls the police and run away, they are helpless little dummies. You won't see civilians entering a vehicle on their own, no one in the city is driving a bike - except for player(s). Driving physics is busted - you can't jump on top of other vehicle with your own, game will simply clip you through it and then you see bizarre effect of cars glitching out like crazy, it seems that collision for Y coordinates for vehicles are not existent. Gameplay is fun, but it absolutely ruined by aim assist that you can't really properly disable through settings. Also, mouse is emulated stick and controls thanks to that are terrible, it doesn't feel great in multiplayer. I played more than 2000 hours in total and I still can't get over it (skill issue, I know, but I don't have same problems in GTA games). Aiden is far from good person IMO, the whole game's story started because he and Damien wanted a quick buck from stealing money in Merlaut and they were unlucky to be in same day in same minute as Iraq was hacking Merlaut too. And not even questioning the morality of stealing money from random civilians. Political message is done good, they do not shove in your face these messages, you can witness them yourself - how cops beating up Raul (survivor) for not giving a police share from deals, how Lucky Quinn manipulated Rushmore to become a mayor and cover up Lucky's and his gang crimes. You seemed got mistaken in acts, act 2 is the longest one and act 3 is where you work for T-Bone in Pawnee. Fibonacci code also can be heard in ctOS Hubs, robotic female voice also repeats these numbers. I personally like Damien as villain - it is not stated clearly why he wanted Aiden dead or be locked behind the bars, I think it is because during Merlaut job Aiden did not listen to his orders, causing what happened after it - apartment of Damien was smashed and they broke his leg, I think it was his whole goal even when we first saw in "Thanks For the Tip" mission. Also game never gives an answer who wanted to get Aiden's identity in a series of missions with Raul, but I think it was also Damien - very interesting coincidence that after Aiden and Damien got into argument, one mission later Jordi notified Aiden about this issue. Also Damien became power hungry, he wanted Bellwether and control whole city to simply harm others, which he admitted in last mission. (Also, weird models during digital trip sequences 💀) Overall, great video, I enjoyed it a lot. I personally like when this god's forsaken game gets attention it deserves.
I really appreciate all the insight! The 30fps explanation makes sense, and probably explains why installing the mod was super easy. I figured my weird digital trip models were a result of said mod, because the bug was consistent in the open world too. Strange. Definitely see where your coming from regarding the political messaging and Damien. Didn’t really notice the driving physics stuff you mentioned, but interesting nonetheless. Do you think having so much experience with the game causes you to feel the way you do about NPCs or have you felt it since first playing?
I gave this game a shot a few years on on ps4 after hearing nothing but bad things about it since launch. I ended up really enjoying the story, combat, and mission design enough to platinum the game. Glad other people feel the same.
biggest takeaway, holy fuck I didn't know Maurice was going through it like that, I've always loved this game since it came out and I love that people are finally starting to appreciate it
6:02 Exactly, the game looks and feels a million times better at nighttime. Aiden was underrated as hell with his story and grief. I’m glad you mentioned the good parts of this game
It is so great to finally see this minority of people I have been in for so long grow. Especially to be covered by Aqua. Love it my man, feeling vindicated as hell, haha! Keep up the great work!
Finally a nuanced piece on Watch Dogs, I agree with all what you said. Watch Dogs was great, it's just too bad people didn't give it a chance because of all the other circumstances surrounding the game. I had a really good time, playing it at launch and thought it had some nice refreshing ideas in a market that already was being dominated by sequels, prequels and spin offs.
I LOVED the feeling of being a vigilante and I think that they did it really well. And while Aiden could feel... bit bland at times, he was a great character. Combat was fun, story did its job... and hey, the soundtrack was AMAZING. Overall, good game, one of better Ubisoft productions. That E3 demo really did it a dirty one. ...it's a shame that they changed the atmosphere COMPLETELY for the sequels.
I'm reminded of this piece on Aiden's character from the Blog "The United Federation of Charles:" Quote:" This is the, essential, story of Watch_Dog's Aiden Pearce except the character chooses to live as Batman in the ostensible "real world." He doesn't wear a giant Batsuit nor subscribes to Batman's code against killing but he has a costume, a utility-belt equivalent in his near-magic iphone, and styles himself the Vigilante with a-little-too sadistic glee. He is, in short, a thoroughly normal video game protagonist. Gamers are conditioned to accept a lot of things which are utterly insane, of course. When Max Payne decides to put down his badge and murder every criminal in New York, we treat this as a perfectly normal action. When Batman chooses to put on his iconic suit, we act as if this is a heroic act. Even Grand Theft Auto's protagonists live in a world where their evil is just part of a larger cultural tapetry. Indeed, their worlds justify the choice to be something other than the "normal" person we all are trapped in our lives as being. This is an important part of the narrative. And Aiden? Aiden lives in the real world. Or something damn-near close it. Aiden wants to be Batman but, at the end of the day, he's always Bruce Wayne. The fact Aiden Pearce lives in what is, ctOS and powerful Irish mob aside, "our" Chicago throws this entire cliche narrative out of whack. When Aiden suffers the horrific loss of his niece to a drive-by-shooting aimed at him, he thinks of revenge. His sister? The girl's mother? She advises him to go to group therapy, clean up his life, and to be there for his surviving nephew. But Aiden doesn't do that because of two factors: 1. There would be no game. 2. Aiden is crazy. Aiden's seriously mental and so wrapped up in an adolescent fantasy he doesn't see it's not justified by the game world. Not in the narrative or the assumptions of the setting. His insanity is an understated sort of thing, he's not delusional and doesn't hear voices. Aiden, however, does react to events in a manner which is dissonant with just about everyone else depicted in the game. He's also a rampaging enormous hypocrite. Even as Aiden is playing the Vigilante, he is also engaged in numerous "Fixer" contracts which consist of him doing work-for-hire illegal activities. These things happen in-story so they're a canonical part of Aiden's character. There's also the fact Aiden's best friend and biggest ally, Jordi, is a professional criminal every bit as bad as the kind Aiden chooses to fight. Aiden acknowledges the hypocrisy of this relationship but needs Jordi to get closer to his revenge. The duality of Aiden's character is best exemplified in one of his main activities for gaining money. Aiden funds his war on crime by draining the bank accounts of the individuals he scans on the streets. While gamer who wants to veer Aiden closer to the moniker of "good guy", despite the fact he does Fixer contracts, will only steal money from the most disreputable of clients, nothing prevents Aiden from doing so to the public at large. He claims he's doing this for the sake of his family and he's reformed but is either true? Has Aiden really changed at all? Is Aiden saving people for atonement or to make himself capable of living with the guilt of his actions with Lena? Aiden was a career computer criminal and implied Fixer well before the events of the game. The opening events of the game, indeed, are him emptying the accounts of Chicago's rich and famous for the benefit of both himself as well as his mentor Damien. Aiden begins his actions as the Vigilante because of the death of his niece but, to an outside observer, it's very clear these actions aren't terribly different from his previous nighttime activities. The allure of money, violence, and excitement are a drug which Aiden is drawn to--even when he's supposedly pursuing his relative's killer. This would not, necessarily, be hypocrisy if Aiden was simply after his niece's murderer. Revenge, after all, is a values neutral motivation belonging to both heroes and villains alike. However, Aiden devotes much of his in-game activities to stopping crimes in-progress as well as criminal convoys as well as destroying gang hideouts believes he's the Vigilante and it's his job to clean-up Chicago. This, despite the fact he remains part of the criminal underworld he ostensibly fights. Whether Aiden has a High Reputation with the public or a Low Reputation, he is a person who strongly believes himself to be a force for good now. Whether it's true or not. The game doesn't shy away from the fact Aiden's statement this is all for Lena is a lie as well. Continually, throughout the game, Aiden's sister, Nicky, serves as the voice of sanity on his shoulder. She states that Aiden is not making the world a better place by going after Lena's killers. Indeed, she states that it's very likely Aiden's actions will cause further harm to their family. Nicky proves to be right when she's kidnapped and her son is forced to witness the horrifying actions of his uncle in fighting the local mobsters--leaving him traumatized. Aiden's actions force his only remaining family to flee the city, staying just ahead of retaliation for his activities. In effect, repeating the actions which got his niece killed. Aiden can kill any number of civilians and continue his quest. Even the most pacifist Aiden, however, will wreck large sections of Chicago. The game's self-awareness extends to the very act of Lena's murder. The six-year-old girl wasn't, in fact, the target of hitman Maurice Vega. Maurice, a Fixer like Aiden and Jordi, was attempting to kill our hero for his actions during the prologue. Aiden has brought the most traumatizing thing possible down on his family in the death of a child, only to continue to make their lives worse by doing the same sort of thing again. Maurice's reaction to the event, an accident, is similar to the way Aiden might react. He is horrified and disgusted with himself, to the point of suicidal depression. Showing Aiden isn't so different from the criminals he fights at all. Even Aiden's successes, publishing all the activities of the Blume Corporation and killing Dermont "Lucky" Quinn, are questionable. The ctOS system is spread throughout the world because of the chaos created by Aiden's actions. Furthermore, Quinn is an old man who probably only has a few years left in him anyway. Aiden feels validated by his "successful" revenge but whether he's made the world a better or worse place is ambiguous. The only people who truly benefit from Aiden's actions are the victims of Quinn's human-trafficking network, which is Aiden's one unambiguous success. One the player has to follow up on with sidequests to get any real results for. This is not the first time which video games have tackled the issue of escapist fantasy being taken too far in a character's quote-unquote real-life. Spec Ops: The Line follows Captain Walker's deconstructive journey where he desperately tries to make himself the protagonist of a Call of Duty-esque shooter only to make things worse and worse. Grand Theft Auto V's Michael De Santa is a man who, ostensibly, wants to escape the life of a mayhem-inducing protagonist but, of course, fights only vaguely to becoming one again. Assassin's Creed: Black Flag's Edward Kenway claims he's trying to become a "man of quality" for his wife but abandons her for a decade in pursuit of pleasure and glory. oor Nicky is unaware most of the internet considers her brother's degeneration justified because he has a growly voice and an iconic outfit. Aiden desperately wants to cling to the image of himself as a hero and a good man. A man who puts his family first over his own needs. Yet, he refuses to abandon the criminal lifestyle which threatened his family and puts them in greater danger in pursuit of revenge, wealth, and glory. He fights crimes but sporadically and in-between committing it for his own selfish gain. When we look at Aiden, we are not seeing a plainclothes hero, we're just seeing someone trying to be one because he can't deal with the reality of his situation. Contrary to making Aiden a worse character, I believe this actually makes him a more interesting protagonist. The real-world is full of dubious justifications and motivations. The real cost and benefit of our actions is also often unclear except in hindsight. Why should video game heroes be different?
Watch dogs is such a interesting title. Not only the game itself, but the climate that surrounded gaming before it's release, and what the game represented for the next generation of releases to come. A real landmark. So glad Aqua has done a video on it. I feel watch dogs is totally at the epicentre of other related gaming scandals, I.E. Cyberpunk, No Mans Sky, Battlefront, etc. It's really ground zero, for the over-promised, over-hyped climate that industry faced in following years. Love your content man !
something interesting, the coat physics bug is actually tied to the fps of the game. you have to limit the frames to either 60 or 30 fps with either your GPU's drivers or if that doesnt work you have to put the game in fullscreen and turn on vsync to lock it at 60 fps. this will also fix a bug where aiden sorta slides realy fast when either trying to go left or right because for some reason his movement is tied to framerate.
This is the best watch dogs!!! With a game like this it's good that Aiden is a mystery and don't have much of a personality, this watch dogs makes the most sense out from the other 2, it's simple yet broad at the same time.
i remember really loving this game when i was younger and being right near the end. when my uncle brought his kids over while i wasn’t home at the time and they started a new save over mine; i broke down and never cared to play it again
the character of aiden was among my absolute favorites of all characters because he was like he was and didnt have some cliche character arc where its roses and daises at the end. or the one that pretends that revenge did not make him feel better
One of the greatest parts of Watch Dogs, which is reoccurring in all three games is the gun takedowns. Genuinely makes you feel like such a badass watching your character melee or grab someone and execute them point blank.
I've always loved Watch_Dogs 1. The story could’ve been a lot better with the ideas it brought initially, but everything else was amazing to me. Its gunplay, its graphics in rain or nightime, its music used in-mission and not on the official soundtrack. Hell, I'll even stand and say that's driving was hefty, but nice. Making J-turns and powersliding feeling stylish to pull off. I look back on 1 sometimes and wonder if it was as good as I remembered. And when I go back to play, I remember the reasons why I loved, even with its massive problems.
I'll always be grateful I was too young to know about or care about E3 and game reviews when this came out. I was excited by the premise and I never had anything to compare the actual game to, so I loved it and still do to this day
One of my favorite games. Love the story, voice acting and overall atmosphere of the world of Watchdogs. And Aiden Pearce is a really great character imo
I look back on this game fondly, the tone and atmosphere was always interesting. I wish we could have gotten more games continuing in the same fashion as part 1.
I don't understand why people suddenly have a soft spot for WD1 when WD2 was absolutely amazing from the start and still is. Maybe not storywise but gameplaywise it completely destroys WD1. Also Aiden is an annoying edgelord, imagine being so upset about 1 death that you go on a murder spree killing hundreds while claiming you are not a violent man.
This game came with my PS4 when I first bought it, it was the first game I played on it and I loved it, this was a great analysis of a game that’s special in my heart, thanks for this
0:01 what comes to my mind ? Nostalgia. The first game I ever purchased digitally on steam, the game that made me fall in love with Cybersecurity, the game that is stoll so close to my heart that a lot of what I am is because of this game. The story, Aiden himself, Chicago, the soundtrack, walking when he puts his hands in his coat as rain drops pouring everywhere. It's a joyful feeling. Always has been.
I got this game due to a recommendation of a friend who saw the ads even though I didn't. I never played an open world or even a shooter before but I really enjoyed it and even 9 years later still do so. Is it the best game ever? No, it is not. But if a game can get me to play it over and over and over again without tiring of it, that means it's good. If game publishers could get it through their heads that promising small and delivering large is a good strategy for the long term, this game would've been remember much more fondly. Also, Aiden is a good character. Do I love him or would I like him if he was a real person? No, but he is written well and his actions make sense.
I've loved this game since it first came out. The writing is gritty and nuanced with great acting and atmosphere, and gameplay that always felt great, especially when taking in the depth and little quirks of the systems . Especially when using everything at your disposal and learning to string together things using focus. The world is just so immersive on top of everything as well. Weirdly enough over the years this has kinda become a comfort game for me. Something i go back to decently regularly as a game i know i can just enjoy each time i pick it up. I only play Watch Dogs on console however, having first played it on PS3 and having it subsequently bundled with my PS4 so i now replay it on PS5. So i havent really experienced issues that may be prevalent on PC.
watch dogs 1 is without a doubt the best game in its franchise,Aiden pierce is also one of my fav characters,a broken man consumed by revenge and wanting to protect his loved ones,the ending where you decide to spare the guy who was responsible for killing your niece or killing him shows that aiden either decides to learn to let go or is further pushed into the path of darkness,thats why the vigilante system fits him so well you can either be a pacifist who solves crimes or a straight up menace who doesnt care about anything but his family. Watch dogs 2 is a good game,i enjoyed the combat and parkour but the story and overall feel just was not to par for my expectations. Now we have watch dogs legion which further pushed that franchise in the mud,but the dlc with aiden was great! Whenever you see any arguement about watch dogs 1 its always people complaining about the graphics not living up to its trailer standards.
My only nit pick was not only being able to shoot out the car otherwise I loved it and Aiden wtwho the f would he be happy when his daughter died I'm guessing most gamers haven't had big losses, I still remember this was my first overnight pick up at GameStop definitely love this game and very happy it has a frame up on Xbox series.
17:23 Blackouts are more for stealth. During the mission where I discovered Damien's hideout and the fixers got called on me, the cars driving in bumped into my parked car, then blew up a transformer. It was supposed to be a really tough fight scene, where two rooftop snipers would immediately spot you if you tried to sneak out, but the blackout just let me sprint out and drive out of there with their own cars.
Videogame politics is a major issue that needs to be addressed. I've seen far to many good games sacked simply because the political wind blew the wrong way. Shadow Warrior 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Watchdogs, Halo Reach, the entire Far Cry franchise, and so many more.
Bro if Ubisoft would have just not lied, or just didn't show actual game play yet I swear this game would have been in a lot more people's top ten games.
I honestly love Watch Dogs. Have ever since it released and played it so many times beginning to end. I have no problems with it at all. I haven't played any of the sequels though, so no idea how they play or compare.
I remember back in the day around AC3 and 4, there were rumors in the Assassin's Creed fandom that sooner or later we'll get an AC game set in the modern day. No generic memories, no animus, just Desmond or whomever in the 21st century. If course Desmond died in AC3 and that never happened. Last year I bought Watch Dogs Legion during a holiday sale, and I ended up enjoying it very much. It sorta felt like that idea we all had of a modern day Assassin's Creed game, and it later even got a recruitable, playable Assassin character.
I love Watch Dogs, and it is definitely in my top 10 of all time. The gritty setting, the masterfully crafted city (helps that I live in a similar place), the very fun hacking gimmick, the pre-John Wick style gun takedown animations, and the underrated as hell story and main character (Pearce is still the best protagonist in the franchise), all of these make for a a very well made open world game that was unfortunately tarnished by greedy executives wanting to cash in on hype. I have countless hundreds of hours in Watch Dogs and I hope that if we ever get a 3rd game, it will go back to its Watch Dogs 1 roots and hopefully the fully realized version of the 1st game’s demo can be achieved on the latest hardware. Thank you for this video
I hated that there was a morality system in the game, because in truth, yeah Aiden isn't all good nor is he all evil. He is a dude who has a crap ton of trauma in his head that is enacting his own form of "Justice". He may not show it, but the dude is screwed in the head. If you played the bloodline dlc for WDL it is not pretty, I loved the way they showed his inner psyche, it doesn't feel badass, cool or "dark" like how Hollywood does it when it has a gritty main character, No, it is creepy, haunting and genuinely sad. And the point that you were making about how the hacking is a bit overblown, totally agree, I decided to play fast, loose and unhinged like how you described it and by playing it like that, it made the game 10 thousand percent more fun. It really does feel like a modern John Wick game.
I just finished this game, and honestly, it's one of the greatest games I've ever played. I loved the auction mission. I listened to Hersey by NIN while cleaning house.
0:02 Nostalgia. Years ago, I replayed WD1 time and time again... I even remember feeling proud over beating the "realistic" difficulty (young me didn't know challenge runs and self-imposed rules existed).
I've sunk my teeth into this game beating the story and side missions plenty of times since I was a kid, I love the game to death. I heavily prefer the gameplay of the first to the second, along with the story mostly and the characters. I've sunk a lot more into the first than the second and I don't regret that one bit.
When i played this and watch dogs 2 i would take lethal and non lethal actions depending on what shows up on NPCs profiles... Roleplaying as the hacker vigilante.
The Watch Dogs franchise deserves better. First one came out during a time were only graphics matter for a game and failed to make the graphics a reality. WD2 sold very poorly. And Legion is Legion, having the most dull story, having the play everyone feature which really didn't embrace itself, and came out when game industry is most money hungriest so they thought they could make a online mode like GTA 5's and riddle it with micro transactions. And ubisoft said they have zero plans for the franchise in the future.
I am one of those rare people that is a fan of all 3 WD games.... though I did miss the E3 demo your talking about so I wasn't disappointed. I got the originak Watch Dogs game on the recommendation of a Splinter Cell streamer I follow - well after it released. For the most part, I consider each game on its own merits, so unlike Assassins Creed, I don't go into them expecting a consistent 0laystyle or lore, except you are a hacker trying to save your corner of the world. I love Aiden, he felt like how Sam Fisher would have turned out if he'd been a geek instead. I loved playing as Marcus and hacking/cruising around the Bay Area. Where best to set a game about hacking the planet but Sillicone Valley? And I really had a great time assembling a team in London for WD Legion and I had fun with all but one specific level of the game close to the end. Though I admit the levels in the final 2 chapters were formulaic and frustrating if you have trouble doing 4 things at once or you go into a "point of no return" level with the wrong type of operative and then your stuck. My favorite is probably WD 2 because San Francisco was just so vibrant. I love stealth games... but I also admit I'm not a fan when you can play a certain style for most of the game but there are levels that force you to kill or go in guns blazing. To me, a smart hacker should never have to draw a weaponto achieve their goal.... but I get it, its hard to build a crescendo around hacking. Guns blazing and car chases are much easier.
This will forever be my favorite guilty pleasure franchise I love playing, even if 99% of people hate it. I love how cool and badass Aiden Pearce is and feels great to play vigilante that is ruthless. They did Aiden dirty in the DLC and gave him some soppy ending
I remember never being hyped about Watch Dogs because my family didn't have enough to buy me new games, let alone a next gen console back then. I only got games through the Games with Gold on Xbox. Fast forward a couple of years, and I have an Xbox One with Watch Dogs free, years after release. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it thoroughly. Felt like a perfect outlet for "John Wick" type action and story in video game form.
I remember trying the game for the first time a few years ago and really enjoying it. Also watched a let's play when it first came out and never really understood all the hate..
This game still has one of the most believable and lived-in feeling game worlds. The NPCs in this and Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate have some of the best animations.
I was only 12 when I bought my PS4 and I was watching watchdogs gameplay and getting thrilled about diving into this world, completely disconnected from all the controversy I enjoyed watchdogs while being bothered by the gameplay's lack of choices. Though I have to say I honestly loved it's dark atmosphere and Chicago's vibe. Replaying it in 2021 felt reminded me of my own actual experiences and thoughts on the game which had been tainted by the popular opinion and reputation. And Oh god do I like palying Watchdogs as a hitman simulator clearing levels putting a bullet in every head with the Spec ops 1911
10:54 I do kinda prefer when you only have access to a single vehicle in a game but it's a personal thing. Like the Batmobile in Arkham Knight, the Deuce in Brutal Legend or Deacon's bike in Days Gone. Aiden feels like the kind of character that should've had his own, personal "Bat-bike." :P
The first thing I was the demo with commentary by the animation director Colin Graham. Honestly speaking I fell in love with the game. I love Aiden Pearce to this day. And the soundtrack is underrated as hell.
I absolutely love this game and have never had any grapes with it other than the driving. The graphics weren’t what they were supposed to be, but I never got hung up on that.
Thanks to the most immersive vehicle combat game, War Thunder, for sponsoring this video. Play for free by using my link to receive a new player bonus pack that includes vehicles, boosters, and more! playwt.link/thatboyaqua
Here is the mod I used to fix the coat www.nexusmods.com/watchdogs/mods/83?tab=files
Aiden Pearce really made watch dogs, special for me, watch dogs was never the same without him. sure there were other interesting characters like T-Bone but he really didn't get much time to shine, its a shame that we didn't get to see more of them, I couldn't even touch the last watch dogs game because I felt like it lacked a strong protagonist.
How was that cake? The well-baked parts, I mean.
In a way yes but I waited for the ultimate edition to be super cheap and just played as Aiden mostly.
@@ianmitchell5979I didn’t eat it lol I ended up giving it away after throwing it back in the oven to bake thoroughly but the people I gave it to said it was good
I remember when Aiden kills the last guy, he goes on a slight monologue. About how he knows that it's supposed to be meaningless, that getting his revenge 'doesn't change things', and he says that is wrong. Things have changed, he finally feels free.
And that was just so real, I knew I loved this guy.
Aiden reminds me of Batman
Second to last guy, Lucky Quinn. The one who put the hit on him causing his nieces death.
I love how the initial post was triying to avoid spoilers, and you're like, "fuck that noise", and just blurted it out@@Skrisms
@@Patrick-ho3stWell 1.) the game is 9 years old, if you haven't played the game yet that's on you.
2.) this comment was made under a video which just went through the entire story, so people would have already seen the spoilers.
@@AnonD38point no.1is just plain wrong lol, not everyone have played the game nor aware it existed even if its a 10 year old game.
I started playing the games this year lmao.
Agreed on point 2 tho.
It was the start of a era where 6/10s or 7/10 games were mistakenly seen as the worse thing ever. People over exaggerated how bad the game is but in reality it ain’t that bad. Those games had more redeeming qualities than we realized
People were mad because they felt lied too not that the game was bad
Atleast the 6/10 or 7/10 games were unique before, now they are all fps games
According to ign, Bethesda has just opened the flood gate. But we all know ign, if the stack of cash is big enough the quality is Stier.
Watch dogs was trash
Starfield is now the newest victim of exactly this. I have 2.5k hours in skyrim and i know for a fact that it would have been burned to the ground if it was judged by modern terminally online people.
Not everything can be flawless and the games that are close to that tend to be coridor simulators i personally dislike.
I played the original Watch Dogs recently, and it's genuinely great. It's not a masterpiece or anything, but it's great. A lot of people wrote it off because of the false advertising and the confusing DLC. Aiden Pierce is an underrated character imo.
It's mid. And honestly with the great games we have today why would you spend time on something mid
@@filipgasic2642people like what people like if he likes watch dogs 1 let him be, you may like something someone else thinks is bad
@@filipgasic2642 Great games like saints row and watch dogs legion?
@@inputcape You can like anything you want but that still doesn't make it more than mid. You can say I like this even though it's bad. Just don't false advertise products. That's what created a problem with this game in the first place
@@markedone494 ?
Becoming an uncle in recent years has had an impact on my perception of Aiden and his motivations/personality. I don’t want to even fathom what it would be like to lose a niece, but if Aiden’s circumstance happened to my family I’d have vengeance on the brain too.
One of my favorite moments from the story would definitely be when killing the crime boss, and Aiden isn't like "Was this all really worth it? Will this bring me satisfaction?". He's like "FINALLY! I took him out! I'm done with him! What a relief!"
"I have avenged my niece and now I can sleep soundly at night!"
"It has been 2 decades of struggle. I still do not sleep soundly at night. I was robbed!"
The Silent invasions are probably my favorite form of online play, because you're just watching somebody play singleplayer. I know not everyone will find it as interesting as me, but the idea of watching someone run around an open world while they think they're alone is just so cool.
Can you still do this?
@@joshuasatterwhite9520 yes. Ubisoft did not killed (yet) another perfectly fine working multiplayer that probably runs on a single laptop in their office and does not need much maintenance since it's mostly peer-to-peer. Finding players (or more than 2-10 different players depending on your region) can be a challenge though. God I wish someone will write a mod and a server-side for this game to preserve its multiplayer.
i have seen people's craziest fantasies in tailing missions... watch dogs was something else.
@@descree7 I've hopped into a world and didn't even have to hide because the mfer was stuck in a tunnel, blocked in by like 6 cop cars and a helicopter
Honestly, I still really like his game, almost 10 years later. I was never as disappointed as others were, when the downgrade happened. The gameplay was still pretty much as advertised.
"The gameplay was still pretty much as advertised."
I love Watch Dogs just as much as the next guy but let's not lie lol
@@lmeproductions8781 If you're gonna make a counter point, actually try and make and make some valid arguments. It's easy talking out your ass.
@@lmeproductions8781 What changed?
@@matro2 They disabled the command line that give the game E3 graphic
@@Johnnyupsideif it was just a command line, where is e3 graphics now? And if you tell me that "The Worse mod" brings it back, its not even close to e3. The story of hidden files inside the game is fake.
Pulling up to the outskirts of Chicago at night, switching off the engine of the car and just sitting there with the rain dripping outside is the sort of thing I love Watchdogs for
The coat physics and hands in the pockets walk was top tier! I would slow walk up to an area just to look and feel like a total chad.
I was 12 when the game released, I remember pre-ordering it, playing through it all within a week and enjoyed every second of it. It was one of my favorite games of all time for a while after that. It was only quite a few years later that I learned a lot of people didn’t think too highly of the game and I remember just being baffled at that realization.
I say fuck em bruh. It's a good game
Same for me man
its a good game i was hella disappointed w/ pt 2 the tone was so corny
That's the 2002 experience😂😂. Myself I played the game only seeing some trailers and gameplay and being thrilled to get to do that roleplaying. It's not very often that I can say my kid self was fuckin right and the world didn't have its shit together!!
18:02 the risk factor for this part is in my opinion is what makes the main character the main character… he takes risks in the story and understands that every moment for him is risks, someone once said that he has ptsd and is always in a fight mode and just has a normal (new normal as in healing from truama) risk like behavior which is is fight and think clearly from that event.. also when your a vigilant like him (he’s not batman please note) he doesn’t have much time and escape methods and tools are limited too so he has to act fast from that factor as well… so to simplify risk in a short time or risk in general for aiden pearce is from his ptsd/traumatic experience that puts him in fight (kill) and flight (his thinking) and that risk is amplified by time which is his vigilant like behavior that is not on the scale of batman
i mean if u really think about it Aiden is the batman of the watch dogs universe.
@@PhantomRemmyhe aint got no grapple tho and thats why i say time and planning is more vital, its so much easier to have that linear grappling hook and gliding to move and escape faster and replan in the arkham games.
During blackouts the player is not supposed to shoot everybody, simply go and take down by pressing O (PS) button on the target. Useful in situation where the player has to immobilise the target instead of eliminating them (Criminal Convoy & Gang Hideout). In short it prevents shootouts. Also helps in escaping pursuits during night time.
Someone finally said it, the blackout is for you to get in and out while being stealthy
The last mission, I used the blackout to get into the elevator
I used the cameras to get my path, used the blackout and got to it only to get shot in the head because a guard was in it. But the plan worked, it provided the darkness I needed to sneak past a room filled with people
This game is so underrated. I don't understand why Ubisoft marketed the game as a hacker game. They should have focused on showing the John wick like combat
The combat is a little too basic for that
@@theoutsiderjess1869 the combat is amazing. its the hacking that is basic
@@theoutsiderjess1869I recommend checking out visceral carnage montages of this game
@@Sageleader3 Combat is very basic. It has probably the worst gunplay from any Ubi title, the game really tries to force your hand to be stealthy with how bad the gunplay is imo. Meele was decent enough but there's little variety in combat situations and mission design. I finished this game last year (along with Legion and 2) and i found that the game becomes a chore after half of the second act.
@@dmywololowol let's agree to disagree
To me. WD1 had a great story okay mechanics WD2 had amazing mechanics and ok story. wish wd3 took the best parts of both.
The best part of WD2 was the sandbox. The city and civilian AI was so lively and dynamic, almost nothing felt scripted and predictable.
@@redcobra6016That’s what the guy you’re replying to basically said, just in less words. They said that they WISH Legion took the best parts of both, not that it actually did
@@indeed260 I think I misread what they said.
The story in legion is god awful.
Dude this is one of the best Watch_Dogs retrospectives I've ever seen I really hope you cover Watch_Dogs 2 and Watch Dogs Legion and complete the trilogy
I am SO GLAD this video has finally been made. The story of this game is heartwrenching and great, and I'm sad the sequal didn't keep any of the cool noir vibe.
I have this theory that if you go in to Watch Dogs with the idea that it is a "John Wick" style action game, it gets so much better. I've replayed it like 5 times already.
One of my favorite games of all time, I always make sure to replay it once a year to understand simply how much fun this game was. Really really hoping for a fourth watch dogs game, a return to roots would be nice.
I'm totally in love with Aiden since the first time I saw the game. One of the best protagonists in media for me
As WD1 modder I have to share my point of view on certain things in the video. It will a huge wall of text:
Physics in game tied to fps, thats why coat flipped like crazy and you got stray bug, which displaces you a lot when you go left-right when running. Coat physics made for 30 fps only.
I disagree on civilians being alive - they are really bland, they do not interact with you at all, they do not fight you or challenge you, it is worse than GTA 3 in that aspect - no civilian will fight you back if you steal their car, no one of them will try to fight you when you do something bad, when news reports about you coming out, no one is trying to fight you, every civilian just calls the police and run away, they are helpless little dummies. You won't see civilians entering a vehicle on their own, no one in the city is driving a bike - except for player(s).
Driving physics is busted - you can't jump on top of other vehicle with your own, game will simply clip you through it and then you see bizarre effect of cars glitching out like crazy, it seems that collision for Y coordinates for vehicles are not existent.
Gameplay is fun, but it absolutely ruined by aim assist that you can't really properly disable through settings. Also, mouse is emulated stick and controls thanks to that are terrible, it doesn't feel great in multiplayer. I played more than 2000 hours in total and I still can't get over it (skill issue, I know, but I don't have same problems in GTA games).
Aiden is far from good person IMO, the whole game's story started because he and Damien wanted a quick buck from stealing money in Merlaut and they were unlucky to be in same day in same minute as Iraq was hacking Merlaut too. And not even questioning the morality of stealing money from random civilians.
Political message is done good, they do not shove in your face these messages, you can witness them yourself - how cops beating up Raul (survivor) for not giving a police share from deals, how Lucky Quinn manipulated Rushmore to become a mayor and cover up Lucky's and his gang crimes.
You seemed got mistaken in acts, act 2 is the longest one and act 3 is where you work for T-Bone in Pawnee.
Fibonacci code also can be heard in ctOS Hubs, robotic female voice also repeats these numbers.
I personally like Damien as villain - it is not stated clearly why he wanted Aiden dead or be locked behind the bars, I think it is because during Merlaut job Aiden did not listen to his orders, causing what happened after it - apartment of Damien was smashed and they broke his leg, I think it was his whole goal even when we first saw in "Thanks For the Tip" mission. Also game never gives an answer who wanted to get Aiden's identity in a series of missions with Raul, but I think it was also Damien - very interesting coincidence that after Aiden and Damien got into argument, one mission later Jordi notified Aiden about this issue. Also Damien became power hungry, he wanted Bellwether and control whole city to simply harm others, which he admitted in last mission.
(Also, weird models during digital trip sequences 💀)
Overall, great video, I enjoyed it a lot. I personally like when this god's forsaken game gets attention it deserves.
I really appreciate all the insight!
The 30fps explanation makes sense, and probably explains why installing the mod was super easy. I figured my weird digital trip models were a result of said mod, because the bug was consistent in the open world too. Strange.
Definitely see where your coming from regarding the political messaging and Damien.
Didn’t really notice the driving physics stuff you mentioned, but interesting nonetheless.
Do you think having so much experience with the game causes you to feel the way you do about NPCs or have you felt it since first playing?
I gave this game a shot a few years on on ps4 after hearing nothing but bad things about it since launch. I ended up really enjoying the story, combat, and mission design enough to platinum the game. Glad other people feel the same.
biggest takeaway, holy fuck I didn't know Maurice was going through it like that, I've always loved this game since it came out and I love that people are finally starting to appreciate it
6:02 Exactly, the game looks and feels a million times better at nighttime. Aiden was underrated as hell with his story and grief. I’m glad you mentioned the good parts of this game
It is so great to finally see this minority of people I have been in for so long grow. Especially to be covered by Aqua. Love it my man, feeling vindicated as hell, haha! Keep up the great work!
Finally a nuanced piece on Watch Dogs, I agree with all what you said. Watch Dogs was great, it's just too bad people didn't give it a chance because of all the other circumstances surrounding the game. I had a really good time, playing it at launch and thought it had some nice refreshing ideas in a market that already was being dominated by sequels, prequels and spin offs.
what was wrong with the video Whitelight did?
Not sure I know what you mean, sorry@@kingti85
Alrighty then
When legion dropped people started to realize what they had with wd1
Only know you know you love her when you let her go,
Only know you had it when there is no soul😂
I should give Aiden a call.
Watch dogs 1 is my favorite game in the franchise. I also liked legion but I want a full watch dogs 1 sequel with Aiden the main character.
I LOVED the feeling of being a vigilante and I think that they did it really well. And while Aiden could feel... bit bland at times, he was a great character. Combat was fun, story did its job... and hey, the soundtrack was AMAZING.
Overall, good game, one of better Ubisoft productions. That E3 demo really did it a dirty one.
...it's a shame that they changed the atmosphere COMPLETELY for the sequels.
I'm reminded of this piece on Aiden's character from the Blog "The United Federation of Charles:"
Quote:"
This is the, essential, story of Watch_Dog's Aiden Pearce except the character chooses to live as Batman in the ostensible "real world." He doesn't wear a giant Batsuit nor subscribes to Batman's code against killing but he has a costume, a utility-belt equivalent in his near-magic iphone, and styles himself the Vigilante with a-little-too sadistic glee. He is, in short, a thoroughly normal video game protagonist.
Gamers are conditioned to accept a lot of things which are utterly insane, of course. When Max Payne decides to put down his badge and murder every criminal in New York, we treat this as a perfectly normal action. When Batman chooses to put on his iconic suit, we act as if this is a heroic act. Even Grand Theft Auto's protagonists live in a world where their evil is just part of a larger cultural tapetry. Indeed, their worlds justify the choice to be something other than the "normal" person we all are trapped in our lives as being. This is an important part of the narrative.
And Aiden?
Aiden lives in the real world.
Or something damn-near close it.
Aiden wants to be Batman but, at the end of the day, he's always Bruce Wayne.
The fact Aiden Pearce lives in what is, ctOS and powerful Irish mob aside, "our" Chicago throws this entire cliche narrative out of whack. When Aiden suffers the horrific loss of his niece to a drive-by-shooting aimed at him, he thinks of revenge. His sister? The girl's mother? She advises him to go to group therapy, clean up his life, and to be there for his surviving nephew. But Aiden doesn't do that because of two factors:
1. There would be no game.
2. Aiden is crazy.
Aiden's seriously mental and so wrapped up in an adolescent fantasy he doesn't see it's not justified by the game world. Not in the narrative or the assumptions of the setting. His insanity is an understated sort of thing, he's not delusional and doesn't hear voices. Aiden, however, does react to events in a manner which is dissonant with just about everyone else depicted in the game.
He's also a rampaging enormous hypocrite.
Even as Aiden is playing the Vigilante, he is also engaged in numerous "Fixer" contracts which consist of him doing work-for-hire illegal activities. These things happen in-story so they're a canonical part of Aiden's character. There's also the fact Aiden's best friend and biggest ally, Jordi, is a professional criminal every bit as bad as the kind Aiden chooses to fight. Aiden acknowledges the hypocrisy of this relationship but needs Jordi to get closer to his revenge.
The duality of Aiden's character is best exemplified in one of his main activities for gaining money. Aiden funds his war on crime by draining the bank accounts of the individuals he scans on the streets. While gamer who wants to veer Aiden closer to the moniker of "good guy", despite the fact he does Fixer contracts, will only steal money from the most disreputable of clients, nothing prevents Aiden from doing so to the public at large. He claims he's doing this for the sake of his family and he's reformed but is either true? Has Aiden really changed at all?
Is Aiden saving people for atonement or to make himself capable of living with the guilt of his actions with Lena?
Aiden was a career computer criminal and implied Fixer well before the events of the game. The opening events of the game, indeed, are him emptying the accounts of Chicago's rich and famous for the benefit of both himself as well as his mentor Damien. Aiden begins his actions as the Vigilante because of the death of his niece but, to an outside observer, it's very clear these actions aren't terribly different from his previous nighttime activities. The allure of money, violence, and excitement are a drug which Aiden is drawn to--even when he's supposedly pursuing his relative's killer.
This would not, necessarily, be hypocrisy if Aiden was simply after his niece's murderer. Revenge, after all, is a values neutral motivation belonging to both heroes and villains alike. However, Aiden devotes much of his in-game activities to stopping crimes in-progress as well as criminal convoys as well as destroying gang hideouts believes he's the Vigilante and it's his job to clean-up Chicago. This, despite the fact he remains part of the criminal underworld he ostensibly fights. Whether Aiden has a High Reputation with the public or a Low Reputation, he is a person who strongly believes himself to be a force for good now.
Whether it's true or not.
The game doesn't shy away from the fact Aiden's statement this is all for Lena is a lie as well. Continually, throughout the game, Aiden's sister, Nicky, serves as the voice of sanity on his shoulder. She states that Aiden is not making the world a better place by going after Lena's killers. Indeed, she states that it's very likely Aiden's actions will cause further harm to their family. Nicky proves to be right when she's kidnapped and her son is forced to witness the horrifying actions of his uncle in fighting the local mobsters--leaving him traumatized. Aiden's actions force his only remaining family to flee the city, staying just ahead of retaliation for his activities.
In effect, repeating the actions which got his niece killed.
Aiden can kill any number of civilians and continue his quest. Even the most pacifist Aiden, however, will wreck large sections of Chicago.
The game's self-awareness extends to the very act of Lena's murder. The six-year-old girl wasn't, in fact, the target of hitman Maurice Vega. Maurice, a Fixer like Aiden and Jordi, was attempting to kill our hero for his actions during the prologue. Aiden has brought the most traumatizing thing possible down on his family in the death of a child, only to continue to make their lives worse by doing the same sort of thing again. Maurice's reaction to the event, an accident, is similar to the way Aiden might react. He is horrified and disgusted with himself, to the point of suicidal depression.
Showing Aiden isn't so different from the criminals he fights at all.
Even Aiden's successes, publishing all the activities of the Blume Corporation and killing Dermont "Lucky" Quinn, are questionable. The ctOS system is spread throughout the world because of the chaos created by Aiden's actions. Furthermore, Quinn is an old man who probably only has a few years left in him anyway. Aiden feels validated by his "successful" revenge but whether he's made the world a better or worse place is ambiguous. The only people who truly benefit from Aiden's actions are the victims of Quinn's human-trafficking network, which is Aiden's one unambiguous success.
One the player has to follow up on with sidequests to get any real results for.
This is not the first time which video games have tackled the issue of escapist fantasy being taken too far in a character's quote-unquote real-life. Spec Ops: The Line follows Captain Walker's deconstructive journey where he desperately tries to make himself the protagonist of a Call of Duty-esque shooter only to make things worse and worse. Grand Theft Auto V's Michael De Santa is a man who, ostensibly, wants to escape the life of a mayhem-inducing protagonist but, of course, fights only vaguely to becoming one again. Assassin's Creed: Black Flag's Edward Kenway claims he's trying to become a "man of quality" for his wife but abandons her for a decade in pursuit of pleasure and glory.
oor Nicky is unaware most of the internet considers her brother's degeneration justified because he has a growly voice and an iconic outfit.
Aiden desperately wants to cling to the image of himself as a hero and a good man. A man who puts his family first over his own needs. Yet, he refuses to abandon the criminal lifestyle which threatened his family and puts them in greater danger in pursuit of revenge, wealth, and glory. He fights crimes but sporadically and in-between committing it for his own selfish gain. When we look at Aiden, we are not seeing a plainclothes hero, we're just seeing someone trying to be one because he can't deal with the reality of his situation.
Contrary to making Aiden a worse character, I believe this actually makes him a more interesting protagonist. The real-world is full of dubious justifications and motivations. The real cost and benefit of our actions is also often unclear except in hindsight.
Why should video game heroes be different?
From Whitelight to you, I'm happy big dudes showing love to Watch_Dogs :)
Watch dogs is such a interesting title. Not only the game itself, but the climate that surrounded gaming before it's release, and what the game represented for the next generation of releases to come. A real landmark. So glad Aqua has done a video on it. I feel watch dogs is totally at the epicentre of other related gaming scandals, I.E. Cyberpunk, No Mans Sky, Battlefront, etc. It's really ground zero, for the over-promised, over-hyped climate that industry faced in following years. Love your content man !
The only thing that was over promised was graphics
Everything that Aiden does in that trailer is in the game
Please don't compare watch dogs 1 to these failures.
something interesting, the coat physics bug is actually tied to the fps of the game. you have to limit the frames to either 60 or 30 fps with either your GPU's drivers or if that doesnt work you have to put the game in fullscreen and turn on vsync to lock it at 60 fps. this will also fix a bug where aiden sorta slides realy fast when either trying to go left or right because for some reason his movement is tied to framerate.
Maybe that's why it works fine on console then! 🤔
@@intrepidis1all I hearing is console is better lmao
This is your best video essay so far! Congrats 🎉🎉🎉
This is the best watch dogs!!! With a game like this it's good that Aiden is a mystery and don't have much of a personality, this watch dogs makes the most sense out from the other 2, it's simple yet broad at the same time.
i remember really loving this game when i was younger and being right near the end. when my uncle brought his kids over while i wasn’t home at the time and they started a new save over mine; i broke down and never cared to play it again
the character of aiden was among my absolute favorites of all characters because he was like he was and didnt have some cliche character arc where its roses and daises at the end. or the one that pretends that revenge did not make him feel better
This game needs a ng+ or multiple save options so you can replay the game because this game is just beautiful
Honestly one of the best IF NOT the best game I've ever played
no one gonna talk about how downright hilarious what he made the AI say in his voice??? the shit that shot tupac!? lung shattering necromancer pack?!
One of the greatest parts of Watch Dogs, which is reoccurring in all three games is the gun takedowns. Genuinely makes you feel like such a badass watching your character melee or grab someone and execute them point blank.
I've always loved Watch_Dogs 1. The story could’ve been a lot better with the ideas it brought initially, but everything else was amazing to me.
Its gunplay, its graphics in rain or nightime, its music used in-mission and not on the official soundtrack. Hell, I'll even stand and say that's driving was hefty, but nice. Making J-turns and powersliding feeling stylish to pull off.
I look back on 1 sometimes and wonder if it was as good as I remembered. And when I go back to play, I remember the reasons why I loved, even with its massive problems.
I got Watchdogs: Legion the Christmas it came out and it’s still in its plastic wrap.
I'll always be grateful I was too young to know about or care about E3 and game reviews when this came out.
I was excited by the premise and I never had anything to compare the actual game to, so I loved it and still do to this day
Favorite game of the series, really enjoyed the dark tone.
Watch dogs 1 & 2 are so so so overlooked and underrated. Especially 2 that world that they built itself is very impressive
One of my favorite games. Love the story, voice acting and overall atmosphere of the world of Watchdogs. And Aiden Pearce is a really great character imo
I look back on this game fondly, the tone and atmosphere was always interesting. I wish we could have gotten more games continuing in the same fashion as part 1.
Very good job!
This game did its mood very well, indeed. Even the suburbia and slums. The city drowns in choking despair.
John Wick and The Girl with the dragon tattoo as a game. Love it since last gen. Wish I could get a good enough PC for this.
Holy hell this is like the 3rd hour plus long retrospective on Watch Dogs I’ve seen released today.
Whitelight?
@@rayyanstyles3993 actually yes, that’s one of them.
I don't understand why people suddenly have a soft spot for WD1 when WD2 was absolutely amazing from the start and still is. Maybe not storywise but gameplaywise it completely destroys WD1. Also Aiden is an annoying edgelord, imagine being so upset about 1 death that you go on a murder spree killing hundreds while claiming you are not a violent man.
Got watch dogs earlier this year and loved it
This game came with my PS4 when I first bought it, it was the first game I played on it and I loved it, this was a great analysis of a game that’s special in my heart, thanks for this
Almost at 200K Subs !! Love to see it 🎉🎉
Thank you thank you! 🙏
0:01 what comes to my mind ? Nostalgia. The first game I ever purchased digitally on steam, the game that made me fall in love with Cybersecurity, the game that is stoll so close to my heart that a lot of what I am is because of this game. The story, Aiden himself, Chicago, the soundtrack, walking when he puts his hands in his coat as rain drops pouring everywhere. It's a joyful feeling. Always has been.
I got this game due to a recommendation of a friend who saw the ads even though I didn't. I never played an open world or even a shooter before but I really enjoyed it and even 9 years later still do so. Is it the best game ever? No, it is not. But if a game can get me to play it over and over and over again without tiring of it, that means it's good. If game publishers could get it through their heads that promising small and delivering large is a good strategy for the long term, this game would've been remember much more fondly. Also, Aiden is a good character. Do I love him or would I like him if he was a real person? No, but he is written well and his actions make sense.
I've loved this game since it first came out. The writing is gritty and nuanced with great acting and atmosphere, and gameplay that always felt great, especially when taking in the depth and little quirks of the systems . Especially when using everything at your disposal and learning to string together things using focus.
The world is just so immersive on top of everything as well.
Weirdly enough over the years this has kinda become a comfort game for me. Something i go back to decently regularly as a game i know i can just enjoy each time i pick it up.
I only play Watch Dogs on console however, having first played it on PS3 and having it subsequently bundled with my PS4 so i now replay it on PS5. So i havent really experienced issues that may be prevalent on PC.
WD1 combined with WD2 Hacking system would be a 11/10 combo
i was sitting here waiting for some watch dogs video and here you are making one :3 thx
watch dogs 1 is without a doubt the best game in its franchise,Aiden pierce is also one of my fav characters,a broken man consumed by revenge and wanting to protect his loved ones,the ending where you decide to spare the guy who was responsible for killing your niece or killing him shows that aiden either decides to learn to let go or is further pushed into the path of darkness,thats why the vigilante system fits him so well you can either be a pacifist who solves crimes or a straight up menace who doesnt care about anything but his family. Watch dogs 2 is a good game,i enjoyed the combat and parkour but the story and overall feel just was not to par for my expectations. Now we have watch dogs legion which further pushed that franchise in the mud,but the dlc with aiden was great! Whenever you see any arguement about watch dogs 1 its always people complaining about the graphics not living up to its trailer standards.
I played Watch Dogs in 2020 without knowing anything about the controversy. I loved it, and I'm considering a replay within the next few years
Your confidence really shines im this video. Youve improved so much❤
My only nit pick was not only being able to shoot out the car otherwise I loved it and Aiden wtwho the f would he be happy when his daughter died I'm guessing most gamers haven't had big losses, I still remember this was my first overnight pick up at GameStop definitely love this game and very happy it has a frame up on Xbox series.
Yea I suppose people wanted a more pronounced response from Aiden. He seems to disassociate more than present anger. Thanks for the super thanks!
I really liked this game, even back then. It was really fun to play, and one of my first PS4 games.
17:23 Blackouts are more for stealth. During the mission where I discovered Damien's hideout and the fixers got called on me, the cars driving in bumped into my parked car, then blew up a transformer. It was supposed to be a really tough fight scene, where two rooftop snipers would immediately spot you if you tried to sneak out, but the blackout just let me sprint out and drive out of there with their own cars.
Videogame politics is a major issue that needs to be addressed. I've seen far to many good games sacked simply because the political wind blew the wrong way.
Shadow Warrior 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Watchdogs, Halo Reach, the entire Far Cry franchise, and so many more.
damn dude, just your description made me want to redownload it. (i have yet to put more than 10 minutes into it)
FYI Yves Guillemot isn't French Canadian, he's French
Bro if Ubisoft would have just not lied, or just didn't show actual game play yet I swear this game would have been in a lot more people's top ten games.
I honestly love Watch Dogs. Have ever since it released and played it so many times beginning to end. I have no problems with it at all. I haven't played any of the sequels though, so no idea how they play or compare.
I remember back in the day around AC3 and 4, there were rumors in the Assassin's Creed fandom that sooner or later we'll get an AC game set in the modern day. No generic memories, no animus, just Desmond or whomever in the 21st century. If course Desmond died in AC3 and that never happened.
Last year I bought Watch Dogs Legion during a holiday sale, and I ended up enjoying it very much. It sorta felt like that idea we all had of a modern day Assassin's Creed game, and it later even got a recruitable, playable Assassin character.
I love Watch Dogs, and it is definitely in my top 10 of all time. The gritty setting, the masterfully crafted city (helps that I live in a similar place), the very fun hacking gimmick, the pre-John Wick style gun takedown animations, and the underrated as hell story and main character (Pearce is still the best protagonist in the franchise), all of these make for a a very well made open world game that was unfortunately tarnished by greedy executives wanting to cash in on hype. I have countless hundreds of hours in Watch Dogs and I hope that if we ever get a 3rd game, it will go back to its Watch Dogs 1 roots and hopefully the fully realized version of the 1st game’s demo can be achieved on the latest hardware.
Thank you for this video
Yeah I’m still mad they bamboozled us with that god tier demo, still one of the coldest tech demos I’ve ever watched..
The best diving in open world games is Mad Max
Played watch dogs back in 2014, Its great to see people realized how good this game truly is.
I hated that there was a morality system in the game, because in truth, yeah Aiden isn't all good nor is he all evil. He is a dude who has a crap ton of trauma in his head that is enacting his own form of "Justice". He may not show it, but the dude is screwed in the head. If you played the bloodline dlc for WDL it is not pretty, I loved the way they showed his inner psyche, it doesn't feel badass, cool or "dark" like how Hollywood does it when it has a gritty main character, No, it is creepy, haunting and genuinely sad. And the point that you were making about how the hacking is a bit overblown, totally agree, I decided to play fast, loose and unhinged like how you described it and by playing it like that, it made the game 10 thousand percent more fun. It really does feel like a modern John Wick game.
I just finished this game, and honestly, it's one of the greatest games I've ever played.
I loved the auction mission. I listened to Hersey by NIN while cleaning house.
0:02 Nostalgia. Years ago, I replayed WD1 time and time again... I even remember feeling proud over beating the "realistic" difficulty (young me didn't know challenge runs and self-imposed rules existed).
I've sunk my teeth into this game beating the story and side missions plenty of times since I was a kid, I love the game to death. I heavily prefer the gameplay of the first to the second, along with the story mostly and the characters. I've sunk a lot more into the first than the second and I don't regret that one bit.
The Game is honestly great.
Aiden is a great character unironically.
My fav game of all time. I played without the negative context surrounding and its amazing. Sure problems whatever but its story is topntier
When i played this and watch dogs 2 i would take lethal and non lethal actions depending on what shows up on NPCs profiles... Roleplaying as the hacker vigilante.
Living City basically is Watch Dogs as was intended. With extra content in it.
I play wd1 more than wd2 for that alone.
Very good video, finally a voice of reason. I never understood the negativity against the game🤷♂️
The Watch Dogs franchise deserves better. First one came out during a time were only graphics matter for a game and failed to make the graphics a reality. WD2 sold very poorly. And Legion is Legion, having the most dull story, having the play everyone feature which really didn't embrace itself, and came out when game industry is most money hungriest so they thought they could make a online mode like GTA 5's and riddle it with micro transactions. And ubisoft said they have zero plans for the franchise in the future.
I am one of those rare people that is a fan of all 3 WD games.... though I did miss the E3 demo your talking about so I wasn't disappointed. I got the originak Watch Dogs game on the recommendation of a Splinter Cell streamer I follow - well after it released. For the most part, I consider each game on its own merits, so unlike Assassins Creed, I don't go into them expecting a consistent 0laystyle or lore, except you are a hacker trying to save your corner of the world. I love Aiden, he felt like how Sam Fisher would have turned out if he'd been a geek instead. I loved playing as Marcus and hacking/cruising around the Bay Area. Where best to set a game about hacking the planet but Sillicone Valley? And I really had a great time assembling a team in London for WD Legion and I had fun with all but one specific level of the game close to the end. Though I admit the levels in the final 2 chapters were formulaic and frustrating if you have trouble doing 4 things at once or you go into a "point of no return" level with the wrong type of operative and then your stuck. My favorite is probably WD 2 because San Francisco was just so vibrant. I love stealth games... but I also admit I'm not a fan when you can play a certain style for most of the game but there are levels that force you to kill or go in guns blazing. To me, a smart hacker should never have to draw a weaponto achieve their goal.... but I get it, its hard to build a crescendo around hacking. Guns blazing and car chases are much easier.
This will forever be my favorite guilty pleasure franchise I love playing, even if 99% of people hate it. I love how cool and badass Aiden Pearce is and feels great to play vigilante that is ruthless. They did Aiden dirty in the DLC and gave him some soppy ending
I remember never being hyped about Watch Dogs because my family didn't have enough to buy me new games, let alone a next gen console back then. I only got games through the Games with Gold on Xbox. Fast forward a couple of years, and I have an Xbox One with Watch Dogs free, years after release. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it thoroughly. Felt like a perfect outlet for "John Wick" type action and story in video game form.
Man I love clicking the like button and seeing it change from 3.9k to 4k
Hey! Great video, but wish you also mentioned his appearance in WD2 and culmination of his arc in WD:L DLC. Great video nonetheless.
I remember trying the game for the first time a few years ago and really enjoying it. Also watched a let's play when it first came out and never really understood all the hate..
This game still has one of the most believable and lived-in feeling game worlds. The NPCs in this and Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate have some of the best animations.
I wish these were updated for PS5
I was only 12 when I bought my PS4 and I was watching watchdogs gameplay and getting thrilled about diving into this world, completely disconnected from all the controversy I enjoyed watchdogs while being bothered by the gameplay's lack of choices. Though I have to say I honestly loved it's dark atmosphere and Chicago's vibe.
Replaying it in 2021 felt reminded me of my own actual experiences and thoughts on the game which had been tainted by the popular opinion and reputation.
And Oh god do I like palying Watchdogs as a hitman simulator clearing levels putting a bullet in every head with the Spec ops 1911
the baking section really had me laughing,thanks for that
10:54 I do kinda prefer when you only have access to a single vehicle in a game but it's a personal thing. Like the Batmobile in Arkham Knight, the Deuce in Brutal Legend or Deacon's bike in Days Gone.
Aiden feels like the kind of character that should've had his own, personal "Bat-bike." :P
The first thing I was the demo with commentary by the animation director Colin Graham. Honestly speaking I fell in love with the game. I love Aiden Pearce to this day.
And the soundtrack is underrated as hell.
I absolutely love this game and have never had any grapes with it other than the driving. The graphics weren’t what they were supposed to be, but I never got hung up on that.
that baking was funny as shii