I played Sleeping Dogs for a bit but it just seemed like a shallow beatem up gameplay wise. I was disapointed based on the way people called it underrated. But it seems to have no gameplay other than button bashing.

That's a savage falsehood for sure. Just the fact that melee features environmental finishers suggests otherwise, but then there's also open-world driving, choice of allegiance in story missions, and eventually limited-ammo shootouts. Are you sure you aren't confusing Sleeping Dogs with Rise of Honor?

That's fair-ish. I definitely didn't see it that way, but the action combat isn't for everyone.

I mean I only played Sleeping Dogs for the first 2 hours. But what I played was beating people up and I think taxing people unless my memory is mistaken.

Exactly.

I'm a sucker for open world games, and both Sleeping and Watch Dogs hit at a time when I had a lot of time to burn through them and I loved both. That said, the criticism that is in the thread of both Watch Dogs 1's story and Sleeping Dogs lack of interesting side activities is valid, I had especially hoped that Sleeping Dogs would be more like a HK set Yakuza game with smoother fight transitions but it has almost none of the extra stuff.

I really like Watch_Dogs 1, I don't like Watch_Dogs 2 and I've not tried Watch_Dogs Legion.

I would say this cinematic trailer perfectly encapsulated the theme and vibe of Watch_Dogs 1. It is a relatively grounded adult game with serious and dark themes. It deals with disgusting criminal organisations, the loss of privacy, big brother organisations, etc. The atmosphere feels as gloomy as the game. If you like thrillers and GTA with some "Cheats", then you should like Watch_Dogs.

Then in Watch_Dogs 2 everything just became colourful, childish and full of neon and graffiti. All the characters, the mysterious secretive factions, the tone, they all just did a one massive 180 and that really put me off. I could not finish the game. Maybe some day I will, but I will be forcing myself to. On the other hand, I completed Watch_Dogs 1 100% with all the achievements.

If Watch_Dogs 1 is Batman, then Watch_Dogs 2 is... Harley Quinn.

A firm 5 (of a reduced 10). Duncle Adrian has the personality of a wet cardboard sign, he's supposed to be fighting the system but does nothing to really dent it or stop it; using it moreover to his advantages. The game ends on a wet fart, and it's very clear there were several last minute changes forced from above by several management teams who knew nothing about the sort of game they were making.

• The relationship with the deceased little girl; was probably daughter rather than niece. A former deadbeat dad would make a ton more sense than an estranged uncle.
• The protagonist, because there's at least two choices of MC who'd have made far more interesting stories. One of them even has a flamethrower.
• The subtle humor; presumably there were actual jokes which were replaced by outdated memes and "edge".
• Muddle of a message; was supposed to be, "Don't sell your soul to Big Brother", instead swirls into, "Gangs no matter what, are bad".
• The OST does not befit the protagonist, and is a ticking time bomb of licensing rights.

Sidenote: I didn't play it, but I did watch some goons play it, instead.

Addendum/Update: Rewatching it, the game is about as tonally deaf as I remember it.

Huh?

From the Steam Store Page (Bold Added by me) and Am I misunderstanding this entire conversation? Are we talking about Watch Dogs or Sleeping Dogs?

Edit: Nope, can't be Sleeping Dogs either, that takes place in Hong Kong apparently.

Watch_Dogs 1 is set in Chicago.

Yeah I saw that after I had posted. If I had continued to read the thread it would've saved me making that pointless post.

Then again, all of my posts are pointless. I should probably look into that.

played it several time over. hundreds of total game hours. one of the best open world game available. i list it often in threads of games that should come to gog. that one is not heavily integrated with uplay, so very easy to gogify. also not a sjw/cucked version, unlike all others after it. it made it out before the real crazy started. great graphics and plenty to do. i would "die" if it came to gog. sure, i have it on steam, several times over, and a pc drm free version (yeah that's right!!) to boot, but i'd want it via gog too, because...

anyway, forget what people say about the main character or story or whatever. they are good and even decent. as an open world game, where you do your own thing, it's amazing. not gonna write more, because i could, but there is no point. not sure why you asked this and now, but i just had to post something. how many people would i kill to have it (and other ubi games) come to gog? dozens... many dozens...

If you use Discord, please voice your support to see more Ubisoft games on GOG. More info here. Thank you.

Absolutely underrated masterpiece and one of my all-time favorite Ubisoft games. Watch Dogs 2 is also really great, a better game but I like the setting, story and protagonist of the first game better. Can't speak for Legion, as I've only played a tiny bit during a free trial and my previous PC couldn't really handle it well (I've since upgraded).

Now, let me gush about the first game for a bit.

I got the game sometime in 2015 or 2016. I held off from buying it at launch simply because I wasn't sure if I'd like it. Initially, it seemed like a GTA clone with a very minor, unimportant twist. However, when I spotted a PC copy in GameStop on sale for $6 (I think? Can't remember the exact price), I knew I wanted to get it to try it.

I'm happy I did because it became such a memorable experience for me. I was immediately impressed by the graphics, game world and unlike many, I was immediately engrossed in Aiden's story. I will never understand the hate for his character, he was fantastic. Anyways, my "GTA clone with a small twist" impression was so wrong. Sure, it has some similarities but what I found was that the game felt more like a mixture of Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed and GTA with a proto-cyberpunk/noir twist. The stealth systems channeled Sam Fisher but with more forgiving gameplay. The open world was compelling and felt alive (at least for the time). The characters felt like something out of a very solid techno-thriller drama. The plot, a relatable and original revenge tale, also channeled the AC vibes due to the connections with DedSec and Blume to the point where there are actually hints that the game takes place in the same continuity as AC, with links between Blume and Abstergo. There's even a mission that hooks into the real-world side of AC4 (won't spoil how though).

That's all without mentioning the seamless multiplayer elements. From the hacking invasion events to the ability to opt into limited free roam multiplayer gameplay, it adds even more to an already loaded package.

In general, the original Watch Dogs is just criminally underappreciated. I could go on for hours about how much I love that game. It has fantastic gameplay, a very solid and compelling plot, an awesome game world that was fun to explore, excellent side activities and seamless multiplayer. Honestly, I have a hard time thinking of flaws except for the fact that its free roam multiplayer was a bit of a missed opportunity.

I can also say that Watch Dogs 2 was another great one as I mentioned earlier. I still have a preference for the first game but 2 improved on literally every gameplay aspect, included a lot more side story content, vehicle customization, various minigames and activities and even better seamless multiplayer. Its game world, while not my cup of tea, is still fun to enjoy. The story is more light-hearted, but fun as a result. It also takes the privacy theme to a new level; the first game felt more like a neo-noir techno-thriller with a subtle message about the erosion of privacy but Watch Dogs 2 goes full force into the privacy theme with Marcus and DedSec doing whatever they can to protect the innocent from the ever-encroaching grip of big tech's invasive surveillance. If you enjoy the first game, definitely give the second game a chance; I didn't until last year and I regret waiting that long.

From what I've seen of 2, it emphasizes everything I hate about Bay Area culture; I've spent quite a bit of time in San Francisco and stopped going there about 10 years ago... about the time I had conversations with some techies who fully wanted neo-feudalism, with themselves as "lords" no less. So with that said, I get the feeling 2 would just make me angry.

From what I've seen of Watch Dogs it reminds me of an unmade Tom Cruise movie. Anyway, I've found the game on PS4 for $5 and will probably give it a try... if just to drive around Chicago. I have friends from there and it will be interesting to see their reaction to the game.

Yeah, seeing that UbiSoft has put the Watch Dogs series on hiatus for awhile, would be nice to see it on GOG... even if it's just the first game.