When Watch Dogs: Legion was first showcased at E3, it was hard to believe it was real. It didn’t visually look like something the PS4 or Xbox One could handle. The idea that anyone in the game could become a player character was phenomenally incredible, practically beyond belief.
It seemed impossible, but Ubisoft actually did it, and on a technical side of things, it should be applauded. The game does more things well than this, but of course with every step forward, there were bound to be some blemishes along the way. It may not be perfect, but it is fun to play around in a sandbox like this, and that’s all that really matters sometimes. Let’s see what works and what doesn’t about Watch Dog: Legion.
10 Best: Opens Up Pretty Quick
The city of London and its boroughs are up for the taking almost at the start of the game. After a tutorial players are welcome to explore the city at their leisure or follow the mission structure. Not only that, but a lot of the tech and gadgets will be available as well. Watch Dogs: Legion gets the open world right by allowing players to jump right in in order to immerse them in a new experience without worrying about linear story progression.
9 Worst: Story
Because players can assume the role of practically anyone on the street, there are no personalities that stick out. Character development is unheard of in this narrative.
The potential playable characters have surface level backstories and many sound the same in terms of actual voice work too. It’s hard to get invested in the main story with the actual NPC characters because the main one is randomized by player choice.
8 Best: Character Progression
On the subject of random characters, while each citizen does have their own starting gear and abilities, they also share a common pool. Watch Dogs: Legion has tech points that one finds in the world to then use to buy new equipment, like a non-lethal stun shotgun, or an ability like being able to turn invisible. Once unlocked, that skill or piece of gear is available for all. This is great incentive system to get players to explore and find more tech points.
7 Worst: The Recruitment System
The actual system of recruiting characters also leaves one wanting. While it is truly interesting to see a game attempt this, as mentioned earlier, it creates a rift in the story. It’s hard to care about these characters’ stories when there isn’t much there. And since gear progression is shared, there is no difference between playing one character over the other. There are some asterisks to that statement, but overall everyone feels too much like the same person, so who one plays is based more on looks.
6 Best: Change Gear Anywhere
Another great thing about the gear in Watch Dogs: Legion is that characters can change their setup anywhere. One doesn’t have to go back to HQ or find some locker in order to do this. It can’t be done while in combat but that’s understandable. Clothes also can’t be changed, but if one finds a store then they can. That’s reasonable given that certain situations don’t exactly call for certain clothes compared. Being able to switch between a spider bot and an invisible cloaking device, on the other hand, can save time in the field.
5 Worst: Loads
It’s hard not to think about load times since everyone is on bated breath for the Xbox Series X and PS5 to launch. That is to say those consoles are supposed to eliminate load times altogether. So when a game like Watch Dogs: Legion comes along on the precipice of this evolution, it’s hard not to dock it in a review type of manner. Loading up the game itself can take about two minutes. While in the game warping around is less than that, about thirty seconds, which is better but can still be a pain.
4 Best: Cargo Drones
There are a lot of vehicles to pilot in Watch Dogs: Legion but by far the most fun one can have is on a cargo drone. As the name would suggest these larger than standard drones can carry huge loads of cargo across the city. If one jumps on they can also ride it like sort of surfboard. It doesn’t go that fast and one can shoot while flying, and getting ahold of these puppies can take players to new heights.
3 Worst: Graphics
As is standard with launching an Ubisoft game, especially in an open-world city environment, there are glitches. From clipping into stuff to seeing people fly to having the game crash. It’s no Bethesda game but these issues are noticeable. On that note, the polish on the graphics overall is not that impressive for a late generation PS4 game. Maybe it will look better on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, but as of right now it almost looks like an early generation game.
2 Best: Non-Lethal Options
Non-lethal options have been around since the first game and got even more robust with Watch Dogs 2. It should come as no surprise then that the options in this third entry are even better. There is no real detriment for choosing to stun a guard and instead of shooting them.
It’s all up to player choice, but that being said it’s great to see a triple-A video game double down on allowing players not to become some savage, bloodthirsty maniac like in a Grand Theft Auto title.
1 Worst: Radio Stations
Speaking of Grand Theft Auto, one big thing missing in Watch Dogs: Legion is radio station variety. There are a handful of good songs, but in a game where one will probably drive a lot, it’s less than stellar. Since this is all about using phones, it would have been cool if the game allowed players to import music from the PS4 to then pump into an in-game phone playlist or something. Maybe that can come in later with a patch along with the multiplayer in December.
NEXT: 5 Things We Love About Hyrule Warriors (& 5 We Hope Get Fixed In The Sequel)
