Watch Dogs is a very ambitious take on the open world action game. Its initial reveal showed a lone vigilante able to hack into the environment and exploit it to escape police, and it left gamers stunned.

I don't see myself finishing this game. Played it twice and gave up and quit on it both times. Sure it's not bad for a first attempt at an open world game, but it is far from a great game, and far from a next gen game.

Not content with letting people explore the past with the Assassin's Creed series, Ubisoft has created another open-world adventure set in the future with Watch Dogs. New there are motorised vehicles and gadgets to interact with, and the parkour gameplay from Assassin's Creed has been replaced with...

Detailed game world; Solid narrative and characters; Responsive controls

Not as ambitious as it could be; Unexciting car chases; Graphics could be nicer

If Watch Dogs is to be believed, then a shocking number of Chicago residents are delinquents. As you roam the city looking to both right what is wrong and make wrong what is right, you hack into its citizens' smartphones and listen in on their conversations, and even tap into their computers and...

Hacking gives car chases and combat encounters an additional element of freedom; Fantastic online modes provide rip-roaring fun; Digital trips are highly entertaining; the spider-bot in particular; Loaded with varied things to do; each of which is beautifully executed; Some clever mission design...

Inconsistent tone; inconsistent lead character; Successful online invasions are boring; Neither money nor reputation are all that valuable

Watch Dogs is far and away the best game to released for the new consoles. It's overflowing with incredible content to be enjoyed and the beautiful city of Chicago to explore. This game could be the start of a truly incredible franchise.

Watch Dogs is a solid open-world game that doesn't do enough to set itself apart from the pack.

A new IP that's very familiar.

best of other franchises rolled into one; strong story

side missions are weak; stealth hacking isn't as emphasised as it could be

Forget speculation about textures and framerates - Watch Dogs is a bona fide next-gen proposition with a wonderfully told tale at its heart.

Solid stealth; responsive gunplay and thrilling hacking powers; Smart; punchy storytelling; Multiplayer is a most definably 'next-gen' feature

Enemy AI is occasionally clueless; A few annoying missions that insta-fail you on detection

Watch Dogs won't please everyone. Its shallow narrative and bland protagonist detract, but those looking for a finely-crafted open world game that eschews parody and satire for an overall darker tone will have a great time in Watch Dogs' digital Chicago.

Watch Dogs is the first game of this new generation to break under the weight of its own hype. It has had a massive PR campaign from Ubisoft, and was subject to a six-month delay at the zero hour, which is usually not a good sign.

+ Hacking is as advertised + Multiplayer + Socially conscious

- Seems more like an almost-ready beta - Server issues