Update: The review embargo is over. Find out what other critics are saying here.
While it's undoubtedly going to be the same for the PlayStation 4, the very first review for Watch Dogs has gone live, courtesy of WCCF Tech, and it features footage taken from the Xbox One version of the game, which follows suit on the PS4's leaked footage earlier in the day. The biggest takeaway from the review? Watch Dogs on the new-gen consoles looks like Grand Theft Auto IV on the old-gen consoles.
WCCF Tech managed to get their hands on an early retail copy of Watch Dogs, so they were able to post up a review without worrying about Ubisoft cracking down hard on them for breaking the embargo date. In other words, WCCF Tech just held up a big, strong, beefy middle-finger to the publishing regime that dictates how you usually get information about a game before it releases -cough-Aliens Colonial Marines-cough-.
Anyway, no one cares about the gameplay, the controls, the mechanics, the story, the voice acting, the weapons, the replay values, the multiplayer or the content... oh no. The only thing anyone cares about is whether or not Watch Dogs on the new-gen consoles looks like a next-gen game. The answer? No... no, it does not.
WCCF's Ali Naqi writes that...
“The visual fidelity is definitely not on point to E3 2012 – without big explosions which make sense – and the daytime looks bland and equivalent to Grand Theft Auto V (a last generation title which was highly optimized). Keep in mind, this is just on consoles after all.”
Oh snap. That's the wide-eyed, money-shot quote right there.
But don't just take Naqi's word for it. They posted up footage of the Xbox One version of Watch Dogs for users to view. You can check it out below.
WCCFTech: Watch Dogs Gameplay - Xbox One... by gnomad01
It's funny but I thought the game didn't look too bad during the day time segments on the PS4, where-as Naqi believes it looks better at night.
I think we can all agree that the game looks passably decent and certainly isn't the sort of thing that puts Keilany Hayssam's iCEnhancer to task... because it doesn't.
WCCF Tech has allegedly come under some pretty big fire for putting out an early review that doesn't coincide with the plutocratic rules of the Doritocracy. But at least gamers now know that if you don't want the welfare edition of Watch Dogs, get it on PC. Get. It. On. PC.
WCCFTech: Watch Dogs Gameplay Xbox One Retail... by gnomad01
On the bright side, at least you can see that the Xbox One version – running at the refugee resolution of 792p, imported from the far-off land of desperation and try-hardness – doesn't look quite as bad as many of us may have been expecting. It's no miracle machine, of course, and it certainly doesn't hold a candle to something like Star Citizen or Black Desert Online, but it looks good enough. I mean, that's assuming meager performance and sub-standard quality is your cup of tea. Then again, if you live in America and vote, you're probably already used to it.
Watch Dogs is due for release on May 27th for the old-gen geriatric twins, the new-gen over-achievers and the glorious PC platform. The Wii U version is due to drop this fall.
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