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Watch Dogs: Legion | Review thread | Three Lions out of five

ghostcrew

ghostcrew

The Shrouded Ghost
Administrator
Oct 27, 2017
30,351
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Updating as they come in!

OpenCritic: 75

Written Reviews

Game Informer (9/10)

Legion feels like the realization of the hacker fantasy the first Watch Dogs tried to capture. Between the fun team-building, fantastic mission design, strong narrative, and a gorgeous world, everything comes together in a largely entertaining and cohesive package. Whether you're controlling a trained super spy or a gassy grandmother, Watch Dogs: Legion is a ton of fun.
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www.gameinformer.com

Watch Dogs: Legion Review - Watch Dogs: Legion Review – A Successful Team-Building Exercise - Game Informer

Whether you're controlling a trained super spy or a gassy grandmother, Watch Dogs: Legion is a ton of fun.
www.gameinformer.com www.gameinformer.com

Polygon (unscored)

And Watch Dogs: Legion gives you just enough without dragging it into the most dreaded swamp of open-world games: repetition. A lot of this is helped by the fact that you can do the same tasks with different operatives (acquiring the tech points to upgrade a skill set, for example). But the most necessary tasks — liberating the boroughs, recruiting highly skilled operatives, and doing the capstone missions for both — have enough narrative involvement to keep them from being boring. And the rote parts (collecting lore text and audio) are purely optional.

Mostly, I am impressed at how Ubisoft Montreal got me to care about people more than skills, even in a game set up to prioritize the latter. Like a card trick, I'm left with the sense that the developers coaxed me to pick the person it needed to complete this particular chapter of the story, while making it seem like it was my call all the way. For interactive entertainment, that's outstanding storytelling, and it supports gameplay that has rewarded my own risk-taking and creativity with the urge to play it all again, with an entirely new cast.
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www.polygon.com

Watch Dogs: Legion’s cast of randos makes a surprisingly winning team

Play it with permadeath stakes, on hard difficulty
www.polygon.com www.polygon.com

Waypoint (unscored)


When I think back on the first Watch Dogs, I remember a game so held back by its repulsive protagonist and its cynical caricature of Chicago that it wound up being little more than a bad copy of CBS procedural Person of Interest. When I think about Watch Dogs 2, I remember a game that (barring a few missteps) managed to be a found family tale about hackers skewering the most absurd parts of silicon valley culture.
I have no idea how I'll remember Watch Dogs: Legion a few years from now. A game with good intentions and bad timing? An ambitious experiment with a reach that exceeded its grasp? A bold attempt to elevate a tired formula that was instead dragged back down by it. Probably a little bit of all of these. What I know that I will remember, though, are characters like Everett and Honor and Alton "Brick Mason" Green, and how much more they could've been, if only Legion had been allowed to be something different, something smaller and more focused.
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www.vice.com

'Watch Dogs: Legion' Promises Revolution, But Mostly Delivers Distraction

You can play as anyone you want, but the game remains the same.
www.vice.com www.vice.com


IGN (8/10)

Watch Dogs: Legion's bold use of roguelike mechanics in an open-world action game pay off in interesting ways, making this visit to near-future London feel more varied than the previous two games.
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PC Gamer (8/10)

Watch Dogs Legion's play-as-anyone gamble just about pays off. Most of London's citizens are way too ordinary to be much fun, but the few I grew to care about wound up feeling more important to me than most videogame protagonists ever do. Not bad for a group of randomly generated misfits. And I even wound up loving all those drones.
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www.pcgamer.com

Watch Dogs Legion review

Hack into London's future with a crew assembled from any citizen you meet on the street.
www.pcgamer.com www.pcgamer.com

Gamespot (8/10)
www.gamespot.com

Watch Dogs: Legion Review

Watch Dogs: Legion struggles with tone at times, but its empowering message about unity and justice still shines in a game that is as absurd as it is impactful.
www.gamespot.com www.gamespot.com

gamesradar+ (3.5/5)

Legion royally shakes up Watch Dogs' open-world template with a Play as Anyone mechanic that just about outweighs any headaches left by its rough edges.
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www.gamesradar.com

Watch Dogs Legion review: "Royally shakes up the template with its Play As Anyone mechanic"

Our official Watch Dogs Legion verdict is here
www.gamesradar.com www.gamesradar.com

Metro (6/10)

A disappointingly tame vision of a near future dystopia, that represents a perfectly competent use of the Ubisoft formula but falters in its attempts to add anything new to it.
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metro.co.uk

Watch Dogs: Legion review - the London formula

The third Watch Dogs game moves the action to London and has a cameo from Stormzy but what is its vision of future Britain really like?
metro.co.uk metro.co.uk

VG247 (3/5)

Watch Dogs fans and more die-hard anarchists among you might enjoy it more, but between the short storylines, underwhelming tech and mission types and the general "everything is on fire" vibe, it just doesn't rate highly for me.
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www.vg247.com

Watch Dogs: Legion review - Some cool tech can't cover up dull repetition and a story that hits too close to home

News, reviews and opinions on the biggest video games.
www.vg247.com www.vg247.com

VGC (5/5)

In these emergent moments, Watch Dogs Legion elevates itself as a far smarter experience than the gimmicky political thriller we expected from its early reveal. While the narrative elements are enjoyable on their own – and there are some real impressive scenes – Legion is most rewarding as a sandbox for those looking to veer off course and create their own stories, with their own ludicrous crew.
And with real Brexit looming just beyond the Christmas period, we could all do with some escapism.

Ubisoft Toronto's 'Play as Anyone' system results in the publisher's most unique open-world game in years. Just don't take it too seriously.
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www.videogameschronicle.com

Review: Watch Dogs Legion is Ubisoft’s most meaningful sandbox | VGC

Ubisoft Toronto’s post-Brexit playground delivers smart mechanics and standout moments for those willing to rebel…
www.videogameschronicle.com www.videogameschronicle.com

Windows Central (4.5/5)

Watch Dogs: Legion lives up to a lot of its promises. The NPC system works well and the gameplay is seemingly endless, but more importantly, it has a story to tell.
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www.windowscentral.com

Watch Dogs: Legion review — A step in the right direction for Ubisoft

Finally, a game where the politics are front and center.
www.windowscentral.com www.windowscentral.com

Press Start (8/10)

Watch Dogs Legion builds upon the solid foundation established by Watch Dogs 2 while adding its own ambitious twist with mixed results. Having literally every character playable is a gargantuan task, and from a gameplay perspective it works to cement Legion as the best Watch Dogs game thus far. Narratively speaking, however, it collapses under its own aspiration to offer an intriguing concept with spotty execution. Regardless, Legion is a triumph for making good on most of its lofty promise and a triumph for the series.
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press-start.com.au

Watch Dogs: Legion Review - London Brawling To The Faraway Towns

Watch Dogs: Legion Review - London Brawling To The Faraway Towns
press-start.com.au press-start.com.au

Game Revolution (4/5)

Despite its issues, considering just how many variables there are in Watch Dogs: Legion, it's a wonder that it works as well as it does. It's Pokemon but with people, with the player wandering around London and "catching" weird and wonderful Operatives to add to their unlikely team of hackers. Its story may be tonally inconsistent in typical Ubisoft fashion, but it's best enjoyed with your brain taking the backseat while your hiccuping drunk super-spy takes the wheel. While another cyberpunk game might do the genre's themes more justice later this year, Watch Dogs: Legion's beautiful London and its array of recruitable denizens make it one of the most enjoyable games of the year.
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www.gamerevolution.com

Watch Dogs: Legion Review | 'Pokemon but with people' - GameRevolution

Watch Dogs: Legion review for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Ubisoft's sequel lets players "recruit anyone," but does it actually work?
www.gamerevolution.com www.gamerevolution.com

GamingBolt (9/10)

Watch Dogs: Legion is definitely the best game in the series so far- and dare I say, one of the most engaging and inventive open world games I have played in years.
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gamingbolt.com

Watch Dogs: Legion Review – Gotta Catch ‘Em All

gamingbolt.com gamingbolt.com

Wccftech (7.9/10)

Watch Dogs Legion is a great step forward for the series, with enough experimental new gameplay features to complement the familiar mechanics. London is incredible, and exploring it is an almost visceral experience. It's just a shame that the story doesn't hold the same familiarity that the map does.
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wccftech.com

Watch Dogs Legion Review - Bold Gameplay, Mild Story

Watch Dogs Legion is a great step forward for the series in many ways. It's just a shame that the story doesn't quite hold up to the gameplay
wccftech.com wccftech.com

Rock Paper Shotgun (unscored)

Watch Dogs Legion is a literal and figurative riot once its 'play as anyone' mechanic gets in gear. But while it makes a commendable stab at tackling real world bleakness, it's trying to be a more earnest game than its open world cockney murder playground allows.
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www.rockpapershotgun.com

Watch Dogs Legion Review

Watch Dogs Legion is a literal riot at its best. But it's trying to be much more earnest than the open world cockney murder playground it is, and it can grate.
www.rockpapershotgun.com www.rockpapershotgun.com


Video Reviews

IGN - 8/10



ACG



Unranked Podcast

 
Last edited:
@TheFriendlyBro

@TheFriendlyBro

IGN - Video Producer and Editor
Verified
Aug 1, 2019
562
Been having quite a lot of fun with the game so far.

Weirdly though, GTA has conditioned me to drive on the wrong side of the road and I'm forever crashing in Legion.
 
Confused Cheeseburger

Confused Cheeseburger

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,890
Sounds like they had a really ambitious game but didn't shake up the core game loop enough. You're still playing it like old watch dogs.
 
Xater

Xater

Member
Oct 26, 2017
8,905
Germany
Opencritic already went down to 73 while this thread was created.

kind of a shame. The gimmick seemed like a cool idea, but it doesn't look like it quite worked out and it's still the same old Ubisoft framework.
 
Greywaren

Greywaren

Member
Jul 16, 2019
9,900
Spain
Roughly what I expected. I still think I'm gonna have a great time with it, though. Seems like a great checklist-y game to pass the time right now and the "play as anyone" gimmick seems like it could make things more fun.
 
Radium217

Radium217

Banned
Oct 31, 2019
1,833
Seems fun but like I will easily be able to buy it second hand on PS4 to play on PS5. I'm keen though
 
PowerUp

PowerUp

Member
Mar 30, 2018
266
Here's ours
6.3/10

powerup-gaming.com

Watch Dogs Legion Review (PC) – For We Are Many - PowerUp!

Watch Dogs 2 was a revelation. It had a story that was curated, tightly written, performed by wonderful actors covered in little ping-pong balls. It was, in essence, a silver bullet of a narrative about freedom, race and youth, and it hid inside an open-world game so that we’d gobble it all up...
powerup-gaming.com powerup-gaming.com
 
dex3108

dex3108

Member
Oct 26, 2017
22,572
dex3108 said:
My review score prediction is between 7 and 8. Overall impressions will be that game offers interesting mechanic that gets boring fast with mediocre story, repetitive mission design and clash of serious story parts and totally silly tone of the characters you are playing with. And I expect to see reviewers recommend playing with perma-deat on to make things more interesting.
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I was close enough XD
 
ZeroX

ZeroX

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,266
Speed Force
Yeah these reviews have it pegged as the worst in the series yet it seems.

It's a shame, but as I mentioned in the other WD threads... it kind of always looked pretty bad. Apparently the world design is good though, skimming these.
 
Ravelle

Ravelle

Member
Oct 31, 2017
17,764
Good reviews so far!

The game doesn't sound anything special but it does seem a fun and great sandboxing time, should a good game to play in short bursts a couple times a week.
 
Fat4all

Fat4all

Woke up, got a money tag, swears a lot
Member
Oct 25, 2017
92,577
here
feelin a bit like W_D 2 was the peak

thank you bobo dakes, im sorry i doubted you
 
Mr.Deadshot

Mr.Deadshot

Member
Oct 27, 2017
20,285
Curious why they never tried to catch the atmosphere of the reveal of the first game. Graphics like that should be possible by now and it seemed like that everyone loved that demo. A true dystopia cyber thriller type of game.

Instead they go more and more crazy and over the top and colorful with every sequel.
 
Acquiescence

Acquiescence

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
10,257
Lake Titicaca
The worst reviewing Watch Dogs yet it seems. I knew the story was going to be crap the moment they announced the NPC gimmick.

I just want another one like the first game. Sandbox Splinter Cell, excellent stealth and gunplay, dark seedy tone.. just ditch Aiden and replace him with Jordi.
 
Radium217

Radium217

Banned
Oct 31, 2019
1,833
I remember when critics gave Wildlands middling reviews. Legion seems to be similar in its freedom. If I'd listened then I would've missed out on one of the best open worlds of last gen.
 
Linus815

Linus815

Member
Oct 29, 2017
19,714
honestly, that score seems surprisingly high given how rough the game looked in some of the previews.
 
THANKS

THANKS

Prophet of Regret
Member
Oct 22, 2018
1,368
Absolutely gutted. Really wanted this to nail the landing but looks like it's not as good as it could have been.
 
Fliesen

Fliesen

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,253
I mean, it's a Watch_Dogs game, so you're gonna get some fun out of it, if you're into the "Ubisoft does GTA" kind of game.

If only they had made a sequel to Watch_Dogs 2 instead.

Still, this game's gonna be the "current gen" swan song for those of us who'll be upgrading to next gen at release.
 
Uzzy

Uzzy

Gabe’s little helper
Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,085
Hull, UK
metro.co.uk

Watch Dogs: Legion review - the London formula

The third Watch Dogs game moves the action to London and has a cameo from Stormzy but what is its vision of future Britain really like?
metro.co.uk metro.co.uk

"The three lead writers are all North American and it's clear they don't have a complete grasp of British culture and slang, with words like mate and quid frequently being used in odd ways and one bizarre scene where a character visits a pub and is given ale to drink out of a can, instead of a glass. We know it's supposed to be a dystopia, but nothing else in the game portrays quite that level of barbarism."

Jesus fucking christ.
 
Ushay

Ushay

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,347
Its about what I expected from it, will be a sale purchase from me. That's assuming I ever get past this ridiculous Game Pass backlog.
 
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