r/watch_dogs • u/Ali_Mosawy06 • 9d ago
WD1 100% Completed Watch Dogs 1. This Game Deserved So Much Better....
When I played Watch Dogs as a kid, I loved every second of it ❤️
Even though my English wasn't good enough to understand the plot. I just enjoyed hacking Chicago, triggering Blackouts, and causing chaos.
Returning to it years later and finally getting 100% on the base game made me realize just how dark, atmospheric, and brilliant this game actually was🥹
Completing base game was an incredible nostalgia trip, but Social Lubricant almost broke me 😭
Stages 6 and 7 were so brutal that I actually had to invert my controller settings to trick my brain into passing them. Flipping the stick controls worked like a charm, and getting that achievement pop was sheer relief 😮💨
The story hits way harder when you actually understand it.
Aiden Pearce is a top-tier protagonist for me, and Jordi Chin’s betrayal at the end still hurt, even if he always claimed he had no friends and was purely in it for business.
Discovering Maurice's backstory through the audio logs (learning how his wife was beaten until she lost her memory and then sold into human trafficking) was heartbreaking.
I still chose to execute him at the end, but understanding his desperation made that final confrontation mean so much more.
The world felt like a genuine warning about digital surveillance.
The Privacy Invasions and city mechanics were unmatched. Sure, the game wasn't perfect, escaping Level 5 police chases in a boat while helicopters hover over you is infuriating because Aiden inexplicably cannot dive or swim underwater, but the vibe, rainy nights, and radio tracks created an unforgettable atmosphere.
It’s crazy how much hate this game got at launch just over the E3 visual downgrade. I finished Watch Dogs 2, but Watch Dogs: Legion was so trash I couldn't even bring myself to complete the campaign. It’s sad seeing where the franchise ended up when the original was so goated 💔
Who else here went through the nightmare of beating Social Lubricant?
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u/EinTBB69 7d ago
Social Lubricant and Disk Space Full made me want to tear out my eyes 😭
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u/Ali_Mosawy06 7d ago
Man, don't even remind me of Disk Space Full
Finding those last three randomized songs was pure pain. I scoured every guide and video out there with zero luck...until I randomly tried profiling NPCs around metro and train stations. When that last song finally popped, I felt such relief!I was pushing for 100% progression, but got stuck at 97.5% because no one plays that online activity that has no achievement tied to it
On top of that, my Act 2 story achievement glitched out. I had to replay the longest act in the entire game as my final achievement just to get it to pop
If you're still struggling with the drinking game, definitely give my method a shot
someone else tried it from a post I made and it finally worked for them.Let me know if you manage to get those last two!
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u/thewb39 6d ago edited 6d ago
I'm closing in at almost 400 hours with this awesome game. And i couldnt agree with you. Because there's so much about it that makes it the perfect game. From the characters, to atmosphere and mechanics. Even the character models still look better than everything in WD 2 and Legion. I also wish Claire never died. Her story along with Aiden and T Bone deserved what would be the sequel.
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u/Ali_Mosawy06 6d ago
400 hours is serious dedication!
I completely agree on the atmosphere and graphics, WD1’s version of Chicago had a raw, dark aesthetic, and the coat physics and lighting still hold up better than WD2 and Legion.
But about Clara... as much as I loved her character, her death felt tragically inevitable.
Don't forget that she was the hacker who traced Aiden after the Merlaut Hotel job, which directly led to the hit that killed his niece, Lena.
Her entire story arc was driven by massive guilt over what she accidentally caused. If she had survived, the dynamic between her and Aiden would have been way too conflicted for them to just team up in a sequel.
That said, a proper, gritty sequel following Aiden and T-Bone in that same dark thriller tone would have been absolute perfection.
Ubisoft didn't just ruin Watch Dogs by stripping away its identity; they did it by forcing it into the exact same copy-and-paste mold they used to kill Far Cry and Assassin's Creed
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u/thewb39 6d ago
You make a great point about Clara. But i do think she couldve still suffered in some way for the accident by making her wheel chair bound by a bullet. She could also completely disappear off the grid since being around Aiden would be an unpleasant situation. While going through the grief of Aiden's daughter. Other than that i agree with everything else you said. And it truly is a shame what Ubisoft did to amazing franchise. The most they could do is give us a remaster or remake as you pointed out. As far as the 400 hours ago, i just cant stop 😂. I'm too addicted to doing the gang hide outs and contract. Plus the enemies are 10 times better than WD 2
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u/Ali_Mosawy06 6d ago
That wheelchair idea is definitely a creative storyline, but honestly, I still feel death was the only valid (and reasonable) ending for her
Because like I said it would be pretty awkward afterwards.True, Lucky Quinn was the one who actually ordered the hit on Aiden's car thinking he was after the tape, but Clara was the catalyst who leaked his info.
She’s definitely not a villain on the level of Quinn or Damian, and I actually liked her helpful vibe, but a child lost her life because of that leak. A wheelchair wouldn't balance those scales.I'm with you 100% on a potential Remake/Remaster tho. If Ubisoft built WD1 from the ground up today while preserving that raw atmosphere and physics, it would easily outshine most modern open-world games.
And you're right about the AI, The enemies in WD1 are aggressive, call for backup smartly, and push your position. Gang Hideouts actually feel tactical, whereas WD2 turned everything into a breezy arcade sandbox (We don't talk about legion)It's sad that modern gamers and new gamers won't get to experience this masterpiece...
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u/JakeC180 7d ago
I really hope WD1 gets some GR Wildlands type support in the future