The Endless Failures of Watch Dogs Legion

She Watch on my Dog till I'm Legion Edited by Playstayshaun Shauns Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlaystayShaun_ Shauns YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/PlaystayShaun You can get videos early and support the channel by becoming a patron or a YouTube member!: https://www.patreon.com/thatboyaqua Follow my Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatBoyAqua Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/VBJwTUa Other Essays: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PL0hudNq_z8tDAoBj0iR1bO2f0U8TRQDu8 - Chapters - Intro: 0:00 Chp. 1 - Nobody: 1:15 Chp. 2 - Liberating London: 15:58 Chp. 3 - Resistance: 19:26 Chp. 4 - Story: 38:57 Chp. 5 - Bloodline: 1:01:11 Chp. 6 - Hard Reset: 1:07:39 Outro: 1:14:13 Watch Dogs Legion, is a game that is, at its core, and I rarely say this, fundamentally flawed. The idea to play as anyone, can only result in a game where you play as no one. Sure, there are some ways to still deliver an engaging story, but I think with this concept, and given what the first two games established, Watch Dogs Legion was starting on the back foot, and would need to deliver something truly amazing to rise above the inevitable backlash. But, before we look at the game itself, I want to talk about what the first two games established, as it’s critical context for the reception and conception of Watch Dogs Legion. The first thing to note is the tone difference between Watch Dogs 1 and 2. I discussed this shift in tone a lot in my Watch Dogs 2 video. A lot of you didn’t though, as evidenced by the people who thought the video was ragebait, because everyone knows the most efficient way to pump out ragebait is to spend nearly 100 hours writing a critique of a game, and given my track record, it’s clear I never talk about the things I like. With that in mind *inhale* HEY. PAY THE FUCK ATTENTION. If you’ve seen it, then you’ll know that I argued that, the tone shift in Watch Dogs 2, as well as the gameplay being so radically different compared to the first, despite it being good, led to the series being split in two fanbases, meaning that Ubisoft had the choice to please one side, or try to please both, with the risk of pleasing neither. Watch Dogs Legion, is their choice. I’m sure you can imagine who was pleased here. Let’s start where it’s easiest; playing as anybody. Is that what people want, and is that such a radical shift from the previous games? Watch Dogs starred a character that was by all means a blank slate, but not for the character to project themselves upon, instead serving as a part of his character. Aiden’s face is always obscured, his clothing ordinary, and even his position in our view of the game keeps him comfortably in the peripheral. He needs to blend in because his work demands it. Operating alongside Aiden is Dedsec, a group of Anonymous hackers that intend on being Chicago's WatchDogs. As the game progresses we learn that there are other Dedsec groups all over the world, mostly fighting for the same goal. Characters we encounter have ties to DedSec, their leader is unknown, and generally, the theme is clear; it could be anyone, and that’s the power Aiden thrives on. Hacking is an invisible superpower, meaning anyone from a grease monkey bum to a crime warlord can utilise it, and so can Aiden. The second game decided to make Marcus, and the rest of the core San Francisco group more expressive. Marcus is even positioned in the middle of the screen. But his and his friends' unique quirks strengthened the theme of the first game; it could be anyone. Sure, those characters can at times be too bombastic, turning the serious tone of Dedsec from the first game into a saturday cartoon, but these people still put on a serious face for Dedsec when approaching the public. Watch Dogs Legion, otherwise Watch Dogs 3, is a game that I have many mixed feelings on. This Watch Dogs Legion review will unpack those feelings, though as the title might have you believe, this Watch Dogs Legion critique will be a bit more negative than usual. I went into this Watch Dogs Legion analysis with the intention of continuing my positivity showcased in other Watch Dogs retrospectives, but seeing how Watch Dogs Legion doomed the series made that impossible. The Endless Failings of Watch Dogs Legion will unpack what Watch Dogs Legion years later looks like. Hopefully, this game will be forgotten when the new Watch Dogs game is announced, because I do not want to end my Watch Dogs series retrospective here. Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2 are too good for this to be more than a failed experiment. Fortunatley, Watch Dogs Legion Bloodline was good, but Watch Dogs Bloodline is not enough to keep me from wanting to forget Legion, and focus on waiting for the next Watch Dogs game.