Watch Dogs is NOT a good game, but it will be.

Watch Dogs is not a good game. It does nothing to push open world games forward and graphics and some strong tech is all it has going for it. Watch Dogs was the game I was most excited for this year and it is plagued with lazy storytelling, boring missions, and a horrendous driving mechanic. The whole experience is broken.

Be skeptical of my opinions. I couldn’t get myself to finish the game and I could be missing an amazing second half. But, I feel that’s not the case. I tried to complete the game. I really did, but a player should not force themselves to finish a game.

A player should love their experience, not dread the next cutscene the protagonist shows up in. Among other faults, Aiden Pearce is unlikable, unrelatable and is more a villain than a vigilante. A vigilante doesn’t put civilians in danger by issuing blackouts in crowded arenas and tampering with traffic lights. A vigilante doesn’t invade people’s privacy for the hell of it. Credibility would be on Ubisoft’s side if they pegged Pearce as an antihero or villain from the beginning.

Other issues include pointless mechanics, a protagonist (though, we’ve established he is quite the opposite) with no visible weaknesses, and a lack of compelling mission structures. The game’s main feature is the ability to invade people’s privacy with your cell phone. This is a fun gimmick at first, but the uselessness of it becomes apparent early on. Stealing cash and activating side missions are the phone’s only purpose when not being used as a weapon. This is an example of not capitalizing on a feature that has potential to create something unique in the world of Watch Dogs.

I struggled to finish the game because it’s boring. Mission objectives are repeated with little variations in between and the common revenge story is not done well. I don’t care about avenging an undeveloped character, let alone a niece. Why couldn’t it have been his wife, son, daughter, mother, or even the sister? We’re avenging his niece? We’re mass murdering and ruining people’s lives for Aiden Pearce’s niece.

There is hope. Watch Dogs has the potential to be a great franchise and I know it will be. The ideas, the technology, and the setting are all there. Assassin’s Creed had a shaky first outing, but then established itself as a strong series. Watch Dogs will do the same. Ubisoft needs to up their narrative game and create missions that aline with the narrative, the player, and the motivations of the protagonist.