Ubisoft is releasing a Watch Dogs patch that will fix corrupt game saves as well as various other bugs in the game. The game launched last month with crashes and performance issues, causing a huge headache for PC gamers.
The patch is rolling out to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 users today. Xbox 360 and Xbox One users can expect the patch “within the next week.” PC players can expect to see it “in the coming days.”
The biggest fix included in the patch is the ability to “automatically reconstruct corrupted save files.” It’s a relief that those saves can be recoved instead of being lost forever.
PC users will see fixes for graphical glitches, SLI crashes, and various connection issues. For a full list of fixes, check out the source link below.
Watch Dogs, the highly anticipated game from Ubisoft, launched today with many problems. Users are reporting problems logging into Uplay, Ubisoft’s digital rights management software as well as various performance issues.
Ubisoft is aware of the Uplay connection issues and is working on a fix. That doesn’t stop gamers from feeling slighted that their $60 game doesn’t work.
There are other reports of performance issues like dropped frames and the blue screen of death. Ubisoft worked closely with NVIDIA to release updated drivers for its graphics cards. PC gamers with NVIDIA cards should update to the 337.88 drivers before trying to play the game. You can get the drivers here.
AMD Radion card owners will have to wait a while longer for updated Catalyst drivers. AMD is releasing beta drivers today, which have been optimized for Watch Dogs. Since the drivers are in beta, expect some (more) bugs.
For more fixes, check out the guide on Game Debate for fixing various issues with Watch Dogs on PC.
Console gamers seem to be exempt from these issues but let us know in the comments if you’re having problems playing Watch Dogs.
I must confess: I was impressed when Ubisoft introduced Watch Dogs to the press at E3 2012. Two long years later, I’ve completely changed my mind. Frankly, with just a week left until it’s release, I don’t expect much from this new game.
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As I said back then, I followed Watch Dogs closely during its development. Where the game once created surprise and expectation, it all seems to have blown away in the past few months.
The gaming world has changed a lot in two years, and the tricks of the new Ubi game no longer impress me. Why am I not particularly fond of Watch Dogs? Let me explain why I won’t be lining up on May 27th to buy the game.
A sedated Tom Cruise
The game’s creators have said it themselves: it won’t be easy to grow attached to Aiden Pearce, the Watch Dogs anti-hero. Personally, I feel no empathy for this sedated Tom Cruise clone. Taciturn, rough, and with an explosive temper, it almost makes me miss the deplorable Ezio from Assassin’s Creed II.
I feel no empathy for this Tom Cruise clone on Valium.
Do we know anything about his personality, his desires, or motivations? Apart from a vague story of revenge, we have nothing. At a time when video games give life to heroes as complex and intricate as those in Papers, Please, The Last of Us or The Walking Dead, the Watch Dogs hero seems like a relic of the past.
United Colors of Ubisoft™
In addition to his unpleasant personality, our poor hero Aiden seems to be a victim of a typical pathology we find in games from the previous generation: he is the stereotype of your average white male hero in his thirties, a change for Ubisoft, who, in the past, wouldn’t hesitate to include characters of a Persian, Arab, American-Indian or Caribbean descent.
The average hero with brown hair in his thirties, or, zero originality in gaming.
Becoming a character who spends his days playing with a smartphone doesn’t make me dream. That’s what I do in reality all day. All things considered, Watch Dogs is more depressing than anything else.
I found an open wi-fi… Yippee!
The game takes place in a future that is so close to the present, that most of the super powers of our dear Aiden aren’t really that extraordinary. So, yes, while the game may be more realistic, I think I’d quickly get bored if my options are limited to disrupting traffic, creeping Facebook accounts that belong to people I don’t know, or watching videos from surveillance cameras.
All quiet on the Western front…
Aiden Pearce’s hallucinations remind me of Saints Row and GTA missions…
Although Ubisoft’s game will launch May 27th, you can experience some of its key mechanics playing other games that are already available. Inspiration? Emulation? Coincidence? Judge for yourselves.
Assassin’s Creed (doesn’t matter which)
In each episode of this excellent saga, you become a vigilante on the margins of society throughout an adventure rooted in the real world that will lead to a more complicated plot. Sound familiar?
If what you want is to roam freely through a city recreated to perfection, GTA V is the game for you. Even better, Rockstar’s game includes missions under the effects of hallucinogenic substances similar to the digital trips we can find in Watch Dogs.
With Deus Ex: Human Revolution, you’ll be able to enjoy the cyberpunk atmosphere of Ubisoft’s game. It’s the ideal way to become a hacker’s apprentice and familiarize yourself with the societal issues addressed in Watch Dogs. Start with the original.
If you dream about becoming a hacker, I recommend Republic, a game for iPad that combines hacking and infiltration stages perfectly, something we can also find on Watch Dogs.
Do you want to drive the most amazing cars through the busy streets of a U.S. urban area and play hide and seek with the police? Try the excellent Need For Speed: Most Wanted.
Split/Second gives the most aggressive drivers the chance to activate deadly traps at full speed. Let me know the day when Watch Dog’s Aiden Pearce is capable of bringing down planes or entire buildings onto those following him.
With only a week to go, I’m not too impatient about the Watch Dogs launch. In the past, Ubisoft has given us much more ambitious projects, and this new release doesn’t thrill me as much.
But, to be honest, I hope to be pleasantly surprised by Watch Dogs. Ubisoft has rarely disappointed me in the past, and the new game could well be a surprise with an unexpected storyline twist, or an unusual balance between its game mechanics.
In any case, we’ll see how the game is once it’s released at the end of the month.
In the meantime, check out the rest of this month’s game releases. Believe it or not, there’s a lot more to life than Watch Dogs.
Update 27-05-2014: The gameplay videos have since been removed.
Gameplay videos of Watch Dogs, this month’s highly anticipated game release from Ubisoft, have already started popping up ahead of next week’s launch. The videos have been posted by fans who’ve gotten their hands on copies of the game before the scheduled release.
With the videos come the first analysis of the game. Taking things in stride, Ubisoft, the game’s developer, took to Twitter to respond to the videos, claiming that these “analysts” were Watch Dog hackers (hacking is a staple of the game).
Hackers have attempted to infiltrate our system and post false reviews of Watch Dogs. All valid reviews will emerge at release on May 27_
Even though it was delayed, Watch Dogs is one of the anticipated games to showcase the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but the release is up against some strong competition with games like Wolfenstein: New Order and Mario Kart 8.
As we told you in April, May is when the second batch of big releases start. Ubisoft finally releases its long-awaited Watch Dogs, its winning card for the new generation of consoles. Wolfenstein is also hoping to make an impact, and we’ll see the return of one of Nintendo’s most beloved characters.
The Amazing Spider-man 2 – PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, 3DS (April 29, 2014)
The blockbuster based on the Marvel comic has already been turned into a videogame. Here we find the plot from the film but additional stories like the search for Uncle Ben’s murderer.
So, in this open-world game, Spider-Man will carry out all kinds of superhero missions and face a number of villains. In addition to Electro and the Green Goblin, Spider-Man will have to fight against Black Cat, Venom, and Kingpin.
Bound by Flame – PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 (May 9, 2014)
The Elder Scrolls Online isn’t the only roll-playing game out there; there are many other RPGs looking for an audience. This month’s RPG launch is Bound by Flame, a medieval-style open world ruled by a demon.
This villain will offer us amazing powers if we decide to join his side. If we reject his offer we’ll be on the side of justice, initially weak but with powerful combat tactics available as we play. Which side will you choose?
Killer is Dead – Nightmare Edition – PC (May 23, 2014)
After the console release in August 2013 , Suda51’s latest game is now available for PC. In the Nightmare Edition, we’ll meet a wild and attractive assassin that fights evil.
Forget about Hitman’ssobriety, the guys at Grasshopper Manufacture like to think big and Killer is Dead is all about insane action.
Wolfenstein: The New Order – PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One (May 20, 2014)
Wolfenstein is a well-known series for veteran FPS fans. Its last version, from 2009, was both praised and criticized, but it seems this conflict of opinion will end with the new game,The New Order.
Set in the 1960s, The New Order takes us to an alternate history where the Third Reich won World War II. You play as William “B.J.” Blazkowicz who is called once again to stop the Nazis from destroying the world.
Watch Dogs – PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One (May 27, 2014)
But, the most anticipated event of the month is Watch Dogs. This game offers a combination of elements that’s hard to resist: action, open world, a futuristic setting, and a mysterious protagonist.
Mario Kart 8 – Wii U (May 30, 2014)
Wii U launches one of the most anticipated games for Nintendo enthusiasts, a new Mario Kart. Distancing itself from simulation, but without losing its famous strategic elements, this new Mario game has very interesting new features.
After introducing motorcycles and watercraft in previous editions, Nintendo introduces anti-gravity in Mario Kart 8, which will let you drive upside down. In addition, it features an online mode for up to 12 players, plus the usual four player split-screen offline.
Excited? Well, wait for E3!
If you think May is an interesting month for the videogame industry, let me remind you of one thing: the most important expo in games, E3 in Los Angeles, will take place next month. In other words, we’re only a few weeks away from discovering even more great games.
Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs is set for release on May 27th, and we now know the recommended specifications for the PC version. It’s an open world near-future technological adventure, where networks follow your every movement, but you have the ability to hack them.
Recommended PC Specifications:
OS: Windows Vista (SP2), Windows 7 (SP1) or Windows 8 (Please note that we only support 64 bit OSs.)
Graphics: DirectX 11 card with at least 2GB of VRAM (NVidia GTX560 ti or AMD Radeon HD 7850)
Processor: Eight core CPU (Intel Core i7-3770 running at 3.5 GHz or AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core CPU running at 4 GHz)
Memory: 8GB of RAM
Hard Drive: 25GB of available hard drive space
The minimum specs are much lower, as you can see below, but as Watch Dogs is very much a ‘next gen’ game, we expect a much better looking experience closer to the recommended specs.
Minimum PC Specifications:
OS: Windows Vista (SP2), Windows 7 (SP1) or Windows 8 (Please note that we only support 64 bit OSs.)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 @ 2.66Ghz or AMD Phenom II X4 940 @ 3.0Ghz
Memory: 6 GB RAM
Graphics: DirectX 11 graphics card with 1 GB Video RAM – Nvidia Geforce GTX 460 or AMD Radeon HD 5770
DirectX: Version 11
Hard Drive: 25 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card with Latest Drivers
Watch Dogs has been significantly delayed, so we’re hoping this extra development time will make the game live up to expectations, which have been very high ever since its announcement at E3 2012.
The newest Watch Dogs trailer takes us on a tour of Chicago, the city where the game takes place. Game developers Ubisoft have taken an interesting approach – on one hand, the sandbox game promises a gritty, realistic representation of the Windy City, while on the other, it situates the game in a no-so-distant possible future, where the city we know is monitored by a sophisticated network of computers, smartphones, cameras and more…
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The game’s protagonist, Aiden Pierce, is an expert hacker who is more than capable of converting the city of Chicago into his own personal playground. He can listen in on telephone conversations, connect to CCTV streams, change up the city’s traffic systems and, from what we can see, so can his fellow citizens.
The video also promises some serious realism. The trailer showcases the game’s dynamic daylight and night cycles, as well as changing weather conditions. Meanwhile, Ubisoft seems to have made numerous changes to the game’s background and the behavior of its citizens, to the extent that each will have their own personality and interests, making the game much more varied and exciting as a result.
Avira Antivirus adds some enhanced features to its free suite, Watch Dogs gets a release date, Talking Angela is deemed harmless, and PCMover Express helps you leave XP before it leaves you. Check out this week’s biggest software news in the Softonic Minute!
Avira is bringing its Protection Cloud and Browser Safety features to Avira Free Antivirus for Windows. Both features were previously only available in its premium security suites. It has also enhanced the features of Avira Free Mac Security.
Ubisoft’s highly anticipated open world game, Watch Dogs, will arrive May 27th. The company announced a delay for the game back in October, promising to launch in spring 2014. Looks like they’re making good on that promise.
A rumor spreading through Facebook claimed that the app could be a front for pedophiles. Thankfully, a number of specialized security sites have confirmed that the rumor is false.
Windows XP is reaching the end of its life, and Microsoft is trying to help users upgrade to a modern version of Windows. by offering Windows XP users PCmover Express, a software to transfer you data from one version to another.
Ubisoft’s highly anticipated open world game, Watch Dogs, will arrive May 27th. The company announced a delay for the game back in October, promising to launch in spring 2014. They’ve made good on their promise and the game will launch on the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One simultaneously. The Wii U version is delayed with no announced release date.
Watch Dogs takes place in Chicago in the not-too-distant-future. Surveillance cameras are installed everywhere to curb crime and to spy on citizens. You’ll play as Aiden Pearce, a vigilante that can hack into various electronic systems around the city.
Although Watch Dogs is available on so many platforms, Ubisoft promises the same experience for everyone. “So, same storyline, same gameplay, all the same mechanics, innovations. All the same missions, if you want, the same world,” says Watch Dogs senior producer Dominic Guay.
When asked about what’s different between the versions, Guay spoke about scaling. “So it’s stuff like the amount of civilians in the street, the amount of cars in the street, the detail in the animation, or how sophisticated some reactions are to some of your actions. So some of those things are scaled down.” Graphics will obviously be different between current-gen, next-gen, and PC.
Ubisoft’s highly anticipated open-world game, Watch Dogs, has been delayed until spring 2014. The game was first shown at E3 2012 with an expected release date of November 2013. The game was also bundled in preorders for the PlayStation 4, which will still arrive in November, though now it’s unclear how these preorders will be affected.
The company announced the delay in a blog post, stating their reasoning behind delaying the game for so long:
“Our ambition from the start with Watch Dogs has been to deliver something that embodies what we wanted to see in the next-generation of gaming. It is with this in mind that we’ve made the tough decision to delay the release until Spring 2014.”
Ubisoft goes on to say that the company struggled with the decision to delay the game and ultimately didn’t want to sacrifice the quality of the game to push it out sooner.
In addition to delaying Watch Dogs, Ubisoft also announced that their upcoming racing game, The Crew, would also be delayed. Although no release date was ever announced for The Crew, Ubisoft is still aiming to release the game on next-gen consoles.
UPDATE 1: Amazon has announced that pre-orders for the Playstation 4 Watch Dogs Launch Bundle will hold their place in line and will receive the console without Watch Dogs. The company has not notified customers of compensation or alternatives for the game. Here’s what Amazon posted on the product page:
“All orders for the Watch Dogs PlayStation 4 bundle will keep their place in line and we will fulfill the PlayStation 4 (without the Watch Dogs game) in accordance with your current delivery estimate. We are working on adjusting these orders and will update you as soon as we know more.”
UPDATE 2: Amazon has elaborated on its Watch Dogs bundles for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Users will have the option to keep their Watch Dogs bundle and have the game ship separately when it becomes available, or choose another bundle. Here’s Amazon’s full statement:
“With the news that Ubisoft has delayed the release of the highly-anticipated title Watch Dogs until next year, GameStop is contacting customers who had reserved PlayStation 4 and Xbox One bundles featuring the game. Customers can elect to keep their current bundle orders and their consoles will ship as scheduled with the game shipping separately once it is available, or customers can choose another bundle to replace their current order. Customers should also note that there may be a difference in the price if selecting another bundle and that all reserved orders will be charged upon shipment.”
