

At first I thought I'd be maneuvering through the game mostly as a stealthy hacker, secretly infiltrating highly classified areas - you know, controlling the show from behind the curtain. Watch Dogs doesn't do a great job of explaining the circumstances that I, playing as Aiden Pearce, found myself in. Beyond completionists, most players will get tired of them quickly. After a while, earning more cash turns stale and collecting XP feels fruitless. Can anyone really stomach another round of Texas Hold 'em? A lot of the extras in the game aren't worth the time spent completing them. There's also a handful of activities that you're bound to have seen before. Some of the extra items are fun to investigate, but others aren't worth more than a first try. The campaign takes a few hours to gain some momentum, but it's not without the constant bombardment of HUD items distracting you from the game's other features. Now it's time for Pearce to get to the bottom of a corrupt world of surveillance and control in order to make sense of who is responsible for his pain. Since that night, guilt has been eating away at him and it's chewed through his relationship with his family. A few months back his nefarious actions cost him the loss of a loved one. You play as Aiden Pearce, an antihero who has inexplicable hacking abilities that he shares with an underground network of quasi-acquaintances. Hacking, the very mechanic Watch Dogs is built upon, doesn't feel strong enough to carry an entire game. Once I was able to wrap my head around the rule set of the Watch Dogs world, everything suddenly felt small and unimportant. Watch Dogs doesn't feel as "open-world" as a game like Grand Theft Auto V, mostly because it fails to blur the boundaries of what's possible in the game. Those expectations can doom a title out of the gate.

That's only the tip of the iceberg, so check out more great ways to save on Xbox products this holiday season.I think Watch Dogs' debut made such an insurmountable splash because people's imaginations ran wild with suggestions of what might be possible in the game. Usually priced at $59.99, the headset is $20 off. If you want to really hear the sound of your favorite games, you can get the Microsoft Xbox Wired Stereo Headset at the developer's website for $39.99. Whether you're in the market for a new controller to keep your button-mashing up to speed or want to make sure you've got online multiplayer access for a whole year, these deals can meet your needs for a fraction of the regular cost. Retailers from Amazon to GameStop to Microsoft are featuring various video games, headsets and even memory storage devices with Xbox's iconic logo on it. Sign up for text message alerts from the deal-hunting team at Reviewed. Tackle your holiday shopping with deals and expert advice delivered straight to your phone. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the world of Xbox, quite a few shopping outlets (including Microsoft itself) are featuring deals on the brand's games and accessories in honor of Black Friday that you'll want to explore. That's largely due to its innovations in online gaming, quality hardware and varied game selection. Microsoft first introduced the Xbox to the world 20 years ago and has done quite well for itself in the gaming world since then. Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission. Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors.
