The Watch Dogs release date is but days away, and gamers expect Ubisoft to deliver to the promises it made on E3 two years ago. With the game practically out on the shelves, an evaluation of its leaked specs slightly disappoint.
Leaked screenshots of the PC version are expectedly better than the consoles. Developers have more room to move in frame rate and resolution, due to the capabilities of custom hardware. As a result, the game tips the scale on the PC at almost 4000p resolution (3840X2160) (dsogaming.com).
The case is different with the consoles, though. Days before the Watch Dogs release date, leaked gameplay footage of the Xbox 360 version reveal the developers have skimped on the capabilities of the hardware. Elements of the game, such as object rendering, remind of the limitations of older generations of consoles, particularly the PlayStation 2.
Gamers can't be faulted for setting high expectations for the title. When Watch Dogs was previewed in 2012's E3, people were awed at the gameplay and its supposed graphical quality. That was a year before PS4 and Xbox One was released.
Watch Dogs release date failed to keep its promise of coinciding with the current generation of consoles, and has thus suffered comparisons with available titles.
The graphics is pared down, considering it's a next-gen title. The problem of porting the game across console generations may have put too much strain on the developers' backs.
The technical differences are forgivable and the gameplay more than compensates for these. Ubisoft has also done consoles a disservice with (graphically) subpar games.
The shortcomings become evident with playtests of the open-world environment, and the verdict is out once the dust settles on the Watch Dogs release date. It took two years and months of delays for Ubisoft to finally realize an ambitious project, and Tuesday's release will show if it was worth the wait (gearnuke.com).
