This video from Cracked sums up Watch Dogs nicely.
Yeah, Watch Dogs is a perfect example of a game that just becomes dumb as shit if you spend more than a minute or two thinking about it.
Fucking dual-network forklifts, man.
It is more like "pointing a magic wand at things" than hacking. I am amazed at how elaborate the city is though.
Is the city really that elaborate, though? There's stores, there's mini game locations - both of which are standard fare for open world games at this point - and the rest is stuff you can magic wand. Maybe I need to explore more or something, but it feels even less lifelike than GTA IV's Liberty City to me. That at least had a constant in-game web presence, TV, and radio commercials to breathe some life and personality into the setting itself.
The bits of life you see in the city are kinda baffling. Like I ran into a couple having a fight and the dude straight up smacked the girl, so I assumed it was a crime in progress and got ready to take him down but she just ran away and he turned to me and asked me something freakily innocuous.
There are TV broadcasts (not as many as GTA) to do with news bulletins or Dedsec, some of which name and show you if you have a low morality thing so people start recognising you and calling the police which is cool.
There's also just a lot of stuff happening, people cleaning windows, playing AR games, going for walks, jogging, arguing, telling each other about random stuff that happened at the weekend, what seems to be hundreds of texting conversations and voicemails, all the little bits of info on every single npc (that I thought was done incredibly well), there's boats going around doing their thing, occasional emergency services vehicles, random car crashes where the drivers get out to swap details.
In lots of ways it's not as detailed as GTA IV/V but there is loads more information to discover, plus it's the first in a series and Ubisoft have never achieved anything this detailed. I was really impressed, can't wait to see what they can do with the next one.
With the 'magic wand' complaints, I don't get what people would prefer. I like that I can open doors, raise bollards, stop trains, change traffic lights, blow transformers and cut off communications with a single button. It would have been nice for there to be a few more things to hack but I struggle to think of anything dramatically different. I'm glad there wasn't a hacking minigame everytime I wanted to do it.
There are TV broadcasts (not as many as GTA) to do with news bulletins or Dedsec, some of which name and show you if you have a low morality thing so people start recognising you and calling the police which is cool.
There's also just a lot of stuff happening, people cleaning windows, playing AR games, going for walks, jogging, arguing, telling each other about random stuff that happened at the weekend, what seems to be hundreds of texting conversations and voicemails, all the little bits of info on every single npc (that I thought was done incredibly well), there's boats going around doing their thing, occasional emergency services vehicles, random car crashes where the drivers get out to swap details.
In lots of ways it's not as detailed as GTA IV/V but there is loads more information to discover, plus it's the first in a series and Ubisoft have never achieved anything this detailed. I was really impressed, can't wait to see what they can do with the next one.
With the 'magic wand' complaints, I don't get what people would prefer. I like that I can open doors, raise bollards, stop trains, change traffic lights, blow transformers and cut off communications with a single button. It would have been nice for there to be a few more things to hack but I struggle to think of anything dramatically different. I'm glad there wasn't a hacking minigame everytime I wanted to do it.
It's not just the nature of hacking but the general game design and how hacking factors into it.
I actually like the idea of a magic phone that, with a single button press, can hax0r things. It's like...hacker power fantasy come true.
But the prevalence of, say, hackable forklifts throws the stupidity of the way hacking works in your face. The game doesn't meet you halfway in suspending your disbelief - it actively works against it with various bits of either lazy or just flat out dumb design.
As far as I'm concerned, hacking forklifts in Watch_Dogs is akin to breaking crates for ammo in an FPS. It's a very clear reminder that this is just a game. Which, to be fair, it is. But it also half-assedly aspires to some level of realism and internal consistency which it then constantly defies.
This all reminds me of how poor a job they did of showing Aidan as being some great hacker. He never acted like he actually knew anything about hacking. He was always a script kiddy.
The key difference between Aiden and the GTA 5 protagonists is that the GTA 5 protagonists all have extroverted personalities; Aiden doesn't. In that way he's similar to Connor. Which probably means he'll be replaced in the sequel too with the same generic protagonist template that 90% of games use anyway.
As for the hacking, for the same reason in RPGs they don't show a player preparing his spells for a given day by going over his writs and cobbling together balls of bat fur, Aiden waves his magic phone around because coding is incredibly boring to watch on a screen, and if made "exciting" (see crime TV shows) even more unbelievable and dumb. Nevermind that he's using the "Profiler" throughout the game, so he really doesn't need to code or write his own exploits and such... because magic hacker phone.
Prior to that, he was a Damien's footman more or less. So while he may have learned a lot and been taught by Damien, he was never the decker.
tastydonuts on
“I used to draw, hard to admit that I used to draw...”
The key difference between Aiden and the GTA 5 protagonists is that the GTA 5 protagonists all have extroverted personalities; Aiden doesn't. In that way he's similar to Connor. Which probably means he'll be replaced in the sequel too with the same generic protagonist template that 90% of games use anyway.
As for the hacking, for the same reason in RPGs they don't show a player preparing his spells for a given day by going over his writs and cobbling together balls of bat fur, Aiden waves his magic phone around because coding is incredibly boring to watch on a screen, and if made "exciting" (see crime TV shows) even more unbelievable and dumb. Nevermind that he's using the "Profiler" throughout the game, so he really doesn't need to code or write his own exploits and such... because magic hacker phone.
Prior to that, he was a Damien's footman more or less. So while he may have learned a lot and been taught by Damien, he was never the decker.
I was trying to avoid bringing up Connor.
Because the only thing I can think to say is "I can't believe Ubisoft managed to 'design'* a character that I hate more than Connor."
Which kind of sounds trollish even though it's how I genuinely feel. Like, I like Watch_Dogs less than AC3 and AC3 is a game I actively, massively dislike. One of my least favorite games going back to 1982/3 when I started playing games.
This all reminds me of how poor a job they did of showing Aidan as being some great hacker. He never acted like he actually knew anything about hacking. He was always a script kiddy.
I thought he *was* a script kiddy.
A script kiddy who knows all about guns, stealth, hand to hand combat, and physical intrusion. His contribution to any partnership with an actual hacker is obvious.
This all reminds me of how poor a job they did of showing Aidan as being some great hacker. He never acted like he actually knew anything about hacking. He was always a script kiddy.
I thought he *was* a script kiddy.
A script kiddy who knows all about guns, stealth, hand to hand combat, and physical intrusion. His contribution to any partnership with an actual hacker is obvious.
He probably has some skills, after all Damien taught him stuff. But yeah, he's a gunman first and foremost... then a hacker.
“I used to draw, hard to admit that I used to draw...”
So is not everything thats out at the moment on the season pass? Like it seems like you already miss out on that new dlc thats out. That seems ridiculous?
This video from Cracked sums up Watch Dogs nicely.
Yeah, Watch Dogs is a perfect example of a game that just becomes dumb as shit if you spend more than a minute or two thinking about it.
Fucking dual-network forklifts, man.
It is more like "pointing a magic wand at things" than hacking. I am amazed at how elaborate the city is though.
Is the city really that elaborate, though? There's stores, there's mini game locations - both of which are standard fare for open world games at this point - and the rest is stuff you can magic wand. Maybe I need to explore more or something, but it feels even less lifelike than GTA IV's Liberty City to me. That at least had a constant in-game web presence, TV, and radio commercials to breathe some life and personality into the setting itself.
To give it credit, Watch Dogs at least has some pretty natural conversations going on in the street. Of course, they stand out with inevitable repetition, but as pieces in a bigger collage they work well. If I'm not mistaken, GTA has NPCs 'converse' with phrases triggering basic yes/no responses and the like - which means more variety, but it's fairly stilted.
But you're right, I otherwise find the cities in GTA IV and V much more compelling and 'lived in'. The radio and other media are absolutely big parts in selling that, and I think Ubi dropped the ball there.
Speaking of which, good grief is the licensed soundtrack in Watch Dogs forgettable. Who makes a 'gritty, urban cyber thriller' and then fills it with the blandest pop rock imaginable? I heard two electronic tracks the entire game. There's some decent hip hop in there, but then they make the uncomfortable choice of setting those as the custom soundtrack to killing black people... it's bizarre.
The media app tracks were almost universally rubbish or poorly themed. There was some stuff there that I liked but which didn't seem to fit in at all with either the theme of the game or just being something Aiden would have on his phone.
I just started playing this a bit, since I got a free copy when I bought all the parts to build my new computer. It is kind of amazing how many one-on-one rap battles are going on throughout the city at any given time of day.
I believe that the entire Watch_Dogs soundtrack is composed of artists from/linked to Chicago. They tried to do the ninja tune/sleeping dogs thing with the radio and focus on less obscenely popular artists which would explain the lack of say... Kanye, but eh.
The odd thing about it is Aiden's OCD with shuffling the song every time he gets into a car.
That said, GTA V has 240 or so licensed songs to Watch_Dog's... 70 or so?
tastydonuts on
“I used to draw, hard to admit that I used to draw...”
I believe that the entire Watch_Dogs soundtrack is composed of artists from/linked to Chicago. They tried to do the ninja tune/sleeping dogs thing with the radio and focus on less obscenely popular artists which would explain the lack of say... Kanye, but eh.
The odd thing about it is Aiden's OCD with shuffling the song every time he gets into a car.
That said, GTA V has 240 or so licensed songs to Watch_Dog's... 70 or so?
Giving it a Chicago flavour is admirable, but when it's a random playlist rather than a local radio station I don't think it comes across in a meaningful way.
Personal preference, but I'd kill for something like Ninja Tune. It'd suit the game way more, even if Aiden lacks the taste to ever have it on his phone.
One of the few games where I eventually just turned off the licensed music for good.
The thing is, Sleeping Dogs had a bunch of radio stations with distinct personalities, commericals, etc. So while it didn't have crazy big hits, it still had a nice variety and some good tunes to drive around in. Doesn't sound like this does.
There were about three songs in the Sleeping Dogs soundtrack that I was fine with listening to on the road, so it didn't really have a great OST in my opinion and was pretty much the only thing about the game that I didn't like.
Of course, Watch_Dogs has one song. "Help is on the Way" was pretty alright and I was fine with listening to that along the way to whatever the hell I was doing next. I didn't care one bit about any other song and even still, I ran with no radio most of the time.
There were about three songs in the Sleeping Dogs soundtrack that I was fine with listening to on the road, so it didn't really have a great OST in my opinion and was pretty much the only thing about the game that I didn't like.
Of course, Watch_Dogs has one song. "Help is on the Way" was pretty alright and I was fine with listening to that along the way to whatever the hell I was doing next. I didn't care one bit about any other song and even still, I ran with no radio most of the time.
Sleeping Dogs had Queen, XTC, AND Blood Red Shoes.
A couple of talk radio stations would have fit perfectly with the whole "is he doing the right thing" theme they were trying to do.
They could have expanded on those radio news snippets about bridges going haywire and steam vents exploding with conspiracy theorists, pundits applauding the Vigilante, other pundits condemning him, stuff like that.
[Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
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HacksawJ. Duggan Esq.Wrestler at LawRegistered Userregular
Jesus people sure do like to gnash their teeth about how much they hated Watch_Dogs up in here and boy howdy does everyone need to know about it.
Anyone else notice some fixers in Online Decryption (PC) are just straight-up invincible? The only solution I've found is if you perform a Takedown on them. Seems to glitch them out reliably. But still, depressingly common I'm coming to find. Support your game during its post-release period, Ubi.
I liked Watch Dog's music selection compared to other games, hacking phones to steal music is neat and I like being able to listen to music while walking around. I guess some talk radio stations would've been cool?
Jesus people sure do like to gnash their teeth about how much they hated Watch_Dogs up in here and boy howdy does everyone need to know about it.
Anyone else notice some fixers in Online Decryption (PC) are just straight-up invincible? The only solution I've found is if you perform a Takedown on them. Seems to glitch them out reliably. But still, depressingly common I'm coming to find. Support your game during its post-release period, Ubi.
They are mad because of its "potential" or something... /shrug
The Pawnee drinking game makes me sad. It wouldn't be so bad if you could quickly retry, or didn't have to listen to the dude banter and all but man... this... mini-game is tedious.
If you happen to already like Rise Against you probably know already, or if their appearance in this game is your first hearing them, their album "The Black Market" released today.
“I used to draw, hard to admit that I used to draw...”
I'm sad that instead of being the low-key game from the first revealed gameplay footage, where it seemed like a freeform puzzle/adventure/hacking/action game where just having a gun involved was a really big deal, we're getting a Grand Theft Auto game where you use a magic telephone to murder people (except you only murder people who totally deserve it because revenge is a totally justified motive).
This post on page 5 really was the turning point on W_D... I recently got a free copy of the game with an Amazon order so I played it for a bit last night. The game forced me to buy a gun before sending me to take over the first CTos center, but I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to complete the mission without setting foot inside the building. I'm going to keep trying to play the game as though it actually turned out to be the freeform puzzle/adventure/hacking/action game I was hoping for, and the moment that it forces me into combat (like gunplay in Mirror's Edge) I'll probably shelve it.
edit: Since I was playing the game on a PC I assembled, using x360ce to get my Logitech gamepad working, I had technically done more real hacking to get the game running than Aiden does in the whole game...
I'm sad that instead of being the low-key game from the first revealed gameplay footage, where it seemed like a freeform puzzle/adventure/hacking/action game where just having a gun involved was a really big deal, we're getting a Grand Theft Auto game where you use a magic telephone to murder people (except you only murder people who totally deserve it because revenge is a totally justified motive).
This post on page 5 really was the turning point on W_D... I recently got a free copy of the game with an Amazon order so I played it for a bit last night. The game forced me to buy a gun before sending me to take over the first CTos center, but I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to complete the mission without setting foot inside the building. I'm going to keep trying to play the game as though it actually turned out to be the freeform puzzle/adventure/hacking/action game I was hoping for, and the moment that it forces me into combat (like gunplay in Mirror's Edge) I'll probably shelve it.
edit: Since I was playing the game on a PC I assembled, using x360ce to get my Logitech gamepad working, I had technically done more real hacking to get the game running than Aiden does in the whole game...
So, what you're saying is you probably won't make it past the first Act?
tastydonuts on
“I used to draw, hard to admit that I used to draw...”
If it continues to offer a stealth alternative, I'll keep at it. But if it gets stupid that fast, it won't be too much of a loss, considering Ubisoft gave me the game for free in an attempt to make me buy Uplay games in the future.
There are certainly some forced open gunplay sections, but there are lots of stealth opportunities throughout the whole game.
Yeah, pretty much this.
I actually stopped playing this game for a bit due to the drinking game. If the mechanics that it presented actually appeared in some meaningful way elsewhere in the game, I wouldn't mind it so much. Hell, if they increased the number of levels and drastically reduced the number of rounds I would find it to be a lot tolerable. But as it is I go through the earlier rounds on a level and become acutely aware of how much time I'm wasting on a thing that I don't like at all and then just go play other games.
“I used to draw, hard to admit that I used to draw...”
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jefe414"My Other Drill Hole is a Teleporter"Mechagodzilla is Best GodzillaRegistered Userregular
Ugh. I hit a snag in playing . Iraq's place, he talks for like, 2 minutes then it spawns guys to kill me. It always spawns a guy right next to me who shoots me in the head 1/2 second later. The checkpoint is right when BEFORE Iraq starts talking again. Repeat the 2 minutes of talking, spawning guy right next to me, shot in the head, etc. Too bad. Aside from the main character being a terrible person, I liked this game.
Xbox Live: Jefe414
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minor incidentexpert in a dying fieldnjRegistered Userregular
You can move around while he's talking to you, if you mean the part on the roof.
Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
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jefe414"My Other Drill Hole is a Teleporter"Mechagodzilla is Best GodzillaRegistered Userregular
Yeah I know that it's just that they spawn randomly and it always seems to be right behind and next to me! Having to listen to the same long speech each time is the annoyance
Xbox Live: Jefe414
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Kyoka SuigetsuOdin gave his left eye for knowledge. I would give far moreRegistered Userregular
I've been binging this game lately and I must say the combat and takedowns are really fun
Yeah I know that it's just that they spawn randomly and it always seems to be right behind and next to me! Having to listen to the same long speech each time is the annoyance
Wow this really is an unoptimised piece of garbage on PC> So it ran alright with the i3 but with the i5, massive hitches when driving and I gotta have it set to medium/high settings. YAY Ubisoft!
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jefe414"My Other Drill Hole is a Teleporter"Mechagodzilla is Best GodzillaRegistered Userregular
edited July 2014
Whew. Used focus (man I always forget about that!) right off and shot the guy next to me point blank with my LMG. After that, no problem. Now I have to
hack a bunch of nodes while the police are after me 100% of the time. Any suggestions? This stuff is a time sink and not actually fun anymore.
The good news, I think, regarding how so many people are apparently let down: I found the 1st Assassin's Creed to be boring and repetitive but man, they knocked it out of the park on the second one.
Whew. Used focus (man I always forget about that!) right off and shot the guy next to me point blank with my LMG. After that, no problem. Now I have to
hack a bunch of nodes while the police are after me 100% of the time. Any suggestions? This stuff is a time sink and not actually fun anymore.
The good news, I think, regarding how so many people are apparently let down: I found the 1st Assassin's Creed to be boring and repetitive but man, they knocked it out of the park on the second one.
I found that bit oddly easy, I'm not sure why. I think I just kept finding places where I could reach the node but couldn't be seen from the road.
Posts
Is the city really that elaborate, though? There's stores, there's mini game locations - both of which are standard fare for open world games at this point - and the rest is stuff you can magic wand. Maybe I need to explore more or something, but it feels even less lifelike than GTA IV's Liberty City to me. That at least had a constant in-game web presence, TV, and radio commercials to breathe some life and personality into the setting itself.
There's also just a lot of stuff happening, people cleaning windows, playing AR games, going for walks, jogging, arguing, telling each other about random stuff that happened at the weekend, what seems to be hundreds of texting conversations and voicemails, all the little bits of info on every single npc (that I thought was done incredibly well), there's boats going around doing their thing, occasional emergency services vehicles, random car crashes where the drivers get out to swap details.
In lots of ways it's not as detailed as GTA IV/V but there is loads more information to discover, plus it's the first in a series and Ubisoft have never achieved anything this detailed. I was really impressed, can't wait to see what they can do with the next one.
With the 'magic wand' complaints, I don't get what people would prefer. I like that I can open doors, raise bollards, stop trains, change traffic lights, blow transformers and cut off communications with a single button. It would have been nice for there to be a few more things to hack but I struggle to think of anything dramatically different. I'm glad there wasn't a hacking minigame everytime I wanted to do it.
It's not just the nature of hacking but the general game design and how hacking factors into it.
I actually like the idea of a magic phone that, with a single button press, can hax0r things. It's like...hacker power fantasy come true.
But the prevalence of, say, hackable forklifts throws the stupidity of the way hacking works in your face. The game doesn't meet you halfway in suspending your disbelief - it actively works against it with various bits of either lazy or just flat out dumb design.
As far as I'm concerned, hacking forklifts in Watch_Dogs is akin to breaking crates for ammo in an FPS. It's a very clear reminder that this is just a game. Which, to be fair, it is. But it also half-assedly aspires to some level of realism and internal consistency which it then constantly defies.
he has no joy in his work, at all, he has very few opinions about things
I mean look at all 3 gta 5 protagonists, all 3 are scumbags to greater or lesser extents, but they all at least have some personality
Aiden is cardboard
As for the hacking, for the same reason in RPGs they don't show a player preparing his spells for a given day by going over his writs and cobbling together balls of bat fur, Aiden waves his magic phone around because coding is incredibly boring to watch on a screen, and if made "exciting" (see crime TV shows) even more unbelievable and dumb. Nevermind that he's using the "Profiler" throughout the game, so he really doesn't need to code or write his own exploits and such... because magic hacker phone.
Prior to that, he was a Damien's footman more or less. So while he may have learned a lot and been taught by Damien, he was never the decker.
I was trying to avoid bringing up Connor.
Because the only thing I can think to say is "I can't believe Ubisoft managed to 'design'* a character that I hate more than Connor."
Which kind of sounds trollish even though it's how I genuinely feel. Like, I like Watch_Dogs less than AC3 and AC3 is a game I actively, massively dislike. One of my least favorite games going back to 1982/3 when I started playing games.
*I use the term design very loosely here.
I thought he *was* a script kiddy.
A script kiddy who knows all about guns, stealth, hand to hand combat, and physical intrusion. His contribution to any partnership with an actual hacker is obvious.
He probably has some skills, after all Damien taught him stuff. But yeah, he's a gunman first and foremost... then a hacker.
"Sometimes I think that fixers are just like assassins."
Er, isn't that exactly what they are? Game never presents them as being anything else.
Steam: adamjnet
Sometimes they provide distractions, make deliveries, or act as high risk transport of persons of interest.
But yeah, assassination is a big part of it.
To give it credit, Watch Dogs at least has some pretty natural conversations going on in the street. Of course, they stand out with inevitable repetition, but as pieces in a bigger collage they work well. If I'm not mistaken, GTA has NPCs 'converse' with phrases triggering basic yes/no responses and the like - which means more variety, but it's fairly stilted.
But you're right, I otherwise find the cities in GTA IV and V much more compelling and 'lived in'. The radio and other media are absolutely big parts in selling that, and I think Ubi dropped the ball there.
Speaking of which, good grief is the licensed soundtrack in Watch Dogs forgettable. Who makes a 'gritty, urban cyber thriller' and then fills it with the blandest pop rock imaginable? I heard two electronic tracks the entire game. There's some decent hip hop in there, but then they make the uncomfortable choice of setting those as the custom soundtrack to killing black people... it's bizarre.
The media app tracks were almost universally rubbish or poorly themed. There was some stuff there that I liked but which didn't seem to fit in at all with either the theme of the game or just being something Aiden would have on his phone.
The odd thing about it is Aiden's OCD with shuffling the song every time he gets into a car.
That said, GTA V has 240 or so licensed songs to Watch_Dog's... 70 or so?
Giving it a Chicago flavour is admirable, but when it's a random playlist rather than a local radio station I don't think it comes across in a meaningful way.
Personal preference, but I'd kill for something like Ninja Tune. It'd suit the game way more, even if Aiden lacks the taste to ever have it on his phone.
One of the few games where I eventually just turned off the licensed music for good.
Shitty Tumblr:lighthouse1138.tumblr.com
I would just disable the radio in the settings but I keep hoping something interesting will pop on.
Of course, Watch_Dogs has one song. "Help is on the Way" was pretty alright and I was fine with listening to that along the way to whatever the hell I was doing next. I didn't care one bit about any other song and even still, I ran with no radio most of the time.
Sleeping Dogs had Queen, XTC, AND Blood Red Shoes.
There is no better soundtrack.
Why I fear the ocean.
They could have expanded on those radio news snippets about bridges going haywire and steam vents exploding with conspiracy theorists, pundits applauding the Vigilante, other pundits condemning him, stuff like that.
Anyone else notice some fixers in Online Decryption (PC) are just straight-up invincible? The only solution I've found is if you perform a Takedown on them. Seems to glitch them out reliably. But still, depressingly common I'm coming to find. Support your game during its post-release period, Ubi.
They are mad because of its "potential" or something... /shrug
The Pawnee drinking game makes me sad. It wouldn't be so bad if you could quickly retry, or didn't have to listen to the dude banter and all but man... this... mini-game is tedious.
If you happen to already like Rise Against you probably know already, or if their appearance in this game is your first hearing them, their album "The Black Market" released today.
This post on page 5 really was the turning point on W_D... I recently got a free copy of the game with an Amazon order so I played it for a bit last night. The game forced me to buy a gun before sending me to take over the first CTos center, but I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to complete the mission without setting foot inside the building. I'm going to keep trying to play the game as though it actually turned out to be the freeform puzzle/adventure/hacking/action game I was hoping for, and the moment that it forces me into combat (like gunplay in Mirror's Edge) I'll probably shelve it.
edit: Since I was playing the game on a PC I assembled, using x360ce to get my Logitech gamepad working, I had technically done more real hacking to get the game running than Aiden does in the whole game...
So, what you're saying is you probably won't make it past the first Act?
Yeah, pretty much this.
I actually stopped playing this game for a bit due to the drinking game. If the mechanics that it presented actually appeared in some meaningful way elsewhere in the game, I wouldn't mind it so much. Hell, if they increased the number of levels and drastically reduced the number of rounds I would find it to be a lot tolerable. But as it is I go through the earlier rounds on a level and become acutely aware of how much time I'm wasting on a thing that I don't like at all and then just go play other games.
the animations are also stellar
I used proximity IEDs, so many of them.
The good news, I think, regarding how so many people are apparently let down: I found the 1st Assassin's Creed to be boring and repetitive but man, they knocked it out of the park on the second one.