Watch Dogs VS Grand Theft Auto IV - PC Video Comparison - Attention To Detail Comparison

GTA IV is still considered one of the best looking open-world games on the PC (thanks to all the graphical mods that have been released these past years). Therefore, it’s only natural to expect a comparison between Rockstar’s old title and Ubisoft’s Watch_Dogs.

[Abriael]

Saw this comparison earlier, and I facepalmed. It nitpicks on a few elements that contribute to creating the false narrative that GTAIV somehow looks better than watch_dogs, and completely ignores the big picture, which is that Watch_Dogs completely trashes GTAIV in terms of overall picture quality, not to mention the fact that it has tons more things going on in the world around the player.

[Beastforlifenoob]

This is about ATTENTION TO DETAIL something you're clearly lacking... It's not primarily about "graphical quality".
Yes overall WD does look better however this video is concerning Ubisoft's complete lack of attention to detail concerning WD even compared to a 6 year old past gen game. That's why he/she mentioned car deformation, blood stains, physical waves, collision detection on stairs. NONE of those are graphical.

Also let us admit that WD's driving is horrible, almost as bad as SR the third's.

[Abriael]

Fact is that Watch_Dogs has a LOT more details it has to pay attention to, especially compared to the pretty much dead world of GTA4 (that even loads large pools of the same car in the same area to save resources).

More details + Enormously better graphics + more lively world > A few nitpicks.

[brich233]

Its still a good game for Ubisofts first open world like GTA game. They probably werent aiming for realism, and they used a new engine with the game. The mechanics of the game are more saints row than GTA IV. Now i would like to see a GTA IV vs gta 5 comparison like that video.

Have you played the game? The driving is actually fun regardless of how it looks.

[George Sears]

Abriael, I'm curious to know, what are these other important attention to details that Watch Dogs have compared to the likes of GTA IV? I mean, this video (although a bit nit picky) demonstrates the most basic of what to expect of an open world sand box game. (Especially from a hyped AAA game coming in 2014)

From, dynamic lightning, shadows, physical and environmental damage, collision models, water physics, all seem to be highly superior on a game that came out last gen, half a decade ago.

It's not fair that you compare the graphics though (although it has absolutely nothing to do with this comparison) since GTAIV is an old game that actually had amazing graphics for an open world game at its time.

[starchild]

@George Sears

It's astounding to me that you actually think those things you listed are superior in GTA4.

I guarantee there is far more dynamic lighting and shadows in Watch Dogs than in GTA4. All that other stuff is generally better in Watch Dogs too.

In any case, if headlights casting shadows is the most basic of what you exexpect of an open world sandbox game then Infamous Second Son must be a failure in your eyes, since the headlights in that game don't cast shadows either.

[elhebbo16]

@abriael "loads large pools of the same car in the same area to save resources"

maybe on console.

[elhebbo16]

Why the disagrees? the reason why you only saw a batch of the same cars all the time is because last gen consoles only had like 256-512mb of ram. that is a console limitation.

[razorpakk]

As far as I'm concerned, I can't condone the lack of decent physics from an AAA title, not in 2014.

[esemce]

True I think Ubisoft just make too many games on too many platforms at once, quantity over quality so they miss the small details, but it's the details that create atmosphere and immersion and no one can beat the masters rockstar in this genre.

[brich233]

Did you see that long ass post of the guy that one guy, Revolted Child? He basically said Watchdogs is not worth paying for because certain aspects of GTA IV are better. What a loser.

[Studio-YaMi]

I don't see how that is an excuse for their lack of attention to details in a supposedly next gen open world game.

No excuse at all...
oh well,modders will have fun adding all the little details that this game needs.

[starchild]

What's especially stupid about this comparison is that the people hating on Watch Dogs also tend to be the people who keep hyping up Infamous Second Son, yet car headlights in Infamous SS don't cast shadows either.

Abriael is exactly right, this comparison pathetically nitpicks one or two areas yet ignores hundreds of other areas. To anybody that has played both games this comparison is just an absurd joke. Watch Dogs is far superior in both visuals and the dynamism of the world.

[user5669510]

the devs and others need to give it up we know whos the ones downplaying this game. it doesnt look the same as e3 2012, but almost every game does that at e3. when a certain platform is not the supreme ruler with a multiplat, suddenly this site turns against the game and everything under the sun is better.

[Magicite]

Im impressed that game from 2008 had so much attention to details/physics.

And yes, I hate driving in WD, it almost reminds me winter driving in Mafia 2, but there it was realistic because there was snow and ice on the roads.

[chinlu]

Did you facepalm? Really?

[Jonny5isalive]

well the watchdogs car into water actually made ALOT of waves.

[johny5]

Hate to see the comparison between GTA V!

[esemce]

Lets hope we get GTA5 on PC and we can see by how much Ubisoft are behind.

[elhebbo16]

Pray to god GTA5 runs good on PC, because GTA4 was a sh**ty port.

[user5669510]

and what about infamous? do gta put it to shame ? infamous lack dynamic shadows, they mainly had them at certain spots.

[RedDeadLB]

I'd still rather play GTA4 than Watch Dogs. I'm completely going to skip WD because the driving just ruins it for me. Same as Sleeping Dogs and Saints Row.

Why can't developers look up to GTA4 and Mafia 2?

[Kane22]

I thought GTA4 driving was awful

[RedDeadLB]

That's what kids who don't know shit said.

[brich233]

What do you think of saints rows driving? Is it the best driving ever?

[gigoran]

Buljo, you're entitled to your opinion. I think it's a wrong opinion, but it's your right to choose it.

Comparing these to saints row is stretching it. It may be the same genre, but the atmosphere and gameplay are MILES apart from both GTAIV and WD. And Sleeping Dogs? Say what you will be those that liked it did so because it was a well made game and worth every dollar. Just like with WD.

By all means, please do go and play GTAIV and skip WD. I want to play with people that appreciate quality games, and not those that just grip and complain for their own person reasons.

Also, what a potty mouth you have. No need for vulgarity. We are making intelligent conversation.

EDIT: Just noticed you said Mafia 2 was better. Thanks for the laugh!

[RedDeadLB]

It's your right to have an opinion as well, and it's my personal preference that I like games in which cars behave like you would expect a car to behave and not like freaking RC cars.

It's sad that a supposed next-gen game looks only marginally better than a poorly made PC port from 2008 that is GTA IV. And is as optimized as the aforementioned GTA IV PC version.

I don't consider WD worth 60$, especially because I listen to people who are playing it right now, saying that they are disappointed in every single aspect of the game EXCEPT for the hacking. Also, I wasn't comparing the entirety of the game to Saints Row. I was comparing the driving, which is a huge part of an open world game. Sleeping Dogs has awful driving physics, as does every Saints Row game in existence. I never finished SR3 or SD, although I finished SR4 because you didn't even need to drive anything thanks to the hulk-jump.

In defense of Mafia 2, while it does end abruptly, it's one of the best and most detailed video games of the previous generation. The driving was absolutely perfect. I mean, tires freaking deform under the weight of the car! Mafia 2 and GTA IV are much better games than Watch Dogs will ever be. You can blame it on cross-gen development, a lower budget or anything you want. Watch Dogs had a lot of potential. It seized only a portion of it.

What CyrusLemont said below, Rockstar is an open-world veteran studio. The level of detail in each GTA game is astounding and you never really find the end of the possibilities in the games. With what I've seen, heard and read, I don't consider Watch Dogs the game it could have been and am massively disappointed, as are a lot of people.

Oh, and you're calling me a potty mouth for saying the word shit? If you consider that a cuss word, I'm afraid you don't go out much or talk to other people.

Does that explain it to you well enough? I complain about things that are worth complaining about. For fuck's sake, I'm playing BF4 since it came out and I've never said a word about the overall state of the game because I was and am having a blast with it. Stop considering yourself the only intelligent person on the Internet.

[gigoran]

@Buljo Well at least you didn't degrade yourself again by swearing. But I already said you're welcome to your opinion. you don't have to explain and try to justify it to me or anyone else because we have chosen not to agree with you. Sorry to say I didn't have the power... well I just didn't want to read the majority of your reply. I guess you spent a lot of time writing it. While it's wasted on me and other people that like this game, perhaps in a rare chance someone that agrees with you may read it. So you didn't waste your time defending yourself after all.

Good luck. And please enjoy playing GTAIV and Mafia 2 while the rest of us enjoy the future of open world games with WD.

[CyrusLemont]

What I've always loved about Rockstar is that they put so much to do on the "map" and then you can also just wander around the environment and there's all these tiny little interactions and details that aren't listed which just makes the game such a fun open world to explore. You don't need a point A and B to discover, learn or complete things.

Ubisoft doesn't really do that in their games, as well as a lot of open world titles. I mean sure there is a tonne of things to do, but it's all "on the map", and it feels more like a checklist rather than a fluid experience where you can explore and just d**k around in a sandbox world discovering something and saying 'hey that's cool!'

With that said, Watch Dogs is so freaking awesome. I've had such a good time playing it so far. Visuals and gameplay are awesome! It just goes to show that multiplat games are going to be and play beyond anything exclusive games looked like last gen.

[josephayal]

Watch dogs (ps4,pc,x1) has better graphics than any GTA ever made

[Th4Freak]

Better graphics? Not by much.

Better physics? Maybe in a parallel universe where GTA doesn't exist.

[starchild]

As a whole, it most certainly does. This is a dishonest comparison that picks out a couple things GTA4 does better but it ignores the many things Watch Dogs does better. There are quite a few physics simulations in Watch Dogs that are absent in GTA4.

What's sad about this comment section is that 90% of you haven't even played Watch Dogs and it's obvious.

[Th4Freak]

I haven't played the game yet and I don't plan to buy it until is less than $30 however I'm basing my comment on the hundreds of videos that are already around, in the other hand you haven't played the game either yet you base your comment on...?

[brich233]

The bugdet for watch dogs compared to GTA 4 should also be considered.

GTA 4: 100,000,000

Watch Dogs: 68,000,000

Watch dogs comes out on 6 platforms.
GTA came out on 3 platforms.

[snookiegamer]

It's also unfair to compare a stock game to a Modded game that has had years of untold revisions. I love the GTA series, and can't wait 'til tonight to collect my copy of WD.

The comparison is silly and those complaining shouldn't buy the game (suspects majority will) and quit bashing almost every game that has released on the new gen this year.

Watch Dogs is NOT GTA IV/V, neither does it want to be!!

[oasdada]

And yet ubi charged a full price on a game they didnt put much cost in.. and btw gplay , npc AI, activities on the map has nuthing to do wid gfx.. clearly gfx wise gta is superior

[sgtGanGreen]

I am impressed. I will buy game tomorrow but GTA really pay attention to details

[beotron]

wow..this is pretty bad..

[Psychotica]

That just left me more amazed at GTA 4, I still want to play WD.

[Berenwulf]

That's why Rockstar makes better games than Ubisoft... It's all about details!

[elhebbo16]

Thats an opinion, I found AC4 way more fun than GTAV but thats just me.

[Berenwulf]

Really? I thought the missions were all the same and it was just grinding until the end of the game... GTA has content beyond the surface and it has great humour and makes fun about humanity and why we are what we are. It portraits us humans and mainly the USA in a very caricatural way, which shows us how unimportant most things in our lifes are. That's why I think GTA is one of the best franchises and in my opinion is 100 times better than AC4. But that's only my opinion :)

[elhebbo16]

GTA V's plot was litterally a mashup of a bunch of classic action films, the only character that I found funny was trevor non of the other characters interested me (the typical gangster and mobster type personas are done hundreds of time). AC4 (at least on PC) looks way better than GTA V, not just graphically but the aesthetics as well. Not to mention the gameplay. GTA V felt like a jack of all trades master of none type of game, the gunplay was meh, Driving the air vehicles felt like meh, none of the minigames interested me in the least, car driving is probably the only one they did right. Dont even get me started with online.

[Ninjamonkey82]

This is the reason RS are gods. But i rarely like comparing mere mortals till them cause trying to live up to that par always leaves disappointment. All i need is a fun game.

[objdadon]

I pretty much will never notice half of this shit while I'm playing watchdogs tonight! Fuck gta cause they didn't put it on next gen!

[merciless]

Man this is some BS the game doesn't match GTAIV. Damn!!!!!

[objdadon]

But you're still gonna get it! Lol!