Aiden is suffering from a savior complex. He often makes situations way worse due to his need to feel the accomplishment of triumphing over the "bad guy" as true or manufactured as that may be.
Agreed 100%. He's the type of guy who always cleans up the messes HE causes. Unaware that him always trying to fix things is ultimately the reason why things keep getting worse. Nikki herself literally called him out on this/points this out multiple times and every time, he ignores her, only to prove her right in the end.
@Joker-dn5xs It's unfortunate because this all wouldn't have happened if he had just walked away like how the video says, but he kept going, he could have easily ended things once he saved his sister and nephew by gettin them into a witness protection program and send them off somewhere else, but he felt the unnecessary urge to keep going when he could have stopped there and less people would die.
@@theslayer-re6uh Yeah, agreed. Like, I understand why Aiden kept trying to find Lena's killer, but Nikki was ultimately right in the end. "If you keep going after these people, you're going to put us in danger again." But Aiden's ego and needing to be the hero/big brother refused to let him see reason and in the end, he wounded up doing the exact thing his sister warned him of. She got kidnapped and Jacks almost got killed/kidnapped himself multiple times. Honestly, as well intentioned as he is, Nikki should have cut Aiden off. He's just too reckless and unintentionally too much of a danger to keep around.
I really hate how most revenge stories go with the “revenge is bad” route in games. I love the idea of a character being more and more extreame over their story. The idea of settling down and being a hero/turning out better after an odyssey of revenge is… annoyingly common
Aiden was a broken man so well written that he managed to be unlikable for most players (Who did not care) just as he does for people. Aiden is my favorite depiction of an anti hero. He's not someone you'd admire or would like to meet. He's a dangerous man, he just happens to have better interests than the people he kills. His obsession over justice for his niece is probably the only thging setting him apart from many of the hitmen he kills. With his criminal past, what makes him really different from the people trying to kill him? He's a terrible person that cares about his family. As many of the men he killed probably did. I really liked that you point stuff like the body language, sentences and expressions. Somenthing I noticed after paying more attention to the characters, is Clara. The game slowly reveals that she had something to do with Lena's death, but she actually shows signs of guilt even before the game suggests anything. Aiden repeatedly talks about the reason he does what he does, finding the people responsible and making them pay. When he brings the topic, Clara tends to act nervous, she looks away from Aiden for a few moments, and even during phonecalls she goes quiet for a second. She knows he's gonna find out, but can't shake the guilt. After all she was DedSec, probably thinking she was just helping scum to kill scum for quick cash. Watch Dogs didn't shine for anything innovative or the best storyline of its time. But it managed to create a perfect Anti hero, with the huge positives of a strong artstyle and a great soundtrack. Something special about the music, is that the only time the music departs from the depressing or moody tone, is when they open the Bunker, and even Aiden laughs for the first and only time in the game, alone. Probably what made that moment so special for him was the idea of the power the Bunker would grant him, the idea of having a tool that would give him an eye on anyone completely undetected to accomplish his goal was probably the idea that made that moment special for him. A scary thing to consider, specially when you remember nothing else felt like that in the game, nor for him or the player. He killed Lucky Quinn, probably caused the biggest gang in Chicago to fall appart and even ended the career of Rushmore along with his life. But there was nothing to be happy anymore, his actions led to his family running away from him, there was no longer a family to protect anymore and he knew it. He probably only found a bit of comfort in the fact that the people responsible are not alive anymore. And that was really everything he had left. And I am happy with that ending. One doesn't become a killer and deprives himself from any healthy social interactions just to return home happily. There's some stuff you can´t walk away from. I'm so happy that this game is receiving deserved appreciation for the things it did right, even if it took us 5 years to start doing it back in 2019. That's fine, even if it's just a handful of us, we stick together. That keeps games alive. Amazing video (and channel). Also, the cutscenes and cut content about Jackson is really sad to see, it really contrasts the idea a kid has about fighting the bad guys vs the actual kind of people that decide to take that task uppon themselves. Even after 10 years, no game wants to ask that question, and gamers probably still aren't ready for a crude character like Aiden Pearce. And that is valuable.
@@DEKANIEVES One of my favorite examples of what you were talking about with Clara is in the bunker when Aiden says something along the lines of "they all need to die, everyone involved in her death" and Clara is shook by it. On a first playthrough you assume she shocked by his violent impulses, but on a repeat playthrough you realize she's scared because he's talking about her
With this, it's able to explain and justify the in world side activities and mechanics. Saint's Row 2 is another example, where as with Watch Dogs, it's in the eyes of an actual vigilante with their own sense of morality, Saint's Row 2 is the full on villainous personality of an open world crime protag. They both manage to lower the dissonance of what they're doing to a point it works.
@@moonmoon2479 everything after the first game just undoes what it built up. The tone, the gameplay, the characters, it was just everywhere and I think Ubisoft never knew where to take the franchise.
Watch Dogs was much better than people gave it credit for and I actually enjoyed it. Sure, it could have used some story improvement, but it's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Thanks for using my clips and crediting me... I made these ages ago on my PS4's recording device before I bought a capture device so it's weird seeing the footage get used to make such excellent videos.
It's Aiden who to me is underrated not watchdogs itself they got 3 games and 3 dlcs where Aiden got 1 game and a DLC that basically rushes Aiden into retirement so Aiden Pearce fans will give up and stop asking for him back
The game would of been a proper hit if Ubisoft didn't falsely advertise it, the only reason people were so critical of the game and Aiden were because of the lies
@@expiredpiracy6969 common misconception resulting from a mistranslation. Kiryu kills sometimes, when it's the only option. He never *murders* however, as there is a big difference.
Ubisoft wouldn't dare to make a game that actually tries to tell a story again. I hate that anything serious has basically stopped being viable for mainstream media in the name of maximizing the target audience.
that’s kind of our fault is it not? I think as gamers we need to take responsibility too because when this came out everyone just said it was bad and never gave it a chance. all the data ubisoft got was that this was a bad gambit. so they pivoted. i’m one of the few who liked it when it came out but i think it’s not entirely ubisofts fault that they stop putting such effort in their games
@@icarus9980 I blame Ubisoft for drawing the wrong conclusions. That's exactly what they did: they saw the negativity and, instead of listening to the actual criticism, they did a complete 180 on everything. There was no need for it and a more competent studio would have had an interest in maintaining the integrity of their original vision.
@@jsade and that’s okay. i half agree with you that ubisoft is also at fault. Where they are right now in terms of creativity and all of that mess is all their fault however i think as a business they didn’t really have a choice? because from the way i look at it if they put more money doubling down that’s probably more money lost as people would probably say it’s not that much of a change, no? iteration would not be enough. however past watch dogs 2 they should’ve gotten their act right and just showed utter incompetence
A thing I just noticed, 9:00 when saving Jackson, after looking at the monitor, look at the smirk on his face when he turns away from them and looks at Jackson, he was proud of his work until, he saw that Jackson was terrified of what he had just witnessed
@@TheButterAnvil That is very true, but I see it as him noticing his own work, and his first thought when seeing it, is to smile, to be happy, happy about saving Jackson sure, but happy to see the people he hates dead, not knowing who they are or why. To him they were bad and the world is better off without them. Ngl I always saw Aiden as a badass, even when I was 13 and the game just released, but as time passed, I began noticing more sociopathic tendencies from him.
12:58 Aiden bringing up the families is so viciously clever. We, the players, know he's (probably) not going to do anything to them. But Lance doesn't. And Aiden _knows_ that. He's attacking from two angles: 'Tell me what I want, because I have information to blackmail you with', and 'Tell me what I want, because I know where your family is'. Aiden doesn't have to _do_ anything. He knows the implication is enough
@@keevanmanners255 Ubisoft used to experiment. Everyone memes about how every Ubisoft game is just far cry, but it's not really true. Far cry had themes, far cry had interesting features. The games were never perfect, and they left a lot on the table, but Ubisoft used to make genuinely interesting pretty good games. The modern ubislop game (far cry 6, AC Valhalla, Watch dogs legion) are built by a boardroom, not visionaries
@@TheButterAnvil I completely agree it isint just nostalgia cause I can go back and play everyone of the old classic Ubisoft games and enjoy them although I will say I’m enjoying Star Wars outlaws it’s still pretty shallow and gives off a very modern Ubisoft feel but it’s fun and well made so hopefully this can be a stepping stone to bringing back the respect they used to have
@@TheButterAnvilFarcry was same from 3-6.If you played 3 you don't need to play others.I personally like farcry-2 because of how immersive it is and doesn't hold your hand.And has great physics,environment etc.
Great observation. Characters and the general plot are serious and interesting in WD but the difference seems to be the difficulty of following these stories. GTA IV was grabbing from the beginning and easy to follow. You could focus on it much easier. Watch Dogs on the other hand felt like sensory overload when I played it. Watch Dogs - victim of its own ambitions of wanting to play too many pianos at once.
@@Kunal_Biswas_2024 congratulations. Things get easier to follow the more you pay attention to them. WD did not grab the attention of 15 years old me. Didn't prove itself worthy of multiple hours of it soon enough so I drifted away from the game.
Something a lot of people overlook about Aiden's character is that he doesn't enjoy the violence, he's a murderer because he was molded to be one, he's a manipulator because, in his own words, he had to "win a fight before it even began", even in gameplay, in the basegame, he'll occasionally use his baton rather than performing a gun-kata style execution, he tries to avoid killing Raul Lionzo (the stadium survivor), Lance Brenner, Helena Tucci, Tobias Frewer (who he easily could've killed and taken the bridge remote from.) The game pushes you to a high-reputation playthrough, so it's more likely than not that he beat up the prank caller rather than killing him. This isn't to say he's innocent though, he dragged his family into a dangerous situation that he wanted to keep them out of. The true antagonist of the game isn't Aiden as a person, but his ego. Damien already proved himself to be untrustworthy and unreliable, but had Aiden chosen to work with him, they would've been in and out of Rossi-Fremont in minutes with the data he needed. Aiden had his progress on looking for the people that killed Lena, but it was slow, and Maurice was essentially a dead end. Damien is the one who kidnapped his family because he refused to work with him. P.S, I was working on a script for a video like this, and hey, someone actually did it first! Good stuff, man.
I never really understood how people can see Aiden as just another generic, tough-guy character. He’s clearly got way more depth. He’s a master of both sides of the crime world: the physical side with shooting, fighting, and parkour, and the technical side with hacking, social engineering, and exploiting systems to his advantage. You can tell he's incredibly smart-someone who, in a different life, would probably be a top 1% cybersecurity expert, working for the CIA or NSA. But instead, life pushed him into crime, so he blends his intelligence with street smarts. Honestly, he’s the perfect example that hackers don’t have to be stereotyped as nerds in their mom’s basement, typing furiously with code scrolling on the screen.
True man, it prove aiden most feared hacker or gray hat hacker in the Worldwide like Anonymous the hacker and other cybercrime and terrorist hacker in the whole world 👹👿
Exactly, hell, even the best hacker in the world, Kevin Mitnick (RIP) Was a social engineer first and foremost, someone who was slick, able to talk people into doing what he wanted, as well as hacking.
One of the central themes of Watch Dogs 1 and well the entire franchise is Control. In regards to Watch_Dogs 1: Aiden is essentially a control freak heavily motivated by a heavily loss in which he blames himself not being in control of the situation. The Trauma is used as a reminder to always be in control of any situation he finds himself. For longest while, I personally always found weird that when Aiden refused to work with Damien but then it after replaying, it became very clear he was making sure no one had leverage on him (which obviously didn't work out because Damien used Nicky as leverage on him anyways) Damien Brenks is Motivated by Control and Power. Due to the merlaut job, he essentially lost everything and left a crippled to be reminded just how powerless he was in this world. He just wants revenge against the world for breaking him and unlike Aiden, he will stop at nothing to get it. Iraq is a power hungry Gang leader, he uses blackmail and brutal intimidation a means of control and power over others. viewing the people of Rossi Fremont as Property and assets while enforcing his will through violence. Lucky Quinn, the head of the Chicago south club and the epitome of old world control in Chicago. Wielding is power through influence. As stated in the auction, he is a man who flaunts his powers unlike others who see the business as gain and that's because he is at the top of the food chain (or so he thinks). He doesn’t need to exert overt force because he already had an established influence that ensures his will is carried out without question and due to his blackmail on mayor Rushmore, he was able to establish more political influence.
Here's an interesting theory: In "Watch Dogs 1," Blume Corporation epitomizes control through its dominance over Chicago via ctOS, the city's central operating system. They possess immense power, monitoring and managing infrastructure, including Aiden Pearce's every move. Here's some evidence to back it up: During the "Dot Connexion" mission, Defalt taunts Aiden, suggesting that Blume has been looking into him. This moment is crucial because it confirms that Aiden is not just another hacker or vigilante operating under the radar-he’s of significant interest to Blume. Blume’s decision not to put as much effort as other factions in immediately neutralizing Aiden, despite being aware of him, suggests that they saw value in allowing him to continue his operations-perhaps to eliminate other threats, test their systems, or further their own goals indirectly. Another possibile hint: The fact that each mission in the game opens with a camera focused on Aiden from a distance suggests that Blume has been monitoring his every move. Despite the exposure of their Bellwether program, Blume remains largely unscathed, thanks to their robust contingency plans.Blume's control is evident in their ability to quickly adapt and maintain influence. After Mayor Rushmore's death, Blume ensures their interests are safeguarded by positioning their executive, Charlotte Gardner, as the new mayor. This maneuver illustrates their capacity to sustain political control even in the face of disruption.Additionally, Blume's launch of ctOS 2.0 following the blackout underscores their resilience. Rather than being crippled, the blackout serves as an opportunity for Blume to deploy an enhanced version of their control system, reflecting their preparedness and ability to turn crises into advantages.
He’s probably the only character alongside Adam Jensen that fit the saying “less is more” Also. Killing Maurice is one of the only times a game gave me chills
*Aiden Pearce and John Wick shared the same words they didn't listen and led to the consequences of their persistence.* *_"Just walk away"_* *I can't believe that Ubisoft could make that masterpiece of Watch Dogs.*
Just one difference, Aiden wasn't severely punished for his actions because the world he lives in is much like ours; one where not everything is karmic. The World Of Watch Dogs is one where horrific occurrences go unanswered for years upon years. CtOs has a system with Leaks that can literally lead common civilians to their deaths, and yet it consistently persists because everyone just moves on by like it means nothing. John, on the other hand, His world is extremely karmic. Every action has weight because everyone in that world actively enforces its consequence including John himself. Nothing you do in the world of John Wick goes unanswered.
@@livelife4928 "Karmic" is actually such a good word for the John Wick universe. Every weapon is a chekhov's gun that goes on to introduce 3 more once fired. Culminating in the 4th movie where he has special forces, former allies, and an entire city block's worth of assassins gunning for him.
Thank you for defending this game. I think I was the only one who picked it up and enjoyed pretty much every second of it. Aiden was probably the best protagonist in recent years imo. And to everyone crying about the graphics downgrade; I played this on the 360 on release day, and I still loved it.
I loved it back in the day. A lot of people didn't. For some odd reason, though, people seem to be only now coming to the realization of how great and awesome it was. I also really enjoyed 2 and Legion. Next time I play Legion I'm going to challenge myself to play the whole game as Grandma.
Back when I first started the game, I enjoyed the gameplay mechanics and the side quests the game had to offer,, but having played through the main story twice and completing the Bad Blood DLC, as I grew older, I learned to appreciate the story a bit more, and it wasn't until I found this video explaining how the story is told as well as how the characters react to thing within it, it became significantly more clear as to what the story being told was. That was when I fell in love with the game all over again
It ALWAYS struck me to hear Aiden just say "Bye" to Jacks... Like, a "Stay strong" or a "You're a good kid" would have been more meaningful. Hell, even a "Don't be like me" would be a signifier for something, but that "Bye" was... Just Aiden, I guess.
with what Jacks seen, i think it would have fell on deaf ears essentially and Aiden would know that. Better to create distance anyway, so Jacks doesn't try seeking Aiden out in the future.,
Holy crap Aiden Pearce appreciation? Ive always said he's a great character, and watch dogs has remained one of my favourite games after 10 years. I still play it occasionally because i enjoy it so much. Great video man, subscribed
Not gonna lie, hearing that final Maurice audio log changed the way how i saw him, decided to let him go so he has a second chance in his life and possibly save his wife
I sadly believe he doesn't have the stuff to save her. But maybe what Aiden did from the trafficking side stuff he did in canon could potentially helped
People call Aiden boring. Does that mean Batman is also boring? Aiden is pretty much a Batman parody. Guy loses his loved one, then uses whatever technology he has to play Vigilante. Seeking revenge while helping people around him. The reason to play vigilante is so justified that you can easily accept it. Edit: Lots of Punisher fans in the comments, and they are right. Aiden is more Punisher than Batman.
Batman IS boring at times because 1) he is oversaturated, 2) he is often poorly written and 3) he has too many clones in media. However Aiden isnt really that much like Batman at all.
Holy shit this game is dark! I knew it was dark but seeing it all laid out nice and clean like this really makes the story hit that much harder. I actually had some anxiety about some of these events. Now I need to replay this gem. 💎
The headcanon I've always had is that Aiden (or at least, his father) is a member of the Thieves Guild. It makes a bunch of sense to me. The Fox? Exact same name as La Volpe. Throw in the casual robbing of civilians, glove compartments, and various other things and it falls into place perfectly for me. Aiden idolized his father who was in the guild and followed the same path.
Always had the idea his dad was involved with the IRA. His origins are in Belfast and anyone I know who had paramilitary roots in the family always carried a similar kind of trauma. "Dad wasnt violent in the house but he sure was violent in the streets." Aiden could be a member of the thieves guild but I'm not convinced that his dad was. Belfast had a lot more going on in the past than a high crime rate.
There is also the thing about Watchdogs and assassin‘s Creed being in the same universe. I like to think that Aiden would’ve been a great assassin’s creed protagonist.
@@matchuBBGPersonally I’d argue it’s more likely he would have been with the UVF, Pearce isn’t an irish name it’s anglo saxon in origin. Pearce spelled that way is usually english.
Aiden is the good guy- in a sense, at least- but he certainly isn't _a good guy._ And I'm pretty sure he'd be first in line to say so. The thing is, in a world like what we see in Watchdogs, being a good guy leaves you impotent at best and dead in a ditch at worst. You could argue that it would allow him to stay away from the worst elements, insulating him and his loved ones, but that's not addressing the issues, just sweepung them under the rug. Aiden is, frankly, a monster. He's a risk and a detriment to everyone close to him. What makes him different is that he's a monster that preys on other monsters, and in a world that won't allow a hero, sometimes that's the best you can hope for. It's a harsh take, but an interesting one- and one not without some validity. It's a shame the series walked away from this sort of weighty writing after just one game.
Yoo, first thing off is someone finally adressing the Audio Logs + the side content monologues, wow, i don't think anyone mentioned those before in a video and i would argue they are super important for Aiden's characterization, as both a person and the vigilante fantasy Most of what's said here is really on point, atleast with what i think and also how the characters is designed to be, especially the letting go part and i want to shine some light on it aswell. it's obvious that Aiden enjoys dishing justice with his own hands even if he doesn't want to admit it, or wants people to find out about it, you can draw a paralel as in it's an addiction to him about control and ultimately he has to let go of it in the end, he needs to let his family escape and even convinces himself that he should not look for them or try to make contact with them, it's worth to mention that in the badblood dlc there are still unique audio logs from Aiden and in one of them he is clearly having withdrawl symptons, trying to fight the urge of finding and going after his family again, and for Aiden Pearce it really is that easy to find them, but he argues to himself that he should not put them in danger again, (as if he is the danger) I think it teaches us that control and power is a hell of a drug, and i think it's also intentional "They say i'm out of control, but i never had so much control"
@@TheButterAnvil yeah, i Just find it funny how one of the most inhumane characters in the series ends up being one of the most complex and relatable *Cough Cough Marcus Holloway* But the most inhumane award definetly goes to Jordi
no idea how youtube got me here, for a game I've never played or had any interest in, but this video is shockingly good. I just watched the whole thing and you really helped this story deliver its punches. I rarely leave comments like this but this is absolutely worth my time. Seriously fantastic work.
A note on the part where you talk about the digital trips where we explore Aiden's mind: In the Bloodlines DLC of WDL, there is a similar section where we explore Aiden's mind as Jack to "re-alive" him using technology what you deduced is pretty spot on considering Ubisoft canonically shows that in the DLC, Aiden's mind is lonely and the same scenes from the accident and Nicki's house keep playing again and again in that section
Bro was poppin percs and takin psychedelics the entire game, how do people not understand why he is the way he is? Aiden Peirce was a certified tweaker. Bro was homeless runnin a muck in the city with nothin but a perc 30, 9mm, and that damn phone. I remember playin and just takin all the pills from the sisters house and spending a lot of my money at the pharmacy. At this point the game shouldve introduced crack. Aiden has an addictive personality which is why he cant quit this cycle hes in. The pills literally gives him a boost in his perception and makes it easier for him to process information. Some scenes it looks like hes high asf. Bro it definitely NOT sober for majority of the game.
@@RafaelMunizYT as a former Perc head, you will definitely be doing shit that people always tell you not to do. Percs made me stubborn asf and felt like everyone an opp
Let's appreciate the moders that allowed me to get back to this game specially living city and character swich and camera fly mod and all those great mods (includeing graphic mods and other stuff)
@@Soroosh.S83 try out the fox mod. Came out recently and it's a great way to make the game more immersive. It makes the HUD elements for Ctos hidden when the phone is put away, but gives you your crosshair in return. It lets gunfights have less clutter on screen, and you'll actually check your phone for enemy locations, which is super sick
@@TheButterAnvil idk about checking your phone for enemy location but there was a feauture in the mod that let you put your phobe away which I think is more lore accurate and realistic i think you have to long press Z or something
Theres a lot to be said even about aidens animations. He walks with his face down, he avoids eye contact and stares at his phone in social situations. He doesnt need to worry about cameras identifying him and a fixer is going to find him without eye contact... He just cant bring himself to make eye contact. He is wildly uncomfortable socializing when he doesnt have "ammunition", he even uses it to his advantage against his sister. It almost feels like his second life is escapism, he cant ever make a genuine human connection, his life sucks. He will never be able to accept the love from his family, make friends, or have a normal life. The accident didnt change Aiden, it gave him an out. His niece and nephew were brief escapes from his life, but when the consequences of his escapism caught up with him he chose to become the vigilante over the family man that would have actually given him the fulfillment he desired.
@@kinography9085 I was against the idea after the first week of this video completely bombing, but now it seems to be doing well for some reason. UA-cam is weird
Aiden's facial expressions are subtle and not in your face like most players originally expected him to believe, this guy knew about Jackson seeing a shrink before learning the information from Nicky (according to this video). Aiden is written to be an unlikeable character who isn't actually hiding it, a trait which is rare among videogame protagonists. Most videogame protagonists tend to behave like "morally questionable people with a good heart", but not Aiden Pearce. Niko Bellic is a horrible person according to his backstory and shenanigans in LC, yet he is beloved because he makes us forget the atrocities he committed, yet Aiden never got that status because the game keeps reminding us that he is not a good person and must be dealt with immediately (especially the psychiatrist interviews). Aiden would run circles around anyone in the WD universe when it comes to having the upper hand in a complex situation. He blackmailed Bedbug, "convinced" a prisoner to not ID him, manipulated a woman into calling her uncle, and busted a trafficking racket using fake ID. WD1's story has flaws, but most of them aren't really related to Aiden. Bedbug surviving had nothing to do with Aiden. Bedbug dying could've made Aiden feel guilty and motivated him to be more careful in the future.
Personally, I find that they nailed the different tones of both games. But the second game had a weaker story. One of the characters die and we're supposed to feel sad, but we were never really given a chance to attach to them.
Eh change it to my daughter and kids and wife and then I would say yeah that’s a little better. It’s a little weird that a guy goes this far for a niece in my opinion. But we also gotta note, Aiden is not mentally well. He thinks about manipulating people rather than talking to them.
Why is this the only rebuttal people have for Watch Dogs? It’s a good game, but why not just have Aiden have a daughter who died? And that he lost his family because of actual fucked up violence in his own hometown? That’s literally more relatable than “hey I keep having nightmares and bad dream memories about someone else’s kid”
@@NiCoNiCoNiCola he talks about his childhood and how his father was ass, I would’ve love how he’s seeing parallels of his father in his own behavior towards the fact that he actually has kids of his own. But all it is just oh he’s the uncle. ???? My own uncle didn’t give a fuck when he heard that my bro got ran over by a Mexican lady the fuck lmao
@@wjbushjr maybe cuz he wasn't gonna marry and he loved his niece and treated her like his own daughter? and someone else's kid? my brother, if you have a sibling and you held their kid right after their birth, you'll change this statement SO fast
I've now been saying for quite some time that Watch Dogs 1 is a cult classic game. It was shit on in the beginning but this game has a massive fanbase behind it and seeing a lot of people now coming back is nice to see
I’m so happy someone’s made a good proper video about his mentality. Manipulation and quick thinking. Playing through it I picked up on them all. The psychology behind the fox and thought “shit that’s cool” but no one else seemed to
To add to the “Aiden being mentally alone” point at the end of the game basically every one in Aiden’s life leaves him, betrays him or dies. At the end of the game there isn’t much to do other than a GTA style rampage or the mini games which include: drug trips, drinking with strangers and gambling. Name more lonely and down on your luck activities than that. Unlike in GTA V you can at least do similar activities with companions. The ending is just depressing and it doesn’t feel like you won anything, kinda like FC3 with Jason. Ubisoft would never do an ending like that again.
This is actually a fantastic video, I've thought for years that Watch_Dogs and Aiden Pearce are underrated characters and this summarises this perfectly, very good watch.
I can't express how cathartic it is that people are coming back around and realising how good Watch Dogs 1 is. I loved the game then, and I love it now. This game was one of many made by Ubisoft during a time where they wanted to tell interesting stories and experiment with new formulas. That experimentation gave us arguably one of the most unique protagonists in gaming, imo. Although I don't exactly agree with 100% of the video, I'm glad more and more people are studying him.
then you have marcus calling bullshit on all the crimes ctOS 2.0 accuses him of only to commit more crimes murdering gang leaders to take revenge for his dead friend...aiden can atleast be justified because of the setting, his motives, his characterization when he does hypocritical shit...but marcus lmaoo
I miss THIS Ubisoft. When they actually still had writers who had some skill and balls to try things out. Sure, Aiden didn't really work out as it's too subtle and the game doesn't focus on making him "wrong". There's simply not enough exploration to it. He is recontextualized in the other games though, but I the seeds already existed. They just need bit more attention. Nowadays tho, Ubisoft wouldn't dare to make such flawed character. A character who is actually morally grey.
He is one of the most relatable video game character ever for me. I feel like i share most of the personality traits with him. I would've made different decisions differently throughout the story, but even though i'm a good man and i usally choose to walk away even i would not forgive Queen. Not only he got Lena killed, but he also sent Maurice's wife to an auction, and if he didin't even try, she would've likely died but regardless he only cared about himself, and not at all for anyone who isn't beneficial for him, just like Dimitri from from GTA 4.
- Niece killed during a contract hit job placed on him. - Sister forced to leave town, be on the run & stay underground - Nephew is selectively mute because of the trauma his vigilantism has caused to his family - The only person who considered him a friend accepts a hit job on him - Love interest surrenders to the enemy because of lack of communication - Greatest hacker of all time who caused a massive blackout to protest against capitalism drops out of contact with him Aiden's vigilantism does not affect him directly, but it tragically affects all those who care about him
That also continues the theme that Aiden is mentally alone. To add to this at the end of the game about the only thing to do other than a GTA style rampage is the mini games that include: drug trips, drinking with strangers and gambling. All pretty sad and lonely activities giving the context. Comparing that to GTA V again at least you can do similar activities with the other characters but with Aiden dudes just alone after it’s all done.
Damn.. I never finished the audio logs for Maurice, so finding out they *sold* his wife into slavery? I thought they just killed her, but this is far worse!
I’ve seen many breakdown/retrospective/video essays of Aiden Characters, but i don’t think i’ve ever seen one that covered Maurice role in this game as well as this one. I played the game when i was hella young, ive been meaning to replay it, it one of my favorite games, but even then i never realized how much of a tragic story Maurice has. He lost everything, his story put me to tears. It was an amazing video man, keep up the good work!
man.... glad to see people still speaking about this game.. the story, the gameplay, the soundtracks were stunning. visuals, ambient, characters... would love a reboot of the series with a dark tune to it
How much of Aiden's pain would't hav happened if he'd just listened to his instincts in the Merlaut Job and disconnected the moment Damien told him someone else was in the system. Instead, he listened to Damien's objections and got them both detected.
Amazing video, I just wish you also touched upon the events of Bloodlines too though, it offers a surprisingly well insight into the inner world of Aiden. I think it's a great wrap up for the character
*this* is single handedly the sharpest contrast ive seen compiled to set Aiden Peirce as an anti-hero vs a hero and for a game from 2014, that only speaks to its good writing as well as good analysis from its fanbase
I got Watch Dogs for free on Epic. One day, I said "why not?" and downloaded the game. Right off the bat, I'm hooked. And then all this talk about vigilantism and crime... I'm hooked even more. I'd often get a mustang, park it somewhere, kill the engine and wait for a crime to pop so I could stop it. Then, when the game started to prey on Jackson... I went wild. My crappy driving skills vanished, my jittery aim disappeared. I felt like my whole life depended on it, like I was truly the uncle of Jackson, that Nicky was truly my sister. I remember literally not taking damage in certain areas and getting tunnel vision at times from the amount of stress and anger. Watch Dogs is the only game that has managed to make me feel so immersed that I felt like I was one with it. It is in my top #5 list and I think it beats most other open world series and games without so much so raising a finger. Watch Dogs is the game that has managed to immerse me the most and I'd VERY MUCH recommend it to anyone in doubt. Play it, you won't regret it
Well said, my friend. In the first minute you make the connection that his darkness stems from a flawed father who also did bad things to protect his family, and so Aiden is following what he knows from his Father.
This is now one of my favorites because I love it when people discuss Aiden's character (I got the game when I was a kid and had been his fan since) and I wasn't even aware this game was not well-received when it came out.
Great vid, i like how you managed to find so many details relevant to his character in the game. It's even moreso impressive that the game itself managed to write this story and only subtly tell it. I can't believe Ubisoft made this game.
I believe there's a lot of parallels that can be drawn between him and Elliot Alderson from Mr.Robot as anti-heroes. If Ubisoft ever goes this route again, using Mr.Robot as reference material for a darker, grittier Watch Dogs game with a deeper story and adding new mechanics with more immersive environments could result in a GOTY contender.
Glad to see someone still remember this game and this character. A few years ago, one guy named Prizma made a hour long video about Aiden, explaining his condition and personality in medical terms, and as someone who have degree in that regard, I can say that you and he was completely right about Aiden and this character is so well-written, that players didn't liked him because of that, or that how I see it. It's indeed one of the greatest protagonist you may seen in the history of the games, because it's actually alive person with his own history, not some kinda Lincoln Clay from Mafia 3, that killing mafia because he's cool and mafia killed his friends and family.
I Feel like The Watch dogs Movie has to be Based of to WD 1. And Watch dogs 4 game has to be a spiritual sequel of WD 2. Wd1=Best Story and Fantasy Wd2=Best gameplay and city Who's With me?
@@BruceWayne-fj9bm sorry but the only good gameplay wd 1 has is shooting Hacking is quick time event. Stealth is mediocre Assassins creed. "Parkour" is just broken vaulting. Driving is borderline awful. And the city altough moody is the most dead city in the franchise. Wd 2 violates in gameplay.
hello, i sincerely thank you for making this absolutely beautiful video. every other video about this game yet about aiden himself couldnt manage to point out this much of characterism and behavior of the fox. this game is my life, was my reason to be happy to comeback home letting me forget about every other stupid stuff i come across that day that time or whatever. aidens speech at the end alone makes me emotional but look what you pulled out man. feelings aside im glad this character exists, everyone who calles himself gamer should know about him and his story. seeing watch dogs gettin this kind of love makes me proud according i knew him and loved him since 2015. thank you for this again you made my day man subscribed !
This is one of the most impact full videos I've watched in a damn minute. Aiden Pearce is my favorite video game character of all time, flaws and all. It's awesome to see people not only remember this game, but really dig to understand it. Fantastic.
At first I brushed off the video because I thought this would be another one of those videos that overpraises Aiden straight off the heels of Raycevicz's video about WD, but you actually make many good arguments in favour of your poisition, and you also provide very convincing evidence that I didn't notice myself before, like how Aiden deflects in the Big Brother mission, or how the music during the ending speech is supposed to be ominous instead of triumphant. Watch Dogs 1 is a really odd game, a one of a kind. It's both a soulless corporate product, with all controversies, Ubisoft hype, typical DLC shenanigans, but also clearly a product of passion at the same time, with the music, the characters, the "vibe" and the themes. It was one of the last few AAA games with an actual vision behind it, before the corporatism fully took over. It's a real shame what happened to this game, it absolutely deserved better. Neat video, thank you for making it.
Damn, I remember playing this game and being underwhelmed. Never realized how good the writing was. Thanks for laying out the plot I'm apparently too dense to notice.
I skimmed through the video (due to time constraints) but one thing ive seen NO ONE TALK ABOUT is the mission Wrench in the Works. Where Aiden is hunting Angelo Tucci, a guy who wants to go to the Chicago Prison to interrogate the Stadium Survivor about Aiden’s identity. How does Aiden get to him? Through his niece. Its such a small detail and the fact it’s never brought up feels intentional, most players won’t question what theyre doing but we are literally stalking a girl to get to her uncle. This is Aiden’s hypocrisy at its finest. But we all love him for it.
@@TheButterAnvil Damn my bad. I still intend to watch it. But its like 12 am. Still ive seen no one else call it out until you uploaded this. Good job man. I also love the modded visuals.
@@chasethecringewolf2195While I agree with the sentiment, I don't think hypocrisy is quite the right word for it. Aiden doesn’t target family members- at least not like his opponents do- and I don’t think he would take issue if Tucci took issue with the tactic and went after Aiden for it. If anything, I feel he'd respect that to some degree. I think the bigger point is how it highlights just how willing Aiden is to turn anything to a means- even his own trauma. He recognized, consciously or not, that his niece was the greatest pain-point he had ever experienced. And so, when the chips were down and he needed results, he did not hesitate to apply that exact pain-point (in his own style) to get results. For him, it's just simple logic.
The difference is that Aiden doesn't hurt the neice, he'll he says 2 sentences to her. It's not hypocritical, he didn't hurt the nice to get back at Tucci, he used her for information. It's not even close to the same thing.
I’m glad Aiden getting the credit and recognition he deserves after 10 years since the game was released. I’m very blessed and honored to play as such a well written established protagonist with a very complex and relatable character arch. there’s so much to Aiden what was said and believed about him even before WD1 was release. When I was playing through the main narrative of WD1. I get why he is the way he is considering how much oppression he’s faced that pushed him too far, turning him into the cold blooded skilled grey hat vigilante we see. People did pose him as he was growing up over time so they shouldn’t expect any sympathy. He’s see the world in a gloomy realistically way while most people see it unrealistically lighthearted way. Morally ambiguous characters are more compelling and interesting to connect with then heroic characters because base off their actions, they always stay true to their integrity ( being fearless of their individuality over the norms of conformity ) not just through their words. Standing out is better than fitting in. Also Their perspectives of the worlds they live in / operate are very realistically reflections of our world we live in based on any aspect of life we can relate to.
This video is an absolutely god tier video essay I love everything you brought up to support each clue about Aiden's psyche and personality after becoming The Fox I always believed Aiden to be a good person whom was wrong an twisted into a cold blooded killer hellbent on revenge to make up for Lena's death but showing how Aiden was always like this and that he was so far gone, using in game clues of direction from side missions to fucking digital trips?! I never thought they had any actual take on the character of Aiden Pierce, only that they were a goofy side activity to do to break up the monotony of senseless killing made by the devs maybe that is what they were going for but opted to put some themes inside the Digital Trips for the players to discover at the end of the day Watch Dogs will always be a game that ubisoft tried to push the envelope with but was a victim of poor marketing from the E3 Demo and buggy launch I know many people who have negative opinions on this game yet have never played the game let alone bothered to dive into the writing of the series this was the best the series was at and it was never given enough life Thank you for making a video I loved and about one of my favorite underrated characters of all time
I think I'll have to replay Watch Dogs, I did it back in the day as a kid, and most things went over my head. Kinda like Assassin's Creed, came back to it and it's probably one of the most formative pieces of media that I had. Thanks for making this video man, it was awesome!
Didn’t know what the game was when it came out and I’m glad because I fell in love with it. It’s a Near perfect game. Aiden is in my top three of favorite protagonists
great video man. i liked watchdogs when it came out, but it was a bit of a letdown compared to everyones hype expectations, which i think hurt it's longevity. but damn watching a video essay on it years later is pretty sick.
I just recently got some nostalgia for Watch Dogs, and started replaying it for the first time in my adult life. At first I thought "wow, Aiden is such a piece of shit". But as the story goes on, I've felt like I'm going crazy, because I'm starting to think that it was intentional, and this character that everyone thought was just "generic growly voiced vigilante #207" was actually a beautiful deconstruction of the vigilante trope this whole time. I could be forgetting, but something I've noticed is that I can't recall a single time when Aiden says the word "Justice". He always talks about how *he* feels. Not just in his quest for revenge, but in side missions it's always "This guy will be eating through a straw when I'm done with them" "I'll show him I can get to him" "I need a distraction". It's always about his emotions. And when fighting crime won't provide him catharsis, he's happy not to. He happily steals from bank accounts, takes jobs from fixers, employs Jordi, and hurts people way in excess of what they deserve. I don't think Aiden *really* changed when Lena died. I don't know that he would even claim that he did. He's still a violent gangster. He just has no idea how to process his grief, and so he's turned his attention to hurting the people who took Lena from him, and others like them, in an effort to feel like he still has some kind of control. Even if that puts his still living loved ones in danger. I think Ubisoft never intended Aiden to be a hero, but just did not succeed in getting that across, and instead made people think they had failed in writing a generic hero. I don't know how they could have done it better, maybe it would have helped if we had seen more of Aiden before Lena's death, to highlight the lack of change after it happened
I like how he grows as a character over the story. In the beginning he’s only acting out of a sense of justice based on revenge for his daughter but at the end of the game we see him take down an entire criminal underworld. At the end of the story his obsessive longing for justice still remains and it is still based on revenge for what has been done to others but it’s not only his family that he does these acts of justice for now. It’s more obvious in the bloodline dlc fpr watchdogs legion (terrible game awesome dlc) in which Aiden’s description reads about how he has toppled at least 2 dictators and 1 other criminal underground like he did in Chicago. Aiden pierce is a calculating,calm, intelligent individual and near the end of the game he becomes a true vigilante. Not just a man looking for the revenge of his family but instead acts as the vengeance of many. I saw many characteristics between him and the origin of Batman when I played. The key differences are that Aiden Pierce does not have the same rules and instead makes judgement calls as he stalks the people he deems villains.
I have never related more to character than Aiden Pearce. Not even in an edgy "cause im badass heh" its cause i get why he does it. Its hard letting go, and even harder to let go of family. Doing anything i can to help said family even if im more a henderance than a help Especially when ur so far out you think theres a way to make it right. Paranoid and feel like ur the only one who can even stop the things ur paranoid about, thinking their tangible when everyone that surrounds you doesnt even see it and the few who might have a clue, arent...as unhinged or ig insane depending on your definition. Mans did everything he could for justice, just to become what he hated the most. A killer. And glorified at that. Many supporting and many hendring him. Mans resonates with me in a way no other character has been able too.
I completed the game many times on different platforms, my first real game to ever complete in my life, I was so young and still am, I understood the concept a bit, but not at its full, this video changed it for me, those tapes and cutscenes now hurt me even more, so sad how the game got hated because Ubisoft focused on other things like this instead of the "graphics", every game has its own artstyle and people don't seem to understand that. One of my most favourite games, always has been, when Ubisoft was one of the best. 💙
To be fair you'd have to have a very high iq to understand Aiden Pearce.
I do 😀
Cringe
Aiden Pearce is literally me
Is that a copypasta? I feel like I’ve heard it before
@@AceOfBlackjack you're Pathetic
Aiden is suffering from a savior complex. He often makes situations way worse due to his need to feel the accomplishment of triumphing over the "bad guy" as true or manufactured as that may be.
Agreed 100%. He's the type of guy who always cleans up the messes HE causes. Unaware that him always trying to fix things is ultimately the reason why things keep getting worse.
Nikki herself literally called him out on this/points this out multiple times and every time, he ignores her, only to prove her right in the end.
Ey, virtual gun review guy!
@Joker-dn5xs It's unfortunate because this all wouldn't have happened if he had just walked away like how the video says, but he kept going, he could have easily ended things once he saved his sister and nephew by gettin them into a witness protection program and send them off somewhere else, but he felt the unnecessary urge to keep going when he could have stopped there and less people would die.
@@theslayer-re6uh Yeah, agreed. Like, I understand why Aiden kept trying to find Lena's killer, but Nikki was ultimately right in the end. "If you keep going after these people, you're going to put us in danger again." But Aiden's ego and needing to be the hero/big brother refused to let him see reason and in the end, he wounded up doing the exact thing his sister warned him of. She got kidnapped and Jacks almost got killed/kidnapped himself multiple times.
Honestly, as well intentioned as he is, Nikki should have cut Aiden off. He's just too reckless and unintentionally too much of a danger to keep around.
@@munanchoinc I'm a fan btw 😁
The moment this character was sold on me was when aiden killed quinn and kinda enjoyed getting his revenge instead of going "revenge is bad" cliche
I really hate how most revenge stories go with the “revenge is bad” route in games.
I love the idea of a character being more and more extreame over their story. The idea of settling down and being a hero/turning out better after an odyssey of revenge is… annoyingly common
The fault lies with you ishmael
@@hashhashbrowns5381MGS5 reference?
Well, if you ask me, revenge is bad...its pretty hard to feel that way when you are getting revenge though.
Revenge wasn't bad for Max Payne.
Aiden was a broken man so well written that he managed to be unlikable for most players (Who did not care) just as he does for people. Aiden is my favorite depiction of an anti hero. He's not someone you'd admire or would like to meet. He's a dangerous man, he just happens to have better interests than the people he kills. His obsession over justice for his niece is probably the only thging setting him apart from many of the hitmen he kills. With his criminal past, what makes him really different from the people trying to kill him? He's a terrible person that cares about his family. As many of the men he killed probably did.
I really liked that you point stuff like the body language, sentences and expressions. Somenthing I noticed after paying more attention to the characters, is Clara. The game slowly reveals that she had something to do with Lena's death, but she actually shows signs of guilt even before the game suggests anything. Aiden repeatedly talks about the reason he does what he does, finding the people responsible and making them pay. When he brings the topic, Clara tends to act nervous, she looks away from Aiden for a few moments, and even during phonecalls she goes quiet for a second. She knows he's gonna find out, but can't shake the guilt. After all she was DedSec, probably thinking she was just helping scum to kill scum for quick cash.
Watch Dogs didn't shine for anything innovative or the best storyline of its time. But it managed to create a perfect Anti hero, with the huge positives of a strong artstyle and a great soundtrack. Something special about the music, is that the only time the music departs from the depressing or moody tone, is when they open the Bunker, and even Aiden laughs for the first and only time in the game, alone. Probably what made that moment so special for him was the idea of the power the Bunker would grant him, the idea of having a tool that would give him an eye on anyone completely undetected to accomplish his goal was probably the idea that made that moment special for him. A scary thing to consider, specially when you remember nothing else felt like that in the game, nor for him or the player. He killed Lucky Quinn, probably caused the biggest gang in Chicago to fall appart and even ended the career of Rushmore along with his life. But there was nothing to be happy anymore, his actions led to his family running away from him, there was no longer a family to protect anymore and he knew it. He probably only found a bit of comfort in the fact that the people responsible are not alive anymore. And that was really everything he had left. And I am happy with that ending. One doesn't become a killer and deprives himself from any healthy social interactions just to return home happily. There's some stuff you can´t walk away from.
I'm so happy that this game is receiving deserved appreciation for the things it did right, even if it took us 5 years to start doing it back in 2019. That's fine, even if it's just a handful of us, we stick together. That keeps games alive. Amazing video (and channel). Also, the cutscenes and cut content about Jackson is really sad to see, it really contrasts the idea a kid has about fighting the bad guys vs the actual kind of people that decide to take that task uppon themselves. Even after 10 years, no game wants to ask that question, and gamers probably still aren't ready for a crude character like Aiden Pearce. And that is valuable.
@@DEKANIEVES One of my favorite examples of what you were talking about with Clara is in the bunker when Aiden says something along the lines of "they all need to die, everyone involved in her death" and Clara is shook by it. On a first playthrough you assume she shocked by his violent impulses, but on a repeat playthrough you realize she's scared because he's talking about her
I feel like Legion undoes a lot of that and turns him into said hero. I guess Wrench has that effect on people.
Beautifully said man.
With this, it's able to explain and justify the in world side activities and mechanics. Saint's Row 2 is another example, where as with Watch Dogs, it's in the eyes of an actual vigilante with their own sense of morality, Saint's Row 2 is the full on villainous personality of an open world crime protag. They both manage to lower the dissonance of what they're doing to a point it works.
@@moonmoon2479 everything after the first game just undoes what it built up. The tone, the gameplay, the characters, it was just everywhere and I think Ubisoft never knew where to take the franchise.
Watch Dogs was much better than people gave it credit for and I actually enjoyed it. Sure, it could have used some story improvement, but it's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Thanks for using my clips and crediting me... I made these ages ago on my PS4's recording device before I bought a capture device so it's weird seeing the footage get used to make such excellent videos.
We got a little desperate at the 11th hour lol
It's Aiden who to me is underrated not watchdogs itself they got 3 games and 3 dlcs where Aiden got 1 game and a DLC that basically rushes Aiden into retirement so Aiden Pearce fans will give up and stop asking for him back
The game would of been a proper hit if Ubisoft didn't falsely advertise it, the only reason people were so critical of the game and Aiden were because of the lies
I wish Ubisoft stayed with the gritty tone watch dogs one had
Breaks my heart how those who hated it now love it just sad
"That’s not you….. Is it?"
Dang. It’s probably safe to leave the judge silent.
I like that your profile is someone who's about to "never kill a man" his way to the Millennium Tower to fight fishki
Kiryu never kills.
@@expiredpiracy6969 real
it's sad that rubber bullet hasn't been invented in watchdogs
@@expiredpiracy6969 common misconception resulting from a mistranslation. Kiryu kills sometimes, when it's the only option. He never *murders* however, as there is a big difference.
Ubisoft wouldn't dare to make a game that actually tries to tell a story again. I hate that anything serious has basically stopped being viable for mainstream media in the name of maximizing the target audience.
watch dogs legion bro.... 😢
that’s kind of our fault is it not? I think as gamers we need to take responsibility too because when this came out everyone just said it was bad and never gave it a chance. all the data ubisoft got was that this was a bad gambit. so they pivoted. i’m one of the few who liked it when it came out but i think it’s not entirely ubisofts fault that they stop putting such effort in their games
@@icarus9980 I blame Ubisoft for drawing the wrong conclusions. That's exactly what they did: they saw the negativity and, instead of listening to the actual criticism, they did a complete 180 on everything. There was no need for it and a more competent studio would have had an interest in maintaining the integrity of their original vision.
@@icarus9980No, it isn’t our fault.
@@jsade and that’s okay. i half agree with you that ubisoft is also at fault. Where they are right now in terms of creativity and all of that mess is all their fault however i think as a business they didn’t really have a choice? because from the way i look at it if they put more money doubling down that’s probably more money lost as people would probably say it’s not that much of a change, no? iteration would not be enough. however past watch dogs 2 they should’ve gotten their act right and just showed utter incompetence
A thing I just noticed, 9:00 when saving Jackson, after looking at the monitor, look at the smirk on his face when he turns away from them and looks at Jackson, he was proud of his work until, he saw that Jackson was terrified of what he had just witnessed
@@Marti_Docus47 I interpret it more as him trying to calm Jackson, but your interpretation definitely isn't off the table
@@TheButterAnvil That is very true, but I see it as him noticing his own work, and his first thought when seeing it, is to smile, to be happy, happy about saving Jackson sure, but happy to see the people he hates dead, not knowing who they are or why. To him they were bad and the world is better off without them. Ngl I always saw Aiden as a badass, even when I was 13 and the game just released, but as time passed, I began noticing more sociopathic tendencies from him.
It really annoys me that is makes you kill them. I took everyone alive yet when the cutscene played boom there dead
That's an amazing interpretation, it really fits his hidden ego.
Nah he was smiling at the kid u trippin 😂
Aiden broken not a psycho
12:58 Aiden bringing up the families is so viciously clever. We, the players, know he's (probably) not going to do anything to them. But Lance doesn't. And Aiden _knows_ that. He's attacking from two angles: 'Tell me what I want, because I have information to blackmail you with', and 'Tell me what I want, because I know where your family is'. Aiden doesn't have to _do_ anything. He knows the implication is enough
Really makes you think how in-depth Maurice even was as a character how tf did this masterpiece come from Ubisoft it still baffles me to this day
@@keevanmanners255 Ubisoft used to experiment. Everyone memes about how every Ubisoft game is just far cry, but it's not really true. Far cry had themes, far cry had interesting features. The games were never perfect, and they left a lot on the table, but Ubisoft used to make genuinely interesting pretty good games. The modern ubislop game (far cry 6, AC Valhalla, Watch dogs legion) are built by a boardroom, not visionaries
@@TheButterAnvil I completely agree it isint just nostalgia cause I can go back and play everyone of the old classic Ubisoft games and enjoy them although I will say I’m enjoying Star Wars outlaws it’s still pretty shallow and gives off a very modern Ubisoft feel but it’s fun and well made so hopefully this can be a stepping stone to bringing back the respect they used to have
@@TheButterAnvilFarcry was same from 3-6.If you played 3 you don't need to play others.I personally like farcry-2 because of how immersive it is and doesn't hold your hand.And has great physics,environment etc.
@@TheButterAnvil Legion did experiment and had some ambition, it just didn't turn out very well which is a shame.
@@Pappalardium my main issue with legion was the audio genuinely made it unplayable
WD1 in terms of story is comparable to GTA IV. Dark, gritty, and juicy
I've always looked at it the same way. and both games got a sequel in a colorful city with a less serious theme
@@RafaelMunizYT yo I never thought it like that
Great observation. Characters and the general plot are serious and interesting in WD but the difference seems to be the difficulty of following these stories. GTA IV was grabbing from the beginning and easy to follow. You could focus on it much easier. Watch Dogs on the other hand felt like sensory overload when I played it. Watch Dogs - victim of its own ambitions of wanting to play too many pianos at once.
@@o5try708 Being autistic, it's actually not too difficult for me to follow the story.
@@Kunal_Biswas_2024 congratulations. Things get easier to follow the more you pay attention to them. WD did not grab the attention of 15 years old me. Didn't prove itself worthy of multiple hours of it soon enough so I drifted away from the game.
Something a lot of people overlook about Aiden's character is that he doesn't enjoy the violence, he's a murderer because he was molded to be one, he's a manipulator because, in his own words, he had to "win a fight before it even began", even in gameplay, in the basegame, he'll occasionally use his baton rather than performing a gun-kata style execution, he tries to avoid killing Raul Lionzo (the stadium survivor), Lance Brenner, Helena Tucci, Tobias Frewer (who he easily could've killed and taken the bridge remote from.)
The game pushes you to a high-reputation playthrough, so it's more likely than not that he beat up the prank caller rather than killing him. This isn't to say he's innocent though, he dragged his family into a dangerous situation that he wanted to keep them out of.
The true antagonist of the game isn't Aiden as a person, but his ego.
Damien already proved himself to be untrustworthy and unreliable, but had Aiden chosen to work with him, they would've been in and out of Rossi-Fremont in minutes with the data he needed. Aiden had his progress on looking for the people that killed Lena, but it was slow, and Maurice was essentially a dead end. Damien is the one who kidnapped his family because he refused to work with him.
P.S, I was working on a script for a video like this, and hey, someone actually did it first! Good stuff, man.
This could add points to it
Maurice's story literally brought me to tears
It got me during editing. Some of those tapes are hard to listen to
I never got to find them all in my first playthrough.
What he went through is the definition of not catching a break.
same, high asf and this editing got me crying like wtf
@@TheManWhoErasedHisNane once you collect them all, Aiden reflects. He reflects if it were nicky
I never really understood how people can see Aiden as just another generic, tough-guy character. He’s clearly got way more depth. He’s a master of both sides of the crime world: the physical side with shooting, fighting, and parkour, and the technical side with hacking, social engineering, and exploiting systems to his advantage. You can tell he's incredibly smart-someone who, in a different life, would probably be a top 1% cybersecurity expert, working for the CIA or NSA. But instead, life pushed him into crime, so he blends his intelligence with street smarts. Honestly, he’s the perfect example that hackers don’t have to be stereotyped as nerds in their mom’s basement, typing furiously with code scrolling on the screen.
True man, it prove aiden most feared hacker or gray hat hacker in the Worldwide like Anonymous the hacker and other cybercrime and terrorist hacker in the whole world 👹👿
Exactly, hell, even the best hacker in the world, Kevin Mitnick (RIP) Was a social engineer first and foremost, someone who was slick, able to talk people into doing what he wanted, as well as hacking.
He probably causes less death as a vigilante or criminal than working in the CIA though.
One of the central themes of Watch Dogs 1 and well the entire franchise is Control.
In regards to Watch_Dogs 1:
Aiden is essentially a control freak heavily motivated by a heavily loss in which he blames himself not being in control of the situation. The Trauma is used as a reminder to always be in control of any situation he finds himself.
For longest while, I personally always found weird that when Aiden refused to work with Damien but then it after replaying, it became very clear he was making sure no one had leverage on him (which obviously didn't work out because Damien used Nicky as leverage on him anyways)
Damien Brenks is Motivated by Control and Power. Due to the merlaut job, he essentially lost everything and left a crippled to be reminded just how powerless he was in this world. He just wants revenge against the world for breaking him and unlike Aiden, he will stop at nothing to get it.
Iraq is a power hungry Gang leader, he uses blackmail and brutal intimidation a means of control and power over others. viewing the people of Rossi Fremont as Property and assets while enforcing his will through violence.
Lucky Quinn, the head of the Chicago south club and the epitome of old world control in Chicago. Wielding is power through influence.
As stated in the auction, he is a man who flaunts his powers unlike others who see the business as gain and that's because he is at the top of the food chain (or so he thinks).
He doesn’t need to exert overt force because he already had an established influence that ensures his will is carried out without question and due to his blackmail on mayor Rushmore, he was able to establish more political influence.
And Yet in all of this, the ones who are truly in control is Blume.
Here's an interesting theory:
In "Watch Dogs 1," Blume Corporation epitomizes control through its dominance over Chicago via ctOS, the city's central operating system. They possess immense power, monitoring and managing infrastructure, including Aiden Pearce's every move.
Here's some evidence to back it up:
During the "Dot Connexion" mission, Defalt taunts Aiden, suggesting that Blume has been looking into him. This moment is crucial because it confirms that Aiden is not just another hacker or vigilante operating under the radar-he’s of significant interest to Blume.
Blume’s decision not to put as much effort as other factions in immediately neutralizing Aiden, despite being aware of him, suggests that they saw value in allowing him to continue his operations-perhaps to eliminate other threats, test their systems, or further their own goals indirectly.
Another possibile hint:
The fact that each mission in the game opens with a camera focused on Aiden from a distance suggests that Blume has been monitoring his every move.
Despite the exposure of their Bellwether program, Blume remains largely unscathed, thanks to their robust contingency plans.Blume's control is evident in their ability to quickly adapt and maintain influence. After Mayor Rushmore's death, Blume ensures their interests are safeguarded by positioning their executive, Charlotte Gardner, as the new mayor. This maneuver illustrates their capacity to sustain political control even in the face of disruption.Additionally, Blume's launch of ctOS 2.0 following the blackout underscores their resilience. Rather than being crippled, the blackout serves as an opportunity for Blume to deploy an enhanced version of their control system, reflecting their preparedness and ability to turn crises into advantages.
@@DxrkPhasma i hadn't connected his rejection of damien to his need for control. Totally agree, what a great point
@@TheButterAnvil nice but what do you think about the theory?
@@DxrkPhasma definitely agree. I touched on it with the Clara bunker scene but it's definitely a big part of the story overall
He’s probably the only character alongside Adam Jensen that fit the saying “less is more”
Also. Killing Maurice is one of the only times a game gave me chills
*Aiden Pearce and John Wick shared the same words they didn't listen and led to the consequences of their persistence.*
*_"Just walk away"_*
*I can't believe that Ubisoft could make that masterpiece of Watch Dogs.*
Just one difference, Aiden wasn't severely punished for his actions because the world he lives in is much like ours; one where not everything is karmic. The World Of Watch Dogs is one where horrific occurrences go unanswered for years upon years. CtOs has a system with Leaks that can literally lead common civilians to their deaths, and yet it consistently persists because everyone just moves on by like it means nothing.
John, on the other hand, His world is extremely karmic. Every action has weight because everyone in that world actively enforces its consequence including John himself. Nothing you do in the world of John Wick goes unanswered.
@@livelife4928 "Karmic" is actually such a good word for the John Wick universe. Every weapon is a chekhov's gun that goes on to introduce 3 more once fired. Culminating in the 4th movie where he has special forces, former allies, and an entire city block's worth of assassins gunning for him.
Thank you for defending this game. I think I was the only one who picked it up and enjoyed pretty much every second of it. Aiden was probably the best protagonist in recent years imo. And to everyone crying about the graphics downgrade; I played this on the 360 on release day, and I still loved it.
I loved it back in the day. A lot of people didn't. For some odd reason, though, people seem to be only now coming to the realization of how great and awesome it was. I also really enjoyed 2 and Legion. Next time I play Legion I'm going to challenge myself to play the whole game as Grandma.
Back when I first started the game, I enjoyed the gameplay mechanics and the side quests the game had to offer,, but having played through the main story twice and completing the Bad Blood DLC, as I grew older, I learned to appreciate the story a bit more, and it wasn't until I found this video explaining how the story is told as well as how the characters react to thing within it, it became significantly more clear as to what the story being told was. That was when I fell in love with the game all over again
I still love the game
I honestly don’t care what anyone thinks, I’ve recently played it on the 360 for the first time and had more fun than any modern release
The GTA hype was in full force back then and everyone called this a dull GTA knock off with hacking mechanics.
It ALWAYS struck me to hear Aiden just say "Bye" to Jacks... Like, a "Stay strong" or a "You're a good kid" would have been more meaningful. Hell, even a "Don't be like me" would be a signifier for something, but that "Bye" was... Just Aiden, I guess.
with what Jacks seen, i think it would have fell on deaf ears essentially and Aiden would know that. Better to create distance anyway, so Jacks doesn't try seeking Aiden out in the future.,
Holy crap Aiden Pearce appreciation? Ive always said he's a great character, and watch dogs has remained one of my favourite games after 10 years. I still play it occasionally because i enjoy it so much. Great video man, subscribed
Not gonna lie, hearing that final Maurice audio log changed the way how i saw him, decided to let him go so he has a second chance in his life and possibly save his wife
I sadly believe he doesn't have the stuff to save her. But maybe what Aiden did from the trafficking side stuff he did in canon could potentially helped
@@Xbox3851_ i actually hoped to find an audio log or a news file or information of some sort saying that she's safe
@@Xbox3851_ yh same i let him go in my playthrough but regretted it. I just dont think someone like him could ever enjoy 'life' ever again.
People call Aiden boring. Does that mean Batman is also boring?
Aiden is pretty much a Batman parody. Guy loses his loved one, then uses whatever technology he has to play Vigilante. Seeking revenge while helping people around him.
The reason to play vigilante is so justified that you can easily accept it.
Edit: Lots of Punisher fans in the comments, and they are right. Aiden is more Punisher than Batman.
I saw him more as like a Punisher parody with Batman aspects
@@eddiediaz5518wrong to say that is a slightly entertaining mix
No. Aiden is not nearly as poorly written as Batman. Not nearly as boring, either.
Batman IS boring at times because 1) he is oversaturated, 2) he is often poorly written and 3) he has too many clones in media. However Aiden isnt really that much like Batman at all.
Whilst playing I felt like Aiden was Batman without the rich dead parents, he even has a batcave. However I suppose he plays more like the punisher
Aiden was a phenominal protagonist. Not continueing his story was Ubisoft's mistake then releasing watchdogs leigion was the other.
Legion is great, don’t be retarded
Holy shit this game is dark! I knew it was dark but seeing it all laid out nice and clean like this really makes the story hit that much harder.
I actually had some anxiety about some of these events.
Now I need to replay this gem. 💎
The headcanon I've always had is that Aiden (or at least, his father) is a member of the Thieves Guild. It makes a bunch of sense to me. The Fox? Exact same name as La Volpe. Throw in the casual robbing of civilians, glove compartments, and various other things and it falls into place perfectly for me. Aiden idolized his father who was in the guild and followed the same path.
That...actually makes a Hell of a lot of sense.
Only they don't call themselves the "Thieves Guild" anymore. They call themselves the "Fixers Union."
@@thatguyklye there’s no honor among thieves so ig this fits
Always had the idea his dad was involved with the IRA. His origins are in Belfast and anyone I know who had paramilitary roots in the family always carried a similar kind of trauma. "Dad wasnt violent in the house but he sure was violent in the streets." Aiden could be a member of the thieves guild but I'm not convinced that his dad was. Belfast had a lot more going on in the past than a high crime rate.
There is also the thing about Watchdogs and assassin‘s Creed being in the same universe.
I like to think that Aiden would’ve been a great assassin’s creed protagonist.
@@matchuBBGPersonally I’d argue it’s more likely he would have been with the UVF, Pearce isn’t an irish name it’s anglo saxon in origin. Pearce spelled that way is usually english.
Aiden is the good guy- in a sense, at least- but he certainly isn't _a good guy._
And I'm pretty sure he'd be first in line to say so.
The thing is, in a world like what we see in Watchdogs, being a good guy leaves you impotent at best and dead in a ditch at worst. You could argue that it would allow him to stay away from the worst elements, insulating him and his loved ones, but that's not addressing the issues, just sweepung them under the rug.
Aiden is, frankly, a monster. He's a risk and a detriment to everyone close to him.
What makes him different is that he's a monster that preys on other monsters, and in a world that won't allow a hero, sometimes that's the best you can hope for.
It's a harsh take, but an interesting one- and one not without some validity. It's a shame the series walked away from this sort of weighty writing after just one game.
Yoo, first thing off is someone finally adressing the Audio Logs + the side content monologues, wow, i don't think anyone mentioned those before in a video and i would argue they are super important for Aiden's characterization, as both a person and the vigilante fantasy
Most of what's said here is really on point, atleast with what i think and also how the characters is designed to be, especially the letting go part and i want to shine some light on it aswell.
it's obvious that Aiden enjoys dishing justice with his own hands even if he doesn't want to admit it, or wants people to find out about it, you can draw a paralel as in it's an addiction to him about control and ultimately he has to let go of it in the end, he needs to let his family escape and even convinces himself that he should not look for them or try to make contact with them, it's worth to mention that in the badblood dlc there are still unique audio logs from Aiden and in one of them he is clearly having withdrawl symptons, trying to fight the urge of finding and going after his family again, and for Aiden Pearce it really is that easy to find them, but he argues to himself that he should not put them in danger again, (as if he is the danger)
I think it teaches us that control and power is a hell of a drug, and i think it's also intentional
"They say i'm out of control, but i never had so much control"
@@TheAnarchySaint I had that audio log written down I just didn't have a spot for it
@@TheButterAnvil yeah, i Just find it funny how one of the most inhumane characters in the series ends up being one of the most complex and relatable *Cough Cough Marcus Holloway*
But the most inhumane award definetly goes to Jordi
@@TheAnarchySaintwhat? What about Marcus?
no idea how youtube got me here, for a game I've never played or had any interest in, but this video is shockingly good. I just watched the whole thing and you really helped this story deliver its punches. I rarely leave comments like this but this is absolutely worth my time. Seriously fantastic work.
Thank you.
You need to play it, even though spoilers on the video crazy but still recommend.
@@kinnick5643 I might pick it up just for you
A note on the part where you talk about the digital trips where we explore Aiden's mind:
In the Bloodlines DLC of WDL, there is a similar section where we explore Aiden's mind as Jack to "re-alive" him using technology what you deduced is pretty spot on considering Ubisoft canonically shows that in the DLC, Aiden's mind is lonely and the same scenes from the accident and Nicki's house keep playing again and again in that section
Bro was poppin percs and takin psychedelics the entire game, how do people not understand why he is the way he is? Aiden Peirce was a certified tweaker. Bro was homeless runnin a muck in the city with nothin but a perc 30, 9mm, and that damn phone. I remember playin and just takin all the pills from the sisters house and spending a lot of my money at the pharmacy. At this point the game shouldve introduced crack.
Aiden has an addictive personality which is why he cant quit this cycle hes in. The pills literally gives him a boost in his perception and makes it easier for him to process information. Some scenes it looks like hes high asf. Bro it definitely NOT sober for majority of the game.
He's an uppers guy, but I've never interpreted the story that way. Might be a fun way to look at it
"bro was homeless runnin a muck in the city with nothin but a perc 30, 9mm, and that damn phone" is the best description of aiden I've seen
I've never thought about the pills like that till just now, and it's crazy cause it makes total sense
@@RafaelMunizYT as a former Perc head, you will definitely be doing shit that people always tell you not to do. Percs made me stubborn asf and felt like everyone an opp
@@restant8845Congrats on sobriety! :3 7 months clean myself
Let's appreciate the moders that allowed me to get back to this game specially living city and character swich and camera fly mod and all those great mods (includeing graphic mods and other stuff)
@@Soroosh.S83 try out the fox mod. Came out recently and it's a great way to make the game more immersive. It makes the HUD elements for Ctos hidden when the phone is put away, but gives you your crosshair in return. It lets gunfights have less clutter on screen, and you'll actually check your phone for enemy locations, which is super sick
@@TheButterAnvil idk about checking your phone for enemy location but there was a feauture in the mod that let you put your phobe away which I think is more lore accurate and realistic i think you have to long press Z or something
Theres a lot to be said even about aidens animations.
He walks with his face down, he avoids eye contact and stares at his phone in social situations. He doesnt need to worry about cameras identifying him and a fixer is going to find him without eye contact... He just cant bring himself to make eye contact. He is wildly uncomfortable socializing when he doesnt have "ammunition", he even uses it to his advantage against his sister.
It almost feels like his second life is escapism, he cant ever make a genuine human connection, his life sucks. He will never be able to accept the love from his family, make friends, or have a normal life. The accident didnt change Aiden, it gave him an out. His niece and nephew were brief escapes from his life, but when the consequences of his escapism caught up with him he chose to become the vigilante over the family man that would have actually given him the fulfillment he desired.
@@christophernoneya4635 we see so little of him before it that it's hard to tell
This is a really good character analysis. Would honestly like more videos like this about games/stories you enjoy
@@kinography9085 I was against the idea after the first week of this video completely bombing, but now it seems to be doing well for some reason. UA-cam is weird
I really did like the Voice Acting in these early Ubisoft Games.
There was much more effort and emotions.
Especially in this game.
Yeah Ubi had a decent track record (WD1, Div 1, AC 1-3, Far Cry 1-4 etc)
@@xkmuffinzx3915BRUH don't skip out AC4, that game had amazing voice acting as well. Origins was the last AC game with good acting
Um Splinter Cell? Ghost recon ? Rainbow six ?
@@glibchubik4090 I know imma get flack but I stopped with ac after 3 lol 😅
Ubisoft now writes their games like they have HR on their neck everytime thats why
I always get so excited to see a new video giving the writing for Aiden's character the flowers it deserves.
Man the thumbnail, the editing, the deep analysis into the character, this is amazing work. Good fucking job.
Aiden's facial expressions are subtle and not in your face like most players originally expected him to believe, this guy knew about Jackson seeing a shrink before learning the information from Nicky (according to this video).
Aiden is written to be an unlikeable character who isn't actually hiding it, a trait which is rare among videogame protagonists. Most videogame protagonists tend to behave like "morally questionable people with a good heart", but not Aiden Pearce.
Niko Bellic is a horrible person according to his backstory and shenanigans in LC, yet he is beloved because he makes us forget the atrocities he committed, yet Aiden never got that status because the game keeps reminding us that he is not a good person and must be dealt with immediately (especially the psychiatrist interviews).
Aiden would run circles around anyone in the WD universe when it comes to having the upper hand in a complex situation. He blackmailed Bedbug, "convinced" a prisoner to not ID him, manipulated a woman into calling her uncle, and busted a trafficking racket using fake ID.
WD1's story has flaws, but most of them aren't really related to Aiden. Bedbug surviving had nothing to do with Aiden. Bedbug dying could've made Aiden feel guilty and motivated him to be more careful in the future.
The biggest tragedy of Watch_Dogs is the massive change of tone in the later games. The first game was peak.
Agreeed, Watch Dogs 2 almost would've been THE sequel like Saints Row 2, Assassin's Creed 2, etc.
Personally, I find that they nailed the different tones of both games. But the second game had a weaker story. One of the characters die and we're supposed to feel sad, but we were never really given a chance to attach to them.
aiden and watchdogs 1 were so incredibly criminally underrated it baffles me. one of THE BEST if not the best UBI product imo.
Aiden 'Goat' Pierce.
Or Aiden "Fox" Pearce could work
Aiden "Doberman" pearce could werk too my bra
Aiden Pearce is by no means a hero. He's a broken individual with an interesting psychy
If you pay attention to Aiden being at pharmacies and taking his sisters pills, you actually see what he is: A junkie who is taking uppers, and percs.
@@Eternal_Redemption relatable
"Bad guys kill my niece and threaten my nephew and sister. I kill bad guys. All of them. Simple as." and somehow this story was bad for people
Eh change it to my daughter and kids and wife and then I would say yeah that’s a little better. It’s a little weird that a guy goes this far for a niece in my opinion. But we also gotta note, Aiden is not mentally well. He thinks about manipulating people rather than talking to them.
@@wjbushjr I hope you ain't got relatives
Why is this the only rebuttal people have for Watch Dogs? It’s a good game, but why not just have Aiden have a daughter who died? And that he lost his family because of actual fucked up violence in his own hometown? That’s literally more relatable than “hey I keep having nightmares and bad dream memories about someone else’s kid”
@@NiCoNiCoNiCola he talks about his childhood and how his father was ass, I would’ve love how he’s seeing parallels of his father in his own behavior towards the fact that he actually has kids of his own. But all it is just oh he’s the uncle. ???? My own uncle didn’t give a fuck when he heard that my bro got ran over by a Mexican lady the fuck lmao
@@wjbushjr maybe cuz he wasn't gonna marry and he loved his niece and treated her like his own daughter?
and someone else's kid? my brother, if you have a sibling and you held their kid right after their birth, you'll change this statement SO fast
I've now been saying for quite some time that Watch Dogs 1 is a cult classic game. It was shit on in the beginning but this game has a massive fanbase behind it and seeing a lot of people now coming back is nice to see
Aiden isn't the face of Watch Dogs...
He is *THE* Watch Dog.
I’m so happy someone’s made a good proper video about his mentality. Manipulation and quick thinking. Playing through it I picked up on them all. The psychology behind the fox and thought “shit that’s cool” but no one else seemed to
To add to the “Aiden being mentally alone” point at the end of the game basically every one in Aiden’s life leaves him, betrays him or dies.
At the end of the game there isn’t much to do other than a GTA style rampage or the mini games which include: drug trips, drinking with strangers and gambling. Name more lonely and down on your luck activities than that. Unlike in GTA V you can at least do similar activities with companions. The ending is just depressing and it doesn’t feel like you won anything, kinda like FC3 with Jason. Ubisoft would never do an ending like that again.
This is actually a fantastic video, I've thought for years that Watch_Dogs and Aiden Pearce are underrated characters and this summarises this perfectly, very good watch.
I can't express how cathartic it is that people are coming back around and realising how good Watch Dogs 1 is.
I loved the game then, and I love it now. This game was one of many made by Ubisoft during a time where they wanted to tell interesting stories and experiment with new formulas.
That experimentation gave us arguably one of the most unique protagonists in gaming, imo.
Although I don't exactly agree with 100% of the video, I'm glad more and more people are studying him.
then you have marcus calling bullshit on all the crimes ctOS 2.0 accuses him of only to commit more crimes murdering gang leaders to take revenge for his dead friend...aiden can atleast be justified because of the setting, his motives, his characterization when he does hypocritical shit...but marcus lmaoo
I miss THIS Ubisoft. When they actually still had writers who had some skill and balls to try things out. Sure, Aiden didn't really work out as it's too subtle and the game doesn't focus on making him "wrong". There's simply not enough exploration to it. He is recontextualized in the other games though, but I the seeds already existed. They just need bit more attention.
Nowadays tho, Ubisoft wouldn't dare to make such flawed character. A character who is actually morally grey.
My guy no one writing on this game had any skill. This character was flawed because they didn't care enough to give him any personality
30:45 that va was amazing you can hear the pain in the voice
He is one of the most relatable video game character ever for me. I feel like i share most of the personality traits with him. I would've made different decisions differently throughout the story, but even though i'm a good man and i usally choose to walk away even i would not forgive Queen. Not only he got Lena killed, but he also sent Maurice's wife to an auction, and if he didin't even try, she would've likely died but regardless he only cared about himself, and not at all for anyone who isn't beneficial for him, just like Dimitri from from GTA 4.
- Niece killed during a contract hit job placed on him.
- Sister forced to leave town, be on the run & stay underground
- Nephew is selectively mute because of the trauma his vigilantism has caused to his family
- The only person who considered him a friend accepts a hit job on him
- Love interest surrenders to the enemy because of lack of communication
- Greatest hacker of all time who caused a massive blackout to protest against capitalism drops out of contact with him
Aiden's vigilantism does not affect him directly, but it tragically affects all those who care about him
That also continues the theme that Aiden is mentally alone. To add to this at the end of the game about the only thing to do other than a GTA style rampage is the mini games that include: drug trips, drinking with strangers and gambling. All pretty sad and lonely activities giving the context. Comparing that to GTA V again at least you can do similar activities with the other characters but with Aiden dudes just alone after it’s all done.
Damn.. I never finished the audio logs for Maurice, so finding out they *sold* his wife into slavery? I thought they just killed her, but this is far worse!
I’ve seen many breakdown/retrospective/video essays of Aiden Characters, but i don’t think i’ve ever seen one that covered Maurice role in this game as well as this one. I played the game when i was hella young, ive been meaning to replay it, it one of my favorite games, but even then i never realized how much of a tragic story Maurice has. He lost everything, his story put me to tears. It was an amazing video man, keep up the good work!
man.... glad to see people still speaking about this game.. the story, the gameplay, the soundtracks were stunning. visuals, ambient, characters... would love a reboot of the series with a dark tune to it
How much of Aiden's pain would't hav happened if he'd just listened to his instincts in the Merlaut Job and disconnected the moment Damien told him someone else was in the system. Instead, he listened to Damien's objections and got them both detected.
That ending was so unexpected I unironically just stared at the screen for some seconds, great job!
Amazing video, I just wish you also touched upon the events of Bloodlines too though, it offers a surprisingly well insight into the inner world of Aiden. I think it's a great wrap up for the character
They all misunderstood one of the best OC vigilante characters of all time
This is an extremly good analisis of aiden pierce
Good job mate
I'm so glad someone *finally* dived deeper into Aiden
This game is criminally underrated, so glad to see people still talking about it
this is genuinely one of the most soul shaking games i've ever played, and holy shit do i love it.
*this* is single handedly the sharpest contrast ive seen compiled to set Aiden Peirce as an anti-hero vs a hero and for a game from 2014, that only speaks to its good writing as well as good analysis from its fanbase
I got Watch Dogs for free on Epic. One day, I said "why not?" and downloaded the game. Right off the bat, I'm hooked. And then all this talk about vigilantism and crime... I'm hooked even more. I'd often get a mustang, park it somewhere, kill the engine and wait for a crime to pop so I could stop it. Then, when the game started to prey on Jackson... I went wild. My crappy driving skills vanished, my jittery aim disappeared. I felt like my whole life depended on it, like I was truly the uncle of Jackson, that Nicky was truly my sister. I remember literally not taking damage in certain areas and getting tunnel vision at times from the amount of stress and anger. Watch Dogs is the only game that has managed to make me feel so immersed that I felt like I was one with it. It is in my top #5 list and I think it beats most other open world series and games without so much so raising a finger. Watch Dogs is the game that has managed to immerse me the most and I'd VERY MUCH recommend it to anyone in doubt. Play it, you won't regret it
Well said, my friend. In the first minute you make the connection that his darkness stems from a flawed father who also did bad things to protect his family, and so Aiden is following what he knows from his Father.
This is now one of my favorites because I love it when people discuss Aiden's character (I got the game when I was a kid and had been his fan since) and I wasn't even aware this game was not well-received when it came out.
Same, I absolutely loved it when I got gifted it
Didn't know it was so disliked until years afterwards, one of my favorite games of all time
Great vid, i like how you managed to find so many details relevant to his character in the game. It's even moreso impressive that the game itself managed to write this story and only subtly tell it. I can't believe Ubisoft made this game.
I believe there's a lot of parallels that can be drawn between him and Elliot Alderson from Mr.Robot as anti-heroes. If Ubisoft ever goes this route again, using Mr.Robot as reference material for a darker, grittier Watch Dogs game with a deeper story and adding new mechanics with more immersive environments could result in a GOTY contender.
Glad to see someone still remember this game and this character. A few years ago, one guy named Prizma made a hour long video about Aiden, explaining his condition and personality in medical terms, and as someone who have degree in that regard, I can say that you and he was completely right about Aiden and this character is so well-written, that players didn't liked him because of that, or that how I see it. It's indeed one of the greatest protagonist you may seen in the history of the games, because it's actually alive person with his own history, not some kinda Lincoln Clay from Mafia 3, that killing mafia because he's cool and mafia killed his friends and family.
You didn't need to throw Lincoln under the ditch bro 😭 He's a cool character as well, and very traumatized in his own way
I will never stop enjoying videos of Aiden Pearce getting analyzed and praised as the great protag he is!
I Feel like The Watch dogs Movie has to be Based of to WD 1.
And Watch dogs 4 game has to be a spiritual sequel of WD 2.
Wd1=Best Story and Fantasy
Wd2=Best gameplay and city
Who's With me?
Nah WD 1 had best City story and gameplay
@@BruceWayne-fj9bm sorry but the only good gameplay wd 1 has is shooting
Hacking is quick time event.
Stealth is mediocre Assassins creed.
"Parkour" is just broken vaulting.
Driving is borderline awful.
And the city altough moody is the most dead city in the franchise.
Wd 2 violates in gameplay.
hello, i sincerely thank you for making this absolutely beautiful video. every other video about this game yet about aiden himself couldnt manage to point out this much of characterism and behavior of the fox. this game is my life, was my reason to be happy to comeback home letting me forget about every other stupid stuff i come across that day that time or whatever. aidens speech at the end alone makes me emotional but look what you pulled out man. feelings aside im glad this character exists, everyone who calles himself gamer should know about him and his story. seeing watch dogs gettin this kind of love makes me proud according i knew him and loved him since 2015. thank you for this again you made my day man subscribed !
This is one of the most impact full videos I've watched in a damn minute. Aiden Pearce is my favorite video game character of all time, flaws and all. It's awesome to see people not only remember this game, but really dig to understand it. Fantastic.
At first I brushed off the video because I thought this would be another one of those videos that overpraises Aiden straight off the heels of Raycevicz's video about WD, but you actually make many good arguments in favour of your poisition, and you also provide very convincing evidence that I didn't notice myself before, like how Aiden deflects in the Big Brother mission, or how the music during the ending speech is supposed to be ominous instead of triumphant. Watch Dogs 1 is a really odd game, a one of a kind. It's both a soulless corporate product, with all controversies, Ubisoft hype, typical DLC shenanigans, but also clearly a product of passion at the same time, with the music, the characters, the "vibe" and the themes. It was one of the last few AAA games with an actual vision behind it, before the corporatism fully took over. It's a real shame what happened to this game, it absolutely deserved better. Neat video, thank you for making it.
Damn, I remember playing this game and being underwhelmed. Never realized how good the writing was.
Thanks for laying out the plot I'm apparently too dense to notice.
I skimmed through the video (due to time constraints) but one thing ive seen NO ONE TALK ABOUT is the mission Wrench in the Works.
Where Aiden is hunting Angelo Tucci, a guy who wants to go to the Chicago Prison to interrogate the Stadium Survivor about Aiden’s identity.
How does Aiden get to him?
Through his niece.
Its such a small detail and the fact it’s never brought up feels intentional, most players won’t question what theyre doing but we are literally stalking a girl to get to her uncle.
This is Aiden’s hypocrisy at its finest. But we all love him for it.
@@chasethecringewolf2195 it's in there. I even call it stalking
@@TheButterAnvil Damn my bad. I still intend to watch it. But its like 12 am.
Still ive seen no one else call it out until you uploaded this. Good job man. I also love the modded visuals.
@@chasethecringewolf2195While I agree with the sentiment, I don't think hypocrisy is quite the right word for it.
Aiden doesn’t target family members- at least not like his opponents do- and I don’t think he would take issue if Tucci took issue with the tactic and went after Aiden for it. If anything, I feel he'd respect that to some degree.
I think the bigger point is how it highlights just how willing Aiden is to turn anything to a means- even his own trauma.
He recognized, consciously or not, that his niece was the greatest pain-point he had ever experienced. And so, when the chips were down and he needed results, he did not hesitate to apply that exact pain-point (in his own style) to get results. For him, it's just simple logic.
The difference is that Aiden doesn't hurt the neice, he'll he says 2 sentences to her. It's not hypocritical, he didn't hurt the nice to get back at Tucci, he used her for information. It's not even close to the same thing.
this was a masterclass of a video, keep up the amazing work and cant wait to see your next vid dude
Aidan supremacy
Between this & Second Son, were the best introductions to the PS4.
Great video man, I have a good feeling that it'll blow up. Definitely has be eager to play this game in the future.
@@glock-kay that would be nice 😅
Ubisoft needs to remake this game and make it into what it should’ve been. It would be an absolute masterpiece.
I’m glad Aiden getting the credit and recognition he deserves after 10 years since the game was released. I’m very blessed and honored to play as such a well written established protagonist with a very complex and relatable character arch. there’s so much to Aiden what was said and believed about him even before WD1 was release. When I was playing through the main narrative of WD1. I get why he is the way he is considering how much oppression he’s faced that pushed him too far, turning him into the cold blooded skilled grey hat vigilante we see. People did pose him as he was growing up over time so they shouldn’t expect any sympathy. He’s see the world in a gloomy realistically way while most people see it unrealistically lighthearted way. Morally ambiguous characters are more compelling and interesting to connect with then heroic characters because base off their actions, they always stay true to their integrity ( being fearless of their individuality over the norms of conformity ) not just through their words. Standing out is better than fitting in. Also Their perspectives of the worlds they live in / operate are very realistically reflections of our world we live in based on any aspect of life we can relate to.
This is one of the best watch dogs analysis videos I’ve ever seen. Well done!
This video is an absolutely god tier video essay
I love everything you brought up to support each clue about Aiden's psyche and personality after becoming The Fox
I always believed Aiden to be a good person whom was wrong an twisted into a cold blooded killer hellbent on revenge to make up for Lena's death
but showing how Aiden was always like this and that he was so far gone, using in game clues of direction from side missions to fucking digital trips?!
I never thought they had any actual take on the character of Aiden Pierce, only that they were a goofy side activity to do to break up the monotony of senseless killing made by the devs
maybe that is what they were going for but opted to put some themes inside the Digital Trips for the players to discover
at the end of the day Watch Dogs will always be a game that ubisoft tried to push the envelope with but was a victim of poor marketing from the E3 Demo and buggy launch
I know many people who have negative opinions on this game yet have never played the game let alone bothered to dive into the writing of the series
this was the best the series was at and it was never given enough life
Thank you for making a video I loved and about one of my favorite underrated characters of all time
I think I'll have to replay Watch Dogs, I did it back in the day as a kid, and most things went over my head. Kinda like Assassin's Creed, came back to it and it's probably one of the most formative pieces of media that I had. Thanks for making this video man, it was awesome!
Didn’t know what the game was when it came out and I’m glad because I fell in love with it. It’s a Near perfect game. Aiden is in my top three of favorite protagonists
this is one of the only games i have ever replayed the main story for i wish there was more of this
great video man. i liked watchdogs when it came out, but it was a bit of a letdown compared to everyones hype expectations, which i think hurt it's longevity. but damn watching a video essay on it years later is pretty sick.
Love the video and analysis on Aiden! As someone who loves WD1 it makes me so happy to see other people pick the game up again. Thank you for this
Great video, love the intro movie/macinema
I just recently got some nostalgia for Watch Dogs, and started replaying it for the first time in my adult life. At first I thought "wow, Aiden is such a piece of shit". But as the story goes on, I've felt like I'm going crazy, because I'm starting to think that it was intentional, and this character that everyone thought was just "generic growly voiced vigilante #207" was actually a beautiful deconstruction of the vigilante trope this whole time.
I could be forgetting, but something I've noticed is that I can't recall a single time when Aiden says the word "Justice". He always talks about how *he* feels. Not just in his quest for revenge, but in side missions it's always "This guy will be eating through a straw when I'm done with them" "I'll show him I can get to him" "I need a distraction". It's always about his emotions. And when fighting crime won't provide him catharsis, he's happy not to. He happily steals from bank accounts, takes jobs from fixers, employs Jordi, and hurts people way in excess of what they deserve.
I don't think Aiden *really* changed when Lena died. I don't know that he would even claim that he did. He's still a violent gangster. He just has no idea how to process his grief, and so he's turned his attention to hurting the people who took Lena from him, and others like them, in an effort to feel like he still has some kind of control. Even if that puts his still living loved ones in danger.
I think Ubisoft never intended Aiden to be a hero, but just did not succeed in getting that across, and instead made people think they had failed in writing a generic hero. I don't know how they could have done it better, maybe it would have helped if we had seen more of Aiden before Lena's death, to highlight the lack of change after it happened
I like how he grows as a character over the story. In the beginning he’s only acting out of a sense of justice based on revenge for his daughter but at the end of the game we see him take down an entire criminal underworld. At the end of the story his obsessive longing for justice still remains and it is still based on revenge for what has been done to others but it’s not only his family that he does these acts of justice for now. It’s more obvious in the bloodline dlc fpr watchdogs legion (terrible game awesome dlc) in which Aiden’s description reads about how he has toppled at least 2 dictators and 1 other criminal underground like he did in Chicago. Aiden pierce is a calculating,calm, intelligent individual and near the end of the game he becomes a true vigilante. Not just a man looking for the revenge of his family but instead acts as the vengeance of many. I saw many characteristics between him and the origin of Batman when I played. The key differences are that Aiden Pierce does not have the same rules and instead makes judgement calls as he stalks the people he deems villains.
One of the best breakdown of Aiden Pierse I’ve seen on YT. P.S The graphics mod makes the game look amazing, I need the mod!
@@jackosharkpie3892 fall of the windy city I believe
I have never related more to character than Aiden Pearce. Not even in an edgy "cause im badass heh" its cause i get why he does it. Its hard letting go, and even harder to let go of family. Doing anything i can to help said family even if im more a henderance than a help Especially when ur so far out you think theres a way to make it right. Paranoid and feel like ur the only one who can even stop the things ur paranoid about, thinking their tangible when everyone that surrounds you doesnt even see it and the few who might have a clue, arent...as unhinged or ig insane depending on your definition. Mans did everything he could for justice, just to become what he hated the most. A killer. And glorified at that. Many supporting and many hendring him. Mans resonates with me in a way no other character has been able too.
I completed the game many times on different platforms, my first real game to ever complete in my life, I was so young and still am, I understood the concept a bit, but not at its full, this video changed it for me, those tapes and cutscenes now hurt me even more, so sad how the game got hated because Ubisoft focused on other things like this instead of the "graphics", every game has its own artstyle and people don't seem to understand that. One of my most favourite games, always has been, when Ubisoft was one of the best. 💙
damn, so i wasn't the only one who shot Maurice after that "I knew it" line.
For a long time now ive thought of aiden pierce as a hacker version of the punisher
Whoa that got real deep, nice video!
The more people that talk about this game and its characters, the more I realize how these characters work entirely.