I know the Watch_Dogs series has always received mediocre scores and reviews, but I've always enjoyed them. Sure, hacking a CCTV camera by looking at it from another CCTV camera makes no sense, but hacking is never realistic in movies or video games. At least this series makes hacking fun without being a bunch of mini-games. And you use your cellphone to hack everything, which is also fun.
I do think it's funny that when the first Watch_Dogs came out, everyone complained about how bland the main character was. So with Watch_Dogs 2, they changed the main character to be a fast-talking wise-cracking kid. And people complained about that too. So then when Watch_Dogs Legion finally came out, it's almost as if you could hear the company say "Fine! You think it's so easy to come up with a main character? You pick one!" and they spent a lot of effort introducing an entire game mechanic where you can recruit and play as any NPC you see walking down the street.
For what it's worth, my favorite character has always been Aiden Pearce, from the first Watch_Dogs game. He was the closest to a hard-boiled detective and it made the game feel more cyberpunk, even though the setting for Watch Dogs Legion was actually more of a cyberpunk world.
It's possible I enjoyed the games so much because I always went the pacifist route and played it like a stealth game. I liked when Watch_Dogs 2 introduced a remote-controlled car you could use to hack things remotely, even though it wasn't capable of opening doors. But then in Watch Dogs Legion they expanded it so you had a remote-controlled drone and it could open doors. I was basically able to play the entire game by walking to the edge of a hostile area, deploying my drone, and playing the entire mission that way. If my drone was ever caught, it'd blow up and control would return to my character, who was safely standing outside the hostile area. I'd just deploy another drone and try again.
Anyway, if you haven't played any of the games, I recommend them. While I think the first one is the most cyberpunk, it also has the most dated game mechanics. Also, you can start with any of the games. There really isn't any connecting plot between the three games, just minor references here and there. So pick whichever one looks the most interesting and give it a try.
Could you elaborate on how he's a hard boiled detective? You've got the most positive spin I've ever seen on the character - I found him to be an unlikeable villain protagonist who invaded people's privacy because he could. His actions made the world worse, like an amoral Batman.
Sorry, I wasn't trying to make some grand deconstruction of his character's archetype. I just meant he wears a trenchcoat and talks in a slow gruff voice while walking the mean streets of Chicago. He looks like a hard-boiled detective to me. Especially compared to the wise-cracking kid on the sunny streets of San Francisco in Watch_Dogs 2.
But you're right, the way Aiden beats people with his stick is definitely more of an amoral Batman. I guess I didn't mind that stuff because I played it like a stealth game and the only deaths I saw were in cut scenes.
Different thematic intentions for the games I guess? Thanks for explaining - I get what you mean now. Honestly the millions bothered me less than the privacy invasions and other "cool hacker guy" things he does which made me wonder why we're playing him. Maybe if he'd had an ethos or a sense of humor I'd like him, but I get why you'd prefer him over the joking teen squad from 2