I have no idea what game the complainers were playing. My thoughts about it below.
I have to applaud Watch Dogs Legion for the amazing world it has created. The NPC simulation is unreal. Thousands of NPCs that actually have their own back stories, rivalries, schedules, names, and unique perks and they are all playable. They are also nearly all quest givers since you need to help them before they will join your cause. In the Elder Scrolls and Fallout the guards are unnamed but even they are named and recruitable in Legion.
You can fire a recruit and then run into him as a guard in a different area. If you kill someone's uncle or doctor it will affect their opinion of you. It's the only game I've played where the random NPCs actually seem "alive" to me and I go out of my way not to kill them while driving through the city. You will notice they actually do things related to their occupation as you explore the city. Buskers play their instruments, hackers will be accessing computers in restricted areas, artists will be spray painting walls, anarchists will be protesting, etc. There is also random crime in the city with muggings and police brutality happening around corners and in alleys.
Add to that gameplay that is far more complex and innovative than GTA with the choice to play as a hacker, stealth, melee or full out combat and they are all fun and viable and can be mixed and matched to your heart's content. It's also really funny and has a great story that is very applicable to today's society. I love the team I have put together and can't wait to see how they can push this formula forward in the next entry.