The original Watch Dogs had unprecedented hype. It was supposed to usher us into the next generation, with significant graphical and gameplay improvements, with ideas that had never been implemented before. But soon after the game launched, audiences quickly realised that the game had overpromised, and the future it had hinted at was not so different from the games they had been playing for a few years. With Watch Dogs 2, Ubisoft has gone many steps further towards realising the potential of its concept.
The game is set in San Francisco’s Bay Area and players control a young and enthusiastic hacker named Marcus Holloway. Together with other members of Deadsec, Marcus exposes corrupt organisations that use technology to take advantage of private information to their own benefit. There is a direct shift in tone from the first game which is apparent from the beginning. Instead of a brooding Aiden Pearce, we get a likable cast of young adults who spend their time making jokes and pulling each others’ legs when they are not actively trying to change society. They are easy going and edgy in a way that fits the game’s presentation.
Aside from story and tone, Watch Dogs 2 overhauls the hacking side of gameplay by giving players plenty of options. My favourite new addition is the remote controlled car which can be used to quickly sneak into an area and physically hack terminals. Players also get a quadcopter which basically works like a free-roam camera. It allows you to get a better sense of the area while also opening doors and picking up access cards. This makes the hacking part of Watch Dogs 2 infinitely more enjoyable than the first one and successfully pulling them off without ever stepping inside the restrictive area is extremely satisfying.
There are other great additions such as the ability to call Gang attacks on any NPC, which may seem silly at first, but is a sure way to create chaos. You can mark an enemy as a traitor and unleash the mob onto him, which usually results in a fight between both parties. This either makes sneaking easier or eliminates a large number of enemies without you ever firing a gun.
While the main missions are exciting, the side missions are a huge wasted opportunity. The context behind each one is different, most of these side missions are designed the same way. You figure out how to access a terminal, hold a button to hack it and then mess with objects in your victim’s room to complete the mission. The story is different, but it becomes boring as you end up doing the same thing over and over again.
Watch Dogs 2 solves almost all the problems of the original game. While the story isn’t all that interesting, the cast is better. But more importantly, it shows a significant overhaul of the gameplay, making Watch Dogs 2 an incredibly silly, yet rewarding experience.
