Watch Dogs 2 Review (PC)

The sequel to Ubisoft's Watch Dogs is pretty much a different game than the original. Aside from a couple of game aspects that have been introduced in the first title, Watch Dogs 2 brings in a completely different formula, in an attempt to redeem the franchise in the eyes of its fans.

However, Watch Dogs 2's recipe is in no way original, on the contrary. There's no argue that Ubisoft's game borrows a lot from Grand Theft Auto gameplay mechanics, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The French company wanted to make sure Watch Dogs 2 will be well received by fans and media alike, so it came up with a “to-do list” that will help it achieve that.

Watch Dogs 2 introduces a new protagonist, so if you didn't finish Aidan Pearce's saga from the original game, you won't miss anything since the two games are not related story-wise. Marcus Holloway is a jack-of-all-trades hacker, member of a group of misfits called DeadSec.

If there are things that Ubisoft improved over the first title in the franchise, it's how the hacking works. But is that enough for Watch Dogs 2 to keep players entertained from the beginning to the end?

Story

Watch Dogs 2 features an open world setting, but you won't be visiting Chicago again. This time Ubisoft has chosen the sunny California, although the San Franciso Bay Area you'll be roaming in Watch Dogs 2 is pretty much different from the real-world city.

As Marcus Holloway, a member of the hacking group DeadSec, you'll have to overcome all odds and throw down San Francisco's advanced surveillance system, also known as ctOS (central Operating System). There are loads of main story and side quest missions that you'll have to take on in order to achieve your ultimate goal: freedom for all San Francisco's citizens.

Although the story is much more complex than Aidan Pearce's, it's rather bland and uninteresting. Suffice to say, the story won't necessarily be the main thing that will keep you entertained while playing Watch Dogs 2.

Still, I have to commend Ubisoft for the quirky dialog between Marcus and his fellow hackers in the DeadSec, but also for adding some real-life events into the game. I was particularly amused by one of the quests, which was a reference to the Wu-Tang Clan's “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” single copy album that was sold to Martin Shkreli, a rather controversial individual, for $2 million.

A good plan could make your mission much easier

The best way to tackle Watch Dogs 2's story is to play it in as few sittings as possible. But if you don't find joy in completing the main story, Ubisoft has done a good job with the side quests. The only downside is that they become repetitive after a while.

It's very clear from the beginning that Watch Dogs 2 is aimed at a much younger audience, the rebellious one who believes in conspiracies and are angry at the system. Many players will probably identify themselves with Marcus Holloway, a character who can be both good and evil, but few will be tempted to question his morality.

Gameplay

Ubisoft has taken some of the best things from the original Watch Dogs and made them even better in the sequel. However, there a couple of things that ruin an almost perfect game when it comes to mechanics, such as driving and using firearms.

At its core, Watch Dogs 2 is an action-adventure game with stealth elements. If you're playing the “good guy,” then you'll want to employ stealth tactics throughout the main story missions. The aggressive approach will allow Marcus to take advantage of a rather rich arsenal of weapons: guns made with a 3D printer, a billiard ball attached to a bungee cord, or explosives.

Keep in mind, though, that committing too many crimes throughout the city of San Francisco will result in a bounty put on your head, so the police will start looking for you. As Marcus gains experience, you can “outfit” him with various skills that should help you tackle the game's missions much more easily.

Of course, the best part of Watch Dogs 2 is hacking, as Marcus can manipulate just about every electronic device in the city. On top of that, he can turn some objects in his proximity into mines, as well as take control of cars and crash them into any direction he wants.

Play Video

Early in the game, Marcus will receive a Jumper, a small utility vehicle that can go to otherwise unreachable areas. He can do whatever Marcus can do, including hacking door, junctions, cars or any other electronic device connected to the ctOS. The Jumper has a cooldown of 1 minute, so if it's destroyed you can spawn another one after a short time.

Marcus can also employ the services of a quadcopter, the aerial version of the Jumper, but also a remote-controlled car. Both of them can be used for hacking and scouting.

“The hacking mechanic is the most rewarding, one of the few things that Ubisoft got right on the second try. The driving is a completely different story and some have gone so far as to say it ruins what is otherwise a fun game.”

Compared to the first game, driving has definitely improved, but it will still take you some time to get used to. Also, cars are much easier to drive than bikes, which are a bit twitchy.

Driving in Watch Dogs 2 is clearly on the arcade side, but any opinion as to how good it is would be subjective, so you'll have to judge for yourself. But after playing both games I can say without a doubt that driving mechanics have been improved in Watch Dogs 2.

Graphics and audio

Let's clarify this before going into any details, Watch Dogs 2 looks and plays much better than the original game. Apparently, Ubisoft made sure that no graphic downgrades would be made on release day, as it happened with the predecessor.

I had no issue playing the game on Ultra settings on a first generation Intel i7 CPU, 8GB RAM and an Nvidia GTX 1070. A word of advice, though, try not to enable MSAA anti-aliasing or ambient occlusion, as they will definitely take a toll on the game's performance.

There are a couple of things that need to be tightened in future updates, especially when it comes to explosions and crash physics, but they definitely don't get in the way of an immersive gameplay experience.

A gorgeous looking San Francisco

Multiplayer

Surprisingly, this is where Watch Dogs 2 shines. Unlike the first game where multiplayer was kind of a mess, the sequel offers a pretty solid multiplayer experience. Playing Watch Dogs 2 co-op is definitely a blast, especially if you're experiencing the game with a friend.

The Co-Op Operations prepared by Ubisoft are a good way to kill time in Watch Dogs 2 in a funny way. But it's not just the co-op side quests that make the multiplayer solid. Since Watch Dogs 2 is an open world game, the possibilities are almost endless.

Aside from the co-op part, Ubisoft also added another aspect that allows other players to “invade” your game and hack you. You have a certain time to find the hacker and kill him, otherwise they will just escape with your data.

The invasion mode can be disabled from the Game Options menu if you don't want to invade other players or be invaded yourself.

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion