The city in Watch Dogs 2 really feels alive and there are always numerous ways to complete a mission based on how the player has spent their talent points or how they want to approach the job. Looking at an object and then holding down a button (L1 or LB on consoles) opens up a hacking menu and players can decide to make the tech explode, cause a distraction, or a number of other context sensitive actions. The less dark approach makes spending time with Marcus and his crew incredibly enjoyable and feels like a better fit for an open-world sandbox that can get quite cartoony at times, based on the player's approach.įor gamers unfamiliar with the basics, Watch Dogs 2 is a third-person action game in which players can use the protagonist's cell phone, and a few new tools, to hack just about everything in the city in order to pull off heists, rescue missions, and all of the rest of the usual sandbox adventures. The game still tackles some serious issues, which it manages to fumble quite a few times, but in general the tone is light, humorous, and nerdy. Watch Dogs 2 is still about a group of hackers attempting to take on a giant corporate enemy, but the DedSec crew in the sequel are much more lighthearted. Although cosplayers loved Aiden Pierce's trademark jacket from the original, trading in that character's broody, lone wolf approach for Marcus Holloway's charming sincerity and humor is a major upgrade. Watch Dogs 2 moves to a new city and introduces a new protagonist. Players certainly have the freedom to treat Watch Dogs 2's San Francisco like San Andreas if they want to, but the game's narrative, mechanics, and tone all make it much more tempting to stay in the shadows and hack to victory. It's easy to write the hacking-themed Ubisoft franchise off as a Grand Theft Auto knock off, especially when we're only two years out from GTA 5, but Watch Dogs 2 manages to succeed where its predecessor stumbles, and really carves out its own space in the sandbox adventure genre. It's an open-world metropolitan city where players can steal any vehicle they want, mow down pedestrians, rob innocent citizens, and then hideout in a garage until the cops forget they were even chasing you. To many gamers, the world of Watch Dogs 2 may seem a little too familiar at first glance.
Watch Dogs 2 takes players back to the hacking-themed open-world with a new protagonist, some helpful drones, and a much better approach to humor than the original game.