Open-world action game in which you play as Marcus, a hacker who can hack devices and infrastructure throughout San Francisco while taking on corporations and criminals
After really enjoying the well-made Watch Dogs 1, it was time for me to play the second installment in the series. It has some things that I liked even more than in the first game, but also some aspects that I think were worse. I’ll talk about all of that in this review
✅I have to give credit to the fact that, compared to the first game, Watch Dogs 2 allows us to take on not only story missions but also online missions. You only need to connect to the servers once, and while progressing through the story, I sometimes had other players try to hack me. I then had to find and track down the player who was hacking me, which was really fun and something I genuinely enjoyed. There were also other types of online missions, which added some variety to the game
✅As for the story itself, I found the beginning a little boring and not very engaging. The action felt like it developed quite slowly, and some of the missions were a bit repetitive. However, around the halfway point, the story really started to pick up. More interesting and exciting missions began to appear, and the story started to have a greater impact on Marcus and the world around him. New plot threads, conflicts, and situations kept appearing, which made me curious to see how everything would end. Overall, I found the second half of the game much more interesting than the beginning
✅I also found the missions much more interesting and better designed than those in Watch Dogs 1. There’s nothing quite like the system from the first game, where, for example, finding the bodies of seven people would trigger a short side mission. In Watch Dogs 2, we have Main Operations, which are the main story missions, Side Operations, which are side missions, and Investigations, where we talk to specific people and receive interesting and varied assignments from them (My favorite mission was the one where we hacked ATMs and could decide whether to give someone money or not based on their behavior. I really liked this kind of mission because it made me feel like my decisions actually mattered)
✅The addition of the drone and the small remote-controlled car is definitely a big plus. The drone isn't necessary to complete the missions, but it's definitely worth buying at the hackers' hideout. It gives us many more options when approaching missions, as it allows us to scout the area from above, mark enemies, and complete certain objectives without having to enter a building ourselves
✅When it comes to graphics, Watch Dogs 2 looks really good, especially for a game released in 2016. San Francisco looks very vibrant and colorful, and the city itself is full of detail. I also really like the variety of environments. There are modern buildings and busy city streets, as well as quieter areas and poorer neighborhoods where homeless people live. Compared to Watch Dogs 1, the graphics are definitely more colorful and have a more laid-back style, which fits the atmosphere of the sequel very well
✅The small remote-controlled car, on the other hand, is available for free from the beginning of the game. It's mainly useful for reaching hard-to-access areas, such as ventilation shafts, and for collecting various items. In many missions, you can use it if you want to avoid unnecessary combat. However, you have to be careful because enemies can destroy both your drone and the remote-controlled car
✅While driving around the city, you can listen to a wide variety of songs that complement the gameplay nicely. I especially like the variety of genres, so there’s something for everyone
✅The developers also expanded the hacking system. Watch Dogs 2 gives us many more options than the first game. For example, we can manipulate vehicles and make cars suddenly swerve left or right, manipulate elements of the environment, and call the police or gangs to deal with our enemies. We can also raise and lower bridges and interact with many more objects in the environment. On top of that, we can use the drone and the remote-controlled car to help us complete missions. Because of all these options, there are many different ways to approach a situation
✅I also really like the idea of crafting weapons. Thanks to the 3D printer which is quite unusual compared to most games, where weapons are usually bought from stores you can create different types of weapons and then use them during missions
✅The game also features several difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Brutal
✅One thing I really like in games is having the freedom to decide how I want to complete a mission. Watch Dogs 2 doesn't force us to sneak around and complete every mission without being detected. Instead, it gives us a lot of freedom in how we approach each situation. We can try to stay hidden and complete a mission quietly, or we can go in guns blazing and start a massive shootout. It's completely up to us
✅When it comes to shooting mechanics, Watch Dogs 2 is quite good. Shooting is simple and enjoyable
✅Something I missed in Watch Dogs 1 was the ability to shoot from a car, and Watch Dogs 2 finally added it. It's a cool feature, especially during chases and more action-packed moments. Unfortunately, I rarely used it myself because Watch Dogs 2 doesn't have that many missions involving long car chases or situations where this feature can really shine
❌The biggest negative change I noticed in Watch Dogs 2 is the driving. Compared to the first game, I think the cars handle much worse. Driving in Watch Dogs 1 was more satisfying, and the cars felt more responsive and gave me a greater sense of control
❌The police sometimes seem to know exactly where we are, even when they shouldn’t realistically be able to detect us. A good example is when I hid in some bushes, yet a helicopter spotted me without any trouble. Situations like this can be frustrating because they take away the feeling that sneaking around and hiding from the police actually matters
❌The enemy AI doesn’t always work as it should. Enemies can behave quite stupidly and predictably, especially during stealth sections. Sometimes, even after an alarm has been triggered, they can’t find the player, while other times they react in strange or unnatural ways. It also happens that they don’t properly react to noise, allowing you to perform various actions relatively close to them without them noticing. Because of this, some situations feel too easy and lack a real challenge
❌The price should definitely be lower. In my opinion, the game isn’t good enough to justify paying $75 for the Gold Edition, especially considering the large number of expensive and, in my view, unnecessary add-ons
❌As for the LGBT flags, I personally think Ubisoft could have toned down their presence in the game. I don’t think they are necessary for the gameplay itself, so to me, they feel more like a superfluous element
❌In the sequel, the cars feel too light and sometimes react strangely when turning or changing direction. Because of this, driving isn't nearly as enjoyable as it was in the first game, and it's one of the things that bothered me the most about Watch Dogs 2
✅✅ Verdict: [strike] Terrible [/strike], [strike] Bad [/strike] , [strike] Mediocre [/strike], [strike] Decent [/strike], [b] Good [/b] , [strike] Very Good [/strike], [strike] Excellent [/strike], [strike] Masterpiece [/strike]
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