The original Watch Dogs won many fans over before it was even released with flashy graphics and the promise of “hacking everything.” Once released, it was a major disappointment, made worse by an uncharismatic and uninteresting main character. Watch Dogs 2 is a big improvement over everything that came before it, but it’s not big enough.
A Plot Full Of Cringe
In Watch Dogs 2, players take on the role of Marcus Holloway, a brilliant hacker looking to create social change using his technical abilities. Marcus joins up with the hacking collective DedSec, a group that relies on using its vast social media following as a basis for power.
While this certainly is more interesting than Aiden Pearce and his “I messed up and thugs killed my niece” story, it doesn’t really feel right all the time. In Watch Dogs 2, it seems every CEO is evil and willing to do anything to increase profits. This, in Watch Dogs logic, means the CEO needs to be robbed blind and have his or her life ruined. Marcus gleefully goes along on every mission looking to sabotage lives without trial, simply because it’s the “right thing to do” and scratches that “justice porn” itch we all have.
Additionally, there’s an overarching story of DedSec having its followers download an app, which allows the hackers to use the processing power of millions to help fight tyranny and corporate greed. To gain more followers, DedSec goes after high-profile targets (like Church of Scientology and Martin Shkreli parodies) and releases videos to the public once the targets have been humiliated.
The biggest narrative problem comes down to Watch Dogs 2’s relationship with guns. While they are entirely optional if you don’t want to use them, Marcus can still mow down as many people as he wants to complete these missions. What’s worse is that the guns are 3D printed, often coming in “wacky” colors like purple and orange. Are these hackers really trying to win people over by murdering countless security guards and other innocents to complete their goals? Who’s really supposed to be the hero here?
In a country where gun violence continues to be a major concern, it feels like Ubisoft included them simply because “it’s what you do” in video games. It would have been much cooler to see Marcus not use any lethal weapons, instead only relying on his stealth and hacking abilities to expose corruption. Marcus is also supposed to be this goofy, smart guy. Not a killer, running around with an assault rifle strapped to his back.
This works in GTA V because the three protagonists aren’t necessarily “good guys.” Trevor especially is shown time and time again being an outright monster, and Michael certainly is no saint. If he were to pull out a grenade launcher and start blowing up cops, it would make sense. Seeing Marcus do the same just doesn’t feel right.
And can we cut it with “hacker” characters needing to talk nerdy all the time? We get it, these people are smart and good with computers, we don’t need constant cringey, forced pop-culture references all the time to get who these characters are. Nor do we need people exclusively talking to each other in YouTube Poop-style videos. Also, making the characters all massive Ubisoft fanboys was just cringe-icing on the cringe-cake.
The San Francisco Setting Isn’t Perfect But It’s Close
While the original Watch Dogs probably received harsher criticism for its take on Chicago because it was released closely to GTA V, Watch Dogs 2 is an improvement over the original but still can’t match the quality of Rockstar’s Los Santos.
The true test of a game’s open world lies in how you use it. When playing, I found myself wanting to simply go from mission to mission as fast as possible. There was little reason to take the time to explore, and every major landmark is already mapped out for you.
For what it is, the Bay Area is still a sight to see in game form. Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge is stunning, and walking the streets of San Francisco feels pretty darn authentic.
I understand that Ubisoft could never make a 1:1 scale of San Francisco in Watch Dogs 2, but there are still some minor things about the city that feel off. Neighborhoods like Sunset and Richmond are gone, Alamo Square is south of Golden Gate Park, and even Ubisoft’s office building on Third Street is on the wrong side of South Park. It was cool to see the inclusion of Sausalito and Oakland, but they don’t feel used enough to really warrant being there. The worst part is that it seems to rain all the time. It will rain more in virtual San Francisco in an hour of gameplay than it did in the three years I lived there.
It seems like if Ubisoft focused more on San Francisco proper and the South Bay, it would have made for a more interesting map.
Gameplay Is Fine But Not Great
Gameplay in Watch Dogs 2 isn’t really anything new or different. Hacking is mostly done with the press of a button, and all missions boil down to the same concept (unless you want to go in guns blazing, but we’ve already discussed the issues with that): sneak into an area, hack a computer, sneak out.
Once you unlock the drone and the remote control car thing, missions get even easier. All you have to do to beat just about every challenge is to get close, find a good hiding spot, and send in your car. If it gets seen, no need to worry. Just wait a few seconds for your cool-down timer to run out and send in a new one.
As for everything else, it’s all serviceable, but nothing stands out. Driving is fine, but not great, shooting is fine, but not great, the variety of side missions is… you get it.
I don’t know where Ubisoft will take Watch Dogs as a franchise. While the sequel is a definite improvement over the original, the improvements are coming in baby steps, not leaps and bounds. A great first step would be to make a game that has a proper tone, because Watch Dogs 2 feels like it doesn’t know what it is.
So what do you think? Have you tried playing Watch Dogs 2 without using any guns or lethal weapons? What do you think of the virtual Bay Area? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
