Watch Dogs 2: The Test

Two years after a first episode mixed results, Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs reconnects license with the intention of convincing. Bigger, more beautiful, more successful … Watch Dogs 2 Is episode of reconciliation?

Watch Dogs. A name that reminds some foolish promises, and a misunderstanding, that the Next-Gen nascent have some truths to be forgiven. Victim of a severe motives, the game had some difficulties to find its audience, despite real qualities and a willingness to offer something new. Since then, water has passed under the Golden Gate, and Ubisoft has managed to take the time to rethink the title history of proposing a course to match its ambitions . And admittedly, Watch Dogs 2 made us very good impression in a few weeks of its release . With its lighter tone, atmosphere much more in tune with the times, the new playground and new gameplay mechanics, the title seemed to go on very good track to feature prominently in the wishlist of fine gifts year. Surfing with skill on the promises of the first part, but correcting the defects most singled out in 2014, this new installment delivers with no inspiration badly a new copy, and finally plant the foundations for a new series.

Pirate’s heart
Forget the tormented Aiden Pearce, hero of the first part, and his personal vendetta. Watch Dogs introduces a new hero, Marcus Holloway. Unlike his predecessor, Marcus is not here to solve a dark family tragedy, but to awaken the masses and public opinion. Forget the cyber thriller side first degree Person of Interest or political insurrection in V for Vendetta . Watch Dogs 2 is more the hidden son of Mr Robot and series Silicon Valley , with a hint of visual identity inspired by Anonymous . As there is all the same game, the logo when you enter the game until the ingame menus, sweaty lines of code and the pop-up pixelated. All missions guidelines, or points of interest pass through your smartphone, true extension of the new tone of the game, even that ask you to download apps to unlock the basic features of an open-world: briefing missions GPS guidance, music, access to the map, to the instagram apps to take pictures or to order your Uber cars. Without comparing to a GTA, Ubisoft finds the right tone, and we also appreciate the overall writing this Watch Dogs 2, squinting with talent towards social pastiche , with parodies of Facebook or Google, even pushing the vice to a clever layout abyss where you have to hack HQ Ubisoft leaker history of the E3 trailer for the upcoming …

At the beginning of the adventure, your hero is hunted by the company Blume, creator of the super computer that manages pépouze CTOs across the city and pump in passing your personal data history to sell to the highest bidder. Who told current game – he tries to clear his name files by hacking into a well-kept complex. Neither one nor two, our hacker big heart is then noticed by a group of activists called DedSec net . Your dream team is composed of a small gang of caricature hair-function roles, but the personalities of each develop over for adventure or side missions. The success of your actions depend on your visibility and virtual followers, your XP being materialized by the notoriety of the crew. So this is where the story begins, this opening sequence being there only to set the stage and allow you to familiarize yourself with the controls. A tutorial what … Past cinematic Barbeuk beach / beer with my new besta, the real game begins. And San Francisco rises .

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay
As good old sang Otis, developers Watch Dogs 2 had the good taste to include not only the city, but the entire San Francisco Bay. Finally, the map thus offers a much larger area with more varied scenery : the residential Marina with its small marinas to hype quarters of Silicon Valley through the Oakland certain charm and new villas wealthy or urban hyper-center, lively and vertical. Again, on this point, the work of Ubisoft teams is huge and convincing. The city is beautiful and the level global design much better than in the first episode. The missions are only the most interesting and affordable to a lot of ways. On the sidelines of the action, your urban walks you can visit different all most credible and unique neighborhoods, have a life and a clean environment. Milestone in a signed open world Ubi, the mechanics of the release area which opens the side-quests was finally reviewed , and that’s the hacks wire lambda NPC smartphones you access new challenges. More than once you let go your sneakers hanging in the suburbs to admire the graffiti artists at work, spray paint in hand, or the trendy hipsters of Silicon Valley spree for their Sunday brunch, to see if a secondary mission would be hidden in the phone of a passerby.

IT Phone Home
Where this new episode of Watch Dogs 2 is also particularly attracted the gameplay side and hacking options devised by Ubisoft. With the number of opportunities, you are totally free to choose how to achieve your goals. You decide between Rambo method and talk to your sleeves, or you play Hitman preferring infiltration. Marcus, however, with his magic yoyo is a true Super Saien the flock-conk, and fight hand-body to knock your opponents without killing them really expeditious. Finally, you can also opt for the hacking, perhaps more in the overall spirit of the game. Note that several missions can be played without entering the building said, making mumuse with your droid wheeled or drone. The opportunities to hack infrastructure or population of smartphones are much richer , the most interesting options remaining to unlock via a classic skill tree but effectively divided into different trees, body to body, hack, driving, shooting. .. special mention to taking control remotely vehicles, which proves a real treat for the cum brothel in town or prevent a runaway to get the mail, and hacking phones or switches to neutralize your opponents quietly installed in the building next door. finally, note the some effort made to driving cars, real black point of the first Watch Dogs . Motorcycles aside, the physical is more credible, and collisions, although still perfectible, not break immersion.

The atmosphere of the neighborhoods hit home
Piracy is Never Gone
Multi side, once again, the publisher gets the right ideas the first part, but enriches the experience a much better variety of challenges particularly well integrated in this game . The invasion of parts that was the salt of the Watch Dogs first name is still heard from the party, but is seen with new ideas that further enhance the enjoyment of the game. as such, the possibility to put the cops in the pocket to flush out the boor who tries to break into your phone is really successful, though admittedly without the resolution ultimately blows up costing millions to the city saw the field of ash that you may well leave behind your antics. Coop missions are also in the pipes, but it will wait a little longer to enjoy the experience. In absolute terms the game will allow for example a player to unlock access with its drone to the mat a guard glandouillait there waiting time of debauchery to allow another player to enter a building too well monitor. Cooperative work that looks damn good, as long as you have available for a buddy or rather clever gamepad in hand which would have the desire to bring down a too self-absorbed multinational without necessarily making a full frontal with a lot of Blaster repeat.

The city is a success
I Left My Heart in San Francisco
Watch Dogs 2 is the final part of those games that no longer expected. Stuck in a com ‘to the death, the first stage in its time had crystallized a lot of disappointments. By opting for an almost complete ReFacto both in substance and in its marketing approach, Ubisoft signs a compelling game that finally anchors the series as a certain value, making Watch Dogs a series to follow . The San Francisco Bay, theater all your explorations, it is particularly extensive and successful. The gameplay is enriched by the very DNA of the initial promises of what we can now clearly be called a license. The title, carried by a varied and inspired his band has surprising the skeptics who would not let him stand a chance. Marcus and his pals DedSec are endearing, and at a time when Black Mirror gently shakes the thinking-of Netflix users , their struggle against the dehumanized 2.0 multinationals sounds like really current. Although not free from defects, Watch Dogs 2 pulls with gusto out of the game, and rises without warning in the camp of the real surprises of this year end . Put on your headphones, turn up the sound a bit, life is active under the Golden Gate Bridge.