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Watch Dogs 2

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Watch Dogs 2
Developer(s)Ubisoft Montreal[a]
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Director(s)
  • Jonathan Morin
  • Danny Bélanger
Producer(s)Dominic Guay
Artist(s)Mathieu Leduc
Writer(s)Lucien Soulban
Composer(s)Hudson Mohawke
Platform(s)
Release'PS4, XONE'Windows
Genre(s)Action-adventure, third-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Watch Dogs 2 (stylized as WATCH_DOGS2) is an open world action-adventure video game developed and published by Ubisoft. The sequel to 2014's Watch Dogs, it was released worldwide for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows in November 2016.

Set within a fictionalized version of the San Francisco Bay Area, the game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on-foot or by vehicle. Players control Marcus Holloway, a hacker who works with the hacking group DedSec to take down the city's advanced surveillance system. There are multiple ways to complete missions, and each successful assignment increases the follower count of DedSec. Cooperative multiplayer allows for competitive one-on-one combat and connecting with other players in order to neutralize a player who is actively causing havoc.

Ubisoft Montreal, the game's developer, studied player feedback from the first game to assess what could be improved in Watch Dogs 2 and the setting was researched by making frequent trips to California. Real hackers were consulted to validate scripts and game mechanics for authenticity and references to real life hacktivism were fictionalized, like the Project Chanology protest.

Gameplay

Similar to its predecessor, Watch Dogs 2 is an action-adventure game with stealth elements. Played from a third-person perspective, the game features an open world set in a fictionalized version of the San Francisco Bay Area, an area more than twice as large as the Chicago setting from Watch Dogs.[1] The Bay Area consists of four different areas: San Francisco, Oakland, Marin, and Silicon Valley, all of which have different characteristics and aesthetics.[2] Players can navigate the city on-foot or by the various vehicles featured in the game, such as cars, trucks, buses, cable cars, motorbikes, quad bikes and boats.[3] The driving mechanic was overhauled and was designed to be more accessible.[4] The players can also shoot their weapons while driving.[5] Marcus also has improved acrobatic skills, and has the ability to parkour around the city.[6] Players can use different methods to approach the game's missions, choosing between the aggressive approach, in which they defeat enemies with guns which are made with a 3D printer, explosives like mines, or Marcus' own melee weapon, the thunderball, a billiard ball attached to a bungee cord. Alternatively, players can use the stealth approach, in which they can evade enemies or paralyze them temporarily with Marcus' taser.[6] Players can also complete the game through hacking alone.[7] When players commit too many crimes in the open world, police officers will become alerted and will attempt to arrest the player.[8] The game upgrades system also returns, with items being divided into three categories: Stealth, Aggressor, and Trickster. Players can choose their upgrades in accordance to their own playstyle.[5]

Marcus can hack the environment around him to advance in a mission.

Marcus can hack into various electronic devices connected to the ctOS system with his in-game smartphone. For example, Marcus can modify the personal information of non-player characters to have them arrested,[1] hack and manipulate every mobile phone featured in the game, disrupt traffic by hacking cars and traffic lights, hack into monitoring cameras, and carry out "mass hacking", which hacks the electrical equipment of a large group of people.[9] Players also gain multiple options while hacking the same object. For instance, if the player attempts to hack a car, they can gain direct control over them, or have the car losing control and crashing in a random direction. If the player hacks a junction box, they can choose whether they should deactivate it or turn it into a proximity mine.[10] Unlike Aiden, the protagonist of the first game, Marcus has an arsenal of advanced equipment, including a quadcopter and a remote-controlled car, both of which can be used for remote hacking and scouting.[3] Marcus' apparel can be customized with over 700 articles of clothing, available for purchase in stores that maintain fashion styles unique to what is worn by the denizens in each area.[11] The game features several main story missions, and side-missions known as "operations". Once completed, Marcus' follower count will increase, which ties back into the narrative and helps players to complete their ultimate goal.[12]

Multiplayer

Multiplayer returns in Watch Dogs 2. The game introduces a seamless cooperative multiplayer mode, in which players can meet and interact with other random players. They can explore the open world and complete missions together, which will also help players to gain followers. The game features an emote system, which allows players' characters to communicate with each other through basic gestures. The game can be played completely online or offline. It also features several competitive multiplayer modes:

  • Online Invasions: Online invasion is a one-versus-one competitive multiplayer mode, originally featured in the first game, in which a player joins another player's single-player session and installs viruses on their DedSec system. The invading player must escape after a virus is successfully planted, while the original player must find and kill the invading player.[8]
  • Bounty Hunter: Bounty Hunter is a new mode introduced in the game. If an online player creates too much chaos in the world, the mode will be initiated. Police, alongside one to three other players, will join the player's game with the hope of killing the hunted and claiming the bounty, which gives them experience points. The hunted could either strike back at the hunters by killing them, which gives them greater rewards, or escape from them until the bounty expires.[13] The hunted, meanwhile, also can be assisted by another player if that player chooses to join the hunted. Players can manually place a bounty on themselves using the in-game smartphone.[14]

Plot

Following the events of Chicago, San Francisco becomes the next city to install the ctOS (central Operating System), which connects everyone with everything. The game features a new protagonist named Marcus Holloway (Ruffin Prentiss), a young and intelligent hacker from Oakland, California. He was wrongly framed for a crime he did not commit by the upgraded ctOS, ctOS 2.0, which categorized him as the suspect. Realizing the system covertly brings harm to the innocent citizens of San Francisco, he decides to work with the hacking group DedSec to take down the city's ctOS 2.0, and Blume, the company behind ctOS.[15][5]

Development

Ubisoft Reflections refurbished the driving mechanic in its entirety.

At E3 2014, Ubisoft executive Tony Key claimed that they were very satisfied with the sales of the first game, and that the brand would be turned into a long-running franchise.[16] According to creative director Jonathan Morin, the first game's main goal is to establish the Watch Dogs brand. According to Morin, they intended to take risks with the sequel, instead of creating a more polished version of the previous game.[17] To improve the game, Morin and his team read the reviews of the first game, and visited NeoGAF and various forums to study player feedback. Their priorities include creating a "believable" environment, giving players more freedom, and introducing a new leading character, whose personality is completely different from that of the protagonist of the first game, Aiden Pierce.[12] The driving mechanic was completely overhauled to make it more accessible to players, and was developed by Ubisoft Reflections, the developer of Ubisoft's own Driver series.[18] In light of complaints about a graphical downgrade in Watch Dogs from what was seen at E3 2012, Ubisoft assured that Watch Dogs 2 would not suffer the same outcome because, unlike the first installment, it was developed on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One from the start.[19] Another improvement from the first game was, as stated by producer Dominic Guay, a more prominent thematic connection to the narrative.[20] Main operations are structured like story arcs, advancing the plot with each completion; arcs may last up to ninety minutes.[21]

The developer worked with consultant hackers who would validate their scripts, including the use of jargon, and gameplay mechanics in order to ensure the authenticity of the subject matter. The propaganda used by the game's hacker group DedSec was influenced by animated GIF culture, glitch art and comic books from the late 1940s.[22] David Maynor served as a hacking advisor.[23] Content director Thomas Geffroyd, who had twenty years of experience with the hacking community, was tasked to accumulate information from hacktivists – such as author Violet Blue – and then relay it to the team. The game also features references to real life; Project Chanology was fictionalized in the mission "The False Prophets".[24]

Ubisoft Montreal made frequent scouting trips to California to research the setting, and attempted to put most of the local landmarks in that region in the game. For regions that they could not put in the game, the team redesigned these locations and put them back into the game. According to Guay, having realistic and accurate locations featured in the game is essential for the game as they encourage players to explore the open world. Unlike many of Ubisoft's previous open world games, players do not need to climb towers in order to discover locations and missions. Instead, the game is opened up from the start, allowing players to explore the city freely. The game's new progression system, which tasks players to gain followers instead of completing main missions, is another way Ubisoft Montreal hoped to encourage exploration and make the city feel more "free".[25][26] Watch Dogs 2 had around sixty programmers devoted to its development.[27]

The soundtrack was composed by Hudson Mohawke. Ingrained with a combination of electronic music and hip hop. it was approached from the palette of cult science fiction music.[28] Ubisoft teamed up with Dutch music producer Oliver Heldens to influence the video for his track "Good Life" in the vein of DedSec.[29] For acquiring licensed songs, an agreement was made with Amoeba Music.[27]

A sequel to Watch Dogs was rumored since that game's release but was first officialized by publisher Ubisoft through financial reports in February[30] and May 2016,[31] before the company confirmed the game would be part of its 2016 E3 lineup and hosted a twenty-minute online reveal a couple of days later on 8 June.[32] On 27 October 2016, Watch Dogs 2 was announced to have been released to manufacturing.[33]

Release

On 8 June 2016, Ubisoft revealed the game would be released on 15 November of that year for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One platforms in six separate editions.[34] At Sony's 2016 PlayStation Meeting, Watch Dogs 2 was revealed as part of a selection of video games forward compatible with the PlayStation 4 Pro.[35] In October 2016, Ubisoft announced that the Windows version was delayed to 29 November 2016 to ensure that the game was well-optimized.[36] Two weeks from release, Ubisoft and Samsung partnered to bundle a free digital download of Watch Dogs 2 with the purchase of SSD phones and curved gaming monitors.[37] Amazon Prime copies were subject to an early release, which revealed issues with the seamless multiplayer. Ubisoft vowed to repair the feature on schedule[38] but on the day of release, the company said it was broken – citing persistent lagging and crashing.[39]

Pre-ordering The Gold Edition Collector's Edition includes additional content such as weapon skins, vehicles and drones; the Deluxe Collector's Edition contains the same, but excludes the season pass. Each of these, as well as the generic Collector's Edition, contains a physical robot called "Wrench Junior", which is controlled by using a mobile app on a smartphone or tablet computer. The Gold Edition comes with the aforementioned items and season pass, and although the Deluxe Edition omits the inclusion of the season pass, it comprises all other additions.[40] The mission "Zodiac Killer" is also exclusive to pre-order purchases. It involves the protagonist Marcus Holloway in chasing an apparent copycat killer who works with the same modus operandi as the Zodiac Killer.[41] Amazon and Twitch Prime members are privy to free content like XP boosts and skin packs.[42]

List of Watch Dogs 2 editions
Features Standard Edition Deluxe Edition San Francisco Edition Gold Edition Wrench Jr Robot Collector's Pack The Return of DedSec Collector's Case
Software
The game Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Deluxe Pack No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Season Pass* No No No Yes Yes Yes
Zodiac Killer mission** No No Yes No No No
Physical
Exclusive packaging No Yes (sleeve) Yes (collector's box) No No Yes (collector's case)
Lithographies No Yes Yes No No Yes
Map of San Francisco No Yes Yes No No Yes
DedSec-themed laptop stickers No No Yes No No Yes
Marcus figurine (24cm) No No Yes No No No
DedSec art Marcus figurine (27cm) No No No No No Yes
Marcus' cap and scarf replica No No No No No Yes
Exclusive 64-page artbook No No No No No Yes
Wrench Junior Robot (20cm) No No No No Yes No

*Available separately *Included with all editions when pre-ordered


Downloadable content

On 3 November 2016, details about Watch Dogs 2's DLC packs were revealed. Five content packs will be released: the T-Bone Content Bundle, Human Conditions, No Compromise, Root Access Bundle, and Psychedelic Pack.[43][44]

  • The T-Bone Content Bundle will be released for PlayStation 4 on 13 December 2016, and includes a new co-op difficulty setting, Mayhem, plus the clothes and truck of the original Watch Dogs character Raymond "T-Bone" Kenney.
  • Human Conditions will be released in spring 2017, and includes three new stories set in San Francisco's science and medicine industries. The pack also includes new co-op missions starring the Jammer, a technologically savvy enemy capable of hunting players down.
  • No Compromise will also be released in spring 2017 and features a new story involving the Russian Mob as well as an unlockable co-op mode called Showdown.
  • Root Access Bundle (available in winter) and Psychedelic Pack (available on launch day) feature a Zodiac Killer mission as well as new outfits, cars, skins and weapons.

Reception

Watch Dogs 2 received positive reviews, with the PlayStation 4 version holding an aggregated Metacritic score of 85/100, based on 31 critic reviews.[45]

In his review, Destructoid's Zack Furniss praised the sequel's tonal shift to a lack of seriousness and stated that its protagonist Marcus Holloway boasted a similar charm and wit. He thought well of the hacking component as it was suggestible to multiple fields of use, and enjoyed its nature of compatibility with a non-lethal approach; in fact, Furniss felt that for this reason firearms could have been excluded entirely. The driving was lauded as an improvement from the first game, yet technical issues like glitches and low frame rates were cited as shortcomings.[46] Aron Garst of Game Revolution stated that Watch Dogs 2 had redressed "nearly every negative aspect of the original", and as such, marked a favorable change in the franchise.[47]

Sales

In November 2016, Ubisoft revealed that the game's pre-orders were disappointing for the company. Due to this, Ubisoft took a more conservative approach and reduced the sales projection for the second half of its fiscal year 2017. However, CEO Yves Guillemot is confident that the game would not be a commercial failure, and compared the game to Far Cry Primal, a commercially successful game with low pre-order sales. He believed that reviews would have a great impact to the game sales due to consumers' "wait-and-see" approach.[49]

References

  1. ^ a b Musa, Talal (14 July 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 exclusive: Ubisoft reveals new information about anti-hero Marcus Holloway". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 15 July 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (8 June 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 stars a hacker named Marcus accused of a crime he didn't commit". VG247. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  3. ^ a b Phillips, Tom (8 June 2016). "Everything we know about Watch Dogs 2". Eurogamer. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  4. ^ Williams, Mike (6 August 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 Brings the Revolution to San Francisco". USgamer. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Favis, Elise (8 June 2016). "Six Ways Watch Dogs 2 Is Different From Its Predecessor". Game Informer. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  6. ^ a b McWhertor, Michael (8 June 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 has a new hacker hero, a new city and a whole lot more". Polygon. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  7. ^ Bell, Alice (23 June 2016). "Everything We Know About Watch Dogs 2". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  8. ^ a b Orry, James (17 August 2016). "Ubisoft made a lot of announcements at Gamescom, some of which you'll be interested in". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  9. ^ Martin, Liam (13 June 2016). "Updated: Watch Dogs 2 release date, trailer, story, system requirements and everything you need to know about Ubisoft's game". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  10. ^ Butterworth, Scott (14 June 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 Embraces Its Inner Grand Theft Auto". GameSpot. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  11. ^ Prell, Sam (29 August 2016). "Take a 20-minute tour of Watch Dogs 2's open world". GamesRadar. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  12. ^ a b Mahardy, Mike (8 June 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 Details Officially Revealed". GameSpot. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  13. ^ Blain, Louise (17 August 2016). "Watch Dogs 2's Bounty Hunter mode will send online players to kill you". GamesRadar. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  14. ^ Carsillo, Ray (17 August 2016). "Watch Dogs 2's Bounty Hunter mode is the latest way to invade your friends' game". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  15. ^ Piazzo, Jordan (8 June 2016). "Watch_Dogs 2 protagonist is Marcus Holloway, learn why you'll be playing as him". GameZone. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  16. ^ Makuch, Eddie (22 September 2014). "E3 2014: Ubisoft Says Watch Dogs Is a Franchise – "Now We Figure Out What To Do Next"". GameSpot. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  17. ^ "Watch Dogs 2 will "carry on taking risks" says Ubisoft". GamesTM. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  18. ^ Chalk, Andy (30 August 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 gameplay video features hacking, driving, and bounties". PC Gamer. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  19. ^ Morris, Tatiana (14 July 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 shouldn't see same downgrade as original, due to more 'predictable context'". GameZone. Retrieved 22 August 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ McKeand, Kirk (24 October 2016). "Watch Dogs 2's politically charged self-awareness looks set to surprise". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 October 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |website= (help)
  21. ^ Reparaz, Mikel (24 October 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 – 10 Things We Learned From the First 4 Hours". Ubisoft. Retrieved 25 October 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  22. ^ Reparaz, Mikel (10 August 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 – Remote Access: How Hacker Culture Helped Create DedSec". Ubisoft. Retrieved 13 August 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  23. ^ Heine, Christopher (3 November 2016). "Ubisoft Wants Gamers to Learn What Data a Hacker Can Steal From Their Selfies". Adweek. Retrieved 3 November 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ Takahashi, Dean (26 October 2016). "Ubisoft researcher scouted Watch Dogs 2 by hanging out with hacktivists in SF and DefCon". GamesBeat. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  25. ^ Valdes, Giancarlo (17 July 2016). "Watch Dogs 2's San Francisco brings out the playful side of the hacking series". GamesBeat. Retrieved 17 July 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ Phillips, Tom (22 June 2016). "Watch Dogs 2: "There are no towers"". Eurogamer. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  27. ^ a b Takahashi, Dean (25 October 2016). "Why Watch Dogs 2 creators chose to focus on San Francisco's hacktivism". GamesBeat. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  28. ^ Makuch, Eddie (26 October 2016). "Kanye West Collaborator Working on Watch Dogs 2's Soundtrack, Listen to First Song Here". GameSpot. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  29. ^ Wright, James (8 November 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 teams up with Google and DJ Oliver Heldens for exclusive new track Good Life'". Daily Star. Northern & Shell Media. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  30. ^ Chalk, Andy (12 February 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 confirmed, due out before April 2017". PC Gamer. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  31. ^ Phillips, Tom (4 May 2016). "It looks like a mocap actor has revealed Watch Dogs 2's new protagonist". Eurogamer. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  32. ^ Grant, Christopher (8 June 2016). "Here's the Watch Dogs 2 world premiere". Polygon. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  33. ^ Makuch, Eddie (27 October 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 Release Date Draws Near as Game Goes Gold". GameSpot. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  34. ^ Orry, James (9 June 2016). "Watch Dogs 2's six editions detailed". VideoGamer.com. Candy Banana. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  35. ^ Figueroa, Jovi (11 September 2016). "PlayStation 4 Pro Already Set with Four Ubisoft Titles". Inquisitr. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  36. ^ Orry, James (20 October 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 delayed on PC, but are the extra features worth the wait?". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  37. ^ Lilly, Paul (1 November 2016). "Samsung teams with Ubisoft to give away Watch Dogs 2 with select SSDs and monitors". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  38. ^ Purchese, Robert (12 November 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 copies arriving early and seamless multiplayer doesn't work". Eurogamer. Gamer Network.
  39. ^ Schreier, Jason (15 November 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 Multiplayer Is Broken, Won't Be Fully Live At Launch". Kotaku. Univision Communications.
  40. ^ Hall, Charlie (9 June 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 pre-orders come with an actual robot and free serial killer". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  41. ^ McWhertor, Michael (20 October 2016). "Get a preview of Watch Dogs 2's Zodiac Killer mission". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  42. ^ Pereira, Chris (28 October 2016). "Amazon Prime's Free Games and DLC for November 2016". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  43. ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (2 November 2016). "WATCH DOGS 2 SEASON PASS DETAILED". Ubisoft. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  44. ^ Conditt, Jessica (3 November 2016). "The $40 Watch Dogs 2 Season Pass includes new stories, clothes". Engadget. Retrieved 3 November 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  45. ^ a b "Watch Dogs 2 Critic Reviews for PlayStation 4". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  46. ^ a b Furniss, Zack (14 November 2016). "Review: Watch Dogs 2". Destructoid. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  47. ^ a b Garst, Aron (14 November 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  48. ^ McKeand, Kirk (14 November 2016). "Watch Dogs 2 review - Much improved hacker sequel makes a smart statement". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group.
  49. ^ Grubb, Jeff (3 November 2016). "Ubisoft grows thanks to The Division and digital sales, but Watch Dogs 2 preorders hurt guidance". VentureBeat. Retrieved 4 November 2016.


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