In this modern day and age, we are all connected. We talk to each other via our phones, computers, tablets, and keep in touch with work and friends. We share events online and our tastes and preferences are being monitored. The first city that was ran by the ctOS was so popular that other cities starting adopting it. In 2016 it has spread to more than a few cities, however, there are some that are using this network for more vile deeds. Companies can profile your habits, track what you buy and manipulate you like a puppet on a string. This is the backdrop for the grand new game from Ubisoft which is Watch Dogs 2. But is this a system you will want to overrun?
You will take control of Marcus Holloway a bright, young hacker who wants to prove himself and make a difference. He teams up with the hacker group known as DeadSec and your first mission has you hacking into a giant technology firm. Blume is a giant tech firm that monitors and creates profiles and as you are making your way through the systems you find something troubling. Marcus is flagged for a crime that he did not commit and right then and there he vows to take down Blume and everything that it stands for. However, he cannot do this alone as he will need to gather an army of followers and their computing power to take down Blume.
The game is simply amazing as there is a slogan that goes along with Watch Dogs 2 and that is “hack everything”. And they mean it. Sure, you can hack people that pass you by on the street and steal money, info and other resources. And there are also cameras that allow you to see into areas that you would not be able to access. You can also hack into vehicles remotely, trigger electrical shorts to stun enemies and hack robots that are on the city streets. You will also have access to drones in this game that can help you out of tight situations. The drones are a quadcopter and a remote controlled car and they can be used to remote hack and get into some tight situations.
Not all situations can be resolved by hacking and sometimes you need to resort to violence. There are a few weapons that you can use in the game, but the one you start with is amazing. Marcus carries a stun gun that can knock a person out from range and this gun can be upgraded. Imagine engaging foes with a stun gun that can fire and reload quickly as you steal your enemy’s weapons. This makes for some amazing gameplay as you can play the game how you want to. You can use stealth and take out enemies with melee attacks as well as stun them from range or go in guns blazing.
One of the things that makes me want to just get out and explore is that it is situated right in my own backyard. Granted, I live in Sacramento but San Francisco is not that far from me and I used to live in the bay area. There are some iconic locations as well as some familiar layouts as the Ubisoft team really went above and beyond on this one. Watch Dogs 2 is split up into four different areas: Oakland, Marin, San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Each of these areas has their own unique look and feel to them and believe me if you have ever visited the bay area you’ll be looking at this game shouting “I know where that is!”
There is also a multiplayer component to this game that integrates seamlessly into Watch Dogs 2. For example, you could start a mission and someone from online can join and assist you which is great if you have a hard mission. However, for some of us who want to play the game on our own you can do that by turning it off in the options menu. You can also start an Online Invasion where you search for a hacker and try to steal his data or prevent your data from being stolen. Speed, stealth and ingenuity are your key tools here as you try to keep your wits about you. If you commit too much chaos in the world of Watch Dogs 2 you might find a contract on your head. This is the Bounty Hunter mode as you try to evade three other players from taking you down. If the players manage to defeat you they are given a bonus, but, if you take them out then you receive an even larger bonus.
This review just barely scratches the surface of Watch Dogs 2 as I have been playing this game for days on the PC and it is simply amazing. If you have not checked this game out for the consoles or PC you need to. For more information on this great game head over to https://www.ubisoft.com/en-US/game/watch-dogs-2/ and get ready to hack everything.
