Watch Dogs 2, PS4 and Xbox One review: Ubisoft’s sprawling sandbox is an absolute blast

This sunny sequel is just what we were hoping for with the original game
1/8
Joni Blyth16 November 2016

Despite the looming dystopian nightmare of government surveillance, it's a beautiful morning - the sun shines over the San Francisco bay, the Golden Gate Bridge gleams in the distance, and I’m standing around in my pants. My first ‘mission’ is to go buy some clothes, but who could resist a quick swim?

Wandering off the beaten track is irresistible in Watch Dogs 2. That’s not to say that the story missions in Ubisoft’s highly anticipated sequel aren’t appealing, but with such a visually arresting world and an arsenal of nifty techno-tricks up your sleeve, you’ll be forgiven for forgetting the main storyline and getting lost in your own mayhem.

The game’s sprawling sandbox is buoyed by solid core gameplay – the hacking systems are detailed without feeling overly complex, and while the gunplay is nothing to write home about, Watch Dogs 2 is all about the stealthy approach.

There are a wide range of methods to scout the urban battlefield and attack from afar – spreading chaos via CCTV and your personal drone army is an absolute blast.

Ubisoft

Unfortunately, all of this fun is pretty surface level. While running around San Fran hacking traffic lights and reading emails is great, you won’t find yourself creating your own memorable adventures like you might in post-apocalyptic Boston or Los Santos - and the madness you incite with your mobile isn’t a patch on the insanity you can cook up with a grappling hook and a gas canister in Just Cause 3.

This is where the story missions come into their own. Although the overarching narrative isn’t particularly coherent, the actual ‘operations’ themselves are inventive and engaging, and there are a pile of side quests to sink your teeth into. The in-game phone has treats of its own - the Driver: San Francisco app has you providing an Uber-like service to San Fran residents, while ScoutX asks you to track down the sights of Fog City and take selfies.

The world itself is also full of secrets, although the puzzles to unlock these upgrades and paint jobs are mostly repetitions of ‘move this pickup truck, send a drone through that vent’ and the like.

One mission involves taking down a Scientology-esque cult, while another sees you conning a Martin Shkreli knock-off

Many missions are pulled straight from the headlines – early on, Dedsec (an elite hacking squad you join at the start of the game) are tasked with taking down a Scientology-esque cult, while another quest involves conning a Martin Shkreli knock-off into buying a fake rap album. The game is at its best when it's flexing these satirical muscles - the aforementioned Scientology mission involves freeing a Hollywood action star from their clutches, and a trip to search-engine giant Nudle could be ripped straight out of HBO’s Silicon Valley.

Ubisoft

While Watch Dogs 2 hits the nail on the head with its biting satire, it wildly misses the mark when it comes to the world of hacktivism. Shifting to a lighter tone was a smart move for the franchise, but the constant barrage of memes and l33tspeak is grating. The refreshingly diverse crew that make up Dedsec have their moments, but as Watch Dogs 2 tries far too hard to be edgy it ends up being less ‘totes amazeballs’ and more ‘#epicfail’ (please forgive me).

Although Watch Dogs 2 is undoubtedly pretty, there are some niggling inconsistencies and technical issues under the hood. Little things frequently took me out of the game - why can I steal motorbikes without an alarm sounding? Why are some wheelie bins glued to the ground and not others? Why am I, an ethical hacker looking to help the common man, able to pull out an assault rifle and mow down civilians with impunity? (Okay, that last one isn’t a little thing.)

Some of these issues may be fixed in future patches – the driving could do with an overhaul, as all vehicles go way too fast to let you make effective use of the in-car hacking systems.

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There have also been issues with the online game modes, causing Ubisoft to disable the ‘Seamless Multiplayer’ function for now. Hopefully they’ll have it working soon, as the Invasion mode is a real highlight – pitting players against each other in a battle of wits (and bullets) as you try and blend in with NPCs to steal each other’s data.

Watch Dogs 2 is slightly rough around the edges, but it’s a lot closer to what we were all hoping for with its predecessor back at E3 2012. Those willing to look past some flaws will find a solid game underpinned by great stealth mechanics, and a cracking sandbox to lay waste to.

Watch Dogs 2 is out now on PS4 and Xbox One

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