A game for us & our time, Watch Dogs 2 Review (Game Of The Year 2016)

Watch Dogs 2 (Xbox One, PS4, PC) (Rated Mature)

Video Review

I can not remember the last time I grinned ear to ear like an idiot while playing a game. That level of fun is something most games chase after; yet it can be hard for a game to achieve that kind of joy, especially when the stories and gameplay mechanics seem designed for something else. While all games are enjoyable in one way or another. Most games fall into the category of being enjoyable for the level of satisfaction that playing achieves, while other games are fun just due to their very nature; great games manage to mix both elements, but these are rare and it is anyone's guess how to fit all those elements neatly together. The story's context has a great deal to do with the kind of enjoyment a game can offer, the first Watch Dogs had some extremely fun elements; yet it also had a fairly depressing story, and a great deal of cumbersome and boring gameplay elements.

The first game's story appeal was very limited, it appealed less to hackers and more to crime drama enthusiasts. Don't' get me wrong, I love a good crime drama and certain elements lend itself well to the hacker subculture; still, it fit less into the hacker genre being closer to a revenge thriller than anything else. Revenge stories can be many things, but fun is usually not one of them; this was the main complaint leveled at the first game, it just wasn't very fun; it had great ideas and it was well designed from a mechanical standpoint. Yet, it lacked that flavor that would make Watch Dogs more than a great concept, it needed a spark to make this a true franchise. Watch Dogs 2 has all that and a bag of potato chips brah, seriously Ubisoft has found a magic formula and they need to stick with it.

This no longer feels like a Far Cry/Assassin's Creed mash-up, Watch Dogs 2 has it's own identity and the only game that comes close to its gameplay style would be Skyrim.  This is a game about exploration, puzzle solving, player choice and creating general mayhem. Unlike the first entry which used its hacker setting as mere window dressing, Watch Dogs 2 fully embraces the culture of hacktivists. Which as it turns out is the perfect context for an open world game. The self-aware and satirical sense of humor that permeates the culture is on fine display here, while the writing may seem a bit hammy at times; it is perfect for the subject matter. Wisely Watch Dogs 2 forgoes a more complex plot oriented story, for great characters, witty dialogue and an atmosphere of pure unadulterated fun.  The performances from the entire cast are outstanding, Marcus Holloway is a terrific protagonist that is so easy to like due to the incredible performance given by Ruffin Prentiss. Marcus and his crew are among some of the most realized characters in gaming, Wrench is hilarious, Sitara is just as charming as a character can be and Josh, Josh will be a hero to Autistic gamers everywhere thanks to Jonathan Dubsky's scene stealing performance.

Few games manage to be this funny and have characters this well developed; you really get to know them during the course of the campaign, which can last anywhere from twenty to over a hundred hours. While the game has a tone that is very much comedic down to its core, this is a game that really uses it's satirical approach to the highest level possible. These characters are larger than life, and the things they say and do will leave you laughing so hard you forget to play the game. Yet, in spite of the game's blissful sense of fun; there is a very compelling story underneath all the jokes and meta humor. The story of kids, inexperienced basement dwellers as so many of us have been called, rising to meet the threat of oppression head on using their skill sets is inspiring and courageous; it is also a very timely story and Ubisoft knows it.

The setting is a no brainer, given the story's content there is no better place to be than the San Francisco Bay Area. Home to Apple and Google; this is the birth of the tech industry and not only a beautiful place to explore and lose yourself in, but one that naturally lends itself to the game's atmosphere of fun. This is one of the most gorgeous city's in the world, and the level of authenticity in which it was recreated is simply mind blowing. You could lose countless hours searching every nook and cranny for money, hidden music tracks and items that allow you to access upgrades for Marcus; or just lose your life living in one of the most lifelike in-game city's I have experienced. There are a few of mini-games, one that is solely focused on taking selfies in the game's many famous locales, motorbike races and another called Driver San Franciso that is the best Crazy Taxi knock off I have played in years; the fact that it is a satire on the uber service is just the icing on top of the cake.

Taking a page directly out of Skyrim's playbook, side missions are scattered throughout the entire game-world and each offer their own distinct story and objectives. They are so well done, I spent four hours doing nothing but side missions before I even finished the first major story mission. The game also has cooperative missions that you can play alone or with a friend, these lack the more story orientated structure of the side missions, but the ability to play these missions with a friend really alters the play dynamic to extremely satisfying results.  There are competitive modes that are integrated seamlessly into the game world, simply pull up your phone and you can engage a bounty hunting mission, or a hack invasion styled attack. These modes offer a great deal of fun due to the vastly different experiences they offer. We are used to all out war, but the intimate game of cat and mouse that these modes evolve to; is a very refreshing change of pace. Anything you can do solo, you can do competitively, and that means the options are endless.

Driving is a huge improvement over the first; this is not realistic, simulation driving. No this is blazing through intersections at one hundred miles an hour, feeling the wind in your face and your asshole puckering up arcade style fun. Once you get used to how the different cars, bikes, and boats handle you will be speeding through one of the most beautiful in-game worlds of this generation, with ease. You will also have an RC car and Quadcopter at your disposal, which gives the player a nearly infinite number of solutions to any of the game's varied objectives. Which is where the real fun of Watch Dogs 2 comes in, you are free to play anyway you see fit.

You have a stun gun, distraction aids, a brutal improvised melee weapon and some explosive treats along with other toys that will aid you in hacking your way through the city. You can choose to be an unseen force moving through the shadows and manipulating the environment subtlety, an anarchist who takes glee in causing untold havoc or, a warrior who will use any means necessary and any tool at your disposal to take down the threat. In keeping with the game's theme, you will have access to a 3D printer to create some very unique and personalizable firearms; you can pick up any of the enemies normal guns as well, and they all pack quite a punch thanks to some terrific animations and equally astounding sound design. Gun's have never sounded this realistic before and that's thanks to dynamic sound effects that react to your environment, which is an insane detail few games ever put thought into.

While combat is avoidable, it is impeccable nonetheless thanks to the first game's sound combat design; which has been superbly dialed in and when coupled with the game's organic play flow creates some the most natural action sequences, in any open world shooter. Using all your clever hacking abilities, like for example setting shocking non-lethal traps allows you to create some very interesting combat opportunities, which allows for flexible and inventive play styles. You are able to move fluidly through the world on foot, with some very flashy and ultimately satisfying pakour abilities which come in very handy in San Francisco. This is not Assassin's Creed though, so do not expect to scale every building you see; you have to use all your abilities including your gadgets to reach certain areas.

This may seem clunky and unintuitive at times; yet, it allows for a much more satisfying exploration-based puzzle solving experience. Marcus's animations are very lifelike which really helps immerse you into this world, nothing you do is so implausible that it breaks suspension of disbelief. Even the game's outlandish mission design makes sense due to the characters personality and the context of the story. This is the first game I have played where nearly every in-game action was plausible in real life, and the story elements are also ripped right out of our world.

Immersion is a big factor for these kinds of games, the ability to lose yourself living and exploring a virtual world is the reason many of us play games to begin with. A lot of game's fail to pay detailed attention to that sense of immersion, Watch Dogs 2 is a terrific example of a game that is meant to be immersive at its very core. Everything about this game captivated me, the relatable characters and classic underdog story of heroism is the perfect combination for a sandbox you'll never want to leave.