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Watch_Dogs 2!

The rugged Aiden Pearce is no longer a playable character in Watch Dogs 2, and it's for this reason some fans seem to disagree with the removal, will this be a deal breaker for previous Watch Dogs 1 fans?

First Impressions:

Whenever possible, we try to give our loyal website viewers the most video footage and most in depth unbiased reviews imaginable. Part of that development is our "initial impressions" where we offer up our first impressions of the title that we are playing.

This gives our website visitors more of clear understanding of what to first expect out of the game when they initially pop it into their consoles.

If you scroll to the bottom of the page in the Rent vs. Buy section of the review and do not see the "final impressions" assessment then it's safe to say that you are reading our initial impression of the game. Once the final impression is up, there will be no further video or review done to that particular title.

Final Impressions:

The final impression is just that, our completed breakdown and overall thoughts on the game based off of our entire game playing time.

You can locate the final impressions assessment in the "Rent vs. Buy" section of the review (always located at the very end of all of our reviews). Here you will be able to read our final thoughts on the title and also see any potential grade changes that were made to the game as well (higher or lower). Should a grading change occur, it will be clearly noted with the previous grade, the new grade, and why the change occurred.

Although this approach is more time consuming and requires many more man hours, our entire goal has always been to provide the best and completely unbiased reviews possible and we feel that the inclusion of the Initial Impressions and Final Impressions sections will give you a better view of what to expect from a new game.

All that we ask in return is for you to continue to support Krakrabbit.com by visiting the site and letting others know about our cause. Together we can supply our fellow gamers with the most impartial information so they can make an informed decision on whether to buy or rent this particular title.

A Change in Scenery:

ctOS 2.0 is launched and operating, the main agenda Blume pushed towards citizens was that its sole purpose was to protect citizens, monitor crime activity, and strive towards a crime free world. The majority bought into this idea, and now the government monitors your every action; privacy is no longer an option.

Right from the beginning you are greeted with a non-in-depth playable-tutorial, for which you will quickly realize the difference in controls from the first Watch Dogs. What used to be 'run' is now 'climb', and so on. Players who are coming from the first Watch Dogs will find this extremely awkward for the first 20 minutes, but don't worry you'll get used to it.

The first mission will begin in San Francisco as you will play 24 year old Marcus Holloway, you then will be armed with a Taser and will attempt to stealthily break and enter into a server room, if this task is successfully completed, Marcus will be granted to illegally operate ctOS 2.0 to his advantage. Marcus justifies his actions due to the framing and destruction of his criminal record, the corruption, and invasion of privacy that the Blume Corporation has committed.

Assuming you successfully breach the server room, later on in the mission, you will be granted the option to choose your identity along with wiping the paper trails, of Marcus Holloway and his criminal record. After you bleach Marcus's record, you will be prompted to choose a NEW identity varying from several options. While this feature is kind of cool, it seems to make no impact on anything regarding the storyline.

DedSec Is Watching:

You may recall DedSec being present in Watch Dogs 1, while back then in the days of Chicago, you weren't assigned to work with them; this isn't the case this time. Upon completion of the very first mission, DedSec will later recruit you into their small but functional group of illegal hackers; also rebelling against Blume. From here you will meet your fellow hacker buddies: 'Sitara' (Art Creator for DedSec), 'Josh' (Code Genius), 'Horatio' (Operations Manager), and 'Wrench' (Engineer).

Due to Watch Dogs 2 being more laid back than its previous title, Ubisoft has implemented comedic characters, and with that being said, Wrench takes home the medal for being most entertaining out of all five featured characters. Wrench's quirky but funny behavior seems to grasp our attention the most; this may be due to the fact that Wrench has altered voice and facial expressions.

But all in all, most characters you see in Watch Dogs 2 will likely be easy going; even the character you play. This is a significant reason as to why the current Watch Dogs, differs so much from the last one.

Tactical Yo-Yo?:

If you've played Watch Dogs 1 for the first 30 minutes, you would quickly realize the amazing expandable baton Aiden Pearce wielded; this was Aiden's default melee weapon. This is not the case at all in Watch Dogs 2. Marcus's weapon of choice will be a hard ball, attached to a thick rope-like materiel. While this isn't as ferocious as a baton, you will still manage to pull off some pretty decent moves; but it's nothing compared to pounding your foes, with the butt-end of your baton!

The expandable baton was fierce and deadly, incapacitating your foes with vicious blows to the extremities and face. But the Tactical Yo-Yo (as I like to call it), under performs and just seems to wield a slapping affect to it; taking away that "shocked" feeling.

While we desperately tried to melee civilians in Watch Dogs 1, you now have the freedom to punch anyone who is not a threat to you. While some may be disappointed, by the fact that you are not able to fully use your Tactical Yo-yo on civilians.

The Future of Weapons!:

With San Francisco's strict gun control, weapon laws and regulations, the DedSec crew thought of an innovative and convenient solution to obtain weapons; WITHOUT going through the hassle of buying them from criminals. This is done by simply 3D printing the firepower they require, but 3D printing weapons doesn't stop there; you may also build RC Cars and Quadcopter Drones to assist you on missions as well, and maybe even give them a paint job.

Within this industrial size 3D printer, you are greeted with a wide variety of weapons and paint jobs (yes, you can paint your guns). You may find silenced weapons in your favor if you prefer stealth, or maybe a fully automatic assault rifle; it's your choice to make.

Now just because you can build your own guns, doesn't mean it's free to use or make. You may scroll through a number of weapons, but all of them require a hefty fee (depending on which gun you choose) in order to build said gun. After you have the funds to make the firearm you desire, you may hold down the action button, and your chosen firearm is presented to you within seconds.

Although you can't add any attachments to your gun, you may choose a desired paintjob for a small fee. If you find yourself bored with your current paintjobs, search the map for more!

Updated Character Menu & Interface:

Remember when we used to be able to carry all of our weapons and equipment? Yup, that's gone too. Watch Dogs 2 introduced a more realistic approach by only allowing you to house a total of three guns, one of which is your Taser; which is by default equipped. So essentially you are granted two slots which are to be filled by your weapon of choice. Scooting away from weapons, the phone displays quite few interface updates and features. One of which is the 'Appshop' which allows you to download usable apps, either used for everyday activates or missions. Within the phone menu will also display the current day's weather as well as tomorrow's weather; this feature seems to have held truth.

The navigation menu (Nudle Maps) has improved substantially; it now features an up-to-date, modern display that clearly shows where you are going. 'Nudle' a search engine, map navigation, etc. Is obviously derived from 'Google', the Nudle Maps display shows this clearly.

Your cellphone is where you will access the majority of your options such as: multiplayer, tutorials, camera, maps, media player, mission select, weather, and more.

Hacking:

Hacking can get very frustrating, and Watch Dogs 2 introduced a different way to hack. The hacking of Watch Dogs 2 hasn't changed, but it is where the hacking takes place that has changed. The previous hacking window that queues upon launching hacks has been removed, rather the infrastructure of the game turns into your hacking screen, for example: a hack puzzle may be placed along a wall, or up the side of a building. This can be even HARDER due to the fact that you cannot always visually access each hacking segment; forcing you to use other methods such as cameras.

'NetHack' will make life easier when hacking or even in combat, NetHack is a program that turns your ordinary view, and morphs it into an all seeing eye that detects enemies, hacking vulnerabilities, etc. This feature may be even FURTHER upgraded to have the ability to hack through walls as well.

The technology has definitely improved in Watch Dogs 2, for which you have the option to use RC Cars and Quadcopter Drones, which ARE capable of hacking and various other tasks.

If a car is in your way, why not move it remotely? Yes finally remote control vehicles are present in Watch Dogs 2; this option will aid you greatly when police are pursuing you. You have the option to swerve cars forward, down, left, right, and backwards, this applies to all vehicles regardless if anyone is actually driving the car.

Hacking cellphones for massive amounts of money isn't the case in Watch Dogs 2, sure you are able to hack people's bank accounts for money, but the money granted is an insignificant amount. You will likely earn most of your cash by doing missions and finding stashed loot!

You can no longer perform every CPU intensive hack on just a cell phone anymore, this time the realism has been turned up a notch, and you will now wield a laptop for which you will control your RC Car, Drone, puzzle hacks, etc.

But what fuels all of this intensive technology manipulation? Botnets is what. Botnets are essentially batteries, and these batteries are what allow you to set traps, move cars remotely, etc. You obtain 'Botnets' from hacking into anyone who carries a cell phone, this works by draining some of the battery life from people's cell phones, and using it to fuel your own personal endeavors, selfish right?

Scott Free:

Police search parties, helicopters, ctOS scanning, this was a big issue in the first Watch Dogs. Previously, it was very difficult to evade and avoid law enforcement, and ctOS was very sensitive to any crime you committed. But the system has changed for the better, allowing you to commit MORE crimes without as much hassle as before. Instead of ctOS deploying that annoying search radar on your map, instead officers are dispatched to your approximate location and go from there; they DO NOT know your exact location, this gives you some time to act before the police get there.

When police are actively chasing you, successfully evading them can be tricky but not impossible. To evade 3 stars and up, I recommend having some type of upgraded perks to allow manipulation for the environment around you, and use it to your advantage.

While on the subject of first responders, police will also arrest you if you have 1 star and below, I personally thought this concept would go deeper, but unfortunately it doesn't. When the police apprehend you, they just seem to point their guns at you, subsequently the game just reloads just as if you were to die and restart.

Another added feature is that police will be dispatched to an event where enemies are attacking you, and aid in your defense or even arrest the attackers.

Shops:

What is money used for besides guns and ammo? The newest addition will be Dealerships, Dealerships is where you will officially paint and purchase your desired vehicles, after this has been completed, you will have the option to have your bought cars delivered to your location, this is accessed by 'Car on Demand' through your phone.

Coffee shops still exist, but it's a mystery WHY they still do; since they have now lost all of their purpose,. This is due to the fact that Watch Dogs 2 doesn't contain the 'Focus' ability anymore.

Graphics:

The Watch Dogs series always seems to steal the show with the stunning graphics it presents, just as Watch Dogs 1, the graphics are just as good but slightly improved. Things such as the sky and leaves have been noticeably improved, the sky glimmers with a bright blue glow, and the leaves on the trees seem to realistically flow in the wind as well.

Although you have the option to drive in a first person view when driving any car, the speedometer and RPM gauge seem to be non-operational; just as Watch Dogs 1.

Audio:

The audio in Watch Dogs 2 seems to have improved substantially, the driving aspect of Watch Dogs 2-by far takes home the medal in the audio category, the intense bass that is produced from the engines of the vehicles are amazing. You will notice the improvement in both sound quality and tone of the cars, the audio in we heard in Watch Dogs 1 was a mild and repetitive sound; this is no longer the case.

WD2 also excelled in the gun audio category as well, you won't be disappointed by the crystal clear, discharges of your firearm.

Rent vs. Buy:

The storyline and playstyle of Watch Dogs 2 differs significantly from its debut title, WD2 will greet you with a more comedic, easy going layout, whereas Watch Dogs 1 placed you in a very grim storyline. These two games are completely opposite regarding storyline, and gamers who were hoping to see an even DARKER storyline from Watch Dogs 2, will likely be disappointed with this one. Gamers who are accustomed to playing games like GTA 5 will fit nicely into the newest Watch Dogs, due to its laid back approach and playstyle.

Report Card

Gamers who were hoping to see an even DARKER storyline from Watch Dogs 2, will likely be disappointed with this one. Gamers who are accustomed to playing games like GTA 5 will fit nicely into the newest Watch Dogs.

(Krakrabbit.com)

B+


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