The first Watch Dogs was a potential game changer, mainly for all it provided players with, including a massive and fairly accurate sprawling Chicago sandbox, surprisingly fun hacking tools and an innovative multiplayer gameplay. It was, however, held back by its rather forgettable narrative, frustrating & repetitive mission structure and an insanely boring and dull protagonist.
The next instalment of the hacking franchise is out in just over two weeks, and Ubisoft is overtly keen to prove that it’s taken a good amount of feedback from the series’ first outing on board. In an interview with MCV, Watch Dogs 2’s marketing director Mark Slaughter stated the following:
The team were really proud of what the first game accomplished and we learned a lot from that experience. The development team listened to players and have worked very hard to implement changes based on that feedback into the next instalment.
There will be a more relevant narrative with deeper characterisation; a fresh, lighter tone, more creative hacking options, better driving and a seamless online experience. Add to this more choice on how to approach challenges and a great sense of dynamism and variety in the game world and the team have worked very hard to produce a strong offering that the players will love.
Most of the reviewers who got to go hands-on with Watch Dogs 2 during E3 last year complimented the game’s shift in tone and intentions, adding that it’s a “welcome 180 [degree turn] from the overly serious original“. While there were a few who stated that the game felt somewhat hollow despite all the new advancements.
In response to the hands-on feedback, Slaughter mentions that the sentiment from the previews has mostly been “overwhelmingly positive” so far. He adds,
With all our launch activity we’re seeing there’s a lot of strong buzz coming to the game quite late in the campaign so we’ve got high expectations.
Watch Dogs 2 is due November 29. So, buckle up for the return of Deadsec.
