Watch Dogs 2 TEST: The King of Hacking? (Update)

juliusfatai (58)in #gaming • 7 years ago

After a first episode that left the players hungry, Watch Dogs 2 comes with the promise of a denser universe, richer gameplay and especially increased freedom. Marcus Holloway replaces Aiden Pearce in this new experience under the sign of technology, which proposes a decidedly lighter tone but also a lot of novelties. Unlocking the security key ... scan ... Here's my opinion on this long-awaited second episode!

Update of 28/17 : All multiplayer services are now active and working very well, so we are raising this Warning Day One!

Update of 22/17 : A week after the release of the game, the multi is still not accessible, we make the decision to put a note. This last concerns our opinion on the single player campaign (the heart of the game). This one is likely to be modified later according to our opinion on the multi. We will come back to you when the problem of multiplayer activities is solved.

Warning original (14/17) : If the solo part of Watch Dogs 2 seduced us, beware, the multiplayer game is currently impractical (crashes and very regular slowdowns ) hence our "Warning day-one". We suggest you wait a little before having a final note . At the time of this first publication of the test, Ubisoft is indeed already on the spot, since some multiplayer activities have been suspended until the problem is solved. We will be brought back to this test shortly, to give our note and possibly lift this "Warning Day One" .

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WHAT IS THE PS4 PRO?

Watch Dogs 2 has a PS4 Pro compatibility update. Find below the specifics of the game when it turns on this support.

I have a 4K screen

Resolution : 1800p upscaled to 3840 x 2160p
Framerate : 30 frames / second
HDR support : No

I have a 1080p screen:

Resolution : 1080p
Framerate : 30 frames / second

Our opinion: Already very beautiful on PS4 standard, Watch Dogs 2 is cleaner on PS4 Pro. It does not display any aliasing but does not use HDR. Note that the proposed display is 1800p upscaled in 4K (via checkerboard) and not the native 4K. We will nevertheless notice some frame rate drops with an inconstant 30 fps. Note that these stability problems are less present on PS4 standard, except in a few specific places.

Marcus Holloway is the king of the hack. Of course, we did not take the worst. Our story with him begins as he tries to infiltrate the premises of the ctOS system in San Francisco, always more powerful since he now controls all the country interfering in the life of each, capturing data and information. private information ... Beyond the fact that the subject speaks to us inevitably, at a time when we are all connected, there is a more difficult problem for our hero of the modern (technological) times: Blume, the company at the origin of the CtOS 2.0 program, wants to tip Marcus off on criminal acts he did not commit. While he leaves the place after making some hacks, he is alpacuted by a man. This one is part ofDedSec . Of course, it speaks to our hacker fan of hip-hop, who will join the organization in the idea of bringing down Blume...

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A just cause

If we could criticize Aiden Pearce for lacking charisma, from my point of view, it is quite difficult to say as much about our new protagonist. Of course he is young, he is a little crazy and especially he speaks badly, but as the story is written, handle in hand, I find it more and more endearing. Just like his crazy buddies that I just took for punks a little crazy, with a little too much piercing on the nose and ears. Whether Wrench, the hacker of the band, Sitara, artist in the soul, or Joshua, the rare verb, all these kids loving freedom and justice have something to tell. Better, they have something of us. Well-written dialogues in which the

If the goal of the game is to stop Blume, it's mostly propaganda. The principle is simple: it is to gain followers to DedSec to increase its popularity and give power to his voice, in order to open the eyes of people on the kind of canvas of gigantic spider that Blume is weaving around them, for the purpose of using them for abject purposes. Various fraud and espionage, manipulation, not to mention the other groups of hackers who are going to get in his way, DedSec has the work to do and Marcus is the conductor of this great technological show. This angle may seem classic, but I admit that fighting against this intrusive system to put it flat seduced me reallyWatch Dogs first of the name.

And then the cause is right: we feel pretty quickly concerned by the problem, it sending as a strange reflection of our reality. Even if the tone is decidedly lighter than that of his elder, this second opus offers a scenario with substance, well told, surfing some references to existing business. We can also meet some famous heads like that of Martin Shkreli, who is the main actor of a rather amusing sequence.

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Hack as you want

Let's be honest: the hacking system of this second game has been clearly refined, especially with the use of "Jumper" and "Quadcopter". The latter can be purchased at your headquarters (via a 3D printer) and believe me, if you want to get it, it will have to work hard, but we will return later. Anyway, the system comes in four choices by hacking, these choices are not always the same depending on the target. When crossing civilians, Marcus has several options: he can distract them by ringing their phones, reading their text messages, taking their money or preventing emergency calls and requests for reinforcements. More subtle, it is possible to assign a target to a gang or to send a gang or even the police on it.

It proposes to improve the skills of Marcus in 7 aspects: marksmanship, remote control, vehicle piracy, relational, disruption, DIY and finally Botnets. This last section allows you to improve your hacking ability, since Botnets are the resources you need to hack. Note that these can be retrieved from civilians, but their gauge will automatically recharge.

Thus, many possibilities are offered, more classic to the news: to knock out people, to use robots to create a diversion, to cause a crash of mass or to use the piracy of vehicle ... It is a great novelty of this episode, and it brings a little spice in the choices. Indeed, our hero can drive cars remotely (several at a time if you unlock the proper capacity), always with four options (forward, backward, turn right or left). This addition is interesting in the case of chases, during which I had fun taking control of police cars chasing me ... Creating an accident to divert attention or crush an enemy are part of my favorite options in the palette of choices offered by this novelty.

In this regard, importantly, the driving has been greatly improved on this episode, and we are getting closer to a maneuverability to the GTA , very pleasant to take in hand. A good point once again!

Of course, traffic lights and other electrical systems are available to the hacker, everywhere in the city, and we must not forget that it offers a playground twice the size of Chicago. So there is something to do, believe me. Not once did I get bored, quite the contrary!

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Jumper & Co.

But back to our hacking system. Obviously, the mechanics of the first episode are always part of the game: on each mission, it will infiltrate the surveillance system and go from camera to camera to inspect the premises and disable security keys to open doors. If these actions may seem too generic, in my opinion they are the DNA of the game. Moreover, the missions propose various objectives and places, which makes it possible not to have the unpleasant impression (as it was perhaps the case in the first part) to always do the same thing. And then, as I said above, Marcus' new technological toys add a little spice to the recipe ... Here I am, having to enter a villa under close surveillance,

The AI of enemies is sometimes downright strawberry, when I detonate the phone of a police officer and his colleagues do not really react for example, or often too strong, when I want to enter a guarded place and that I am attacked without hesitation by shooting at me when I did not even take out my weapon ... I said that San Francisco was warm? If you try to hack the whole city, it will certainly be a little less ... In addition, two balls will suffice to knock you out, so it is better to play discrete. Besides, if you are one of those who prefer to go nuts, to Thunderball (the weapon of Marcus fetish) or shotgun, I wish you good luck. Very clearly, the game is designed to infiltrate. Even if he' we find an improved combat system with this famous Thunderball that energizes meetings, the gunfigh remains less effective than the other finer methods. Moreover, Marcus can use his Nethack, a kind of sixth sense that can scan places and mark the enemies and key points, just to move forward with joy and caution. A practical novelty that adds to the gameplay ofWatch Dogs 2 . But back to my villa under high surveillance...

Here, I decide to use my Jumper, just to stay safe while he settles some technical problems. I pirate a small air grill in a corner of the house and pass in subjective view (note that three views are available when using the Jumper) with my little cart. The latter has the same skills as Marcus, with rare exceptions, when he is forced to hack manually. It can even be improved with an internal speaker, in order to provoke the enemies in particular. I approach the firebox with it, turn it off and open the doors so that Marcus can get inside. Too many people around the point of interest however, so I continue my work via the Jumper. I now have to solve one of these circuit puzzles that made the success of the first episode. This is to restart the electrical system by matching the junctions. It should be noted that these puzzles have been brilliantly refined, since they are now part of the scenery and sometimes extend over the entirety of a place, which corsets the difficulty deliciously. In short, I'm almost there, but a guard arrives suddenly ... Always via the Jumper, I sound the phone time to finish. It works. I can take my hand with Marcus and disable the last system to go down in a very particular basement ... It should be noted that these puzzles have been brilliantly refined, since they are now part of the scenery and sometimes extend over the entirety of a place, which corsets the difficulty deliciously. In short, I'm almost there, but a guard arrives suddenly ... Always via the Jumper, I sound the phone time to finish. It works. I can take my hand with Marcus and disable the last system to go down in a very particular basement ... It should be noted that these puzzles have been brilliantly refined, since they are now part of the scenery and sometimes extend over the entirety of a place, which corsets the difficulty deliciously. In short, I'm almost there, but a guard arrives suddenly ... Always via the Jumper, I sound the phone time to finish. It works. I can take my hand with Marcus and disable the last system to go down in a very particular basement.

These sequences with the Jumper and / or Quadcopter really bring something to the experience, making it more strategic, more subtle. And if you think it makes it too easy, think again! Indeed, I could see for example that if the two gadgets were too far from Marcus, the data transmission was no longer working. Many times, I had to get closer to the object to continue the transfer. Yes, it's not the egg!

Finally, if you want to use the drone, great good you, it is indeed very useful, but as written above, its cost is very high and it will have to work to buy it. To make money fast, I advise you to do a maximum of activities (the races are a good way to make money), to advance in the missions of course, but also to pick up bags of Money scattered all over the map, or go for a ride to the pawnshop that will round off the ends of difficult missions by redeeming valuables. Hacking NPC bank accounts is a comfortable option, since it can be practiced by walking quietly in the city and you will realize that it can quickly pay off, especially if you use the ability "

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If you're going to San Francisco

If the Hackerspace scattered here and there in San Francisco allow to talk with many hackers and feed on gear, it's in the streets of the famous city that it happens ... and the scenery is splendid! Despite a stubborn aliasing (which miraculously disappears on PS4 Pro), the overall rendering is quality, offering a magical San Francisco, much warmer than Chicago, whether in terms of atmosphere or colors. Those who know the city nicknamed "The City By Bay" will also recognize many famous places like the Golden Gate, Alcatraz and its island or the Fisherman's Wharf, all faithfully modeled. What a pleasure to walk the colorful streets of the city, much more alive than the first opus (even if we are not yet at the level of the hustle and bustle of Los Santos), visit the local Nuddle (or Google if you prefer) in Silicon Valley, or pay for a sailing trip to admire the sunset in SF Bay. It must be said that the play of light offers subtle paintings, especially at dusk, while the night dresses the city with a thousand twinkles making the walk magical.

If you have the soul of a tourist, I particularly recommend the ScoutX activity which, in addition to making you earn followers, will require you to go around the city to take the most beautiful pictures of all monuments worthy of 'interest. The Driver SF activity is not bad either, since it involves playing a taxi, which also allows you to visit San Francisco in due form.

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Multi in the solo

Finally, Watch Dogs 2 allows to play several with complete transparency. Indeed the multiplayer is fully integrated with the campaign and you will meet many players during your games. They can accompany you in many additional operations without any loading time. The missions in coop (marked in purple on the map) can be played solo of course, but two you will have a good dose of fun and more.

I was able to participate in a mission in which one had to infiltrate into a kind of hideout to destroy crates. Not having enough money to offer me the famous Quadcopter, I was happy to see that my partner already had the drone, very useful at this time to scan the area and then act in good intelligence...

PvP side, if the Pirate Invasion mode is very nice, it is the mode Hunter of Premiums which will have me the most seduced. This one proposes to hunt a target or to be the target. In the latter case, when you play with a friend, it will have the difficult task of protecting you. Indeed, in addition to other players, the Police will also be on your trail and this two-way escape can become extremely fun. And as we can hack a lot of element in passing, it greatly boosts the whole.

In short, between the DedSec punctual operations and the activities mentioned above, there is enough fun for hours. This multiplayer experience is both effective and fun.

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Watch Dogs 2 is a very good game. Offering more possibilities than its predecessor and some very nice new features, it also offers an interesting scenario with well written dialogues. Moreover, it is a real pleasure to visit a San Francisco so neat ... Finally, the multiplayer, very well integrated into the solo, is fun to wish with his missions in coop and his new mode "Hunter Prime" extremely effective . In short, the title of Ubisoft offers a complete and attractive experience!

WE LIKE	WE DO NOT LIKE
* Marcus, very cool.	* A nice aliasing on PS4 classic (but not on PS4 pro).
* San Francisco sublime.	* The gunfight a little floating.
* The Jumper and the Quadcopter.	* Difficulty unbalanced.
* The improved hacking puzzles.
* Improved driving.
* More freedom.
* Lots of activities.
* An interesting scenario.
* Well written dialogues.