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Everything you need to know about Watch Dogs 2

The hackers are back

Everything you need to know about Watch Dogs 2
08 June 2016

Turn off your smartphone. Bin your laptop. Watch Dogs has returned, and it's ready to play havoc with your connected world.

Following weeks of rumours and leaks, Ubisoft has finally lifted the lid on its sequel to the hack'em'up action title of 2014.

Having taken pains to search through gamers' comments on the first title, Ubisoft has sought to make Watch Dogs 2 the true hacking experience we hoped it would be.

From 3D-printed guns to a new city, here's everything you need to know about Watch Dogs 2.

You play Marcus Holloway

Your new character, Marcus Holloway, is a good deal more sprightly than Aiden Pearce (Ubisoft hasn't revealed if he'll feature at any point). 

Part of the hacker group Dedsec, Holloway has taken up the dark arts of hacking after he was profiled for a crime he didn't commit. 

A capable free runner, Holloway is able to scale buildings with ease (think Assassin's Creed, without the leather boots). This looks to add a good deal more pace to proceedings than the first game - though you'll also have the option to play the entire title without any lethal encounters. 


It's set in San Francisco

Watch Dogs 2 has sought to recreate the Bay Area of San Fran in painstaking detail - giving players a diverse array of environments, from sea front promenades to more grizzled industrial areas.

You'll also meet a range of groups operating in each of these locations: from criminal gangs to large consumer companies (with equally unlawful intentions), to other hacker groups.


Everything is hackable

Watch Dogs never quite delivered on the 'connected city' it had built much of its hype around; sure, hacking targets was fun, but you could only hit those characters the game picked out for you.

In Watch Dogs 2, everything is hackable. If a character has a phone, you'll be able to exploit it. If there's a vehicle on the road, you'll be able to play with it. If it's plugged into the grid... you get the idea. 

This should give a great deal more scope to approach missions and targets with all manner of strategies - from stealthy sneaking to all out shock-and-awe. 


There are a lot of new toys

Holloway has a mean new customisable arsenal to help him and Dedsec achieve their ends. 

Weapons can be made and upgraded on a 3D printer, while a taser gives players a non-lethal option for taking out bad guys. His key melee weapon is a fearsome billiard ball on a bungee chord, which he wields with lethal speed.

Other tools include a two-wheeled RC car, capable of accessing computer systems with an R2-D2-style arm, and a quadcopter drone, useful for scouting out areas without getting yourself shot at. 


Seamless online multiplayer

A neat feature of the new game includes 'seamless online mutliplayer'. If your friend is also playing Watch Dogs 2, you'll be able to meet up with them in-game, forming a co-op team to take on missions in a whole new manner - or engage in player v player battles.

Watch Dogs 2 will arrive on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on 14 November