‘Watch Dogs 2’ co-op, lack of AR games and first impressions show an improved game

“Watch Dogs 2” developer Ubisoft seems to have learned from the fiasco that was “Watch_Dogs.” From the what the developer had shared, the sequel may be trimmer, better and edgier than its predecessor.

Speaking with Gamingbolt, Game Director Danny Belanger revealed that the sequel will be more focused on delivering a wider exploration range for players. This means that the AR Games will not be making a comeback in “Watch Dogs 2.”

For those who are not familiar with the augmented reality games, these were Cash Run and NVZN. The first one has similar mechanics to dodging arcade games—Aiden Pearce had to dodge red skulls while collecting coins. NVZN will see the players battling AR aliens with the protagonist’s phone.

Side games will be in the form of side quests, as Belanger confirmed that players can opt to explore the city in search of operation and secrets that can unlock those side quests.

Belanger touched on another feature, which is co-op. According to the director, they wanted to give players the experience of being one with the hackers in the game---that is, the other players online for “Watch Dogs 2.”

“We’re going to have seamless hacking so someone can come in your game and hack. Now you’re part of DedSec, so you’re part of a hacker group, so we wanted those hackers to work together. So you can be in your single player game but there’s a DedSec ally that’s walking around the street, and if you want you can just go and press a button and go in co-op,” said Belanger to Gamingbolt.

If this seamless co-op is actually achieved, it could change the accessibility and variety of how the game is played. It helps that Ubisoft seems to be encouraging the appeal of co-op by ensuring that there will be operations in “Watch Dogs 2” that are meant to be done with a partner in crime.

Xbox Achievements got some behind-the-scenes action with “Watch Dogs 2.” And as far as impressions go, it appears that Ubisoft has done a pretty good job in refining the title from its predecessor’s shadow.

Setting-wise, the sprawling landscape shows a vibrant and buzzing city, with the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz as some of the more iconic and familiar landmarks scattered around. Since hacking still plays a central role in the gameplay, Ubisoft has now opted to give more hacking options. This way, players can choose how they would want to tackle a particular situation instead of having one single hacking solution to everything.

“Watch Dogs 2” will be released on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC come Nov. 15.