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[Shinjuku108]

Completely agree with OP - summarized my thoughts perfectly.

Ubi's decision to add new gadgets and things to further enhance "player freedom" on approaching a mission in WD2 backfired in my opinion.

This is because they inexplicably downgraded the experience and removed the fun from approaching a mission in WD2 the WD1 way - i.e. full on combat or camera hacking assisted stealth.

WD2 essentially forces us to play how Ubisoft intends us to i.e. using the new tools in this sequel. I hate the RC car. I dont care for the drone. Why should I be punished for ignoring them and attempting to navigate Marcus through a mission via just using camera hacks like WD1? Why should guards be extremely sensitive, immediatly violent and pinpoint accurate when Im discovered?

The frustration from trying to approach stealth traditionally only to deal with the above made me turn to combat which lost all of the impact and responsiveness of the first game - making it nearly equally frustrating when combined with Marcus' paper thin health bar.

We all know the faults of WD1 but the gunplay and stealth in terms of guard placement and AI, character movement and takedown satisfaction was top tier.

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

The only thing I can agree with you is that the AI is way too strict and can see you from miles away and having to constantly hold down a button just to use your phone is annoying. It also takes a long time to build up money in 2. Everything else I have to disagree with you. The only side missions I liked doing in WD1 was the assassinations and I thought they were better than the majority of the main missions. Other than the two faults I noted, WD2 improved everything from the first game.

 

[hydruxo]

Watch Dogs 2 is so much better than the first game. The gunplay is worse in WD2, but you shouldn't be going in guns blazing anyways. I found WD1 to be one of the most bland games I'd ever played. Chicago was drab and lifeless. San Francisco on the other hand is vibrant and full of interesting NPCs who actually interact with you in ways you wouldn't expect. Give me Dedsec + Marcus over Aiden any day.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

Thank you for this thread. Thank you so so much for this thread. This needed to be said. WD2 is such a big step down in every aspect of gameplay it isn't even funny. Stealth, controls, gunplay, mission design, gameplay balance, side content. It's all such a disappointment in WD2 compared to the first.

 

[AgentP]

Aiden was at least more consistently presented. Aiden was established as a dude who gave zero fucks, any means necessary.

Marcus in cutscenes is not a kid who would be packing a gun, EVER. His way of making a difference is not 3D printing military weaponry and hitting the streets with the DRACO.

Shit is really off putting.

So true. I play the game like Rambo so the cutscenes are really out of place. I stealth nothing, everyone dies until I'm the last man standing?

 

[DrBo42]

The stealth in WD2 is pretty damn bad. The tonal change between the characters makes you want to be a non-lethal player in 2 but they give you a pathetic list of options to do so. And if you want to go the other way, gunplay is worse.

 

[shoreu]

Gunplay is better in 1 and I enjoyed multiplayer more. I can't place it but invasions just aren't as fun and feel more skewed to the invaded.

 

[DrBo42]

Gunplay is better in 1 and I enjoyed multiplayer more. I can't place it but invasions just aren't as fun and feel more skewed to the invaded.

Let's not forget there's such a small amount of pedestrians in WD2 that invasion gameplay is 100% worse for the invader.

 

[dreamfall]

WD1 has the best controls and gunplay of any open world game by a mile, that alone makes it special. Compare those aspects to GTAV's and it's just embarrassing for Rockstar. It's basically an open world Max Payne game with that gunplay, bullet time and convoy/hideout side missions.
...

Wait, wait a minute. If any open world game had the TPS mechanics of Max Payne 3, I'd champion as the second coming for combat. Frankly, GTA V's shooting mechanics and bullet time feel sloppy and half baked when compared to MP3. Nowhere close at all. Hell, I'd argue that when all hell breaks loose, the Mafia games have much heavier and more satisfying gunplay than any of these games.

As someone who put 80ish hours into the first Watchdogs game, I also don't think it nails the controls either, but for different reasons. Sure, the traversal feels more fluid and the aiming a bit more precise but everything still feels floaty to me. And I liked that game, much like I found ways to enjoy GTA V. The lack of a shooting mechanic while driving in WD1 was pretty terrible and led to some hilarious combat encounters (the driving Mechanics are some of the worst of the genre).

I haven't played WD2 but I'm excited to jump in when I have some more time. All this talk about how the character's personality doesn't mix with the use of guns doesn't bother me- I was going to go in stealth and if spotted, wreak havoc. Much like I did for the first game. The more options of approach to complete a mission or task, the better.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

The problem with Watch Dogs 2 is that they didn't build upon the foundations of WD1. They didn't build upon the foundation and improve the things that needed improving. They tore it all down and built something entirely different in its place. This is not a sequel to Watch Dogs in anything but name and the fact you can hack things.

 

[King_Moc]

Doesn't explain why I played Watch Dogs 2 at every opportunity until I'd platinumed it, yet stopped playing the original 5 hours in because I was bored.

 

[TripOpt55]

I haven't played enough of 2 to say for sure, but as someone who enjoyed the first one I was disappointed with what I have played so far. It kind of feels like they threw the baby out with the bathwater. Since people were so down on the original, they kind of overhaul the whole thing and got rid of what I think was great about the first. I loved the puzzle-style side missions (though maybe these are back when I get further in the game). I loved the super tight encounter design on the gang hideouts which I have yet to see rivaled here. And as others have mentioned, I loved the third-person shooting/movement controls. Certainly my favorite in the genre. They have screwed them up here. Disappointing. I realize I was in the minority on enjoying the first game and given how many people prefer the second, maybe they made the right move, but I can't say I'm happy so far.

 

[Alienous]

Mission design and variety alone makes WD2 superior. The changes to the mechanics make playing it as a shooter a harsher experience, but as a stealth light-puzzler the mission areas are far better designed than in WD1, and allow for player individuality in negotiating them.

 

[Pjsprojects]

While WD2 sems to have a more fun setting,WD1 was gritty more underground so both Have their own appeal.
Im on the last main mission for WD2 and feel i won't be going back in for the side missions.

 

[ryseing]

I guess how you feel about the two games will depend on what you find important in game design, which is completely fine. I loved the tight controls and sandbox of the first game, while the second goes for more of a generic open world game, but with a good story and likeable cast.

Thank you for this thread. Thank you so so much for this thread. This needed to be said. WD2 is such a big step down in every aspect of gameplay it isn't even funny. Stealth, controls, gunplay, mission design, gameplay balance, side content. It's all such a disappointment in WD2 compared to the first.

Your posts actually inspired me to make this thread. I thought I was taking crazy pills when I first started playing WD2 and thought to myself that it was a huge disappointment compared to the first.

Good to hear I'm not alone.

I can't believe what I'm reading. The original game was a sublime open world experience? A revelation??? I can't think of a single thing Watch Dogs brought to the table that innovated or notably improved open world games.

The original Watch Dogs was the closest we've ever come to an open world Splinter Cell, and I say this having played Blacklist/WD1 back to back around a year ago.

 

[Piichan]

The WD2 "sandbox" mission design basically boils down to hacking everything under the sun with the drone/RC car. I'm not sure how that makes it better than the first game where you could have fun with stealth, hacking and all out gunfights. In WD2 hacking is the only efficient strategy to complete every mission, trying anything else is an exercise in frustration.

I understand that you would prefer variety, but in a game about hacking, shouldn't hacking be the preferred way to complete missions? Haven't played these games though, so whatevs.

 

[ryseing]

I understand that you would prefer variety, but in a game about hacking, shouldn't hacking be the preferred way to complete missions? Haven't played these games though, so whatevs.

The first game blended the two together incredibly effectively. I loved taking out guys with silenced headshots and then luring their companions over to a hacking spot where I could do an environmental takedown. 2 forces a one or the other approach with how the AI works and how wonky the gunplay is.

 

[shoreu]

I understand that you would prefer variety, but in a game about hacking, shouldn't hacking be the preferred way to complete missions? Haven't played these games though, so whatevs.

I loved being able to be smoothly walk through a room in the first game shooting hacking and sneaking fluidly. Especially after disabling the people I needed too because of planning.


The stealth is just bad in this game and nothing feels satisfying.

 

[Hierophant]

watch dogs 2 is entirely better than watch dogs 1 in pretty much every single way, if you genuinely think switching between fixed security cameras constantly is good gameplay then idk what to say to you

 

[retardedrockstar]

By this logic, I think we can conclude that the first Watch_Dogs is a better game than GTAV.

 

[leng jai]

WD1 was the GOAT all along.

 

[BoxManLocke]

Doesn't explain why I played Watch Dogs 2 at every opportunity until I'd platinumed it, yet stopped playing the original 5 hours in because I was bored.

Could be because WD1 has a godawful story, the worst main protagonist I've ever played, made no use whatsoever of an interesting supporting cast, took place in a boring, gloomy-ass city, and just took itself far too seriously.

Is the gameplay in Watch_Dogs 2 slightly inferior to the original ? Maybe. But there's not a doubt in my mind that it offers a package that's so much better on the whole.

 

[Iceternal]

To me Watch Dogs 2 is worse than the first in every possible way.

Only the story isn't worse, it's just as terrible.

The french translation might be a reason, but the dialogues are HORRIBLE.

The characters talk like cliché edgy high-schoolers. The dialogues make me feel physically embarrassed.

As an adult I can't take this game seriously.

 

[flipswitch]

So it was due to fan feedback that they gave WD2 a new direction? The game sold pretty well, but what I would have loved it they addressed some of this issues of the first game and continue on making a better game.

If I remember correctly, WD2 was leaked very late, so we knew nothing about it for most of the time.

To me Watch Dogs 2 is worse than the first in every possible way.

Only the story isn't worse, it's just as terrible.

The french translation might be a reason, but the dialogues are HORRIBLE.

The characters talk like cliché edgy high-schoolers. The dialogues make me feel physically embarrassed.

As an adult I can't take this game seriously.

I agree about the dialogue. It was the first thing I didn't like about it.

 

[Hierophant]

To me Watch Dogs 2 is worse than the first in every possible way.

Only the story isn't worse, it's just as terrible.

The french translation might be a reason, but the dialogues are HORRIBLE.

The characters talk like cliché edgy high-schoolers. The dialogues make me feel physically embarrassed.

As an adult I can't take this game seriously.

the dialogue can sometimes be bad but the writing is great overall, by the end you will genuinely want to know what happens next for the characters

 

[deejay]

I would have to agree. I liked the first one better than the sequel.

 

[leng jai]

They really stuffed this IP up. WD2 had a great setting, a likable cast of characters with some extremely solid gameplay additions but they completely failed to build on the foundation set by the first game. They might as well be two different games, that's how different they are to each other. Why downgrade the stealth? Why change the controls/gunplay when no one complained about it in the first place? Why omit stuff like bit trips and gang hideouts in and replace them with shit like e-kart racing and sailing? How did they move to a new engine and end up with a worse weather system? It's literally a matter of them cut and pasting the good parts of the first into the WD2.

The whole series just feels like a missed opportunity. They could have made something incredible with all the stuff they came up with across both games

 

[Hierophant]

I loved being able to be smoothly walk through a room in the first game shooting hacking and sneaking fluidly. Especially after disabling the people I needed too because of planning.


The stealth is just bad in this game and nothing feels satisfying.

i love setting a car to drive into someone and then using my drone to drop a non lethal (yeah because that option exists in the game now) grenade onto a group of enemies, siccing the cops on another dude and getting them into a fight while going in and taking the shit i need and getting out

 

[Hasney]

E-Kart racing and Sailing are just two more great upgrades. That last e-Kart race was tense as fuck because that last corner was so tight. They have a worse weather system in WD2 compared to 1 and that's the only downgrade I see when playing the game. Because of the drone and car being so fun to use, the rest is inconsequential to me as the missions are more fun to play.

i love setting a car to drive into someone and then using my drone to drop a non lethal (yeah because that option exists in the game now) grenade onto a group of enemies, siccing the cops on another dude and getting them into a fight while going in and taking the shit i need and getting out

Yup, makes it a glorious game.

 

[Opt1kon_]

Definitely appreciated to hear a different view from someone else, But I respectfully disagree, WD2 is definitely an amazing game I did like WD1 but the character was somewhat bland

 

[TheKeyPit]

I played the game non lethal and boy do I regret it. The game is not balanced for proper stealth. Bless the stun grenade launcher. That would've been terrible unless gameplay was radically overhauled.

I've played through the game with 100% stealth and no kills. I don't regret it. One of the best experiences I had in a long time; being able to get into a mission with both of your drones and finishing the objective without even entering the mission area yourself. (Missions where you need to get in with Marcus were a bit harder, but it could be solved by planning carefully with the two drones)

 

[ryseing]

E-Kart racing and Sailing are just two more great upgrades. That last e-Kart race was tense as fuck because that last corner was so tight. They have a worse weather system in WD2 compared to 1 and that's the only downgrade I see when playing the game. Because of the drone and car being so fun to use, the rest is inconsequential to me as the missions are more fun to play.

I'd trade digital trips for those in a heartbeat. Spider Tank was one of the most bizarre yet awesome things I've done in an AAA game, and I really liked Alone.

 

[chillybright]

So 2 must be truly awful.

Right? I haven't played 2 yet but if what op said is true I will absolutely not purchase it.

 

[Rockondevil]

I personally enjoyed WD1 and completely agree it was better than the sequel.
WD1 had it's flaws, but I found it had a solid gameplay behind a story I didn't quite care about all that much.

As for the sequel, I finished it, but boy was it painfully boring at times. I didn't care for the story at all, even less so than the first and the gameplay just felt like a step backwards from the first.

I still hope they do a third game and I hope it gets better.

 

[Hierophant]

I've played through the game with 100% stealth and no kills. I don't regret it. One of the best experiences I had in a long time; being able to get into a mission with both of your drones and finishing the objective without even entering the mission area yourself. (Missions where you need to get in with Marcus were a bit harder, but it could be solved by planning carefully with the two drones)

yeah, i like being able to actually move the camera i'm using to hack rather than predetermined spots and waiting for slow ass guards to move

 

[ZeroX03]

I've played through the game with 100% stealth and no kills. I don't regret it. One of the best experiences I had in a long time; being able to get into a mission with both of your drones and finishing the objective without even entering the mission area yourself. (Missions where you need to get in with Marcus were a bit harder, but it could be solved by planning carefully with the two drones)

Yeah that's all well and fun until one of the people in the mission area walks out, sees you sitting down and opens fire yon you. How they happen to know the guy sitting down looking at a tablet is apparently a threat, I dunno, but it's damn stupid.

 

[TheKeyPit]

There was a mission where you needed to destroy some equipment. You could go in guns blazing, but I decided to take a much more complicated approach that ended up being pretty bad-ass.

http://xboxdvr.com/gamer/TheKeyPit/video/23695958

Yeah that's all well and fun until one of the people in the mission area walks out, sees you sitting down and opens fire yon you. How they happen to know the guy sitting down looking at a tablet is apparently a threat, I dunno, but it's damn stupid.

Outside the mission area? That never happened to me.

 

[Setsuna]

One thing I'm curious about is, is their anyone who prefers Aiden/the cast of 1 over the cast in Watch Dogs 2 ? I'm not speaking for myself here as I'm yet to play either (or at least more than an hour of 1) but I'm curious if anyone prefers playing as Aiden compared to Marcus from 2. I quite like the thought of Aiden being a complete arsehole who brings his own misfortune upon himself but again I didn't really play much of 1 yet so maybe he's a complete tool the whole way through (and even then a character being an arsehole I find entertaining, like Kratos)

His own misfortune? Nope, besides

Spoiler

bedbug

nothing bad happens because of Aiden direct actions

One thing I dont get is that, is that people say Aiden is over reacting because his Niece was killed, and his sister was kidnapped, But Marcus is fine even though he literally cleared his name in the first mission, and has no reason to continue doing the exact same things Aiden did

 

[Sojgat]

Agreed.

WD2 is a good game that I found massively disappointing after loving the first. The signs were there months ago when it was revealed digital trips were out.

 

[immortal-joe]

Aiden was uninteresting, but by no means annoying for me.

Side note: WG1 had what is, for my money, the best cockpit view implementation of any open world game.

 

[Hasney]

There was a mission where you needed to destroy some equipment. You could go in guns blazing, but I decided to take a much more complicated approach that ended up being pretty bad-ass.

http://xboxdvr.com/gamer/TheKeyPit/video/23695958



Outside the mission area? That never happened to me.

It doesn't happen outside the mission area, but only right on the perimeter. If you take a few steps away, they don't do it.

It's clearly not that you're on a laptop, but you're being suspicious around a hostile area, which is fine by me.

 

[Magicgamer101]

I have Watch Dogs 2 but can't remember if the game has a weather cycle? I want to see it rain at night in this game.

Anyway I enjoy most things about WD2 apart from the combat. It's clear they want you to stealth the game but the AI is terrible, enemy positioning in some situations just makes stealth tedious and encounters start to play out the same from just trying to hack everything. Also the controls are terrible. I don't think I've ever played a 3rd person open world game with sprint on R3. I still can't get used to that

 

[Lonestar]

1st one had better villains (Iraq and Lucky), and the side character of Jordi.

Thought that Namaste guy might turn out good, but...the game completely fails on that front by the end. Not to mention that random turn of events, that most people know what I'm talking about.

Aiden's pretty bad, but he still fits tonally with the stuff these characters are doing in these games, while Marcus and crew all seem like great kids/adults with their hearts in the right places, that then go occasionally do some gnarly shit that could/does get people hurt or worse. Just kept feeling "off" with this nice colorful San Fran, and a cast of do-gooders, when I go shut down a power grid, or whatever else bit of mischief that happens.

But on a technical level, it's a better looking game, with advances on chunks of the mechanics (except guns), and sticks with a bad driving system again (but I did like filming with a drone, and force launching cars to jump ramps, trying to find cool action angles).

I also think I like the idea behind the baton in WD1 over WD2's "pool ball on a rope/chain" thing.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Reading this thread, and the "WD_2 is GTAV" thread makes it obvious that Ubisoft decided to brand the franchise to cater to GTA V crowd (They cursed themselves when they tried to snatch GTA V's momentum to market the original). You can't please everyone without breaking a few eggs, and it seems like Ubisoft's choice hindered the core of what made W_D fun: Stealth, Hacking, Gunplay, Driving*, and the sense of mystery. Instead, they went for GTA V's colorful style, and focused on the wrong things.

I loved that in W_D you could hack an entire apartment complex and get your job done without firing a bullet. The only thing wrong with W_D was the ensemble cast of shitty characters and shitty story. That's one thing that I think they got right with WD_2. I really like how OP explained that addition of Drones ruined the game.

I dislike that Ubisoft's signature is now "Add Drones to EVERYTHING!!!!"

 

[LiK]

Haven't played WD2 yet but I loved WD1. Never understood the hate it got. The complaints about the gameplay just don't resonate with me.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Haven't played WD2 yet but I loved WD1. Never understood the hate it got. The complaints about the gameplay just don't resonate with me.

I think Gameplay was GREAT. It's the only thing that kept on bringing me back for more, to the point that I stuck with playing multiplayer more than the main game, and desperately waited for that stellar moment of getting hacked by another player. But the goddamn story, the world, and the characters were just sooooooo fucking boring that I stopped giving a fuck halfway through the game and moved on to bigger things.

 

[FlutterPuffs]

To me Watch Dogs 2 is worse than the first in every possible way.

Only the story isn't worse, it's just as terrible.

The french translation might be a reason, but the dialogues are HORRIBLE.

The characters talk like cliché edgy high-schoolers. The dialogues make me feel physically embarrassed.

As an adult I can't take this game seriously.

As an adult, I'm surprised you feel this way. Game feels like a homage to hacker movies in the 80s.

Also the characters started out as cliches but really fleshes out further in the game. By the end I loved every single one of the team.

 

[flipswitch]

They screwed up the controls in WD2. WD1 was a joy to control, even after some time I couldn't get the hang of the new control scheme.

 

[Nokterian]

Right Watch_Dogs 2 is to me a Mr Robot lite sprinkled with Hackers from 1996. It is self aware but to me it is better than the first as a whole, also i find it more fun to play. All of a sudden people saying the first one is better..not to me. The hacking in that game was more of a joke in this one you can do more than just push a few buttons, you can hack everyone and everything that is the main purpose of these games.

 

[Hakkelus]

It sounds like the Farcry 2 vs. 3/4 discussion. I really liked 2 and 3 was just "meh" and I have a feeling I would like Watchdogs 1 over the second.