Watch Dogs 2: 10 Massive Improvements Over The First Game
1. A Likeable Main Character
Aiden Pierce was a thoroughly awful man with nonsensical motivations and a seemingly uncontrollable desire to get his sister's kids killed.
His entire motivation was this: he was mad at criminals for killing his niece, because they were mad at crimes he had committed against them. What does he decide to do? Keep committing crimes against them, so his nephew becomes the next target.
Brilliant.
Pierce was one of the main roadblocks preventing Watch Dogs from becoming a truly great game - he seemed so intent on making you hate him, with his lame hat (which Ubisoft insisted was iconic), gruff Batman voice, and complete lack of morals. He never bothered to pick a side, had no qualms killing everyone in sight, and claimed that CCTV snooping and manipulation of data was amoral, all while doing both of those things to further his wishy-washy agenda.
Marcus Holloway, on the other hand, is funny, interesting, compassionate, and doesn't take himself too seriously, all while caring about real world issues. It actually feels wrong to play the game in an overtly violent way, because Marcus seems so dedicated to his craft as a hacker, and so passionate about saving and bettering lives, rather than destroying them.
He is also presented as a goal-driven and focused individual, all without some hokey dark past to hold him back, and all the while retaining the ability to crack a smile every once in a while. Thank you, iPhone Robin Hood, the people who care about likeable characters e-salute you.
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Did you pick up Watch Dogs 2? Let us know what you think in the comments!