Watch Dogs 2 is one of my most anticipated titles of 2016. The original seemed to split opinion - though I liked it, and about 10 million copies were sold - but most people agree that Aiden Pearce was one of the most uninspiring, surly, and unlikeable leads to appear in a video game. Thankfully, the upcoming sequel replaces Pearce with a new protagonist who, along with his hacker friends, we get to meet in the latest trailer from Ubisoft.
Watch Dogs 2's plot sees self-taught programmer Marcus Holloway fall in with hacker group DedSec when he moves from Oakland to San Francisco. The city has followed in Chicago's steps by installing the ctOS surveillance system seen in the first game.
The upgraded version the Central Operating System, ctOS 2.0, used its predictive algorithms to accuse Marcus of a crime he didn't commit, so he decides to take down the system and its creator with the help of his hackivist team.
The new video, part of series called "Remote Access" that shows off different elements of the game, introduces members of the San Francisco branch of DedSec and examines the group's motivations.
With Watch Dogs 2's themes of people being categorized by systems, and modern society's loss of privacy and control, it's all very Mr. Robot, which is by no means a bad thing - though the guy with the LCD goggles looks more like he stepped out of the 1995 Hackers movie.
Early hands-on opinions of Watch Dogs 2 have been mostly positive, with the consensus welcoming the lighter tone and praising its sandbox gameplay. The driving, combat, and drone flying all look like great fun, and it's graphically stunning . Providing it avoids the PC launch problems of the first Watch Dogs, the sequel could be one of the best titles of the year.
Watch Dogs 2 releases on November 15 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.