'Watch Dogs 2' Set In San Francisco, Arrives November 15

Before the world sees Ubisoft’s future plans next week at E3, the company decided to show one of its latest projects — Watch Dogs 2.

The sequel to the 2014 title will take place in San Francisco. Similar to Chicago (which was the setting of the first game), San Francisco also has the ctOS system to maintain its city infrastructure and surveillance, but the hacker group Dedsec aims to take the system down in an effort to remain free from watchful eye of Big Brother.

You play as Marcus Holloway, a young hacker from Oakland who was wrongly committed of a crime by the ctOS 2.0 system. As a fugitive, he eventually joins Dedsec in taking down the corrupt government as well as the technology that made him a criminal.

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Similar to Watch Dogs’ Aiden Pearce, Holloway utilizes his parkour skills to traverse the city’s streets and rooftops. In addition to San Francisco, Holloway can also explore the areas of Marin County, Oakland and Silicon Valley. His weapon of choice seems to be a design of his own: a billiard ball attached to a long lanyard. Holloway also has access to a 3D-printed gun, a drone, and an RC car with a robotic arm.

Ubisoft also revealed a few details about Holloway’s hacking capabilities. The main focus was his ability to remotely control cars, which is used as a form of distraction or a way to kill enemies from a distance. You can also hack any individual on the streets in different ways, such as marking them as a threat so that police can arrive and arrest them, or you can ring their phone as a simple distraction.

The overall goal in Watch Dogs 2 is to gain more followers for the Dedsec cause. When you finish a mission, Dedsec gains more followers because of your actions. More people means that the group will use additional resources to take down ctOS 2.0, and Holloway is one step closer to getting his name cleared from the records.

You can also pre-order one of the game’s six edition variants. The Standard Edition ($59.99) includes the bonus Zodiac Killer Mission and a corresponding outfit. For an additional $10, you can get the Deluxe Edition, which includes the bonus mission and outfit from the Standard Edition as well as two Customization Packs. At $99.99, the Gold Edition includes all of the above plus the game’s Season Pass. There are also three versions of the Collector’s Edition that all come with an “app-enabled robot.” Each tier corresponds to the rewards of the Standard, Deluxe and Gold Editions and will cost you $109.99, $119.99 and $149.99, respectively.

You won’t have to wait long to play Watch Dogs 2. The game comes out on November 15, a mere five months from today. Those attending E3 next week will have the chance to try the game at the Ubisoft booth.

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