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1428450cookie-checkWatch Dogs 2 30 Minutes Of Gameplay Highlights Terrible Vehicle Physics
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2016/10

Watch Dogs 2 30 Minutes Of Gameplay Highlights Terrible Vehicle Physics

Some new gameplay was showcased for Watch Dogs 2 leading up to its release on PC, PS3 and Xbox One this month. We get to see more of the game’s vehicle physics on display, along with some of the other options, such as purchasing a car.

The video was posted up by YouTuber Gamelite, starting off first with the Deadsec car driving around downtown San Francisco at high speeds. The cars have almost no learning curve whatsoever, and at the highest speeds the cars neither slide nor lose traction. You can basically drive without consequence at top speeds, losing absolutely nothing in the process. Check it out below.

It’s such a huge departure from GTA and other games where you had to watch your speed, learn to brace for turns and actually master the powersliding and drifting in the game. Here, you just drive and worry about nothing. Even more than that, you don’t have to worry about your car spinning out or your car losing grip going downhill.

It’s like driving for toddlers.

Later in the video there is a driving sequence in a low rider where he almost spins out… but there’s so much automated stability control that you would actually have to work hard to lose control. In one embarrassing sequence at the 27:20 mark, he manages to hit a tree at full speed only for the car to slowly come to a halt with absolutely no physics-based reactions whatsoever.

After the abysmal driving sequence, the player begins causing chaos with hacking, making cops go after people and tormenting EMS. The whole thing is rather… stolid.

The city suffers from feeling terribly empty. In some way it reminds me a lot of the emptiness of Saints Row 3 and 4, where the games just felt soulless.

I do think it’s kind of cool how you can go into various shops, and how Deadsec’s hideout is located beneath a game shop.

Watch Dogs 2

The 3D printer and weapon maker is neat, and being able to purchase vehicles from different types of dealers scattered throughout the Bay area is pretty cool. It’s just a shame the game seems so hand-holdy, easy and distant. One of the things I liked about The Getaway was that the streets were tight, the NPCs seemed very reactive to what was going on… the game felt very immersive.

As I mentioned in a previous article, the damage model for the cars is pretty good but the actual collision physics are awful. At the 19:50 mark when he slams into the rear-end of that sedan and both cars just keep going as if nothing happened made me cringe harder than a constipated Adam Sandler.

There are a few redeeming qualities about Watch Dogs 2, though. For instance, the gestures and the way bystanders react to them is kind of neat… it’s definitely more interactive than GTA or Saints Row when you perform a taunt or gesture; other activities, however, have the NPCs reacting in ways that are hit or miss. I also love the weapon selection and the variety of different pistols, shotguns and assault rifles at your disposal. The vehicle selection is also nice, despite having awful physics.

If you already enjoyed the first Watch Dogs and you’re looking for something with more meat on the bones, Watch Dogs 2 seems to deliver. But if you’re looking for a game that elevates and evolves the open-world genre in a true next-gen fashion, it doesn’t look like the game does much in that regard.

You can look for Watch Dogs 2 to launch on November 15th for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

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