Watch Dogs 2: Yep. Watching them dogs

 

This is just one of the many head turning moments I have experienced so far in Watch Dogs 2. I got off to a bit of a rough start. After finally surviving the introductory mission, I tried to talk to some nerds in a game shop but accidentally slapped one around instead. Law enforcement was called.  I developed a distressing habit of shooting up hotel rooms in Red Dead Redemption 2 and got pretty used to waiting  in the lobby for the sheriff and agreeing to leave the area. Not in San Francisco. Player character Marcus actually put his hands up and tried to surrender but nooo, nerd slapping ends you apparently in this game. In fact, you never quite know what all you can get away with. It depends on the NPCs.

I tried to do a main mission but failed repeatedly. When I looked it up, I realized that I was likely to just continue failing and decided to explore the city for a while. It turns out that this is just the ideal game for me. You get rewarded for being a tourist and taking photos. Hours and hours later I still haven't done a main mission. I just run around, take photos, rob people, pick up loot and research points and do the occasional side mission. I am obsessed with upgrading Marcus' gadgets. Or partners in crime as I call them. I have turned off all available online features because you don't want to play with me, trust me.

NPC interaction is often entertaining especially thanks to my inclination to hit the wrong buttons. I went into a car shop and rather than open the shop menu, Marcus hopped on a nearby motorcycle. Everyone in the shop freaked out. Rather than anyone calling 911 a  woman began shouting at the auto dealer. I tried to use the gesture menu to calm them both down but they ran out the door leaving Marcus in a now empty store. I had no choice but to try a different dealer. I had read somewhere that you can fill a van with IEDs but I think more likely you just stick them on the outside. I did get a vehicle and started experimenting with the IEDs. A police officer driving by spotted me from his cruiser and called for back up. That didn't end well. After getting away with so much destruction it never occurred to me that overt terrorism was bad.

Hacking for the most part is just old fashioned environmental puzzle solving. That's fine with me. For some reason, I can spend all day at it. I have no sense of urgency in this game. Avoiding the main story line probably has something to do with that. Or maybe it's because there's no separation between single and multiplayer. I haven't felt this much sheer glee since AC Origins.