STACK NZ Nov #79

GAMES FEATURE

on the

spooky San Fran

GAMES Fly continued

Wall

the museum of mechanics If you're a fan of robotics of any kind, prepare to be freaked out at San Fran's Museum of Mechanics. A collection of privately-owned, mechanically operated instruments and arcade machines, it's quite creepy.

decide how they want to play the game: guns blazing, as a ghost or as a trickster who manipulates people and systems. Why San Francisco? Obviously it is a beautiful area with inspiring, diverse locations and people. It is also the birthplace of the tech revolution, notably in Silicon Valley, the place where many of the technologies that will change our lives tomorrow are being invented today.

competitive experiences of the first game, but also adding friendly encounters with other DedSec hackers in the city. We felt that the seamless online gameplay from the previous game was fun but that many players would enjoy less competitive additions. Co-op allows you to play with friends and strangers without the pressure of “player versus player” gameplay. The chance meeting with other players in the world is also something we felt was exciting. It adds a sense of surprise and emergence to the game world.

winchester mystery house No, it isn't anything to do with Supernatural , but it is still pretty spooky. The Winchester Mystery House is the home of Sarah and WilliamWirt Winchester, and is believed to be haunted by those that Will murdered.

What prompted the change of protagonist? It starts with the choice

On the competitive side we refined our “hacking invasion” gameplay, where

[San Francisco] is the birthplace of the tech revolution, notably in Silicon Valley

of setting – Marcus is a brilliant hacker who is from the San Francisco Bay Area, grew up in Oakland and experienced the injustices of the ctOS 2.0 system first

The burlingame museum Ever wanted to see every PEZ dispenser in the once place? You can do just that at the Burlingame Museum, with over 550 unique PEZ characters housed inside its walls. It even has the world's largest PEZ dispenser – a 7-foot-tall snowman.

a player can try hacking another game in his game completely seamlessly. We also added a Bounty Hunter gameplay, where you can join with other players

hand. In Watch Dogs 2 , the hacking culture is a central theme and Marcus links up with a powerful group of like-minded hackers in DedSec.

and the police to take down another player who has received

a bounty on his head. Again, this is seamlessly integrated in the game. However, players wanting a solo experience can disable and customise their online preferences. Where do you see the franchise going from here? In a way, this is for the time being in players hands. As we are putting the finishing touch on WD2 , our head is filled with ideas. We are excited by the game, but now is the time for players to make it their own. We will be watching closely and letting ourselves be inspired by how people play!

Marcus operates as part of a hacking group and came to care deeply about his friends – he is definitely not a lone wolf. By deciding to focus on Marcus and DedSec this time around, we went for a cast of characters that present us with a different perspective on the Watch Dogs universe.

brain wash Quite possibly one of the coolest business names ever, the BrainWash café and laundromat allows you to fill your caffeine requirements while you wait for your clothes to finish their cycle. There are even comedians, open mics and musical performers doing the rounds.

What changes have been made to multiplayer?Where did the idea to include co-op come from – is that something you've always wanted to include? Watch Dogs 2 is building on the seamless online components developed in the original Watch Dogs . We are improving on the best

• Watch Dogs 2 is out Nov 15

NOVEMBER 2016

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