Watch Dogs 2: No Compromise Review - Compromised

Published: May 1, 2017 11:00 AM /

Reviewed By:


watch dogs 2 no compromise dlc header

While Watch Dogs 2 was a great game, its first DLC (Human Condition) felt lacking and was little more than three random side quests. No Compromise seeks to give it another shot. Containing a campaign where the DedSec crew takes on both the porn industry and the Russian mafia, can No Compromise extend Watch Dogs 2 in a better way, or does it compromise on that vision?

The plot starts off with the discovery that a porn director is creating a DedSec inspired parody porno called DedSexxx. Worried about the possible branding issue, and having some kind of private grudge against the director, DedSec hacker Sitara asks Marcus to look into this and shut it down. Unfortunately, it turns out the director has ties to the Bratva (basically the Russian mafia) and it isn't long before Marcus finds himself way over his head. Or, at least, he should, but after one setback it becomes basically just an hour and half of DedSec wailing on the Bratva. They provide almost no threat, the story has little to no purpose or forward motion, and it all just sort of stops rather than come to any sort of satisfying ending.

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The good news is that Wrench is still entertaining.

No Compromise doesn't really change up the gameplay in any way either. You'll be partaking in the same kind of missions that you saw in the main campaign. There's a bit of sneaking around with cameras to find the information you need, another pipe hacking puzzle, and it concludes with a fun car chase, but I've seen all of this already in the campaign. It makes No Compromise feel less like a DLC expansion and more like it was just a side mission that was cut from the game at some point and later expanded to be a little longer.

Of course, it's still fun. Watch Dogs 2's base gameplay still allows for great moments of exploiting hacks to get missions done without stepping foot in a gang's territory. One of the DLC missions tasked me to destroy some cars and drug piles that were stored in a Bratva hideout (If this sounds familiar it's basically a direct copy of a similar mission from the main game) and I was having a blast manipulating events to take everything out without stepping foot onto the gang territory. I autopiloted cars into the ocean, called up another gang that took out a crate of drugs in the crossfire, and generally blew up every generator and fuse box in the area. As great as that all is, I've done it all before.

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The following are actual lines from your trip to the porn studio:
"Please. I can't lose my virginity to a robot. I'm a good Christian boy."
"The bible doesn't say anything about robots."
"But you're not a robot!"
"No. I'm an Atheist."

Similar to Human Condition, some new things have been added outside of the paid DLC. Heavily armored trucks now wander the streets of San Francisco, providing a new high-risk high reward highway robbery activity for you to partake in if you are short on cash. Some new non-lethal guns have been added to the game which gives you a chance to mess with the improved shooting mechanics without the strangeness of Marcus going on a killing rampage that doesn't make any sense for his character. There's also some new online modes. The single player races that you could partake in can now be played online, and there's a new 2v2 competitive mode called Showdown that adds some fun extra content.

Over in a flash and adding very little content itself, Watch Dogs 2: No Compromise feels like nothing. The extra mission is basically a super beefy side quest, and it does absolutely nothing new with the formula. If you're already done with Watch Dogs 2 then this isn't a reason to turn the game back on, and even if you're really into the game still I don't see this being worth picking up with how little it adds.

Watch Dogs 2: No Compromise was reviewed on on PlayStation 4 using a copy purchased by the reviewer. The DLC will also be available on PC via Steam and Uplay and Xbox One at a later date.

Review Summary

5.0

It's still the same fun Watch Dogs 2 gameplay, but No Compromise adds in almost nothing of interest. The new campaign is over in a flash and is all the same stuff you've seen already. Unless you're getting this in a bundle I suggest just avoiding this deal.

(Review Policy)

Pros

  • Some Funny Story Beats
  • New Guns and Online Modes are Fun
  • Watch Dogs 2's Base Gameplay Still Fun

Cons

  • Short
  • Story Goes Nowhere
  • No New Ideas or Gameplay Elements

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Samuel Guglielmo TechRaptor
| Reviews Editor

I'm Sam. I have been playing video games since my parents brought home a PlayStation whenever that came out. Started writing for TechRaptor for 2016 and,… More about Samuel

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Watch Dogs 2
Game Page Watch Dogs 2
Developer
Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher
Ubisoft
Platforms
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date
November 15, 2016 (Calendar)
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