Ubisoft has released a DLC for their renown title Watch_Dogs called "Bad Blood". This single-player expansion gives us more background for one of the more rugged companions of Aiden, namely Raymond "T-Bone Grady" Kenney. But how does this not giving a fsck, excentric, but very faithful companion stand out on his own? Let's find out.
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| He's back for his own story |
Bad Blood
Following the storyline of Watch_Dogs, read my review
here, we find T-Bone still hacking into Blume, trying to erase his records. Getting caught, our first mission, and re-introduction to Watch_Dogs has us escape the building. Once we've left the building we return to our safehouse, only to find out his old friend, and local crazy bat Tobias Frewer needs his help in escaping Fixers hot on his trail. Raymond decides to stay, not only to help his friend but to redeem the faults he's made.
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| What's the worst that could happen when helping a friend..? |
Since Aiden has skipped town, Lucky Quinn dead and Blume slowly recovering its power, there was power to divide, and this ended in 3 new factions which you can take down. Next to that, another familiar face pops up, in an attempt to take out DedSec, namely Defalt. His royal mouseness has made it his personal mission to take out their members. Unfortunately, you and Tobias got into his visor as well.
Because most of the main characters out of the game are either no longer with us, or have fled, the relationship that grows between Raymond and Tobias provides us with the most of the story progress, with a (telephonic) cameo of our well-know vigilante, by the end of the game.
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| What the fsck Froomer.. |
What's new
Well, first of all, there are 10 new single- player missions to complete. These follow the story-arch of the main story, and compliment it completely. You'll find out more about some characters, and make some new friends. The missions are exactly like those of the main game, but due the fact only 10 were added you won't feel much repetition in those. Of course, new weapons and locations have been added and a complete new player mode. The most innovative weapon must be the R/C. T-Bone has an R/C he can control, with which you can not only ride around, but also stun unsuspecting enemies, making it a worthy asset in your sneak missions. Not only that, but during some missions it's even possible to lock guards in rooms, taking them effectively out of battle (or until you open the lock). Side quests are again provided and compliment those of Watch_Dogs. With the added bonus that these "Street Sweep" missions now increase your reputation, unlock weapons or upgrades and are passed to leaderboards where you'll compete against others in order to get the best daily score. These new options, as well as the new missions show progress in the development team behind Watch_Dogs.
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| Vroom vroom! |
Chicago's just another ratcage. But even rats need to be in pairs
Although you'll spend most of your time still doing the known mission-types, like "Chase", "steal information", "Take out target" or hacking into systems, one of the biggest changes might be that you no longer need to do these alone. Thanks to this DLC, you can now play the game with someone to help you! Although you can't play the main missions with other players, this new co-op mode does have the added bonus of no longer having to grind those missions alone. Depending on the skill of your partner, you'll quickly be able to fill specific roles, with one perhaps controlling the camera's and distracting guards, while the other sneaks around the back, to grab the intel we needed. Or you can simply grab a car, and start causing mayhem.. whatever tickles your fancy. But trust me, it's more fun with two!
Verdict
Having spent another 10-15 hours in Chicago thanks to this DLC, I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The storyline was imho stronger than the original, the upgrades and special abilities of T-Bone not only made sense, but gave another option in completing certain missions. Although there's still the repetitive aspect of completing the missions, the fact that more locations have opened up and you've gained your R/C provides you with more ways on completing them. With the additional online challenge and co-op mode I find this an absolute must to the players of the main game!
And now.. let's hope Jordi Chin is next to get this special treatment :)
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| Say whut? |
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