We all want to save the world, hack the planet, and bring the evil corporation to its knees. It’s a challenging fantasy to get right, however, and Ubisoft didn’t truly understand its own formula until its second outing with DedSec in Watch Dogs 2. Leaving behind the dark and dreary cage of Chicago for the sleek skyscrapers and sunshine of Silicon Valley, the open-world series really found its feet with the sequel. This entry replaces the lone-wolf vigilantism of Aiden Pearce with a ragtag group of diverse social disruptors that we genuinely want to succeed, and they're led by hero Marcus Holloway.

This time around we have Sitara, Josh, Horatio, and Wrench all helping the player out. The group members might vary in motivation and personality, but they're willing to work together for a common goal—and they come to care for one another as well. We watch the motley crew go from their highest to their lowest moments—from performing important heroics or simply arguing the finer points of nerd culture in their downtime. But regardless of the setting, it truly feels like they belong here.

The game gives you essential details about these individuals, which makes you feel as though Marcus isn't alone in this fight. Marcus talks to Sitara about her art, along with how her graphic design skills help fund the resistance; he also learns that the shy, innocent Josh is autistic, a rare example of neurodivergent representation in games. And then there is Wrench, the man who hides behind a literal mask. Eventually, he's exposed, and he turns out to be one of the most passionate and vulnerable members of the team.

However, my personal favorite is Horatio. On the surface, he's the most "normal" person on this eclectic team. As one of the few African-Americans working at a large tech company, he's an expert coder, but he's far from the rebellious type. When he tells the rest of the team how his co-workers treat him differently because of his race, it's infuriating. In turn, it feels amazing when you help Horatio get one over on another employee who is targeting him.

If you listen to his audio logs or read his comments online, you see and feel how much he enjoys the life he was building with the group, and what he thought about each of them. This makes his in-game death all the more upsetting—in a sudden twist, he's stabbed on video by a rival gang. It’s an unexpected moment that sticks with you even after you take revenge on his killers, especially when you find out that he was loyal to the very end. Long after you beat the game, you still feel the weight of Horatio's sacrifice. Even a hacker war is rarely without casualties.

Watch Dogs 2's trip to the West Coast is a journey worth taking, so enjoy the weather, cruise around San Francisco, and fight some injustice. Just make sure to keep an eye on those closest to you. The first game laid important groundwork for a budding franchise, but it failed to pull players in. If you give it a chance, that’s precisely what Watch Dogs 2 accomplishes.