 |
| Crackdown 2: A big, unguided playground |
In other words, just because you played Crackdown doesn't mean you did the things in the game that the designers created for you to do. You might have screwed around with a friend throwing cars at each other without every attacking the game's bosses.
As in the first game, in Crackdown 2 you play the role of a super-powered agent tasked with cleaning up Pacific City. It's a place overrun with deadly gang members and even more deadly mutants, so it's a good thing that you can jump 25 feet high, shoot like a sniper, lift cars over your head and drive like Evel Knievel. You're tasked to use your super-abilities to reclaim gang territory, arm a solar power network for a massive weapon, close subterranean "freak breaches," and arm beacons for tactical underground bombing runs. When you're not doing those things, there are road and rooftop races to win, stunt rings to drive through, and of course plenty of orbs to collect.Crackdown 2 seems to have been designed with those players in mind. While there's more stuff to do in Pacific City than ever before, most of it is pretty lackluster. It's almost as if the designers at Ruffian Games want you to ignore the missions they've created and just mess around.
 |
It sounds like a lot to do. And it is. Unfortunately, none of it is all that compelling. The original Crackdown's bosses were formulaic, but even those lamest of those fights was more thrilling than the sequel's biggest fights, all of which are simply numbers battles against hordes of nameless enemies. Yes, the combat is fun, but there's no risk to it. If you die, you simply respawn and either return for another go or head off to do something else.
If you want to just screw around in Crackdown 2 like you did in the original you can definitely do that, and you can even bring your friends along. The co-op gameplay of the original game has been streamlined and expanded, so now four players can team up to take on missions in Pacific City. Unfortunately, while there are co-op specific orbs to collect, there are no tougher tasks for teams to take on, and anything you accomplish is only reflected in the hosting player's game.
 |
All in all, Crackdown 2 is an easy game to sum up. If you want a fun sandbox to play in, this is a game for you, especially if you want to do so with friends. There are plenty of things to do, lots of different areas to explore and collectibles to find and tons of stuff to shoot. But if you want something with a tight narrative, visceral combat or a largely guided experience, then this isn't your game. It looks nicer than the original, has more to do and more features, and yet feels less fresh and original. It's a decent game, but far from the evolution of the Crackdown franchise that fans were hoping for.
The Official Verdict: 3 out of 5
This review is based on a copy of the game provided by the publisher.
Join The Joystick Division!
Become part of the Joystick Division community by following us on Twitter and Digg and Liking us on Facebook.
