Crackdown 2
Well, at least the agility orbs are fun to collect...
Posted August 19, 2010
When playing the original Crackdown back in early 2007, I recall wondering how incredible the game could have been with a proper story and mission system behind the vastly entertaining, bustling sandbox of a world that was Pacific City. Fast forward three years with a change of the developer (Realtime Worlds to Ruffian Games) and we have Crackdown 2. One would think that the developer would expand on the design that Realtime created, but alas, Crackdown 2 is nearly identical to the original. Dependent on your love for the original, you may be elated or highly frustrated that few changes have been made.
The story is set a few years after the loose narrative from the original Crackdown. The mutants and criminal organizations that terrorized Pacific City are apparently winning the war and basically destroyed a large portion of the city. Some of the memorable landmarks are replaced by torn down structures and the city is much more rampant with criminal elements. You are tasked with taking down all these baddies and returning the city to normal. The story is vague at best and the presentation is weak.
Once again, your quest is really more for getting to orbs and building up your stats rather than actually playing the missions. Identical to the previous game, shoot enemies to build up your shooting stats, throw objects to build up strength, etc… Agility orbs seem to be more difficult to reach on this go-around, namely due to the destroyed environment. It’s actually simpler to commandeer a helicopter (one of the new vehicles) to reach those incredibly high orbs. A new addition to the game is the ability to fly after the final agility requirements have been met. Gliding around the city can be entertaining, but I really preferred the jumping mechanic for the majority of the game.
Unfortunately, missions and general havoc is still problematic due to the same poor targeting system when shooting in heavy firefights. The target reticule defaults to the closest target and not even enemies! You may be getting mowed down by a barrage of enemies, but hey, you can target the businessman civilian walking by you with ease. Be aware of the same rocket launcher fire from the last game as well. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to be shot off an incredibly high tower multiple times by rocket happy criminals.
All in all, the campaign is on the shorter side, clocking in around 8 to 10 hours. You will find the same flaws from the previous game like being able to sniper shot a boss with a rocket and ending the mission in a few minutes. Thankfully the fantastic drop –in co-op mode is still included. You can pop into people’s games to help back them up on a mission or simply draw enemy fire while they go after the mission objective. Multiplayer isn’t as much fun due to the problems with the targeting system and the rampant accessibility of rocket launchers. This is easily one of my least favorite team deathmatch experiences in 2010.
The achievement set is fairly simple to complete, assuming you don’t mind spending time searching for all the collectibles. Similar to the last game, a friend can help you search in co-op as well. There are also plenty of side quests to complete as well, typically assassination missions or races. If you want to dedicate time to cracking all the achievements, you are probably looking at 15 hours or so.
If your preferred style of play is more geared towards collecting over following a story, Crackdown 2 may be the game for you. That being said, you are basically playing Crackdown over again with the same problems that it had 3 years ago, plus it doesn’t look or perform as well. I can’t recommend a purchase of Crackdown 2, unless you are a diehard fan of the first. Sadly, you will probably still be disappointed. TPS fanatics and orb collectors should give it a rental period before contemplating a purchase.
Discuss This Game on Our Official VGT Forum Thread
The story is set a few years after the loose narrative from the original Crackdown. The mutants and criminal organizations that terrorized Pacific City are apparently winning the war and basically destroyed a large portion of the city. Some of the memorable landmarks are replaced by torn down structures and the city is much more rampant with criminal elements. You are tasked with taking down all these baddies and returning the city to normal. The story is vague at best and the presentation is weak.
Once again, your quest is really more for getting to orbs and building up your stats rather than actually playing the missions. Identical to the previous game, shoot enemies to build up your shooting stats, throw objects to build up strength, etc… Agility orbs seem to be more difficult to reach on this go-around, namely due to the destroyed environment. It’s actually simpler to commandeer a helicopter (one of the new vehicles) to reach those incredibly high orbs. A new addition to the game is the ability to fly after the final agility requirements have been met. Gliding around the city can be entertaining, but I really preferred the jumping mechanic for the majority of the game.
Unfortunately, missions and general havoc is still problematic due to the same poor targeting system when shooting in heavy firefights. The target reticule defaults to the closest target and not even enemies! You may be getting mowed down by a barrage of enemies, but hey, you can target the businessman civilian walking by you with ease. Be aware of the same rocket launcher fire from the last game as well. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to be shot off an incredibly high tower multiple times by rocket happy criminals.
All in all, the campaign is on the shorter side, clocking in around 8 to 10 hours. You will find the same flaws from the previous game like being able to sniper shot a boss with a rocket and ending the mission in a few minutes. Thankfully the fantastic drop –in co-op mode is still included. You can pop into people’s games to help back them up on a mission or simply draw enemy fire while they go after the mission objective. Multiplayer isn’t as much fun due to the problems with the targeting system and the rampant accessibility of rocket launchers. This is easily one of my least favorite team deathmatch experiences in 2010.
The achievement set is fairly simple to complete, assuming you don’t mind spending time searching for all the collectibles. Similar to the last game, a friend can help you search in co-op as well. There are also plenty of side quests to complete as well, typically assassination missions or races. If you want to dedicate time to cracking all the achievements, you are probably looking at 15 hours or so.
Graphics
- There are some serious graphical issues plaguing Crackdown 2 in the realm of blurry textures, framerate slowdown and poor lighting effects. It’s pretty evident that the development team that worked on the original didn’t provide any details or help on how to customize the environment correctly without causing a visual mess.
- It also speaks to the lack of quality designers at Ruffian Games. I got the feeling that they simply attempted to re-skin much of the city without much regard to detail. The framerate issues are unforgiveable at this stage in the life cycle of the 360 as well. The slowdown that occurs when there are too many enemies on the screen is frustrating.
Audio
- The Agency announcer is back for narration and general entertainment. I enjoyed his comments in the original and enjoyed them just as much in the sequel. The gunfire, explosions and ambient city noises are pretty much the same; nothing too exciting.
Conclusion
If your preferred style of play is more geared towards collecting over following a story, Crackdown 2 may be the game for you. That being said, you are basically playing Crackdown over again with the same problems that it had 3 years ago, plus it doesn’t look or perform as well. I can’t recommend a purchase of Crackdown 2, unless you are a diehard fan of the first. Sadly, you will probably still be disappointed. TPS fanatics and orb collectors should give it a rental period before contemplating a purchase.
Discuss This Game on Our Official VGT Forum Thread