Right to the point, I think this game just as good as the first one. I consider the first game to be a 5/5 and I consider this game a 5/5. If you played the first game and loved it, then you'll love the sequel. If you haven't played the first game, then you should definitely give Crackdown 2 a shot.
In my opinion, it's bad policy to judge a game based on value. I ignore cost in my reviews and wish that most media would, too. The reason I play games is to have fun and Crackdown 2 is fun. Could it be better served as a big DLC? Sure, but that doesn't lower my score.
For some specific critiques, I would have liked to see the story fleshed out more, the addition of super freaks or rogue agents, and maybe a few more RPG elements (such as weapon or armor modifications). None of those are major failures, but they do stop a really good game from being one of the best of the year.
