Crackdown 2 is the sequel to 2007 Crackdown,a game in wich you play as a superhuman "agent",that is tasked to eradicate the criminal gangs in Pacific City.The sequel has just hit shelves,and handled by a new studio,can Crackdown 2 make a mark?
Story
Crackdown 2's story is paper thin.The ideea is that a woman named Catalina Thorne and her gang,the Cell,has invented a new virus that transforms humans in "freaks".The Agency takes note,and creates you-the ultimate agent.After a short intro,you are tasked with eliminating Cell "Tactical Positions" and detonating UV bombs in Freak lairs.There are no characters.There is no story arc.The ending is abrupt as all hell.The only "story" that Crackdown 2 wants to share,is by audio logs,wich are uninteresting and don't really add much to the plot.You never really get to care about the city,the Agency,or the Cell.
So it's clear-Crackdown 2 will not be your new Dragon Age of Mass Effect in terms of story.Crackdown 2 stands on it's gameplay,and sadly,it comes with it's fair share of problems.The gameplay in CD2 is split in 3:Combat,Exploring and Missions.
Combat feels decent enough.You can use objects in the world as weapons(wich you won't),you can melee enemies to death with one combo and you can shoot guns.CD2's combat is mainly held up because of it's fun guns.Every gun feels great,and is powerfull in it's own way.But wait-It has it's flaws!The targeting system is horrible,targeting cars and explosive barells instead of enemies,and is annoying all the time.The game also handles difficulty poorly.Enemies are dumb,and can only take you down by spamming explosives(wich leave you as a ragdoll) or by ganging up on you.This "shines" near the end of the game-where every opponent has a rocket launcher,or a stun attack.
Exploring is done by car or by foot.Agency cars are fun to drive,and have interesting abilities,but they all feel weird.Vehicles handle like crap,and I sticked to exploring by foot.Jumping and running throu the city is great-when the game works.The game fails to point out wich surfaces you can climb or grab.You'll slip,fall and die in idiotic ways,trying to get to orbs.Wich brings me to the orbs.Orbs are used to up you agility or all your powers.Orbs are placed in increasingly insane places,and become useless after you reach level 3 agility.After that no amount of shining green neon will push you to chase another poorly placed orb.
The Missions are very few in number and get repetitive fast.Conquer Tac Location.Activate Beacon.Detonate bomb.Stop freak breaches.You can also engage in rooftop races and car stunts,but you won't,and you can take part in other useless activities,in wich you won't.The missions just strike me as lazy.
Leveling up your character is easy,and I finished the game with all my stats to lvl 4-and I didn't even try.After you get access to a good car,some good guns,3 health bars,and a jump that can clear 2 rooftops,you are set,and nothing pushed me forward to keep on leveling.
Crackdown 2 looks decent,with some nice character and vehicle models.The rest is just meh.The city doesn't look too atractive,and the fact that it's now completely trashed doesn't help it.Explosives look pathetic,and the art style is plain and boring.
The game's sound departament is a bit lacking too.No real music,besides the one in Cell cars(wich is annoying).Weapons sound great,and everything else is decent.Your boss is bound to get annoying when he starts repeating the same lines,and has a bad habit of insulting you when you are losing pacience to the overall bad design of the game.
The game also has it's fair share of glitches.Pedestrians can be thrown throu buildings,the physics engine sometimes goes insane,enemies stop working if you get too close,and sometimes missions don't start,even when you are right next to the marker.
After all has been said and done,Crackdown 2 can be very fun.When the game works,it's fun and a blast.The game is way better than the sum of it's parts.There is a very good game behind all the crap,but CD2 fails to justify a purchase.It expects that you ignore every single flaw that it has.It has solid shooting and action,and can be fun in short bursts.Had Ruffian Games paid more attention to the flaws in the first game,they could have made something special.As it stands,CD2 is a lighthearted and fun game,but the huge array of problems drag this game down.
7-Rent it or skip it.
PS:The agent suit you get for finishing the game isn't so hot after all.
Like it?Hate it?Tell me in the comments.