Post by Gilvan Blight on Sept 4, 2008 10:02:09 GMT -5
Quickly - a ton of fun though the driving part could be better.
[glow=blue,2,300]Summary:[/glow]This is one of many Grand Theft Auto Clones out there, similar to games like Saints Row and Just Cause. I call them clones not because you play a Criminal and can Kill Hookers but because it uses the same basic engine, where you can run around town, jump, shoot with a variety of weapons and hijack cars. I've seen the genre called Action Driving games though I don't that moniker applies here.
In Crackdown you play a genetically and cybernetically enhanced Police officer, let loose in a city overrun by crime. The city is divided up into three different sectors each owned by a different gang. Each sector is more difficult then the last, and they unlock as you progress through the story. In general you run around town trying to find the lieutenants for each gang and take them down one at a time eventually taking on the gangland boss. It's how you go about doing this that makes this game unique.
Being a super cop means that you are faster then normal, can jump higher then normal, are stronger then normal, can shoot further then normal etc. The really cool part is an RPG like element where each of these skills is ranked and can be leveled up during play. By doing the action assoctiated with each skill you get xp points which slowly improve each skill. For example shooting people from long distances gives ranged combat xp, climbing to the tops of buildings give agility xp, winning driving races gives Driving xp, etc. Each skill has four levels and each improved level significantly changes the abilities of your character. By the end of the game you can leap around the city like the hulk and will be picking up and tossing cars like Superman.
The controls are pretty much what you would expect from the genre. The only real change is the fact that you can target specific areas of your opponents (head, body, arm or leg). Other then that it's pretty much par for a GTA style game.
[glow=green,2,300]The Good:[/glow]This game is just fun. If feels more like a Superhero game then a GTA game. More like Spider-man 2 but even better. The is especially true once you level up a few of your skills. The difficulty is nicely balanced, never getting into that range of frustration while still being challenging. Being able to play co-op is a nice touch. I have to admit I think I had the most fun just exploring the city looking for Agility orbs and hidden orbs around town. Killing gang members was actually pretty secondary in my gameplay. Due to this the game has a good replay value as it's fun just to jump back in now and then and explore and take care of some wandering thugs.
[glow=yellow,2,300]The Bad:[/glow]I had a really hard time with the driving in this game. The controls just seemed highly unresponsive. The driving was so bad that even now having taken out every mob boss my Driving skill is still only level 1. Thankfully you don't need to drive to 'finish' the game. I've found playing co-op that lag can be an issue, though this is pretty much true of all Xbox Live games.
[glow=red,2,300]The Ugly:[/glow]Scattered throughout the map are these huge glowing areas, that once you reach them ask you to pay to download additional content. I really didn't like this. In general I'm a fan of the Microsoft point system and downloading add ons from my dashboard, I don't like it showing up mid game, especially taunting you with it. It felt like many of those Free to Play MMORPGs out there.
[glow=purple,2,300]Overall[/glow]I really enjoyed this one, and I suggest it for anyone that owns an Xbox. This is one of the best GTA clones out there and the open ended nature means that people with a wide variety of playing styles will be able to enjoy the game. Personally I wasn't a fan of the driving portion of the game but you don't need to drive to enjoy it.
[glow=blue,2,300]Summary:[/glow]This is one of many Grand Theft Auto Clones out there, similar to games like Saints Row and Just Cause. I call them clones not because you play a Criminal and can Kill Hookers but because it uses the same basic engine, where you can run around town, jump, shoot with a variety of weapons and hijack cars. I've seen the genre called Action Driving games though I don't that moniker applies here.
In Crackdown you play a genetically and cybernetically enhanced Police officer, let loose in a city overrun by crime. The city is divided up into three different sectors each owned by a different gang. Each sector is more difficult then the last, and they unlock as you progress through the story. In general you run around town trying to find the lieutenants for each gang and take them down one at a time eventually taking on the gangland boss. It's how you go about doing this that makes this game unique.
Being a super cop means that you are faster then normal, can jump higher then normal, are stronger then normal, can shoot further then normal etc. The really cool part is an RPG like element where each of these skills is ranked and can be leveled up during play. By doing the action assoctiated with each skill you get xp points which slowly improve each skill. For example shooting people from long distances gives ranged combat xp, climbing to the tops of buildings give agility xp, winning driving races gives Driving xp, etc. Each skill has four levels and each improved level significantly changes the abilities of your character. By the end of the game you can leap around the city like the hulk and will be picking up and tossing cars like Superman.
The controls are pretty much what you would expect from the genre. The only real change is the fact that you can target specific areas of your opponents (head, body, arm or leg). Other then that it's pretty much par for a GTA style game.
[glow=green,2,300]The Good:[/glow]This game is just fun. If feels more like a Superhero game then a GTA game. More like Spider-man 2 but even better. The is especially true once you level up a few of your skills. The difficulty is nicely balanced, never getting into that range of frustration while still being challenging. Being able to play co-op is a nice touch. I have to admit I think I had the most fun just exploring the city looking for Agility orbs and hidden orbs around town. Killing gang members was actually pretty secondary in my gameplay. Due to this the game has a good replay value as it's fun just to jump back in now and then and explore and take care of some wandering thugs.
[glow=yellow,2,300]The Bad:[/glow]I had a really hard time with the driving in this game. The controls just seemed highly unresponsive. The driving was so bad that even now having taken out every mob boss my Driving skill is still only level 1. Thankfully you don't need to drive to 'finish' the game. I've found playing co-op that lag can be an issue, though this is pretty much true of all Xbox Live games.
[glow=red,2,300]The Ugly:[/glow]Scattered throughout the map are these huge glowing areas, that once you reach them ask you to pay to download additional content. I really didn't like this. In general I'm a fan of the Microsoft point system and downloading add ons from my dashboard, I don't like it showing up mid game, especially taunting you with it. It felt like many of those Free to Play MMORPGs out there.
[glow=purple,2,300]Overall[/glow]I really enjoyed this one, and I suggest it for anyone that owns an Xbox. This is one of the best GTA clones out there and the open ended nature means that people with a wide variety of playing styles will be able to enjoy the game. Personally I wasn't a fan of the driving portion of the game but you don't need to drive to enjoy it.