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Within the first hour you'll notice a drastic change in your character as he'll leap farther, pick up heavier objects, and create mayhem with ease. Virtual puberty aside, you'll also notice the game scale to fit your newfound powers. As you venture off the first island you'll come across taller buildings and you won't be able to crest the highest peaks without collecting more orbs. And so continues the vicious cycle...



It goes without saying that Crackdown has more than a passing similarity with the Grand Theft Auto franchise, which is really no surprise since Dave Jones is the man behind both. Where Crackdown deviates from the tried-and-true GTA formula is in three key places. For starters, you're the good guy. True, you can direct your massive firepower at civilians and other agency police, but it comes at a cost. You'll take a penalty on one or more attributes for causing too much collateral damage. Keep screwing up and you'll find yourself tagged a rogue agent marked for death. You factor in online and system link co-op and you've already put miles between each game.

At this moment, the co-op feature isn't the seamless experience we'd hoped for. Should you receive a join request from a friend or stranger, you must save and quit your current game and then restart to place your partner in the game world. Also, that person does not have access to your agency supply points (only the ones he unlocked in his game). This can lead to some annoying gaps in team play should one of you get taken out by a baddie and your partner’s closest spawn point is on another island (or the Agency Keep). While co-op is currently limited to Xbox Live and system link, it's amazing fun and worth the price of admission.



Another factor is the city's verticality. Pacific City might not cover the same acreage as San Andreas, but it compensates for this by giving the player *lots* of places to climb and explore. You'll find yourself ditching your agency ride in favor of leaping from rooftop to rooftop while collecting orbs. Though most of the game takes place outdoors, there are many indoor environments you'll venture through. While they are sparsely adorned, you'll find yourself doing a fair amount of platforming inside as well.

Lastly, GTA is a series known for rich characters, witty dialogue, and snarky humor. Crackdown has a paper thin story that serves as nothing more than a backdrop to the action, though in this case that's mostly fine. What laughs you derive from playing the game won't come from well-timed jokes or comedic scenes, but instead from the sheer amount of chaos you can create with the tools in your bag.



It would have been nice if there were at least some characters you could latch onto in the course of your adventure. The agency dispatcher, while humorous in his deadpan delivery, provides nothing more than hardboiled enemy intel and gameplay tips. You won't encounter memorable roles like O.G. Loc, Big Smoke, Lance Vance, or Luigi Goterelli during your tour in Pacific City. Instead you'll hear looping ambient chatter from thugs and panicked denizens. So while you're jumping from skyscraper to skyscraper to save the day, you'll view the locals just how they look from above—like mindless worker ants.