View All (8)

Visually speaking, Crackdown is a pretty game. True, it lacks the graphic punch of the recent classic Gears of War, but then again few games even come close. Instead of gunning for an ultra-realistic look, the artists at Realtime Worlds opted for a "graphic novel" look, which is a marketing term in place of the dreaded "cel-shading" descriptor. But this ain't no comic book. It's dark and foreboding at times...and very violent, almost to the point of ridiculousness.



Sound is sparse. Aside from the ambient noise of cars driving and people walking around, there's not much to the game's audio in between bursts of gunfire. When you enter a vehicle you'll hear a number of licensed tracks, many of which are forgettable techno or rock numbers that aren't bad by any stretch, just not very memorable. Since you'll be spending most of your time leaping from buildings you won't hear every track during an average play through (unless you're striving to max out your driving attribute).

In almost every facet, Crackdown stacks up favorably to Grand Theft Auto. Controls are spot on, save for a finicky target lock feature that sometimes sticks to the wrong enemy or object. Full camera controls are a much welcome improvement to the genre, as is the pinpoint aiming feature. Vehicle driving, while not on par with racing games, is satisfying enough to add depth.

The only place that Crackdown comes up short is in its scope. The core game of defeating all 21 bosses can be completed in 10 hours or less on the default skill level. Side missions consist of rooftop races and driving contests, but nothing more. You can play the game in Time Trial mode to beat your previous records, and likewise you can gun for all 900 Achievement points included with the disc (the last 100 will be available for free download on Xbox Live). While it'll take you some time to nab them all—and without question these are some of the most creative Achievements to date on Xbox 360 (Body Juggling, anyone?)—they almost feel tacked on in place of actual tasks and story missions. Whether the story content was trimmed to make ship date or it was by design is unknown, but the game feels a bit lifeless without it.



It's also worth mentioning that early Crackdown purchasers get an automatic place in the Halo 3 beta. Microsoft cleverly built a launcher into the Crackdown game itself, so you'll need the disc in your 360 to download and run the Halo 3 beta code. Sell or trade in the game and you'll likely lose that spot or be unable to participate when the download becomes available. For some, Crackdown will be enough to keep them happy despite this added perk, though there's little doubt that some trigger-happy kids consider the game a "$60 beta key" and nothing more. Consider us in the former camp.

In the end, Crackdown is a game that gives back to players what they put into it. If you're the kind of person who likes the freedom to approach a problem in multiple ways, you're given ample tools to kick ass and take names. In any boss fight there are multiple paths to reach your goal, so no matter how you've groomed your character you'll have a means to reach your target. But if you need your hand held through an intricate story to keep you captivated, you'll walk away disappointed. This game will appeal to a very specific kind of gamer, but those willing to blaze their own trail through Pacific City's underworld will reap vast rewards and hours of enjoyment.