Crackdown

"Great while it lasts, but it won't last long"

It's a well established fact that the only reason Crackdown gained any sort of popularity is because of the Halo 3 Beta that came with it. I myself am guilty of buying it for that reason, but I was surprised that the game actually had some content to offer to its players. The unfortunate part is that it didn't have much of it.

The game is set in a sandbox environment in a city that is comprised of three different criminal sections. While the game allows you to take out criminals in whichever order you want, it will become clear that they intended for you to do it in a certain order. The environment is not nearly as deep as that of a GTA game, but perhaps that is for the better.

You will start out being introduced as an Agent who is tasked with eliminating the criminals in the streets. Your character will begin the game with somewhat realistic abilities as far as strength and running are concerned, but as you progress you will be able to catch up to most cars on foot, kick most trucks off of the road, and jump halfway up many buildings. However, the game won't really compensate for your new abilities as far as difficulty is concerned. While one area of the city was clearly designed to be tackled last, a little extra thinking and innovation will allow you to take it on much earlier. The enemy AI never really changes, either, and whenever you find that you are unable to fight your way out of a tight situation, you can almost always run.

Crackdown does feature harder difficulty levels. While the game can get much more challenging this way, it will not take long to adapt. A rocket launcher and some decent grenades, which can be obtained early on, will make even the toughest situations nothing more than a novelty. Most of the challenge provided by this game will thus be created by the player as he or she restrains themselves from using such weapons.

Unfortunately, the dialogue in Crackdown is just as static and unchanging as the AI. You will hear them repeat the same threats incessantly (Te voy a matar- I'm going to kill you)and in three different languages, and it gets annoying fast. While no game can provide a limitless supply of lines, an attempt at diversity would have been nice.

Despite these flaws, Crackdown can be quite fun. When you are fast enough, getting around the city will feel very similar to Spiderman 2, with the exception that you can always attack from wherever you are. Combat will feel similar to Psi Ops in several ways. You lock on to each enemy to shoot at them, and kicking them or using some other method of killing will send enemies flying everywhere. The only problem with this is that you will eventually become too powerful, and taking out a crime lord will become a matter of kicking him a few times. Although they will sometimes have four or five times the normal health of an enemy, kicking him four or five times to kill him will not take long. By the end of the game, shooting will become a complete waste of time. Considering the main objective to the game is to take out the said crime lords, the end will come fast. There are, however, several interesting achievements in Crackdown, and leveling up your abilities should keep the gameplay moving.

A nice feature to gameplay, however, is that after killing enough criminals, taking out a game boss, or killing a crime lord, you will be ambushed by hordes of enemies. Eventually, it will simply become too difficult and quite counterproductive to keep fighting, and you will have to take off on foot. If you are inside of a building, this can make for some terrific escapes and some of the most intense moments in Crackdown.

Graphically, the game looks great. It is cell shaded, but that isn't a bad thing. The explosions are huge and your character will become huge compared to regular NPCs just walking around. It's a nice effect and will show your superiority over regular grunts.

Now that the Halo 3 Beta is over, there is much less incentive to go and get Crackdown. I'd suggest only renting it, as much of the fun will wear away in the couple of hours it takes to beat the game. There simply isn't much to go back to once you are done.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/15/07