Crackdown is GTA with a cop.
In fact, you're a super cop who can take lots of damage, run faster than cars, jump higher than buildings, etc. You don't start off that way, but you progressively get more powerful as the game goes on.
Let's start with the storyline...you're this new cop who may or may not be an experiment or a cyborg or (insert your own choice of how you got super powers here). Anyway, your job is to take down three gangs that control the city you've been assigned. That's it.
The three gangs are conveniently located in three separate areas of the city separated by bridges. The first gang is Latino, the second Russian, and the third is Asian. All are controlled by a leader who is "impossible" to kill until you first take out his "generals". Each gang has 7 generals and each is responsible for a different function so when you kill him or her, it weakens the gang in that area. These areas are: weapons, fighting, cars, recruits, and I don't remember what else. So the theory is that if you wipe out all the generals, the gang is weak and you can kill their leader.
Well, I never noticed a difference in the gangs after I wiped out the generals. The gangs still were tough, everywhere, and could easily kill me if I let them. So it's a cool concept, but kind of stupid at the same time. I mean, if it worked, wouldn't the game get easier as you progressed instead of getting harder as it should?
Anyway, all the weapons and cars are "modern" so you'll see the standard grenades, pistols, machine guns, shotguns, and rocket launchers. In fact, it you get the "Firefly" rocket launcher, the HMG-80, and the cluster grenades, you're set with the best weapons.
You reload off dead bodies or at supply points which you have to capture. Being that most aren't defended or are defended by only a few enemies, that's a really simple task.
Cars you get from jacking people or by going to Agency HQ and getting one.
The game world is decent in size. It's sort of small so you won't be taking any GTA:SA sized drives around the countryside, but at least you won't get lost.
The game play is just like any other GTA clone. The controls are fine. You'll have no problem getting around or killing folks.
Overall, the game is "fine". The problem is, like it's cities, storyline, villains, etc. it has no personality. It's just there. Sure, it was fun to romp through for a few evenings, but I quickly beat it and have zero desire to go back to it.
In GTA:VC, I was actively finding other things to do just so I could avoid getting to the end of the game because I was having too much fun. Here, I just made a bee line for the end. All the "collectibles" I found were on the way and I found well over half of the agility ones, and less than 1/3 of the "all" power ups. (These pertain to your powering up. Note the number I found and still was maxed out in skills.)
Crackdown hinted at a sequel. Fine, but work on injecting some personality for the next go around.
If you like the GTA style of games, you like this one, but you won't love it.
6 out of 10.
Crackdown - X-Box 360
Fair enough, let me clarify.
6 out of 10 in my eyes isn't a "bad" score. This game is entertaining, but I don't see it being entertaining enough for a purchase.
Rent it. By the time it's due back, you'll have beaten it.
6 out of 10 in my eyes isn't a "bad" score. This game is entertaining, but I don't see it being entertaining enough for a purchase.
Rent it. By the time it's due back, you'll have beaten it.
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell