Video Game Review: Repetitive ‘Crackdown 2’ Addictive But Disappointing

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CHICAGO – The highly-anticipated “Crackdown 2” has sucked in many Microsoft Xbox 360 players this month with its promise of controlled chaos, but does it live up to the expectations? With echoes of far-superior games “InFAMOUS” and “Just Cause 2” ringing in players’ ears, even hardcore fans will have to admit some disappointment but there’s still something oddly addictive about this relatively simple game.

Video Game Rating: 3.5/5.0

With a few tweaks to the storytelling and some variety to the gameplay, “Crackdown 2” could have been a contender for one of the best games of the summer. Sadly, every time the game starts to find its rhythm and threatens to live up to its massive potential, it then spins its wheels with shockingly repetitive missions, frustrating controls, and subpar graphics. Despite its significant flaws, there’s something to be said about the simplicity of the title that brings you back to it over and over again just to rack up more collectible items or clear out new sections of the map. “Crackdown 2” could have been a great game, instead it’s merely a guilty pleasure at best.

Crackdown 2
Photo credit: Microsoft

“Get used to getting shot at.” Such is life in Pacific City through the lens of the announcer who often guides your way through the game. Since the end of the first “Crackdown,” life has gotten significantly worse in Pacific City. Ten years have passed since the first title and the entire city has basically been overrun by two forces — The Cell and the Freaks. The Cell are enemy gangs with highpowered weapons while the Freaks are, well, freaks — nocturnal creatures who have mutated to deadly size. You play a member of the Agency, the group tasked with bringing peace back to Pacific City.

Crackdown 2 Photo credit: Microsoft

How do you do that? The primary mission of “Crackdown 2” involves activating beacons placed throughout the city. Just like the first game, your agent can jump ridiculous heights and his agility grows with the collection of orbs that litter Pacific City. Played solo or co-operatively through Xbox Live, “Crackdown 2” is a sandbox experience that builds upon the first game by offering complete freedom and massive destruction.

Sort of. The problem is that “Crackdown 2” only has a few tricks up its sleeve and you’ve seen most of them after about an hour. The core of the gameplay never really changes as you go through a series of activations and then protections over and over again. Activate the beacon. Protect the beacon. Call the helicopter. Kill a whole bunch of enemies. Everything is based on “Press a button and then survive.” And, of course, all of it is framed by the collection of orbs, which make your soldier able to jump higher and control the action of Pacific City. Collect, shoot, jump, die — it’s pretty standard stuff.

And the story is so paper thin that it’s almost non-existent. Cell members, Freaks, and you - GO! There’s almost something admirable about the simplicity of it but when you advertise your game as an unparalleled open-world experience, players are going to expect something deeper like they would find in a “GTA” game or even “Just Cause 2.”

With all the orbs to collect, the areas to reclaim from the Cell, audio files to pick up around town, and hundreds of hidden items, “Crackdown 2” is a game for people who like to collect. If you’re that guy who can’t call a game done until you’ve claimed all achievements or you pride yourself on having found every hidden area of every sandbox game you’ve played, then there’s nothing I can say to dissuade you from the blast you’ll have playing “Crackdown 2.” It was designed with collection, particularly of its agility orbs, in mind. And there is something nice about the constant awareness of where you stand in the game in terms of how many orbs, hidden items, audio files, etc. you have left to find. With most games, it’s not quite clear how close you are to the beginning or end. You never have any doubt with “Crackdown 2.”

Crackdown 2 Photo credit: Microsoft

The real way to enjoy “Crackdown 2” is with friends. There are very few sandbox games that can be played co-operatively and the ability to lay waste to a Cell hideout with your best Xbox friend is one that shouldn’t be under-valued. The game also features arena combat modes — deathmatch, team deathmatch, and Rocket Tag. You haven’t been playing games for very long if you don’t know what those entail just from their names alone.

As for graphics, “Crackdown 2” has some issues. I admired the look of the game at times but the graphics often can’t seem to keep up with the activity on screen. During one rather tumultuous beacon protection mission, the framerate stuttered an unacceptable amount for July 2010. And the repetition of building and creature design is disappointing. Some of it feels nearly incomplete, as if the game was rushed to meet a delivery date.

Ultimately, it feels like the team at Ruffian saw the success of the original and didn’t want to stray too far from the explosive thrills that drew fans in the first time. Even the layout of Pacific City is the same as the first game, which is simply unacceptable. Gamers are smarter than that. Video game sequels don’t usually suffer the same sequelitis as films and most are usually held to a higher standard than the first installment. We don’t want to play the exact same game again. And most fans of “Crackdown” will look at “Crackdown 2” and see almost the same game with more enhanced flaws. It’s still addictive but it may be an easier addiction to kick than we all hoped it would be.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com