Having plenty of things to do in Crackdown 2’s Pacific City setting is a relief when the main missions start to get repetitive. Agility Orb collecting is just as addictive and rewarding as ever, but there’s plenty more to see and do too. Grab your travel card, camera and personal alarm – we’re about to take a trip through all the things you can check out in the Freak infested city here in this part of our Crackdown 2 review.
Read the rest of our Crackdown 2 review now
Crackdown 2 review
Crackdown 2 review: Gameplay and controls
Crackdown 2 review: New weapons, gadgets and vehicles
In Crackdown 2 players return to an even more expansive Pacific City bulked up by new underground caves, bunkers, plains and more. As you’d expect, that means more room for explosive carnage, Agent style.
The huge sandbox vertigo-inducing world of Crackdown 2, like other open world titles lends itself well to exploring each nook and cranny of it until your virtual legs crumble into a jellied pair of skin stilts. With lots more land to leap and bound across like a giant tarmac trampoline there’s even more scope to take time off from the main missions for bouts of needless destruction, street racing, orb collecting and more.
That’s right – agility Orbs are back. The previous Crackdown had players scrambling rooftops, leaping from pipes and roaming the roads for these things. This times there are 500 new Agility Orbs for players to collect. They’re not there just for show however, as each one brings you a step closer to letting your Agent leap further into the heavens to reach previously unreachable ledges, cliffs, weapons and, er, more Agility Orbs.
To those new to the Crackdown series it might sound laborious, but hunting them down remains incredibly rewarding. Sure, even we felt like tossing the controller in anger after plummeting to our doom in Orb pursuit but with the payoff of being able to scale buildings without taking the long way around it’s well worth seeking them out.
A new addition to Crackdown 2 are Renegade Orbs. Like Agility Orbs they increase your ability to leap and bound like a skyscraper hurdling kangaroo, but they’re even more effective. Unlike the Agility Orbs you’ll have to run, chase and jump after them to catch them. Other helpful artefacts to collect include online orbs you can only collect once on Xbox Live and playing in co-op and secret hidden orbs – these are well hidden and power up a random attribute such as your agility or weapons. And then there’s the story audio logs scattered throughout Pacific City giving gamers a chance to listen in on audio accounts on the city’s history and past events.
Other side missions in Crackdown 2 you’ll be able to take part in from the off include short street races around the block and against the clock. These are marked by purple zones and on your map. They’re not the most exciting of extra curricular Crackdown 2 activities but they don’t last too long, and clearing them adds some extra level up points to your driving skills. Driving in Crackdown 2 is a little wobbly (yet somehow stiff) at times so you’ll need them, especially for the insane jump stunts.
For those that like their side missions a little more action-filled players can attempt to secure The Cell strongholds. In other words, exterminate Cell gangs from certain blocks. These strongholds are marked in red on the map in Crackdown 2 and stuffed to the brim with gangsters. Strafing, leaping and lobbing grenades before taking cover is the only way to secure these locations until The Agency air support comes in. Even if you decide to abort halfway through at least you’ll have racked up some level up points for your firearms, strength or explosives depending on what weapons you used in your efforts.
All that and we haven’t even mentioned being able to glide through the air in the new Wingsuit later on in Crackdown 2, enjoying a a leisurely spot of sightseeing in the Agency Helicopter or running over the unlimited supply of Freaks for fun when they come out at night.
Back in May, Ruffian Games told us in person that it’s up to the gamer how they play Crackdown 2. With lots to do in Crackdown 2 there’s plenty of ways to play it – the most important being however you want to.
Read the rest of our Crackdown 2 review now
Crackdown 2 review
Crackdown 2 review: Gameplay and controls
Crackdown 2 review: New weapons, gadgets and vehicles
