Crackdown 2’s predecessor and franchise kickstarter showed us that open world sandbox style games don’t have to neglect addictive gameplay in favour of creating a try-too-hard believable world. The sequel follows the same gung-ho action stylings, and it’s more of the same, but better. But is that enough to make it worth plopping into your Xbox 360 when so many more free roaming adventures now vie for your attention? Find out right here in our full Crackdown 2 review.
Read the rest of our Crackdown 2 review now
Crackdown 2 review: Gameplay and controls
Crackdown 2 review: Things to do in Pacific City
Crackdown 2 review: New weapons, gadgets and vehicles
After dispatching a trio of gangs in the original Crackdown, the Agents are back in a city-wide war against a gang called The Cell, who’ve plundered the city, leaving chaos in their wake. To make matters worse a virus has leaked out, infecting citizens and turning them into mutants, or as the game politely puts it, Freaks. With violence escalating, the Pacific city of Crackdown 2 is on its knees.
Starting up Crackdown 2 for the first time, the introduction lets you know you’re going to need plenty of firepower. It’s the briefest of intros – throwing you straight into things. As one of many Agents tasked with clearing up the chaos you’re tasked with fighting The Cell by day and having to contend with the Freaks at night.
If you’ve already played Crackdown you know what to expect: plenty of running around, jumping and generally shooting anything that moves while flitting from one mission to another. In your own time that is. Players are free to do whatever they want, when they want. It’s possible to spend hours playing Crackdown 2 without ever finishing off its main objectives.
Hurdling from rooftop to rooftop is one of the game’s many pleasures, made even better by the Agility Orbs. Collecting these Orbs increase your jumping skills, making it even easier to bound higher than ever before as your Agent slowly transforms from a puny justice bringer to a superhero-esque Judge Dredd-like law enforcer thanks to Crackdown 2’s reward system that doles out experience for gamers for how they play. Use your guns a lot and your firearms skills will increase. Kick lumps out of baddies and your strength skills will rise. From here things really start to get interesting as you’re able to inflict Agent style justice with increased ease and aplomb.
Weaponry has also been ramped up in Crackdown 2. Among the pick of the new firearms and gadgets is the UV Shotgun for fending off dozens of enemies with a single bullet, Mag Grenades, for having all sorts of explosive fun with and the Wingsuit to let you glide around Pacific City like a fully armed flying squirrel. We’d have liked to have seen even more guns to play with but thankfully the fun to be had with the Wingsuit makes up for it.
Graphically Crackdown 2 is a lot slicker and brighter in areas than the original. The draw distance when viewing the panoramic views across the city remains sweet. But it’s by no means stunning compared to other recent open-world titles. Sure, it looks nice, but pit Crackdown 2 against the likes of Just Cause 2’s scenic vistas and it begins to look dated. Are we being fussy? Possibly. Ruffian Games told us in June that the developer doesn’t do mere aesthetic touches for the sake of it, preferring to focus on the gameplay. The developer has stamped its own look on Crackdown 2, and it isn’t budging.
Other quibbles we have are that some Crackdown 2 missions can drag on initially. The Freaks are taking over the city and the only way to stop them is to detonate underground beacons. To do this you need to travel to several absorption units dotted around the city to charge them up. Once you charge the required amount you head to the beacon, detonate it and then do it all over again. Though things do get a bit more varied later, particularly as you upgrade your attributes.
But then there’s multiplayer. The four-player co-op in Crackdown 2 works an absolute treat, letting up to three mates join you in the main game to play together or go your own way through the game simultaneously. This is where the real fun is. The same applies as with single player, but knowing your buddies have your back adds so much more.
The 16-player player vs player is equally delightful. Having 16 players in one map playing fisticuffs with rockets is just as chaotic as you’d imagine. Just make sure you’re first to the Agency Helicopter or it’s curtains for you. If deathmatch isn’t your thing there’s always Rocket Tag. Think Tag, but with rockets. The aim is to avoid enemy rocket fire for as long as possible to rack up maximum pointage.
Crackdown 2 should please fans of the original greatly. True to the developer’s words it’s full of action, weapons and offers tremendous scope for explorer style destruction. It might be repetitive, and lack any proper innovation from the original but Ruffian Games has played it safe. For fans of the game that’s no bad thing. If you’re a co-op regular and have mates to play it with, Crackdown 2 comes recommended. Just don’t expect it to offer anything you haven’t seen before.
Read the rest of our Crackdown 2 review now
Crackdown 2 review: Gameplay and controls
Crackdown 2 review: Things to do in Pacific City
Crackdown 2 review: New weapons, gadgets and vehicles
