Review: Crackdown 2

[MortisLegio]

I love this game

fun thing to try: stick Mag grenades to a car and the sides of the road then pick up the car then let it go*

*do this at night for greatest effect

 

[ironlordthemad]

Okay, one major problem with this game. The first Crackdown was one of my absolute favorites, but this was a huge letdown to me, and it wasn't mentioned in the review, which it certainly should be.


It even took me a whole minute to figure this out, but in Crackdown 2, you are in the exact same city as the first one. Sure, it's a little torn up, and some locations have blockades creating a different atmosphere at times. But if you played the first, you'll find yerself recognizing so many places, that it kinda kills the novelty of a 2nd Crackdown game. Sure, I understand. It's where the Agency is located, and to continue the story from the last, it makes sense (since there never was any closure, and there doesn't appear to be any mention of the last ending from where I'm at in the game). But it's still a disappointment.


Also, that whole superman mentality is clearly shot down as soon as you end up in areas with rocket launchers. Those things home in on you, and fire so fast that if one hits you, you'll find yerself being juggled around for a while. This leads to extreme frustration. But, you can use those weapons too (and I certainly do), so it just makes you enter some areas a little more cautiously. Which, in itself, can be kind of a mood killer when yer leaping from building to building without a care in the world, but I suppose that's where the challenge comes in.

I really like the fact that you are in the same city, it was nostalgic in a way that I don't normally encourage or enjoy. Plus it was great to laugh at a building that I had struggled to clear out in the first game when I saw that it was torn to shreds.

And if you don't like nostalgia, remember, they added helecopters too this game! Instant win!

 

[uppitycracker]

Okay, one major problem with this game. The first Crackdown was one of my absolute favorites, but this was a huge letdown to me, and it wasn't mentioned in the review, which it certainly should be.


It even took me a whole minute to figure this out, but in Crackdown 2, you are in the exact same city as the first one. Sure, it's a little torn up, and some locations have blockades creating a different atmosphere at times. But if you played the first, you'll find yerself recognizing so many places, that it kinda kills the novelty of a 2nd Crackdown game. Sure, I understand. It's where the Agency is located, and to continue the story from the last, it makes sense (since there never was any closure, and there doesn't appear to be any mention of the last ending from where I'm at in the game). But it's still a disappointment.


Also, that whole superman mentality is clearly shot down as soon as you end up in areas with rocket launchers. Those things home in on you, and fire so fast that if one hits you, you'll find yerself being juggled around for a while. This leads to extreme frustration. But, you can use those weapons too (and I certainly do), so it just makes you enter some areas a little more cautiously. Which, in itself, can be kind of a mood killer when yer leaping from building to building without a care in the world, but I suppose that's where the challenge comes in.

I really like the fact that you are in the same city, it was nostalgic in a way that I don't normally encourage or enjoy. Plus it was great to laugh at a building that I had struggled to clear out in the first game when I saw that it was torn to shreds.

And if you don't like nostalgia, remember, they added helecopters too this game! Instant win!

now that i can understand, but i dunno, usually if i want nostalgia, i'll go back to the original (even tho i've bought like 4 used copies and they've all been defective).

And the helicopters.. have done nothing but get me killed. How, you might ask? Oh, why when I try to jump on them, and end up in the rotor blades! Haha...

 

[Escapefromwhatever]

I've got Prototype already, thanks.

 

[The Austin]

Not really a review, really just more of a "gameplay commentary", but still, you convinced me to buy it.

HUZZAH!

 

[Brainst0rm]

This sounds like so much fun D: curse my Wii. CURSE YOU!!! It gets none of the fun things the other consoles get...

 

[ecoho]

Meh... looks like an inferior version of Prototype.

Those open world kill-em-ups have a tendency to get boring fast, at least for me.

ok man its nothing like prototype(which is one of my favoret games) mostly because the shooting in prototype sucked and here well its not great but it is better. as to it getting boring i got one thing to say EXPLODEING RUBER DUCKS!

 

[nart_21086]

Not going to address the lack of local play? When did reviewers get desensitized to it?

I too am unhappy due to the critic community as a whole ignoring non-network nulitplayer. What happens when servers go down and you've beaten the campaign/story mode to death thrice ? (because your just that 'talented' [lonely])

I remember being distraught at this fact in the first installment. If my brother wasn't such a jag-off I would've been pissed.

(Gets up and boots up his original Xbox)

 

[BaldursBananaSoap]

Why do the explosions look worse than Crackdown 1?

 

[Sheinen]

Bought it, played it, traded it.

Yeah it's fun. In the same way that Action Man's elasticated punch mechanism was fun - for about two minutes.

Like pulling on that lever and watching his arm swing, without ANY kind of plot/character arc, difficulty curve or variation in gameplay it just doesn't stay fun for very long! There's only so much jumping, shooting and grenade hurling you can do over the same, purpose built island before it loses its charm.

Even aside that, it's the outright LIE that irritated me to the point of near sprinting back to the closest Game for a trade-in! The promise of a painfully obvious plot-twist that we were spoon-fed in the set up. Am I the only one who ploughed through the inanely repetitive campaign (go here, kill everything...now go here, kill everything...ok, now, go here, kill everything...) thinking that it was the first of 2 acts?
'OK' I said to myself, 'you've spent a LONG time bored, but now you're about to [SPOILER ALERT] activate the final beacon and the Agency will be revealed for the criminal's that they are! Now we can team up with Cell and take on the Agency, working our way up to this Handler dick-hole, probably fighting an equally enhanced Agent body-guard or two at the end.'

The most fun looking part of the game was attacking that Helicopter at the end and they went all Devil May Cry on it, replacing fun with film!

Why did you only make half a game Ruffian? Were you scripting during the writers strike? No, I'll tell you what's happening! Observe, precognition at work:

Crackdown 3 will be rushed out within 18 months, you'll play the Cell cloned version of you and you'll have to wipe out a series of Agency strongholds across the exact same landscape, working your way towards the central tower, which will be another glorified stronghold.

You've stretched one game in to 2 in an infuriatingly obvious attempt to capitalise on a franchise. I don't know whats more frustrating, that you're turning into Bungie, or that it's probably going to work!

 

[Fearzone]

Strangely, this is the game that makes me wish I had an XBox 360. And this review I think explains exactly why.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Okay, one major problem with this game. The first Crackdown was one of my absolute favorites, but this was a huge letdown to me, and it wasn't mentioned in the review, which it certainly should be.

Another thing not mentioned in the review was how they left out the building interiors for missions.

In Crackdown 1 you had to strategically work your way through massive building complexes, taking down the minions while working your way slowly to to the bosses. It felt like a journey each time and was really rewarding.

The second game (while better in most areas) really suffered from its missions just being the same 'jump up to the beacon thingy' each time and the complete lack of interiors to explore was a real kick in the balls.

 

[dashiz94]

Good review, except this game is a MASSIVE pile of shit that sucks in more ways than one. I remember watching every single video and thinking, "so what does this do to differentiate itself from Prototype? Because I can still play that and have fun." Also, how come the graphics end up being WORSE than Prototype's when those were already pretty damn bad?

 

[Squeaky]

I thought i was the only person that was let down by Crackdown 2, they actually took stuff away from the first like the agency truck and vehicles dont transform, improve with your driving skill theres no missions as such. Plus whats the point in picking a face if all the charaters evolve to be the same generic charater atleast in the first CD they were all individual. Doesnt anyone remember the first game ?

 

[dalek sec]

I really liked this particular review for some reason. It had me laughing quite a bit.

Same here, glad to hear that Russ was having a field day enjoying the game.

 

[Darth Sea Bass]

I tried the demo last night and i have to say the controls are fucking retarded!