Crackdown 2 – Review

In Crackdown 2, your first step is the greatest. It may be the heavy stride of one clodhopping size nine in front of another, but from that sluggish step you embark upon a journey that will turn your Agent from a lumbering oaf into a nimble athlete. Barely being able to jump onto a car roof, let alone scale tall buildings, is insult enough for Crackdown veterans to take off the metaphorical gloves and begin orb consumption.

A decade has elapsed since the conclusion of the original Crackdown, and Pacific City is in one hell of a state. Although recognisable, your surroundings are a dilapidated version of that which you previously bounded around. Infighting has taken its toll and familiar sights lie in ruin, either gutted by fire or razed to the ground entirely. By day, a revolutionary force called The Cell looks to bring down the Agency; and by night, mutants known as Freaks roam the streets, preying upon innocent civilians. With the city on the brink, the Agency spawn you, a genetically enhanced Agent whose sole aim is restoring order.

Combat has changed little, with the option to punch, shoot, blow up or drive over those who oppose you. Each time you perform one of those action you’ll gain XP in that area, eventually making you more proficient in its deadly art and unlocking more devastating tools. Soon, your initial batch of grenades and guns will look like mere pop caps and peashooters compared to the massive firearms and screen-filling explosions that you bring to bear.

The mission structure has been overhauled and is now split into three strands, with the main one centring on eradicating the Freak epidemic by activating a number of “beacons” throughout the city. Each is activated by flicking switches scattered over the rooftops, before descending into the Freaks’ lair to protect a slow-charging UV bomb. The other pair involves action aboveground, retaking strategic locations from both the Freaks and Cell. These are less about babysitting warheads and more about cleaning up the surrounding neighbourhood by any means necessary.

All, however, are broadly comparable to Gears’ Horde mode, but their set-piece nature allows the environment around them to dictate and vary pace. Early strongholds can easily be controlled as they take place in flat, open areas, but as they gain verticality, along with heavier weapons or tougher fighters, their challenge increases. But so too do your options, and rather than just opening up with a machine gun, laughing manically at the crumpling mass of Freaks, you’ll be able to leap up behind snipers and pull them from their perches, toss grenades into fortifications or jump from a great height down into their ranks to let your fists do the talking.

Combat on the whole is perfunctory. The AI’s difficulty is only scaled by the weapons which they hold, and most are only intelligent enough to point the barrel in the correct direction. With a lock-on feature that works adequately, it’s easy enough to take down enemies by simply holding both triggers.

Of course, combat is not the reason why people play Crackdown, it’s the distraction between your latest attempt to scale the city’s skyline. To my mind, Crackdown was the modern evolution of 3D platforming. Whereas Mario may have his stars and coins, Agent has his orbs; and every one is placed temptingly just out of reach, daring you to try and grab it. At almost every level of your agility upgrades you feel that you could reach every green, humming sphere, and it’s a testament to the design and realisation of the city itself that that feeling exists. Whether it be through a cunning use of a neighbouring building, or a quirk in the hits, there seems to be few limitations. Those that do exist don’t frustrate, instead they protect further secrets and will have you hurrying back with the next upgrade.

The sense of freedom when bounding from rooftop to rooftop, soaring high over the streets below, is enough for the Agency vehicles to yet again become redundant. Given the choice of driving along a limited road network or the unhindered exhilaration of not quite knowing whether you’re going to make that jump of not but wanting to try it anyway, is a staggeringly easy answer. Someone should show Faith the Agency’s take on parkour.

If everything is sounding rosy, then that is indeed the case, with the highly enjoyable platforming carrying the game whilst the sandbox combat and variety of roof and road races act as complementary distractions should you tire of the rooftops. The trouble is, I feel we’ve been here before. The inclusion of a new glide suit and moving orbs do little to offset that for the most part Crackdown 2 is identical to its predecessor. The differentiators are only subtle and are further offset by a collection of niggles. Despite the tweaked engine, poor texture resolution and a very grey city make the second less attractive; handling doesn’t feel as smooth; a narrative that seems an afterthought; and although nostalgic twangs are fun, revisiting Pacific City holds very few surprises. The change in developer could play a factor in these, but overall it feels as though someone has tried to recreate an experience rather than evolve or refine it.

Since the original, many sandbox games have come along. Prototype, inFamous, Saints Row, et al, have all given their creative twist on the GTA template, but whereas many have become bogged down in convoluted tales and missions, Crackdown sticks to its guns. For better or for worse. Its freeform nature may be a facsimile of the original but its lack of shackles proves the differentiator. This is not a title that will absorb you due to its depth and complexity; this is a game where you and your friends can juggle cars on rooftops.

That is, if you don’t get distracted by the green glow in your peripheral vision.