$20 Game of the Week: Crackdown (Xbox 360)

I wanna see a show of hands people, and be honest. How many of you would have bought this game if not for the Halo 3 beta invite enclosed within? Anybody? Anybody? Bueller? Bueller? That’s a crying shame too, because while this game may not be Oblivion, or even Saint’s Row, this is one of the finest open-world games available on the Xbox 360. For good reason too, as David Jones, the original creator of Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings is the brains behind this package. Crackdown features a unique spin on sandbox gameplay, and its playing style encourages players to have as much fun as possible with it. Throwing in the Halo 3 beta invite wasn’t a bad idea either.

Crackdown can best be described as what Grand Theft Auto would be like if one were to play as a comic book super hero instead of a criminal. It’s an open-world sandbox game where you are free to do as you please. Players step into the roles of a genetically modified agent. Your goal is to take down three gangs; Los Muertos (a Latin street gang), the Volk (an Eastern European crime organization), and the Shai-Gen (a corporation with a Far East influence). Each gang is ran by several generals, each controlling a different aspect of that gang’s operation. Taking them out one by one increases your chances of being able to take down the kingpin. You have your choice of character models, and you can even change between them each time you load a saved game. Unfortunately for female players, none of these are female, and its a real shame, as these guys are pretty much nameless and voiceless. The real story here however, is that throughout the game, your agent’s stats can develop in 5 different stats (strength, firearms, driving, explosives, and agility), enabling you to build him into a powerhouse. As your stats increase, your agent changes form right before your eyes. Increasing your agility enables you to move faster and leap further across the city rooftops, increasing your driving skills enables you to access the special weaponry on agency vehicles, while an increased explosives skill allows you to create bigger and deadlier explosions.

In most open world games, a main part of the fun is simply running around and causing chaos. Crackdown is no exception. Weather you’re scaling rooftops, blowing up cars with limpet charges, or just shooting at every random passerby, Crackdown has something for everyone. However, its greatest strength tends to be its biggest liability. It’s openness leads to a lack of structure at times. There are no individual missions to speak of, you just go after each of the kingpins in whichever order you wish. There are no start points, or cinemas (besides the intro and ending of course), and if you aren’t going after a gang leader, then you’re just cruising around town gaining stats. Some players may enjoy not being tied down by the plot. It seems as though the developers weren’t so much concerned about making the storyline interesting as they were with allowing people to have fun with the game, and Crackdown succeeds at that. Achievement hunters will enjoy the things they can do to increase their score, such as juggling a dead body and scaling to the top of the agency tower. Two player co-op is available, and a friend can drop in anytime over Xbox Live. Players will also want to check out the downloadable content. The ‘Free-for-all’ pack, available for free (obviously), adds a car impound feature along with a ‘God Mode’, which turns off achievements and allows players to spawn items, adjust their agent’s stats, and set the gang presence to whatever level they choose. The ‘Gettin Busy’ pack, available for 800 Microsoft points, adds in new weapons, vehicles, and street races.

Fans of open-world games will do well to pick this up. It may not be the magnum opus Grand Theft Auto is, but it’s flat out fun. Sadly, there are no plans for a sequel, as with a few improvements, this game could give most other sandbox games a run for their money.