Refilling the cracks.

Review
Crackdown 2
Xbox 360

Being an Agent in Pacific City when playing the original Crackdown was one of the most surprising and fun games to grace the consoles presence back in 2007 and we find ourselves in pretty much the same spot today with Crackdown 2.

Three years have passed since the original story was unfolded and Pacific City has never looked worse. The town has been run down by an overwhelming number of ‘Freaks’ and you’re back to stop the madness before it totally gets out of control.

As an Agent of the Agency, you find yourself in familiar boots. Levelling up your skills are exactly the same as before. You shot someone? You get experience points for your shooting skill. You’ve blown something up? You know where I’m going with this and that’s part of the problem with Crackdown 2, it’s all very predictable.

While the main campaign objectives are incredibly repetitive there are enough side missions to be getting on with while you’re progressing through and you can even play the whole with with up to three other players to make the whole thing a little less tedious.

Playing solo in Crackdown 2 really won’t be showing you the game in its best light; it really needs to be experienced with some friends who you can talk to and sort out what you’re going to do next and how you’re going to do it.

The variety of weapons available is small in numbers but become highly effective if you manage to select the right combination against the certain types of enemy which is where the co-operative action really comes into play. Jumping around hurling rockets and grenades which can attach a friend’s car to another friend’s helicopter really is an experience to behold and this is where the game shines brightest.
Toy Box gaming is Crackdown 2’s forte. Being in a playground on your own is no fun and neither is Pacific City. You can run about and collect the many orbs, level up your strength and throw a friend across the river or even accidently get a shotgun which will launch him off a tall building.

If you have never played a Crackdown game before then you would probably be better off buying the original at a cheaper price considering they’re so similar but if you’re looking for more Crackdown then here you have it - pure co-operative fun in a box.

8/10

The best releases this week

Limbo – XBLA – 1200 MS Points