Crackdown 2 Preview

Posted by AJ McGahran at 6:52pm on May 26th, 2010

The original Crackdown (developed by Realtime Worlds) initially garnered a great deal of attention. This was likely because of its attachment to the Halo 3 multiplayer beta; however, after a bit of playtime and some critical acclaim, it was apparent that Crackdown was much more than a $60 ticket to preview Master Chief on the Xbox 360. Fast forward three years and you have now brought peace to Pacific City and are eagerly awaiting the follow-up to the game that put a refreshing spin on the sandbox genre. Things, however, are not necessarily how they appear.

Upon completion of Crackdown, you were lauded for your work in the removal of some of the most dangerous organized gangs of Pacific City. You were hailed as a hero, but in actuality you only eliminated the opposition so that the Agency could rule with an iron fist. Over the course of ten years in Pacific City, the freaks that underwent Shai-Gen bioengineering and were released during one of your raids began to take control of sectors of the city. The citizens formed an underground rebellion to combat both the power-hungry Agency and the blood-crazed freaks. Things spiraled out of control with the entire city once again becoming a warzone. The Agency’s power is slipping, the humans fear for their lives, and the freaks are continuing to terrorize everyone that they encounter. Welcome back to Pacific City, agent.

In Crackdown 2, there are three main factions that exist in a power struggle for control of Pacific City: the Agency, the freaks, and the Cell. The Agency, like in Crackdown 1, is the authoritarian peace-keeping organization whose motives are still shrouded in mystery. The freaks are the bioengineered product of Shai-Gen research that have taken over the sewers and parts of the city and terrorize ordinary citizens after sunset. They are a nocturnal group that is susceptible to ultraviolet light. The Cell is the human response to these organizations simply fighting for survival and the opportunity to retake the city.

In the ten year interim between the Crackdown 1 and Crackdown 2 stories, the Cell was able to shut down the agent program and the Agency lost control of all of Pacific City except the Agency tower. During the onset of Crackdown 2, the Agency is finally making its move against the freaks and the Cell by reinstating the agent program. This is where you come in.

Unlike the original, Crackdown 2 is designed with multiplayer in mind. The original was very much a single player game where a friend could join; Crackdown 2, however, focuses on a four-player cooperative campaign. That is not to say that you cannot play Crackdown 2 solo, but there are objectives in place where playing with friends will make your life a lot easier. In addition to co-op play, Crackdown 2 also contains a competitive multiplayer mode. This mode is a deathmatch mode at heart and features up to 16 agents facing off in Pacific City.

Another difference between Crackdown 2 and the original is that the sequel does not follow a linear progression to a gang kingpin through his subordinates. Instead, you have much more say in how peace is once again restored. As always, running into the streets with your guns blazing is an option; however, there are also much more subtle ways of getting the job done in Crackdown 2.

For instance, some missions involve gaining control of Cell establishments. Therefore, if you take out a Cell-operated power plant and disable the lights in these regions, the Cell establishments will be vulnerable to freak attacks (since they do not have UV light to defend themselves). This could result in an all-out onslaught between the Cell and the freaks, making it much easier for you to take control of the objective location. Though employing a run-and-gun strategy could have been just as effective, key examples such as this can show the benefit of holstering your gun temporarily in order to more closely examine and utilize your surroundings.

Over the course of Crackdown 2, your agent will use a variety of gadgets such as a revamped Supercar, an Agency Buggy, choppers, UV shotguns, homing rocket launchers, and mags (sticky grenades that can be used to create magnetic bonds between objects for use in combat, travel, and a wide variety of other things) among others in order to take down Cell strongholds and eliminate the freak threat. Like in Crackdown 1, your agent will level up by obtaining skill orbs relevant to the abilities being used. With a combination of high skill levels and these Agency gadgets, your Agent should possess the tools to once again retake Pacific City. We’ll just have to wait until July 6th (or July 9th for those in Europe) to see if Ruffian Games is able to retake gamers’ attention and deliver the high-octane sequel that we have come to expect with the Crackdown title.

Microsoft | Previews | Xbox 360

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