Hands On with CrackDown 2 – Section 2
OK, got a nice rest already? Well get ready for the kicking ss game review. Yeah, let’s continue our battle with the evil guys in the city!
Fortunately, there are plenty of bad guys to help you vent your frustration. The enemies arrayed against you come in two varieties. Your human enemies, the Cell, are dedicated to fighting you and your agency; your zombielike enemies, the Freaks, viciously slaughter anyone they see. At the outset of the game, you are told about both factions, assigned a few different combat-based objective types, and set loose in the city. Fighting men and monsters can be enjoyable while increasing your available arsenal and melee strength is rewarding. The deadly sticking power of the harpoon gun and the Jedi-like area effect of the UV shotgun are highlights, and the weapons you find in the environment can be just as fun. Bashing enemies with lampposts, bus stations, and park benches is an enjoyable way to flex your power, and throwing vehicles is an evergreen source of amusement.
At the same time, combat in Crackdown 2 is pretty simplistic. In the early going, you can shoot and punch your way through enemies fairly easily. And when the going gets tough, the tough jump around with a rocket launcher and duck behind buildings to regenerate health. Laying waste to lots of enemies is still inherently satisfying, as long as you don’t get caught by knockdown attacks or explosions. Both cause you to rag doll and roll around limply for an annoying amount of time, leaving you powerless to defend yourself against repeated attacks. Ultimately, the problem with combat is that it is centered around repetitive objectives. You can only clear out so many Cell strongholds and Freak lairs before they begin to feel the same.
You can mix things up by driving around the city in any car you choose or by summoning an agency car at a drop point. The agency cars handle the best and have special abilities, making them the most fun, though other cars have radios installed so you can hear actual music while you drive. The cracked pavement can give you some trouble, but races, stunt rings, and renegade orbs provide good incentive to get behind the wheel. These objectives not only encourage you to broaden your exploration, they take you places that you wouldn’t otherwise travel on foot. Just be ready for some trouble if you drive during the day. Pacific City’s civilians think nothing of gathering en masse and wandering into the street in an effort to become roadkill and especially love to congregate on broad street corners. It’s very difficult not to massacre civilians while driving, and violent police retaliation against you is the annoying result. Of course, police intervention is just another excuse to indulge in some superpowered mayhem, which is one of the chief pleasures the game offers.
The Crackdown 2 campaign can be played cooperatively over Xbox Live, letting up to four players romp around one city at a time. If you join a game, you can keep any orbs you grab or attributes you improve, though only the host keeps campaign-related progress. There are some bonus orbs that can only be collected with at least two players present, and there’s more than enough opportunity for cooperative (or not so cooperative) fun to make teaming up worthwhile. Playing chicken in stolen trucks, punching your buddy off of a rooftop, or having a corpse-throwing contest are just some of the amusing activities you can improvise in this open world. The competitive multiplayer is not nearly as amusing, offering a paltry three modes that cover the basics (shoot each other, shoot the guy carrying the thing) but don’t offer a particularly enjoyable or deep experience.
What Crackdown 2 does offer is a whole bunch of room to have fun. Exploring the vast city, grabbing orbs, pulling off stunts, and flexing your abilities can keep you entertained for hours, and it’s even more enjoyable when you have some friends along to add their own sparks of diversion. The lack of a narrative makes the campaign feel directionless and repetitive, and the different flavors of action are all tainted in one way or another. This game doesn’t significantly build on or vastly improve any of the features of its predecessor, so those with high hopes for a stellar sequel will be disappointed. Still, Crackdown 2’s core action and appeal remain very strong, and there is great potential for cooperative mayhem, making this a fun stop on your summer videogame tour.
Well this is really fun exciting game, but as a result it might spend you a little more time than usual to finish, worth it though, some people just couldn’t get enough of game time, Huh…
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