A fun distraction, but cracks in this fun title bring it down.
US Release Date: 2007
Genre(s): Action, Third-Person Shooter, Adventure
Platform(s): Xbox 360
Version Reviewed: Xbox 360
Publisher(s): Microsoft Game Studios
Developer(s): Realtime Worlds
# of Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: Mature - Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
Story: Welcome to Pacific City, Agent. Violent gangs have taken over the streets and the police force is undermanned and outgunned. As an experimental supersoldier, it's up to you to put out the raging flames of corruption...with bigger flames. More specifically, with automatic weapons, powerful explosives, and superhuman kung fu grip. You're basically RoboCop, except you have the ability to jump much higher. And you're also not an undead cyborg.
Beyond that, the story is pretty paper-thin: there's nothing here besides the orders of your disembodied boss, who mostly just instructs you to assassinate gang leaders and their various underlings (as if you were really going to do anything else). There is no bitter crusade for vengeance, no journey to discover a hidden treasure, no engrossing side-quests. There isn't even any time limit or driving force to motivate you to complete the primary story missions, which ends up being fine, because these events don't add anything mind-blowing to the plot anyway. Forming any sort of sympathy or understanding for any of the characters - even your own - is more or less impossible. But when you're so busy having fun taking out the criminal trash, who really cares? If you're into a style-over-substance game that's basically the exact opposite of reading a book, then "Crackdown" will definitely be right up your alley.
Graphics: Say what you will about cel-shading in video games, there's no denying that when it's done effectively - as a gimmick or otherwise - it creates an undeniably sleek-looking piece of eye candy. Everything from your character, to the soaring skyscrapers of this crime-ridden metropolis, to the bright and abundant explosions that litter the screen - all of it's bordered with bold, black lines and significant style. Each gang's turf adds its own unique visual flavor to the sprawling tapestry that is Pacific City, making landmarks and territories easy to identify. Sometimes standing on the top of a towering high-rise and just taking in the vibrant, stretching cityscape is enough to blow your socks right off. Maybe even a toe hair or two.
Unfortunately, not everything in "Crackdown" has received the same level of high-gloss attention: there are semi-frequent instances of jagged edges, things glitching through other things they shouldn't be, and a whole lot of recycled environments and layouts marring the shiny surface of something that could have been considered visually above-average if not for these issues. Still, there's definitely more than enough flashy, volatile craziness unfolding on the screen at any given moment to outweigh the mediocre elements apparent here.
Sound/Music: If there's one thing that screams rushed and unfinished in "Crackdown," it's the subpar music and sound design. Every gun sounds tinny and weak, giving off the impression that your character is paintballing gang members to death (which would admittedly be an incredibly crappy way to go). The soundtrack is comprised mostly of ambient, trancey tunes, and generic-sounding industrial electorock - overall, nothing memorable. Even the voice acting, which is incredibly limited, is also incredibly forgettable, lacking any real energy or soul. In fact, some of the voice actors sound downright bored to be a part of this story; but, in all honesty, who can blame them? The script has no plot.
Gameplay: With development of "Crackdown" helmed by original "Grand Theft Auto" creator David Jones, it's no wonder that the free-roaming, carjacking, gun-blasting craziness is strong with this one. Much like GTA, the mission system can be accessed anytime the player feels appropriate. Prefer to beat up random thugs to add new weapons to your arsenal? Go for it. Like completing random side-missions to increase your skills? The world is your oyster. Want to take on the head-honcho, badass boss right off the bat? That's all you, champ. No matter how you choose to play it, "Crackdown" never pressures you with time limits or the constraints of silly fetch quests. Rest assured, you can be your own man/woman/sentient creature with this one.
Side-quests mainly consist of timed checkpoint races (both on foot and in cars), although various achievement points can be unlocked by completing random tasks, such as discovering hidden supply depots or pulling off stunts in any of the game's various vehicles. Unfortunately, these are mild distractions at best, really only meant for hardcore completionists (a.k.a. achievement/trophy whores), and rarely serve as anything more than mindless time-wasters. To call them "side-quests" at all is rather misleading, as they completely lack substance and the rewards for finishing them are meager in comparison to the amount of work the player has to put in.
Even the main missions, especially the sub-boss and boss fights, are passengers aboard the snore-train's one-way voyage to Snoreville. While there's some light "strategy" elements to these - which really just consist of weakening an area's main boss by taking out their lieutenants/sub-bosses - most battles involve standing somewhere somewhat out of the line of fire and unloading clip after clip of ammo into your target's clueless dome-piece. In case you need backup for these underwhelming encounters, online co-op is available, allowing a second Agent to jump into these lackluster face-offs. Now you can both share in the delight of unrelenting repetition. You can even ramp up the difficulty level, so you can really get your bathing suit areas kicked in, adding frustration to the already redundant quests. Yay?
Fortunately, the most fun that can be found in "Crackdown" isn't dictated by any mission parameters, but rather by how much of an obsessive hoarder you are. Almost every action you complete yields experience "orbs" that your character uses to increase proficiency in five main fields: agility (how fast you can run/how far and high you can jump), strength (how hard you can punch in an enemy's face/how far you can throw increasingly heavier things), driving (how awesome your Agency vehicles are), explosives (how big of a blast you can make and how much it hurts), and firearms (how accurate you can shoot). What types of orbs you run across are determined by what you decide to do. For instance, shoot a gang member in the face, and chances are he'll drop a bunch of orbs that will level up your firearms skill. However, choose to throw a car at the same enemy's face like you're the effing Hulk, and bask in the bounty of strength orbs. How you choose to play will determine how badass your character is at different things, and to be honest, it's a hell of a lot of fun just combing the streets for trouble in a quest to max out your skills. Hidden bonus orbs scattered about the city are also available to stumble upon, and seeking them out will keep you busy for hours.
Overall: Take one part "Grand Theft Auto," one part action-RPG, and one part goofy-ass cartoon, and you've got yourself "Crackdown": a ride worth taking, if you can overlook some of its more glaring issues and just appreciate it for the intense power fantasy that it is. While the content isn't deep in any sort of way, there's hours and hours worth of crap to do in Pacific City. If you end up maxing out all your stats, the ability to walk around kicking the ass of anyone and anything you see is well worth the grinding. Ironically-named, "Crackdown" is one hell of an addicting sandbox-style gaming fix.
Rating (out of 5): 3.5
