Crackdown – Something old, something new, something borrowed something…blue?

 
I’ve played the demo a great deal and I’ve had an opportunity to experience what the game offers beyond a casual play through.

 
There are a number of comparisons being made to the Grand Theft Auto franchise and on the surface level it seems like that.  More accurately and I’ve seen more and more people making this accurate comparison to Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.  Much like Hulk, you have a wide open city which you have the opportunity to explore, but with an additional angle of being able to explore the city with vehicles as well as on foot.  The parts where it resembles GTA is the janky controls and dodgy camera.  As uncooperative and challenging as the camera and the controls can be at times the thing that makes up for the shortcomings of the game is the fun.

I had SO much fun playing the demo.  There was always something for me to do.  To go explore, or to collect.

Maybe I just really want to play a “roof-jumping” game and that’s why I love the game so much but jumping from building to building was incredibly fun as far as I am concerned.  The character progression although boosted for the demo has the potential to offer tonnes and tonnes of opportunity to try different things when you’re playing the game.  The exploration and character progression is just part of the overall game as you also have the storyline itself to complete.  Each gang has a big boss and beneath that boss are a number of lieutenants that all provide various services for the gang they are with.

I’ve played it enough times to start understanding what kind of impact taking down the lieutenants have on your gameplay.  After playing it a few times I went after the chick that’s in charge of recruiting.  It was difficult but I took her down first and then after that, going after the other lieutenants was different due to the fact that there weren’t as many gang members to take down because I had killed the recruitment lieutenant.  Still not sure what affect the other lieutenants have on the progress you make against the gang you’re doing battle with but it’s interesting to see the choices you make actually impact the overall city.

So to go back to the title of the post.

Something old about the game?

The ugly controls and camera work from Grand Theft Auto.

Something new?

The draw distance.  Yes the graphics are slightly simple cell-shaded graphics (think modified Ultimate Spider-Man on the Xbox) but as you zoom in, there actually is some impressive detail.  The reason for the simple graphics (I believe) allows you to see way, way, WAY into the distance.  You can spot green agility orbs from super far away and then make a beeline for it.  It’s impressive and super cool.

Something borrowed?

Your agent being a normal sized, green-free Hulk.  Leaping from building to building.  Picking up bundles of pipes and throwing them into a crowd of gangers.  When you see the bundle of pipes break apart at impact, bouncing around and taking out gangers is such a wonderful moment.

There are events scattered all over the city as well as things to find.  It really is a sand box game because you could play it for hours and hours it seems and never actually touch the storyline at all.

< -- sighs happily

Something blue?

Uhm…yeah…I got nothing.  I am “blue” because I have to start over again each time I play the game, although I’m not that upset because the demo is hella fun.

If you want your hand held even a little bit when you play a game, then Crackdown definitely won’t be for you.  If you’re the type of gamer that loves things being wide open.  Giving you an opportunity to explore the game as well as “break” the game, then Crackdown will be for you.

I have a PS2 game called Psi Ops.  Eventually, you can break the game.  With the mind powers you acquire, you can shred the game, making yourself virtually invulnerable and you can just mow through enemies.  Of course it takes a while to build up to that but you eventually become “godly” and then the game becomes wide open giving you an opportunity to be creative.   I can see that happening in Crackdown as well, once some of your skills, or all of your skills get max’d.  I’m looking forward to it… a lot.  I would have bought it even if it doesn’t come with the Halo 3 beta.  I think it will sell scads more because of the Halo 3 beta which is fine with me.  Gives the programmers more impetus to work on Crackdown 2 and blow the doors off.

My older brother, or some of my nephews could play Crackdown, power through it and beat the game in a few hours.  They’d shrug, say the game is alright and then move onto the next game.  The game would be wasted on them.  Crackdown should be savoured, not chugged.

When it comes out, add me as a friend.  I’ll be the cat jumping over buildings, chucking uber-grenades down to the ground below.

:D