Crack(Down) Addict!

From the creator of the Grand Theft Auto series for PS2, Crackdown comes to the XBOX360 with explosive results. From the moment you begin the game you are thrust into a vast, open cityscape to act as judge and jury to the city's ever-growing criminal population. Everything you do in the game enhances your player's abilities and the more you grow the more freedom you have to explore the city's many districts. The game is pretty much GTA for the good guys and it works extremely well.

As you begin the game, you quickly come to learn that you are a super-powered agent of Pacific City's top law enforcement agency tasked with taking out the city's 21 crime bosses. From the outset you have the ability to jump higher than normal and lift heavy objects. As you explore the city, you can pick up orbs that increase your agility, driving skills, explosives, strength, and weapon abilities. Eventually you will level up each skill and reach amazing jumping heights up to 30 feet and throwing distances of over 200 feet.

The nice thing about Crackdown's design is that it rewards you no matter how you choose to play the game. If you like driving, your driving skills will level up the more you do it. If you prefer hand to hand combat over ranged-weapons then your strength grows. I personally had the most fun jumping everywhere I went thus increasing my agility. Everything you do in the game enhances your character which in turn unlocks new paths and choices. One area where the game could have succeeded better is in the amount of goal-oriented content. Once the bosses are all defeated there are no more main goals in the game. The only thing really motivating the player to continue playing is the hunt for hidden orbs and the further leveling up of your character. Luckily, the game is fun enough to play even without a central goal present.

The graphics come up a little short compared to some of the more impressive games for the XBOX360. The models look pretty low-poly and the buildings lack detail. The water looks very nice and reflects the sunlight and skyline but when you jump in it does not react at all. You merely hear a splash sound. With a game world as expansive as Crackdown's it would have been impossible to make everything super-detailed I'm sure. A toon-style shader is used to draw a thick outline around characters to make them look more comic-book like but I don't really think it enhances anything. It comes off as a way to mask some of the less-than-perfect visuals.

Where the visuals REALLY succeed is when you make it to a tall vantage point and look at your surroundings. The city is enormous and you can see all of it. The best part is that you will be able to visit all of the places that you see. Everything is scalable and there are highways that connect the entire city for seamless transitions between the different areas. However, very few landmarks are memorable and it is easy to lose your sense of direction. To remedy this, the game gives you helpful indicators on your map to keep you on track. Aside from some generic designs, minor slowdown, and an overall lack of detail in the environments, the graphics are crisp and never hurt the fun factor.

The control in Crackdown is spot-on and very intuitive. Anyone who has familiarized themselves with Grand Theft Auto will be able to jump right in since the control is practically identical. I never felt really comfortable behind the wheel and maybe that is why I chose not to do much driving. There are a few cars that handle great but the majority of them felt unresponsive. I have no complaints about platforming and combat though. They are great and I always felt that I was totally in control of what was happening. With such an emphasis on vertical platforming, the game could have easily been crippled by a poor camera but thankfully the camera works great and very seldom causes unexpected results.

The game soundtrack includes a lot of lesser known artists but is pretty good. It is nice knowing that Mexican acts such as Molotov and Control Machete are getting licensed and heard in the American market. Sadly, this games' soundtrack does not have the same marketability as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's 80's soundtrack but it is solid and accompanies the on-screen action well. The scored music also feels appropriately epic and only helps to round off a great sound design. Sound effects for individual weapons are great and explosions really pack a punch. The in-game narrator and commentator is sometimes repetitive but they chose a great voice-actor. This is another area that I have no complaints about.

I am addicted to Crackdown. As soon as I beat the main missions in the game I couldn't put down the controller. I jumped right back in to continue my character's growth and unlock more Achievements. It is awesome to finally play a GTA-style game as the good guys and I think that will be one of the game's major selling points. Well, that and the free invitation to beta-test Halo 3.