Expansion Pack for a Sequel Price
First off, the Crackdown formula from the original game translates well into this title with little nuances of change. The targeting system that spun me into mini-fits of rage in the last title has not changed a bit. Looking for orbs has gotten a bit old, but for the achievement faithful the search can still provide a torturous addiction that bears the fruit of a 30G or 40G reward accentuated by the Pavlovian unlock sound. So plug all these elements into a new character, storyline, and new city...wait...it's the same fucking city from the first game. Actually, since Pacific City has undergone some destruction, there is arguably less city in this game than the last game! It seriously takes a lot of gall for a video game producer to use the exact same model for the environment of their sequel. The weapons are lame, the missions are lame, the storyline is downright uninteresting. Had I not enjoyed the first Crackdown so much, I probably wouldn't have held such high standards for this game. I faintly remember the previews and promotional footage of this game inciting feelings of joy and anxiousness for its release.
Yes, there is 4-player co-op but the game itself as far as mission structure (run here, call in a helicopter, defend area, activate platform, run to next area, repeat) is so underwhelming that I had zero interest in playing with anyone. Perhaps the most rusty dagger in the heart of Crackdown 2's problems is that of the "voice of the agency." When I failed a mission due to targeting a car instead of the asshole shooting rockets at me (and I swear the cars have targeting reticule magnets under the hood) the last thing I needed to hear is the voice of the agency screaming at me. Yes, you can disable the voice in the options, but he often gives you mission cues such as what to do next or when another wave of enemies are incoming thus making him a necessary evil.
Overall, the game is short, uninspired and repetitive. I was gravely disappointed in the role the "freaks" played in the game. I was hoping there would be a lot more immersion into that storyline. Also, dear developers out there, audio logs are becoming an annoying trend and come off to me as a lazy way to fill in your narrative. Bioshock used them successfully because it added to an already amazing storyline. When audio logs are used to tell the story almost entirely, it takes away from the flow of the game's presentation. Games that successfully tell a story are those that have you experience it. Listening to retarded, melodramatic voice actors explain important plot elements via a device I had to climb a building to find is a lazy out.
