A Flawed Return To Pacific City
First, let me begin by saying I'm a huge fan of the first Crackdown. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop was a thrill, hunting down orbs was addictive, and the explosive combat was an adrenaline rush. But Crackdown 2 doesn't capture the same emotions. The return to Pacific City hopes to give the player new thrills with new kinds of Orbs, mission objectives, weapons, and enemies, but it just falls flat in comparison to the first. It's still fun, but held back by a series of control and gameplay flaws.
How can we enjoy a game when we suffer with the controls? Somehow, the seemingly perfect targeting system from the first game has received a horrible update. You'll become frustrated when you lock onto an explosive barrel over 50 feet away when there's a man with a shotgun directly in your face. The controls also don't feel as fluid. A huge part of Crackdown is the feeling of being a super powered agent, and with it comes the ability to race from rooftop to rooftop with ease, backhand thugs out of your way, and climb massive towers stunning fast. Now, you'll struggle over trying to grab onto ledges and turning your character in mid-air. You'll want to throw the controller as your agent punches a wall instead of a massive infected enemy ready to rip off your arms. And just like the first Crackdown, you'll scream as your agent ragdolls through the air and takes his sweet time to get up. It makes me wonder why they didn't bother to address this issue. It's these problems which really take away the fun moments the first game had to offer.
That said, there's still a lot of nice features to the game. The craving to collect orbs is still there, and they've added a radar feature to help you locate those sneaky hidden orbs. Renegade orbs (for both agility and driving) will have you running around the city like an idiot, hoping to eventually hear the satisfying noise of finally reaching the orb. Rooftop races, street races, and stunt markers return, as well as new objectives such as tactical points, infested breaches, and much more. These definitely help give the game a little more life, and I must admit tactical points are a very welcome addition. They're pretty much the same concept as the first, but this time you need to clear out massive amounts of enemies before earning the position.
And if you grow tired of single player, multiplayer is shockingly fun. It has all of the basic modes you can think of (deathmatch, team deathmatch), as well as a fun fun additions, such as rocket tag. Also, how can you forget about co-op? Taking to the streets of Pacitic City with 3 friends is always a joy.
I had high hopes for Crackdown 2. I wanted it to revive the thrills I had while playing the first, but in the end it just leaves me with a mediocre game. It feels like a massive add on pack, riddled with small gameplay annoyances and glitches. If you loved the first like I did, you'll find it in your heart to at the very least, take the game for what it is and enjoy it to some degree. But, if you're a first time visitor to Pacific City, it's unlikely you'll want to stay long before returning to Liberty City.
