Something went wrong. Try again later
    Follow

    Crackdown

    Franchise »

    Crackdown is a series of third-person, action-adventure games where you play as a genetically enhanced Agent.

    Short summary describing this franchise.

    Crackdown last edited by MelodicVirus on 01/22/23 03:44AM View full history

    Overview

    Crackdown is a series of third-person, action-adventure games published by Xbox Game Studios. The series was originally created by Dave Jones, a developer who initially conceptualized the Grand Theft Auto series and Lemmings.

    Each game in the series generally takes place in a futuristic urban environment and players assume the role of an Agent, a genetically-enhanced operative assigned by the Agency to defend a major city from criminal syndicates, viral outbreaks, or acts of cyber-terrorism.

    Main Games

    Crackdown (2007)

    The first game in the series, Crackdown released in February 2007 as an Xbox 360 exclusive. It was developed by Realtime Worlds. The game bases itself around a power struggle between three criminal organizations in the large metropolis of Pacific City, and ultimately tasks the player with eliminating each of the 21 gang bosses found across the city.

    Crackdown was acclaimed for its gameplay design and high draw distances, but drew criticism for lacking a coherent story. Nevertheless, Crackdown went on to become a commercial success, reaching high sales charts across North America, Japan and Europe - largely due in part to the game being bundled with Halo 3 beta keys. The game is retrospectively viewed as the best in the series, and also as one of the best games released for the Xbox 360.

    Crackdown 2 (2010)

    Crackdown 2 released in July 2010, again as an Xbox 360 exclusive. It takes place 10 years after the first game and focuses on a post-apocalyptic Pacific City which has been ravaged by flesh-eating monsters referred to as Freaks. Due to the Agency's response to the outbreak, a group of civilians have formed a resistance group called Cell, led by ex-Agency scientist Catalina Thorne.

    Crackdown 2 initially released to mixed reviews. While the game gained positive reception for its improved story and gameplay mechanics, many reviewers noted the game's heavy similarities to the original.

    Crackdown 3 (2019)

    The latest game in the series, Crackdown 3, released in February 2019 for Xbox One and PC. Taking place 10 years after the previous game, Crackdown 3 revolves around an evil organization called TerraNova - who are responsible several blackouts across the world. The Agency have been deployed to the city of New Providence to dismantle TerraNova and confront its leader, Elizabeth Niemand.

    Releasing for Xbox Game Pass, Crackdown 3 gained mixed to negative reception. Many people noted a lack of innovation in gameplay design when compared to previous games.

    Spin-Offs

    Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst (2010)

    NA

    Development

    Origins of Crackdown

    Development on Crackdown began in 2002, and was scheduled to release in 2005 for the original Xbox. By early 2004, the developers at Realtime Worlds already had a working demo of the game and were requested by Microsoft to release the game for the upcoming Xbox 360 instead. Crackdown's development cycle switched to the Xbox 360 around this time, with an expected release window for 2006. The game was delayed in early 2006 due to problems concerning the game's updated engine.

    Near the end of the game's development cycle, Crackdown was viewed unfavourably by game testers - which concerned both the developers and Microsoft. As a result, Microsoft decided to bundle the game with beta keys to Halo 3's multiplayer - which resulted in a strong initial boost to the game's sales when it released in February 2007.

    Trivia

    • Originally, the first Crackdown had playable female Agents. However this idea was scrapped before the game released.
    sizepositionchange
    sizepositionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    bordersheaderpositiontable
    positionchange

    This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.