Crackdown 2 feels like a product of the sandbox boom earlier this generation, when all a game needed to do was create a large sprawling world, and give you a few simple tools to wreak havoc. Those days have passed, and gamers should demand more from their games.
Although I never had the opportunity to play the original Crackdown, I heard enough about it and saw enough video of the game to get a sense of what it was about, and how it might feel to play the game for myself. With only those impressions in mind I downloaded the new Crackdown 2 demo on Xbox Live, and loading it up, my suspicions regarding the first game were confirmed. The game was exactly what I imagined the first game to be. But this left me wondering how this upcoming release would differentiate itself both from its three year old predecessor, as well as other examples of open-world third-person action/shooters.
The first thing you'll do in the demo is to secure a drop-zone for your allied Agency forces. The area is overrun with enemies of your opposing faction, The Cell. You are tasked with eliminating all forces in the area by any means necessary. Upon completing this small encounter, I already had serious doubts about the game which mostly related to interaction with the environment, and enemies within it.
For the most part gun combat in Crackdown 2 consists of locking on to a target, selecting a specific body-part to fire on, and then firing. Attacking different body parts yields different results, for example damaging the arms of enemies prevents them firing their weapons. That's about it. It's interesting that this method of selecting specific body parts was included, but unless there are specific enemies or boss fights that require to you focus on weak points, it's always going to be more effective to just shoot your opponent repeatedly in the head.
The real issue with the gun combat isn't in what part of the body you're targeting, it's whether you're able to target an enemy at all. Most objects in the environment are targetable including enemies, vehicles and all manner of explosives. This wouldn't be an issue, however once you're locked on to a target there's no ability to cycle through other possible targets. This forces you to line up targets so they're squarely in front of you before locking on, and leaves you to deselect and reselect a target if you accidentally lock on to a truck behind them. The problem isn't quite so prevalent in smaller skirmishes, but the problem only escalates in large scale battles. The fact that Crackdown 2 failed in such a critical aspect of any good shooter, when so many other games in the genre succeed with competent lock-on systems, or snap-to-target aim assist, is an incredible oversight.
Fortunately gun combat is not the only option for taking down foes. Melee combat, picking up large objects and throwing them at enemies, and mowing people down with vehicles are all options open to you. The only problem is each of these options are flawed in their own way. The melee combat feels like an afterthought, as it consists of just one button which you press over and over again to "combo" attacks. The animation for the combat feels clunky as well, with animations starting stopping one after another, rather than linking into each other fluidly. Picking up cars and hurling them at enemies is fun at first, but the time it takes to pick it up, line up a target, and chuck it at them means you'll take a lot of damage just trying to pull it off. Driving feels exactly the way it should for a game of this type, and makes short work of large numbers of enemies, however it's not always going to be an option.
Graphically, Crackdown 2 is crisp and clean - but perhaps a little too much so. The art style is somewhat similar to the concept art look of Borderlands, but while that style enhanced the look of that particular game, I feel like it detracts from the experience in this case. The end result leaves cars and character models feeling like pop-outs in a child's storybook, rather than components of a cohesive world.
The one aspect of Crackdown 2 that has the potential to bring back fans of the original is the return of Orbs. Hundreds of floating orbs are scattered all over Pacific City, and different types of orbs confer different bonuses. Agility Orbs that increase your agility skill are often found in high up locations or on precarious ledges. Driving orbs which race around the streets must be chased down with a vehicle to skill up your driving, and secret orbs that level up all your skills are carefully hidden in out of sight areas.
While fans of the original Crackdown will be excited about collecting each and every one of these orbs, I just couldn't wade through the poor environment design. I had honestly thought we moved past the days of trying to grab on to sides of buildings that look grabbable, only to find they are not. Crackdown 2 encourages climbing with rooftop races, agility orbs and mission objectives all on the tops of the numerous tall buildings in the environment, but makes it all a hassle when there aren't clear paths to take when traversing the sides of buildings.
The sad truth is that Crackdown 2 falls short of standards set by games of the same type that were released over a year ago. Though the game has the potential to entertain for as long as it takes to explore Pacific City and level up some skills, it feels lacking in a gripping reason to keep playing - unless you're hooked on collecting orbs. For me Crackdown 2 feels like a product of the sandbox boom earlier this generation, when all a game needed to do was create a large sprawling world, and give you a few simple tools to wreak havoc. Those days have passed, and gamers should demand more from their games.
Though these impressions were based solely on a demo, it failed to impress enough to warrant a purchase. A demo should be a slice of the game designed to entice a sale. If the demo was as bland as it was, what hope does the full release have?
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