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| | Title:
Crackdown
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System:
Xbox 360
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Genre:
Action
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Publisher:
Microsoft
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Developer:
Real Time Worlds
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Release:
Fall 2006
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
Rating Pending (RP)
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Obviously, with all this people are going to make the comparison to GTA. Who couldn’t? While there are remarkable similarities, Crackdown is nothing like GTA. GTA is story driven while Crackdown is not. And where GTA’s control scheme is downright awful, Crackdown’s controls play pretty well despite some problems. The problems arise when targeting another thug after one has just been killed. For some reason the computer always wants to lock you back onto the thug who just died. It can get immensely frustrating when in the heat of battle. Also, the camera can be very unfriendly at times, especially when in tight corridors or jumping to certain locations. Do I really want to see the wall of a building behind me as I leap across to another one? It sure doesn’t make the feat any easier, regardless of the visual appeal.
Graphically and audio wise Crackdown is a pleasant surprise. The graphics are not realistic but more of a comic book style which aids in creating the huge city without any loading screens. Everything looks great, from the character models to the explosions, and even the cars. Not once was I comparing it to Gears (the graphics king) because it was clear Crackdown was going for a very different approach with its graphics. Next-gen flair is abundant in this title despite its visual design. Cars reflect the sunlight, the streets glow during the night, and HDR lighting is everywhere. Gamers will love watching the twenty-car explosions or the site of the city at night from atop a tall building. It just looks great. In terms of the audio department, Crackdown really surprised me. The guns, explosions, and car and environmental sounds are really well done. My personal favorite sound is when the car is done transforming and small bubble of bass rips through the surround sound. But what surprised me even more was how awesome the soundtrack was. While the music can only be heard in a car there are some truly amazing tracks in this game, to the point where I am buying music from these artists thanks to Crackdown. An even nicer touch was that the music keeps playing in the car even when you are standing outside next to the vehicle. The music just becomes muffled and really shows that the team made sure there were little touches here and there to make Crackdown a special game.
Crackdown does support Xbox Live in the form of online co-op, and it is here that the game shines again. While one agent is cool enough, two can cause absolute chaos. There are so many possibilities to attempt together. The only complaints I have is that the experience can frequently lag. And there can also be situations where two agents are vastly different in terms of their skills.
Overall Crackdown delivers on the promise of total freedom. As soon as gamers step into this game they have absolutely no restraints on how to go about finishing the game if they ever want to. Despite aiming problems, camera problems, and a very laggy online experience, Crackdown is worth a purchase. Heck if you bought the game with the Halo 3 Beta, you probably made the best purchase of this year so far.
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| The Core Score |
Overall
8.1 |
| Fun |
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9.0 |
| Gameplay |
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8.0 |
| Graphics |
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8.5 |
| Audio |
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8.5 |
| Replay |
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8.5 |
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| Kid Safe Score |
| 2 Horrible |
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Overall: Crackdown is that rare game which truly delivers on the promise of giving gamers freedom. Once in game there are no restraints on what to do or how to do it. While Crackdown will get numerous GTA comparisons it is hardly like GTA at all. It controls better, looks better, and is generally more fun than any GTA out there. Online can get laggy at times but with the Halo 3 Beta coupled with this game how can someone not buy it? |
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