40. Crackdown
Developer: Realtime Worlds
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Year: 2007
Format: Xbox 360
Easily soundbited (soundbitten?) into “it’s GTA, but you’re a superhero”, and indeed
the creation of Grand Theft Auto
co-creator David Jones, Crackdown
plonks you in the near-future genero-metropolis of Pacific City and tells you
to wipe out three criminal gangs by assassinating their key figureheads, adding
up to a total of 21 scalps to collect.
As an “Agent”, you’re a supercop clone –
which makes respawning neatly tie in to the game’s story, when one clone dies
they just download all his abilities and knowledge into another one and send
him out – who gains power through experience.
Your skills are divided into agility, driving skill, firearm skill,
strength and explosive skill. At the
game’s beginning you’re at peak physical condition – by the end you can jump
thirty feet, throw trucks about and headshot a goon with a pistol from half a
mile away.
The entire city, remarkably, is available
straight away. Once the game’s loaded,
that’s it. There are no pauses when you
enter a building, no bits that are locked off until later – you can run end to
end straight off, no waiting.
(Admittedly, you’ll die, because you won’t be able to handle the tougher
gangs at first, but hey.) This does
mean, however, that there’s a slight lack in variety since there are no
separate interiors – only a few buildings can be investigated, and most of them
aren’t that interesting – but it’s a worthwhile price to pay for the feeling of
freedom.
And freedom is what this game is about. Once you’re in the city, you can pretty much
do as you please (as long as you don’t kill too many innocent civilians, or the
Agency will start hunting you). On a
practical level, you need to open up supply points bit by bit, gradually work
your way up through the lesser of the 21 gang members before taking on the big
cheeses, but there’s nothing to stop you at least trying to head straight to the gigantic tower that houses the
ultimate villain and blowing his head off.
As mentioned, you’ll die, but it’s nice to have the freedom to try.
The main problem is that there’s not much
variety. While every boss has a distinct
lair, from nightclubs to lighthouses to oil rigs, it’s pretty much just run in,
shoot everyone, kill the boss. The game
at least advises you on different ways to infiltrate each lair, but on a
practical level there’s barely any diversity.
It gets a bit tiring when you have to attempt a lair five or six times,
but you’ll always come back for more.
Because good heavens, this game is fun.
When you leap across five apartment blocks, hurl a grenade into a group
of thugs, rip a car door off and chuck that at someone else, before nicking
another car and driving that off a mountain, it’s hard to complain about a
little repetitiveness.
MAGIC MOMENT: the main way to boost
your agility is to collect agility orbs – little green things that are tucked
away in high places and make a noise when you get close. There are 500 to collect, and searching them
out is outrageously addictive.
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