I guess I should prefix this article with the fact that I bought an Xbox 360 recently. I’ve been playing a lot of Halo 2, Gears of War and Oblivion, lately, but for this review, I’m going to focus on the game Crackdown.
So, Crackdown. That game that comes with the Halo 3 beta invite. Yes, that’s probably one of the major influences in my initial decision, but if I knew what I know now, I would have bought it even if the beta invite wasn’t included. Yes, it really does stand on it’s own.
So, first up, Graphics. The graphics on this game are very good. The city that the game is placed in is a pretty big expanse ready for you to explore, and the buildings are all very well designed. The models are all in a pseudo-cell shade (if you’ve ever seen any models made in SketchUP, then you know what I’m talking about. Heck, for all I know, the models were made in SketchUP. I doubt it, but that’s the feel of the graphics. It’s a good look, especially in HD. :D
Plot. There is none. Really. You’re a super-human agent of a federal government who’s task is to kill gangs and their leaders. That’s pretty much it. Does that detract from the game? Sure, but not much. This game is meant to be a “sandbox” game, where you can do anything you feel like. Wanna kill gangs? Go for it. Don’t feel like killing gangs at the moment? You can just walk/run/jump/drive around the city and take in the sights. Maybe you’d like to participate in the various races throughout the city. Go ahead. It’s pretty much a “do whatever the hell you want” type of game.
Dialog. It gets repetitive. The gang members pretty much scream the same two or three things when they come to attack you. However, like I told someone, “Do you really think a gang member is going to say ‘Would you like to join us for some coffee while you’re here?’ to a federal agent who was sent in to eradicate them? No. They’re probably going to scream out death threats and other such things, which is exactly what they do in the game. Sure, there could be a bit more variety, but I still think that’s OK for the context.” Also, the “narrator” guy gets annoying after playing for a while.
My biggest beef against the game is the “lock-on” system. Sure, you can lock on to someone 500 feet away, but there’s also a good chance that it will lock on to something you don’t want it to lock on to, like a nearby car or other object instead of the gang member. It gets annoying after a while.
Overall. Overall, it’s a pretty good game. It’s not something like your Gears of War or your Halos, but it’s a good game that can stand on it’s own. The inclusion of the Halo 3 beta is a much appreciated inclusion, but it would easily be worth it if the beta wasn’t included.
Rating: B+