Crackdown 2

[Animalor]

Got Crackdown 2 yesterday and played it last night.

This particuar sequel is a bit tough to describe. So I'll get the glaring negatives out of the way.

Ruffian didn't change much at all from the original Crackdown. A lot of reviewers are dinging it pretty badly because instead of feeling like a new game or even a proper sequel, it seems a lot more list Crackdown 1.5 (or even 1.25). There are some bugs here and there and the game sure didn't get the many coats of polish a triple A title would recieve either.

The story aspects of the game are pretty weak though. Missions are as repetitive as those found in Assassin's Creed 1. You're constantly doing the same thing over and over again in different locales in the city (without the benefit of those cool leader assasinations). The enemies are unvaried and pretty bland as well.

Now on to the good.
What they managed to do great is capture the soul of Crackdown. The overall chaos of Pacific City is very present. There's always shit going on or something shooting at you. The veritable army of freaks that can be present on screen is awesome. Plowing through those with a car is even more awesome. Since this is also a run-down version of the same Pacific City, a lot of the locales are very familiar is just very run down. This evokes a great sense of nostalsia.

The Orb Hunts are here and as fun as ever. A few new types of orbs are there as well. There are renegade agility and driving orbs that will require you to chase them over rooftops or driving through town. There are also Xbox Live Orbs that can only be picked up when you're playing with another player and that person is also in the vicinity of the orb.

The multiplayer is much improved with true drop-in/drop-out multiplayer. The only weak apsect to this is that story content completed for the host is counted. However, your own personal layout of collectibles is layered on to the city so your character is completely persistant throughout these experiences.

They've streamlined a few things as well. there are a host of drop-off locations in the city so you can spawn close to wherever you like and choose your loadout and car you get when you spawn. No more running back to the agency HQ for Agency Vehicules.

All in all, as a huge fan of the original Crackdown, I find that this is a sequel that delivers what I was looking for. If you're not a fan of open worlds though, steer clear because Crackdown is the absolute epitomy of the concept. A wide-open tapestry for players to cause as much mayhem as they desire.

[Fairweather Pure]

I loved the first game but the demo for the sequel was just way too similar for my liking. I'm waiting for a sale on this one, but will pick it up eventually.

[Fairweather Pure]

Grabbed this and Lost Planet 2 for 30$ total thanks to an Amazon deal today. I told a friend about it and he was going to do the same, however, he got pulled into a meeting and by the time he got out the deal was over!