Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Day 1: Crackdown

So this is the start of my blog, no more myspace for me. So let's start off our adventure with a review of Crackdown.

Crackdown is a game, as you may know, a game for the Xbox 360. The basic premise of the game is that you are a genetically engineered super cop, called an Agent. You work for the Agency, go figure. The police, known as Peace Keepers, just can't handle the local gangs anymore.

You start with the abilities of your average pro athlete, you can jump like a basketball star, have the musculature of an NFL player, and run like an Olympian. You're pretty impressive, but that's not all. As you go about shooting, kicking, throwing, and running over gang members, your abilities increase. The more you turn gangsters into roadkill, the faster your car, and you become more in tune with your vehicles. Your vehicles will transform to show your skill.
The same can be said for explosives, firearms, strength, and agility.

There's not much in the way of a story, it's just there to put a reason for your madness. It's passable as far as stories go, but don't expect too much, after all, this is an action game.

The comic book style cannot be expressed in pictures, it must be seen in action to be enjoyed. Along with the great style, comes some other graphical loveliness. Pop-up is almost nonexistent, which is a good thing, the world is massive both horizontally and vertically, and it's all streaming. Particle effects are especially impressive as you cause gas stations and mountains of cars to explode.

Some have dubbed this a GTA clone, which is a bit premature. Yes, it's an open world game, yes you can take any car you want, but it's so much more. It's a bit of a mix of GTA/Saint's Row, with some Spider-Man and Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction built in.

This is just the single player, cooperative play is where it's really at. You can join your buddies game, or they can join yours. The fun there is endless. The two of you can take on the gangs with guns blazing, or just toy around in the world and do what you will. It's a great game to build a friendship in, because you can just relax and chitchat while you explore the world if you like.

There are a few bugs, this game isn't perfect. Co-op can be a bit laggy at times, and if someone is downloading anything, it can get downright choppy. At times you'll go after a gang boss and the area will be clear, in which case you'll have to leave that area in order for the gang to respawn. It has the same FPS camera style as Saint's Row, so some may not adapt well.

I'm strongly hoping for some patches, because this really is a great game. After you've beaten everything, there are the Achievements, and this game utilizes the Achievement system better than any other game, but I won't spoil it for you. With multiple difficulty levels and two different play modes after the game is completed, I see plenty of replay value in it.

I give this a strong 4 out of 5.

I hope this has been a helpful review, if anyone has questions feel free to comment. As stated this is the first post, so many things will be a bit rusty as I'm just rushing through trying to get this out there.

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