16 Jul, 2010
Crackdown 2 is a game where you play as a super powered agent, blowing up and shooting anything that gets in your way. That’s about as deep as this game goes. That’s not to say it isn’t fun, it’s bloody fun, but in terms of story it’s not that great (but more on that later). The game is mainly based around your 5 powers (agility, firearms, explosives, driving and strength). Although it is not vital you level up all these to the max to complete the game the majority of the player’s time is spent reaching higher and higher levels. In order to do this you must explore Pacific City to its fullest. Pacific City is much the same as it was in the first game, apart from the fact everything is destroyed. Islands are free to roam at any time but exploration is obviously easier (especially in areas with tall buildings) with higher agility levels. Crackdown 2 is very much a game of ups and downs, so let’s break it down.
The Story
The story pretty much revolves around trying to get rid of all the ‘freaks’ (mutants) around the city by eliminating their hideouts using some sort of network of beams. There are also Cell strongholds (areas with high concentrations of people who want you dead). In order to beat the game you must take out all strongholds and all hideouts. And that’s it. There’s basically no cutscenes and the whole story progression feels weak and pretty short. In order to understand the story a little better and get a better insight into the happenings before and during the ‘freak invasion’ you can collect audio logs dotted around the city. It all seems a bit cheap, forcing the player to search around and find the story themselves without properly communicating it as you progress. All in all the story (or lack of) seems like the weak part of the game, and only really offers opportunities to level up and test your abilities.
The Abilities
As stated before, the abilities are pretty much the crux of the game. A lot of your time is absorbed in hunting agility orbs or running around smashing people’s faces to level up strength and other ability based tasks. Levelling up your abilities leads better stuff, for example levelling up firearms unlocks better and bigger guns, and levelling up agility allows you to gradually jump higher and run faster (it also allows you to unlock the wing-suit, which is awesome). Orb hunting (vital for levelling up agility) can be tedious and pretty boring, especially at higher levels, although there is a slight awesomeness about jumping from rooftop to rooftop in a frantic search for just one more orb.
As you increase certain abilities your agent’s looks also do slightly change, whether it be being taller or simply wearing a helmet. Once levelled up to the max (which can take time but ultimately isn’t that hard) then it can feel like there is very little left, especially after completing the lackluster story.
The Multiplayer
Crackdown 2 is designed for multiplayer. Pacific City is a city best explored with a friend. There is something infinitely more fun about taking on a horde of zombie freaks with a companion or two by your side. Your partners can also help you advance story by taking strongholds and hideouts. There is competitive multiplayer available; however I am yet to play that. Hopefully this will be fantastic, however based on the rest of the game experience I can’t really hold my breath.
Crackdown 2 is a bit of a disappointing experience. The gameplay is good and fun, but the story is just so poorly implemented that it just feels like nothing you do really has a purpose. Levelling up is also good and fun, but offers very little once the maximum is reached. Replay value is small. 
You can do it all again, but why? Why would you bother hunting all those orbs, killing all those mutants? I honestly have no idea. So be wary of Crackdown 2, bear in mind that it’s fun while it lasts, and it’s fun with friends but again it’s a limited experience. Let’s hope any upcoming DLC provides some more hours of game play *sigh*.
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