Poor Crackdown. That game sure has been the butt of a lotta jokes lately. Most gamers have already passed it off as a plain ol' GTA clone that just happens to include the Halo 3 beta invite. That's too bad because underneath that heralded beta invite is a great game that really isn't like GTA at all and most importantly is a great deal of fun to play.

Breakdown
So what's Crackdown all about? Three ruthless gangs are overrunning the town of Pacific City. The "Agency" has been called in to help the town be rid of these nasty pests. Since the situation is so dangerous, The Agency has decided to use their new experimental super-agents who have the ability to grow stronger overtime and regenerate themselves if they should, um, get expired.

Most of the game has you just running around trying to take out the heads of various gang organizations. While that part makes an okay game in itself, the fun part is powering up your agent's character abilities. Picking up various items and using hand to hand combat helps build up your strength, jumping from rooftop to rooftop collecting agility icons builds up your agility, shooting over long distances builds up shooting skills, etc. You'll spend a lot of your game time doing this. That may sound monotonous, but thankfully it's actually a blast. I have never seen a game where the payoff of leveling up of your character was so noticeable. You startup with just being able to pick up boxes and jump to ledges, but after you power up you can throw cars and jump across rooftops better than the Incredible Hulk. This adds so much to the game and makes leveling up is much less a chore than what you might be used to when playing typical RPGs or MMOs.

Takedown
The control, while overall pretty good, can be a little wonky at times. Aiming and auto-targeting doesn't work as well as it should. Sometimes, it seems you're locked on and you have a clear path in front of you but for some reason your bullets just aren't hitting that guy. Another issue is that certain buttons (I'm looking at you "B" button!) have multiple uses and your agent might get confused and pick up a gangster instead of kicking him. A better way of choosing actions woulda been nice. Jumping and climbing works very well and control better than say, um, Tomb Raider.

The graphics have a very unique look to them and I've found that not everyone is crazy about them. Sort of a gritty, realistic Jet Grind Radio cellshading technique. I personally like the graphics a lot and applaud the developers for trying to do something original and different. Another highlight is the various animations used in the game. Blowing up baddies with grenades and rocket launchers is hilarious.

Crackdown also includes a nifty co-op mode. A friend can jump in at anytime via system link or Xbox Live. The great thing is that even though you're both in the same city/realm you're not obligated to help each other or even be in the same place at the same time. The two agents can be snuffing out gang leaders on different sides of town or one can just spend his time powering up while his buddy does all the work. You might want to work together on the tougher gang bosses, though.

You're busted!
It's funny. While playing Crackdown, I feel like I might not be playing the game the way the developers intended me to. I tend to skip most of the side missions and stick to powering up my character just so I can plow through the gang hideouts like some kinda crazed superhero. I guess that what's makes these open ended games so much fun. So kiddies, stop waiting for the Halo 3 beta to start and give Crackdown a whirl. You won't be disappointed.

- NakedBoB