Fat Ninja

I counted myself amongst the skeptical when the announcement to include access to the Halo 3 Beta with Crackdown was first made. I had this sinking feeling that Microsoft was simply looking to saddle Halo fans with a subpar game while increasing their profit margin and attach rates. While they certainly were aiming to achieve the latter goals, Crackdown is far from a disappointment, though it could do with some refinements.

When I had first heard details about Crackdown, the premise sounded promising . Sure, it wasn’t ground-breakingly original, but I liked the general concept. Now that I’ve actually spent some time with the game, I must say that controlling a genetically enhanced super-cop tasked with ridding Pacific City of its criminal elements is fun as Hell. Now, bear in mind that I haven’t beaten the game. In fact, I’m certain that I haven’t even scratched the surface of its sandbox gameplay. However, in my short time with Crackdown thus far, I have to say that I am impressed with the experience.

I’ve never really been all that engaged by the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series. I’ve just found it to be a bit too decadently hedonistic for my tastes. Oh, sure, carving out your own criminal syndicate one misdemeanor at a time gave the game a sense of progression, but personally, it wasn’t enough motivation for me to play the game for an extended period of time. I mean, I could only stomp one hapless sap so many times before I needed something a bit more substantial.

Crackdown, on the other hand, offers plenty of reasons for me to keep playing it. I love the fact that my actions directly impact and evolve my character and his abilities. The prospects of being able to leap to small buildings, or heave a car at a shotgun-wielding miscreant are ample impetus for me to clean up the streets of Pacific City.

However, in spite of Crackdown’s RPG-esque elements, it still could afford to take a few more notes from the GTA franchise. Overall, it just lacks the narrative elements that drive the GTA juggernaut. Where Crackdown offers evolving attributes and skills, it lacks any sense of a cohesive storyline to keep one engaged on a cerebral level. Overall, Crackdown’s story is a tad limited in scope, and these limitations have a kind of ripple effect that manages to carry over into the gameplay.

In essence, your role in Crackdown is the eradication of the gangs that battle for supremacy in the streets of Pacific City. That’s really about it, so far as I can tell at this early stage. You’ll never really deviate from this path, and you’ll never be faced with the decision of playing the good cop or the bad cop. In fact, any attempts to turn rogue will negatively impact your avatar’s attributes. I suppose that it could be argued that Agents are genetically engineered to perform with unquestioned moral vigilance, but I’m of the opinion that penalizing players for making certain ethical decisions kind of takes some of the sand out of the sandbox and replaces it with concrete. Still, part of me rather appreciates the sense of focus that this lends to the game, since GTA always left me feeling a little aimless at times. I guess I’d just make a really bad anarchist, and Crackdown’s focus on establishing order in a world gone to Hell in a handbasket appeals to that part of me.

Nonetheless, I think Crackdown could afford a little more flexibility in its gameplay. While the black-and-white moral landscape is a welcome contrast to the murky grey area one finds in GTA, there’s not a great deal of variety found in Crackdown. This is, in part, related to the absence of focus in its dramatic elements. You never do much more than decimate the ranks of Pacific City’s gang community thug by thug. The only real deviation you’ll find from this formula comes in the form of searching for hidden attribute-boosting orbs, or completing various races through the streets or across the rooftops of Pacific City. That’s not to say that these features aren’t entertaining distractions, but Crackdown would really benefit from a little more spontaneity and some story-driven missions. I understand that Pacific City is a hotbed for criminal activity, but surely these gangs are out there committing specific crimes rather than just inciting general chaos. Maybe my Agent could be out there escorting VIPs, rescuing hostages, or thwarting bank robberies.

As I close up, I don’t want you to think that I dislike Crackdown, because I don’t. It has a lot going for it, and I honestly enjoy its new take on the genre. I mean, there’s just a sense of exhiliration that accompanies jumping from a five story building, having your impact create a crater in the asphalt, and then laying waste to an onslaught of social misfits. But there’s a lot to be said for the importance of dramatic direction in a game of this sort. I sincerely love the game. I’m critical only because the things I’ve mentioned are what, in my opinion, hold Crackdown back from being a truly great game.

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