Crackdown 2 Critic Reviews

It can be repetitious at times and the plot is not only ridiculous, but it feels far too forced. Complaints aside, Crackdown 2 is a joy to play. You'll find the best moments to be had are found when playing with three other people, but it's still a blast even when searching Pacific City on your own.

Call it Crackdown 2, Crackdown 1.5, or if you're really snide, a Crackdown expansion pack, but no matter how you slice it, Crackdown 2 is a fun game that's exceptionally playable and enjoyable even if it's not as original as it could be had the game received more development time.

All in all, Crackdown 2 delivers more of what we loved in the original game while adding enough nuances to drive a very compelling story.

Crackdown 2 is a game that's heavy on action, gameplay and interacting with your friends. At the time of this review, I can't think of another sandbox style game that allows cooperative multiplayer that is this fun and accessible.

Crackdown 2 is as fun and addictive as the original. It may not be the sequel everyone was hoping for, but if you enjoyed the original you will find plenty to like here. Easily one of the best games of the summer, and one I will be playing for a long time to come.

While it may not feel like an entirely new game in some respects, it does feel more refined this time around. Whether you played the original Crackdown the entire way through, or perhaps only purchased it to get into the Halo 3 beta, you really should check out this sequel.

On the surface, Pacific City is bigger and more vertical than before, the enemies are thicker and quicker, the Orbs are more plentiful and the controls are far tighter, but on the whole, Crackdown 2 ain't no revolution.

Crackdown 2 does not stray far from the formula that found success in the first game. but therein lies its biggest flaw, it does not offer enough new stuff.

While somewhat mysteriously a new developer was employed for the if-it-ain't-broke-don't fix-it Crackdown 2, thankfully all of the volatile fun that made the original game such fun for the orb-collecting Xbox 360 denizens makes the return trip to Pacific City.

It's Crackdown 1.5. Lower your expectations, then you'll have a fantastic time with an update of one of the most enjoyable open-world games around.

One of the best things about Crackdown is that it wastes no time in throwing players deep into the action.

Even though Crackdown 2 feels more like Crackdown 1.5 than a true sequel, there is enough here and enough that has been improved that you will enjoy it just as much as the original, if not even more.

Fans that loved the original and cherish the idea of being able to relive the experiences with more friends will find everything they could have hoped for, but for those excited for the next step in the series will find that Crackdown 2 hasn't moved very far at all.

The cliché regarding this sort of game is that it changes the way you view your own world: I know for sure that I'll be seeing those last few Orbs in my dreams for months to come. If you need any indication of Crackdown's brilliance, that's surely it, right? If you seek its monument, look around you.

Still, it feels like there's something's missing, and that's because Ruffian has opted to produce the safest of safe sequels. It's the exact same city, for a start, and if I was to take off my glasses and squint I could probably fool myself into thinking I was playing the original. But its problems run deeper than just the environment: it often feels like exactly the same game, albeit with dilapidated buildings and a greater reliance on orange and blue hues.

Crackdown 2 looks sharper, the action is fiercer and the increased number of players pays dividends. Despite all this, we can't shake the feeling that it isn't the monumental sequel that the series deserved. The over-familiarity of Pacific City and the cropping of key features like the gangs and transforming vehicles will leave some Agency veterans feeling a little bit disappointed.

Crackdown 2 doesn't take any risks, instead opting to preserve the spirit of the first game almost verbatim. The lack of progression is undeniably disappointing in some respect, but at the same time you can't help but have fun. Ten minute play sessions turn into hour-long hunts when searching for those last few orbs and leaping from the such great heights never gets old.

In the end, Crackdown 2 is a fun game, especially when played with friends but, unfortunately, it just doesn't deliver quite a deep experience.

At its best, this is more than just the purest, most narcotic action game in the world – it's a cultural pinnacle. Every superhero, be it in comic books or the movies they've inspired, wishes they could visit its playground.

I guess I am more disappointed that Ruffian didn't have enough time to really polish the game to make it the sequel we all wanted, no that we deserved, but in the end if you have been aching to once again track down orbs, there is simply no substitute for hearing that sound in your sleep.