For those unfortunate enough to have had to wait until today to get their hands on the latest Crackdown 2 demo – allow me to welcome you to a world of awesome. Having garnered access to the friends & family release, I’ve have a few extra days to tear around Pacific City, snatch a few agility orbs and giggle maniacally with the toss of every grenade. Seemingly taking everything the first Ruffian adventure had to offer and either correcting a minutia of issues or turning already laudable qualities up to eleven – it would be an understatement to say that the demo hasn’t served the purpose of getting everyone excited for the full retail version due out in roughly two weeks. It initially seems like more of the same, but this is definitely one such occasion where that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the Crackdown players became familiar with sheds the small problems that held it back to, at least in trial form, show a new and decidedly improved offering.
After giving players the opportunity to select one of four agents as well as one of four different armor colors – the game turns them loose, allowing for thirty minutes of unparalleled play. Praiseworthy when compared to other demos, if for no other reason that the freedom offered, it does take into account the limited time of play that is offered. Significantly increasing the amount of leveling that is accomplished by absorbing any of the various orbs (agility, strength, shooting, explosive or driving), Crackdown 2 allows players to briefly experience the kind of damage a higher level agent is able to achieve. Granted, it can take the entirety of the trial to get to level five of any ability, the mere allowance makes it possible to wonder what the overall package will offer. Setting Agents lose on either Cell, a paramilitary group that decidedly opposes the Agents and Peacekeepers of Pacific City, or the Freaks, an amalgamation of Zombies and Halo’s Flood creatures – it immediately becomes apparent that there is never a shortage of enemies for players to kill in the search for orbs to continue growing stronger.
No doubt, one of the games greatest features is that even if you don’t want to run amok killing everything in sight, there is always something to do. There is beyond a shadow of a doubt a veritable sandbox of activities awaiting new and veteran Agents alike. Street races allow players who have a need for speed to improve their driving while allowing them to fly through the streets of Pacific City at paint-peeling velocities. For those who want to get their superhero on, Roof Races test agility creating vertical and horizontal challenges out of otherwise normal cityscape. But among the alternatives, there is still the ability to either cause a cacophony of chaos, either solo or with friends – because the reality of the matter is – sometimes you just need to destroy everything and everyone in sight. The ability to seize locations and call in Peacekeeper airborne units for the sake of later weapon and vehicle drops adds objectives to an otherwise playground environment.
And the unlockable weapons, such as the rocket launch, are enough to keep anyone pursuing orbs and expanded abilities well into the end game. If you haven’t had the chance to check out the Crackdown 2 demo, I can’t recommend it enough as it has become my latest digital addiction – definitely seizing half-hour increments of my time and will continue to do so until I can get my hands on the full-on version. Plus the chance to earn actual Achievements in the Crackdown 2 demo that will then unlock in the retail version as soon as it is inserted into the Xbox 360 is just amazing (first time for a demo to have this feature). In the meantime, whether you picked up the original Crackdown for the Halo 3 multiplayer beta or out of innate curiosity, the sequel, if it’s anything like the demo, definitely has a considerable amount of content to offer and will keep even the most martinet of players busy throughout the course of this summer.
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