Microsoft Defends Crackdown & Halo 3 Strategy

Following complaints by some gamers that they are effectively being forced to spend $60 and purchase Crackdown in order to access the Halo 3 beta, Microsoft have defended their strategy to Reuters.

Craig Evans, Microsoft's director of marketing, said, "I can understand why people might think that, but the bottom line is that Crackdown is a game that stands on its own."

Evans offered furthered evidence of Crackdown's worth as a game by saying that over 600,000 people have downloaded the free demo, which is available on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

"People are definitely saying 'I'm getting a free beta with Crackdown', not the other way around," Evans continued. "The Halo 3 beta isn't going to push the game's sales into the millions. Crackdown is going to push its sales into the millions."

Here at Planet Xbox 360 we thought that Crackdown was a solid game and that, to paraphrase Evans, "it could stand on its own". What about those of you purchasing Crackdown? Is it for the game or the Halo 3 beta?