There is so much do in this game, that I doubt you will want to put it down!
Gameplay: Okay so I have just given you a basic rundown of Crackdown's gameplay, but here's a bit more depth. I am not going to bother with a story portion of this review because there really isnt one. All you need to know is that you are a genetically enhanced supercop, and you have to take down three gang organizations. First you must take out the higher level officers of the game, and then take out the kingpin. Taking out each officer weakens the kingpin's defenses, making him more vulnerable to assassination. If I have one gripe about the gameplay, it is that the boss fights follow the same forumula throughout the entire game. You infiltrate the building, take out a ****load of lower level badguys. As you progress, you encounter slightly stronger badguys, and then you kill the boss when you reach him/her. It is the exact same formula over and over. The only thing that keeps the gameplay varying is the fact that the buildings the bosses hide in vary, making each approach unique.
However, like I said the killing of gang bosses is only half of the gameplay. The other half is in the collecting of orbs and the building of specific abilities. For instance, if you feel like being a ridiculously strong cop, able to lift several tons and throw objects several hundred yards, then you need to raise your strength skill by punching, kicking, and hurling enemies to death. On the other hand, if you want to make gigantic explosions capable of dealing ridiculous damage, then you are going to need to blow stuff up for a while. You can also run all over the cities rooftops looking for agility orbs to increase your running speed and jumping height (that gets REALLY fun later on). Like I said, there is lots to do in this game, and I could go on, but I am going to move on to a different portion of the review.
Sound: The sound in the game is really quite good. The voices of the random gang members and pedestrians actually becomes quite amusing as your enemies shout some pretty hilarious things at you. The explosion noises are fantastic, as is the sound of repeated gunfire. Bullets wizz past you as you just barely manage to avoid them. The only annoying noise in the game is the sound of the rather awkwardly timed hints by the games guide character. Some random agency guy is guiding you, telling you how to raise your abilities and giving you info on gang members. However, sometimes he picks really random times to deliver messages to you. For instance, when I was infiltration one of the kingpin's buildings, he decided to inform me that a rooftop race was nearby, and that I should check it out. Not at the moment I shouldnt. He will randomly say "Good job agent!" (most amusingly right after you get blown up by a rocket launcher or some such thing) which doesnt really make any sense sometimes. It doesnt get in the way of gameplay, but it is kind of odd.
Graphics: Okay so this game does look a little cartoony, but honestly I think it was on purpose. This style was implimented well, and trust me when I tell you that the explosions still look amazing. The graphics may not be top notch, but the gameplay is, so I wouldnt spend to much time worrying about it.
Overall: This is the kind of game that can keep you entertained for a while. It has lots of great things to do, some really fun achievements to pursue, and a great coop mode to try out. You will undoubtedly find yourself returning this game to pursue achievements and finish raising your skills even after you have taken out the final kingpin. If you like freeroam games, and the idea of a GTA style game with superpowers makes you jump into the air with glee, then you owe it to yourself to at least rent crackdown, and see what you think.