War on Crime
Introduction
The sandbox genre is quite an over-saturated genre by today's standards - with many recent games in this genre being quite unremarkable. However, right before the games industry was just about to break big, sandbox games were just getting a footing into gaming - with Crackdown being one of the more well-known titles of this genre. Going on to inspire other great sandbox games like Just Cause, Infamous and Saints Row.
In this review, I will explain what makes Crackdown such a great, yet flawed experience that you shouldn't miss out on - especially if you are a fan of sandbox games or have just gotten a new Xbox recently and want to get into some of the exclusive action.
Positives
Crackdown's gameplay is on the same level as sandbox games such as Hitman, Mercenaries and Saints Row, the game doesn't give you a specific goal or make a way for you to do missions - it instead allows you to choose which mission you want to do and in what order.
There is a great sense of progression to be found within Crackdown. Once you start the game for the first time, you begin on the same level as a regular street cop - but eventually, as your skills improve overtime, you become the ultimate super soldier akin to the likes of Judge Dredd and Robocop. You upgrade your 5 core skills (agility, driving, explosives, strength and firearms) by killing gang members, collecting orbs and doing street and rooftop races. This makes it so that you can't just do everything at once, and it requires a lot of practice and progression with the skill system to take out the top criminal masterminds in the game.
The setting of Pacific City has aged quite well over the years, and is the home to many of my childhood memories - it's no secret that my love for dystopian, cyberpunk-influenced settings stemmed directly from Crackdown. The city offers quite a wide range of different areas for your agent to explore - from the sleepy residential areas of La Mugre, to the industrial sector of the Den, and the bright, neon-filled wonderland of the Corridor. Keep in mind that Crackdown was one of my first exposures to sandbox games (also my first introduction to the Xbox 360), I never played a sandbox game before this one - the map felt truly open and I eventually felt as if I ruled the city once I memorized the layout.
Negatives
There are many things that stop Crackdown from becoming a perfect game. For example, the game can get quite repetitive when you get used to killing gang members, collecting orbs and improving your skills - especially if you managed to nab all the achievements for this game like I did.
Although I mentioned that Crackdown's visuals make the game stand out, they can also make the game look more dated than it is. When you try to forget about the cel-shaded style and vibrant colour palette that the game is going for, the graphics really don't look that great - even for 2007, when games such as Uncharted and BioShock came out, which broke boundaries for their enhanced graphics at the time.
The soundtrack, while not necessarily bad, can be quite bland and forgettable at times. There are many electronic, industrial and techno tracks that play in vehicles, which might fit the tone and style of the game but generally overstay their welcome pretty soon in my opinion.
Conclusion
In general, Crackdown is one of the more stand-out titles for the Xbox 360 and is still quite good all this time later. It even stands up against its sequels, which don't really bring much to the table. So if you have just bought into Xbox, or you are simply a sucker for sandbox mayhem - Crackdown will be right up your alley. That's why Crackdown gets the final rating of a 8 / 10.
Recommended for:
I would recommend Crackdown for fans of open-world sandbox games such as GTA and Saints Row. I also recommend this game to Xbox players especially since Crackdown & its sequel Crackdown 2 (as well as all of the DLC) are currently free on the Xbox Store, no strings attached.