I was a big fan of the original Crackdown, as was a vast majority of 360 owners, when it hit in 2007. The open-world, sandbox soil that had been tilled for years by the Grand Theft Auto series bore delicious fruit with the superhero inspired elements of Crackdown. With the original developer, Realtime Worlds, off on another creative enterprise, it fell to Ruffian Games to create a sequel to this cult favorite. After putting some time into the game, I find there are many elements to Crackdown 2 that are just as fun as the original, however the extreme similarities between the two end up making this game less engaging than the first.

The biggest surprise for me when jumping into Crackdown 2 is just how similar the world is. In fact, it’s identical with only a few elements skinned differently to aid the zombie infested city conceit that is at the heart of the game. While this is initially a nice return to a familiar territory, after the first twenty Agility Orbs have been gleefully collected, these warm feelings have changed to a tired realization that fourty-plus hours have already been spent here. The proposition that another games worth of time will be spent jumping around these familiar locales begins to feel more like a cheat and all the “newer” elements are tinged from that moment on.

That’s not to say that I still didn’t have a lot of fun running around chasing down orbs. I still enjoyed all of the familiar Crackdown events including racing and gunning down waves of enemies. I still took joy when my character started crackling with energy at each new level. These are all still enjoyable moments but at the same time it was hard not to feel as if I could have received the same rush by putting in the original game and hitting the reset button.

The actual structure of what goes on in Crackdown 2 attempts to breath some fresh air into the familiar territory. The “kill the gang bosses” progression of the original Crackdown has been replaced with a series of areas that need to be cleared of enemies. Some of these are just like the original game and consist of zones on the map that have been designated as enemy strongholds. While no gang leaders sit at the heart of these sections, the bonus to clearing them out is that they become resupply points. Clearing all of the zones on the map end up giving you plenty of places to get car or a new set of weapons.

The other areas that need to be cleared are called Amplifiers, which are machines that need to be turned on once the area is cleared of enemies. When a set of three of these are activated, they point the way to a Freak (read: zombie) Lair. These underground Lairs require you to activate a Beacon and defend it against a swarm of attacking Freaks. As each of the areas are conquered, the city begins to clear of dangers much like the original Crackdown. This progression comprises the vast majority of the game and while it’s a little better structured than the original, it fails to make the game feel as fresh and new as I wanted.

The multiplayer has been expanded to allow four players to co-operate through the game, as opposed to the original two. As was true with the first game, the majority of your fun will be had in this mode. From jumping around the city looking for orbs or defending against a horde of Freaks, everything becomes much more enjoyable when played with friends. The typical deathmatch and Rocket Tag are also included but I found these modes to pale when compared to the likes of Red Faction: Guerilla with it’s leveling mechanics and weapon upgrade system. Again, while these multiplayer features are a nice addition to the series, it fails to make the game feel like the next big event in the Crackdown universe.

That fact, sadly, becomes the biggest downfall of the game. There is a thinning line, it seems, between what is excepted of a true sequel and what ends up feeling more like an add on pack. With full missions, characters and items being put out for many triple A franchises these days, Ruffian’s approach to Crackdown 2 seems less acceptable. In both look, feel and execution, I find it difficult to believe this couldn’t have been an add on to the original.

That’s not to say that you wont have a lot of fun with the game. With three other friends, especially, you’ll have a really good time. The single player also holds many of the same thrills as the original. Just don’t go in expecting a whole new ballgame for your $60.00, as Crackdown 2 is simply more of the same. For some that will be a detriment but for others it’s just what the doctor ordered. I’ll leave that one for you to decide.

For more thoughts on Crackdown 2, check out the 07.02.2010 episode of Drunken Gamers Radio

Back in October, I wrote a rather scathing review of Dragon Age Origins, a game I had hoped to bring me joy in the form of couch cooperative play.  Sadly, the company that made the console version of Baldur’s Gate wasn’t Bioware, so when the spiritual successor to my favorite co-op game was launched it was nothing like what I had hoped for.  Life is funny sometimes, for due to a strange set of circumstances I have found myself completely in love with this game and felt that it deserved some further discussion.  

I had put some time into Dragon Age when I wrote my review.  I was so disappointed in the game that it wasn’t that I never really paid attention to the game that it was.  I went to Craigslist to see what I could get for it as I didn’t believe I was ever really going to spend the 60 or so hours it was going to take to actually finish the game.  It was early November and, thanks to Black Friday madness, the going rate for Dragon Age was $40 or less.  Being recession minded, I didn’t want to take that kind of hit on a newer game.  So out of spite I decided I would play this game as far as I could to get my money’s worth.

What happened next was rather peculiar.  I heard of a level glitch that would help you reach level twenty rather quickly.  (Just ask me on XBL and I’ll tell you how to do it)  You’d get an achievement for each class you would get to level twenty and that would normally take you over five hundred hours to do.  So I tried some of the other origin stories and got a few achievements in the process.  What I found was a very engrossing and deep level of storytelling, something I hadn’t really experienced since Mass Effect.  This shouldn’t have been surprising to me as BioWare has always been good at storytelling; only this time it seemed that the webs that were being weaved by the choices you make were very intricate.  The more I did the quick origin story and level boosting, the more I wanted to go back and finish what I had started.  That and I found that the glitch only worked for classes you hadn’t already gotten to a particular level.  So I went back to my original character and picked up where I left off; unboosted, but savvier of the world around her.  (Yeah, I played a hot chick…  I figure if I have to stare at this character a long time, I might as well enjoy it)

I also did something even stranger, I actually paid for the DLC.  I had received the bonus armor set (which is very bad ass, I must say) for free, but had heard good things about the Warden’s Keep and Stone Prisoner expansions.  I had extra space bucks from Christmas, so what the heck?  For those of you thinking about playing Dragon Age, or if you already have it, I think these DLC packs are must buys.  There is a pretty compelling argument that they should have been placed in the retail version of the game, and while I might agree, I can’t imagine playing without them.  The Warden’s Keep gives you a pretty cool quest that takes about two hours to complete. At the end, I had two new spells, two sets of pretty good armor (at least for the level I was) and most importantly a chest to put stuff in.  Now, inventory in a game like this is always at a premium.  You have to make decisions on what you’re going to keep.  Having a storage chest makes those decisions easier and improves game play.  So I have these Blood Armor pieces but I can’t use them yet; put them away until you can.  It’s a no-brainer, and well worth the five bucks I paid for it.  
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In the cream of the crop of the First Person Tactical Shooter Genre…I’m the milk.  Or better yet, I’m the whey.  I’ve never been awesome at games like this and many times I will simply give up on COD multiplayer after a while because I simply can’t keep up.  (That and the D-bags simply take over and it ceases to be fun).  So upon my return from my Florida trip I decided to rent Infinity Ward’s latest installment in hopes of getting a decent story and a bunch of achievements.  What my five dollar rental gave me was a textbook example on how to surpass a really great game, and a huge case of renters remorse.  Simply put, Modern Warfare 2 is an amazing game and one everybody should own.

There are a bunch of things that set this game apart, and I think we should take a look at each one seperately.  First there is the single person campaign.  In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare we were all treated to a single person campaign that, albeit shorter than one would like, was absolutely epic in nature.  Spoiler alert! (But seriously folks, if you haven’t played that game, why are you here?)  The AC-130 scene and sniper missions in that game were not only beautiful to watch, but epic gaming experiences that I will never forget.  That’s a rarity in games and CODMW had at least three of them.  And the climatic end scene had me catching my breath when it was all said and done.  The original Modern Warfare also took risks; they got you attached to characters and then would kill them off.  Because the game was so visceral and real looking, the impact was deeper than most other video game deaths I had experienced.  

Modern Warfare 2 takes what was good about the Modern Warfare single player experience and cranks it to eleven!  First, the graphics are simply stunning.  The lighting models that are used are spot on and the game looks real.  It is by far the best looking FPS I have ever played.  Couple that with a sound design that put my surround sound through it’s paces and you have an immersive experience. 
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We try to do everything we can to support shmups here at Robot Panic/Drunken Gamers Radio. Well, now’s our chance to put our money where our mouths are as Kotaku has broken the news that Cave’s new sequel to Mushihimesama will in fact be region free.

“We had a lot of good feedback from overseas users,” [Cave's Makato] Asada told Kotaku, happy with the strong response to the insect-themed, vertically-scrolling shmup. “So for this time, as a test, we’re going to make the game region free so that overseas users can play it.”

“By making Mushihime-sama Futari region-free, what we’re doing is measuring the amount of overseas users,” Asada explained. And if you care about your Cave shooters, it’s probably a good idea to import a copy. Or two.

“This will have a direct impact on whether Espgaluda II and other titles will be localized for America,” Asada warned us. “So it’s probably a good idea to pick it up!”

You hear that? Espgaluda II will be impacted by the sales of Mushihimesama Futari 1.5.

So please, support the cause by pre-ordering Mushihimesama Futari 1.5 through your favorite import store. Play-Asia has the pre-order here for $68.90.