2007-01-18 01:30:34 First Crackdown review

from OXM UK

Crackdown: 9/10
+ Brilliant. An absolute riot
+ Amazingly fun co-op
+ Car handling excellent
+ Abilities liven up the game
- Missions not varied enough


taken from teamxbox forums.

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2007-01-18 01:55:15

"- Missions not varied enough"

I knew it! I just posted that as one of my worries in the preview thread.

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Where the crap is Shenmue 3 SEGA? Scrap that thing called Shenmue online and finish the Shenmue epic story on 360!

2007-01-18 01:57:27

missions not varied enough? hmm... lol, i guess you could complain nhl 07 has too much hockey...

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GoW, War3, Halo, MYST, Civilazation

2007-01-18 02:09:29

Firstly, I strongly encourage everyone interested to try the demo as it will give a very good idea about what the game is like.

Secondly, I think this game will be an acquired taste. There will be some who just don't like it. I did.

There is no linear story as such. You are given background on the situation of the city and you get background on info of gangs & gang members. The city is then given to you as a sandbox in which to play. That is exactly what they wanted to do, again it might not be for everyone.

"Missions not varied enough" stems from the misconception that this is a GTA clone and has "missions" or activities like Saints Row, GTA etc. This is not the case. You have 21 targets within the 3 gang hierarchy to take down. You must first find these targets and then eliminate them. The targets will be in a variety of settings/locations but the objective is always the same, take down the kingpin. It is not "mission" based as such. You do not go to a flashing beacon on the map and choose to accept the mission to kill target X. Instead, when you find a gang members location, you are briefed on the person/location in game. Their icon then appears on the map. You can then, at any point, choose to go to that part of the city in an attempt to take him down.

Of course there are other things to do, there are races, in cars and rooftops. A huge part of this game is exploration, finding the agility orbs, seeing what you can do to/within the world in the sandbox. It might not sound like much but if you dig the concept, it is.

Worrying about a lack of variety in the missions is worrying about the wrong thing. There are no "missions" . If that is something that concerns you, you should be worrying about whether you will like the game instead, not just that specific element. In both cases, I would encourage you to try the demo. I'm sure might have a go and decide it's not for them, which is fine but I'll wager a few people will be pleasantly surprised.

I hope we get a term for sandbox/open world games at some point because referencing everything to GTA doesn't do the genre any favours.

2007-01-18 02:19:40

Did they mention anything about the ridiculous skating, horrible-looking gun fighting, or the terrible physics being better than what all of the videos have shown so far?

2007-01-18 03:00:03

wow not bad. taking it with a grain of salt because of where its coming from but i guess we can expect high 8's for this bad boy.

it is, essentially, a free game anyways.

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2007-01-18 03:13:31

Haha heretic, free game.

Chances are I'll be getting it if the demo is good.

Scroll down and download the "Los Muertos" trailer, it looks pretty cool.
http://features.teamxbox.com/xbox/1849/Crackdown-L...

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Where the crap is Shenmue 3 SEGA? Scrap that thing called Shenmue online and finish the Shenmue epic story on 360!

2007-01-18 05:41:53

I cannot believe how much this game has improved over the last month or two, it really is astonishing.

2007-01-18 05:43:41 In reply to Heretic (2007-01-18 03:00:03)

..because betas usually cost $60.

I get it though, and I'm probably going to bite for the same reason..but I need to try this demo first. Wish it was still on for tommorow.

2007-01-18 05:47:52 In reply to GriftGFX (2007-01-18 05:43:41)

When is the demo due now? This game has gone from looking truly terrible to very impressive in a month, I never ever ever thought i'd say this but..... I'm actually looking forward to this game now :D

2007-01-18 05:49:57 In reply to Jin187 (2007-01-18 05:47:52)

I think it changed from the 18th to by the end of January. I don't think they announced an official date since they pushed it back. I hope it comes out next week.

2007-01-18 07:32:18

hey, when is the demo coming again? how long has it been delayed?

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GoW, War3, Halo, MYST, Civilazation

2007-01-18 09:07:11

The demo was delayed for a couple of days (or as IGN says...a couple of weeks)....so no new date planned.
Seems to be in cert. process.

Can't wait for this game after seeing the Los Muertos trailer....looking better every day.

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2007-01-18 18:04:59

Chances are I will buy this game, I've been watching videos and I think it'll be a very fun game, especially in co-op, just imagine the mayhem.

The demo is coming sometime before the end of January. Like everything marketplace, it got delayed.

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Where the crap is Shenmue 3 SEGA? Scrap that thing called Shenmue online and finish the Shenmue epic story on 360!

2007-01-18 18:19:08

I just went to download the Midway demo and there's a banner to the right that says;

"Download the demo today!
Crackdown"

Damn you MS! Of course I press A on it and it takes me to nowhere.

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Where the crap is Shenmue 3 SEGA? Scrap that thing called Shenmue online and finish the Shenmue epic story on 360!

2007-01-18 21:51:29

http://www.insidegamer.nl/xbox360/crackdown/videos...

Gameplay video of the demo looks quite cool like how pulls the door off car and can throw it. :)

2007-01-18 22:09:15

Thanks, but you can clearly see the person playing is a bit SLOW.

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Where the crap is Shenmue 3 SEGA? Scrap that thing called Shenmue online and finish the Shenmue epic story on 360!

2007-01-18 22:31:10

Is the demo up? The menu screen music is quality, sounds like DJ Krush/Shadow

2007-01-18 22:38:31 In reply to LEBATO (2007-01-18 22:09:15)

Looks like it was his first time with the game, not the best thing to capture for a video!

2007-01-18 22:41:22 In reply to Jin187 (2007-01-18 22:31:10)

No but the adverts for it are, grr.

2007-01-19 23:30:43 In reply to LEBATO (2007-01-18 03:13:31)

That song in that 'Los Muertos' trailer is fucking AWESOME, reminds me a bit of Jazzanova!

Though I'm still not convinced by this game, what Deftangel says does make sense.
I'm letdown by the mission structure (or the lack of) for sure, but I've probably been expecting a different game entirely and have been looking at the wrong things.

I guesss the main "satisfaction" from this game comes from exploring, gradually leveling up your which gives you access to new locations and abilities.
And seeing how the architecture of this gameworld is built, that could be pretty satisfying.

However, I'm not sure how long that would keep me entertained so I'm not convinced yet...

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2007-01-20 02:59:03

Crackdown demo coming this Tuesday :)

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MajorNelson/~3/7823...

2007-01-20 03:39:26

@Jato and everyone else.

The new 1UP show has a crackdown preview. They complain about the lack of story and mission variety, basically, they complain about what we know. They all conclude it is fun though.

@Bingham, thanks for that link. That demo will decide it all.

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Where the crap is Shenmue 3 SEGA? Scrap that thing called Shenmue online and finish the Shenmue epic story on 360!

2007-01-20 09:54:57

It does look fun, my money is getting slim as of late. My wallet is saying rent, but my Halo fanboyism is saying buy for the beta.

I have a conundrum on my hands :(

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2007-01-20 18:34:28

I really dont think i can appreciate a game like this if it has no story