Crackdown 2 is the long-anticipated sequel to the award-winning, open world, third-person shooter, Crackdown. The main gist of the game revolves around the player controlling a super agent with special abilities, such as super strength and the ability to jump great distances. The mechanics of the game have the player training each of the five abilities, which are strength, driving, agility, explosives, and firearms. Each can be trained in different ways- for example, to get your agility level up, you could participate in rooftop races or collect agility orbs, while driving would require the player to participate in races or do stunts.

Basically, the story is about the player-controlled super agent who works for a company known as ‘The Agency’. The company is trying to restore peace and justice in Pacific City, and generally make it a safe and happy environment. Unfortunately for them, a gang known as ‘The Cell’ is rebelling and refuses to be under The Agency’s authority. Not only do you have to deal with The Cell, but also ‘Mutants,’ which are former experiments that escaped from The Agency’s research labs. To sum it all up, the city is far from peaceful and you are expected to change that.

The game revolves around two cycles, which are day and night. In the day, the player faces The Cell; at night, all the infected Mutants come out and roam the streets, which drastically changes the game and keeps the experience fresh and fun. During both cycles, the player can still do the main missions and all the side objectives, which allows the player to progress.

One thing that really makes Crackdown 2 a number-one choice is the four-player co-op that was added, compared to the prequel’s two-player. Having it four-player opens up so much more for the franchise, and allows you to play with a group of friends. The game relies on its “pick up and play” ability to bring players in and absorb them into its world. It is one of those games where you could play for an hour or so, or for hours on end. This is because there is so much to do in the game’s world. For example, you can collect orbs, participate in road/rooftop races, take over tactical locations, collect audio logs, and activate beacons, which are part of the main objective of the game. You could also just spend a few hours upgrading your skills.

Up to now, I have put around nine hours into the game and am only 54% complete. I have completed the main story and I am still hooked, which doesn’t happen to me often with open world games. All in all, I think this game definitely deserves a 9/10, and delivers an open world gaming experience that is not only enjoyable, but fun.

Games: Crackdown 2, Platforms: Xbox 360, Genres: Action Adventure, Publishers: Microsoft Game Studios, Developers: Ruffian Games