It's a bird, it's a plane... it's Crackdown!

Jess Ragan · February 11, 2007

There was always something about Grand Theft Auto that felt incomplete, but I could never put my finger on what it lacked. After playing the demo of Crackdown on my Xbox 360, I've finally realized what GTA was missing... superpowers! Crackdown is a futuristic action game where you play a member of a task force hired to rid the city of some surprisingly well-armed gangs. The game bears a lot of similarities to Grand Theft Auto and its kin, with vast, fully explorable cities, but it's different from those games in several key areas.

First off, the game is fast-paced and intense, with plenty of action-packed gun battles. It moves at a faster clip than Grand Theft Auto, more closely approaching Mercenaries or True Crime: Streets of L.A. in pace. Secondly, there's an experience point system, reminiscent of the one in San Andreas, but this one greatly increases your agent's abilities, transforming him from your average gun-toting crimefighter into a roof-jumping, truck-throwing, bullet-resistant superhero! A friend of mine (who I played the demo with in the co-op mode) made the observation that Crackdown was a better Superman game than the official one released by Electronic Arts last year, and I'm inclined to agree.

Crackdown will be released on February 20th, but don't wait... you're going to want to try this game right now. And once you've finished the demo, you'll want to go back for a second helping, then a third. It's just that addictive!

JR