Crackdown 2 first impressions . . . let the leapathon begin!

So if any of you guys out there were big fans of the original sleeper crime busting leapathon that was Crackdown, I’m sure you hurried yourselves down to your local game store to pick the answer to your prayers in the form of its sequel Crackdown 2 today.

Now I’ve only sessioned it for a few hours, maybe I’m yet to hit the core of the game but in my opinion it just feels like they’ve repeated the same awesome formula of jump, smack, shoot, blow stuff, blow more stuff up etc. But not much else!? No that this is a necessarily a bad thing but I just didn’t think they’d make Crackdown 1.5, this game has so much potential, just feels like they’ve cut it all a bit short by not taking a few leaps in its production.

The graphics are improved, don’t get me wrong I love the cell shaded look but the city still looks the same, only a bit tattier! I also have some initial gripes with the handling of the combat/lock on system making it impossible to switch between gunning someone down and them beating them with the butt of your machine gun when you get in close (which end ups with you break dancing around one guy while everyone shoots at you). I may just be scraping the surface but already I seem to be repeating the same mission objective of activating three Sun bomb machines, just in different places scattered around the city, I hope this changes or I’m going to be a little bit peeved.

I’m a little dismayed if I’m honest, I just hope the multiplayer redeems itself as this was the biggest let down of the original yet keeping a car in the air with continuous explosions or deciding to lob it at your mate just doesn’t get old.

Khronos out.