Crackdown 2

I love the original game - it was different to most of the other games of its genre (open sandbox/3rd person shooter). Several things set it apart - the cell shading look of the game &  he power-ups.

The cell shading made the game look like a comic-book or a cartoon-is, but not childish. It was a very accessible game & not unreasonably difficult to complete. 

This was aided by the power-ups (skills) which quickly gave the Agent's super-human traits: 

• "Agility", which increases the Agent's ability to jump, run, and swim;
• "Driving", affecting how well he can handle a vehicle; 
• "Explosives", which affects the power and range of explosive weapons; 
• "Strength" that increases the Agent's strength, namely by increasing his ability to lift and throw, as well as how hard he can strike an opponent;
• "Firearms", which improves the character's aptitude with weapons.

It really was an immensly satisfying game, with few limitations - mostly repitition & enemies (even bosses) which could be defeated in a few seconds (if you ignore the 30-40 guys guarding them & go stright for the boss) - where you could literally leap over a building in a single bound (Superman) or punch a car & spin it over your head (Hellboy) or smash/throw everything (Hulk). So imaging my gratitude for one of my young people from North Leigh 'borrowing it'...forever - fail!

But now there is a second game...Crackdown 2! Here's the low-down on this game:

A trailer was unveiled at E3 2009 revealing that the player-controlled Agent roams over Pacific City, which has become infested with urban-gang warfare, assisting the Agency in the battle for Pacific City against numerous crime lords who control the city. A recent article from Game Informer magazine stated that Pacific City is infested with mutants from the research facility in the first Crackdown. These mutants have over run most of the former Shai-Gen territory and completely over run the city at night. The remaining civilians, forming a group called The Cell, revolted against the Agency and the mutants. The Agents are tasked with sabotaging key Cell structures and raiding underground mutant tunnels."

Now I have had my hands on the game for a few weeks,  & it is not too dissimilar to the first game, but they have done what the best games do - add to the original, rather than reinvent the wheel (Gears of War, Call of Duty, Halo - we're looking at you!). It's a joy to play, but much more of a challenge - because this time the enemies get more tough - as tough as you when you begin to level up your character.

It's not a 5* game, but it's a load of fun - I would give it a strong 4* out of 5 - good times