Crackdown 2 Details Shamble Zombie-Like From The Shadows

[DoctorFinger]

The new issue of Game Informer - which should be in mailboxes soon - pulls back the veil on Crackdown 2. So of course some of the info has leaked out ahead of the magazine's publication.

Apparently after the events of the first game, things in Pacific City have gone from bad to worse. The Agency's attempts at ruling the city have been a huge failure. A zombie virus has broken out in the city, and the civilians have formed a gang which decimated the Agency. Your job will be to re-build the Agency. But we didn't play Crackdown for the story, we played it for the action. And some things have changed:

- 4 person co-op, with 16 person competitive multiplayer. Competetitive MP will have a skill progression system in the vein of Call of Duty.
- New vehicles, including an Agency chopper. Some vehicles will have mounted guns on them
- More weapons with more variety.
- The city will decay and become increasingly dangerous as the game progresses
- Much more variety in the boss battles.
- No more Support Points, not you'll call in supplies via airdrops.

More info on the game should emerge when the new issue of GI gets into more hands. One bit of info we don't apparently get: a release window for the game.

Sources - NeoGAF; CVG.

[Gorvi]

This is the one game that could actually get me to resub to Gold.

[KamaItachi]

Sounds like they've expanded quite a bit on the best points and addressed the worst of the original.

I just hope they have a bit more balance in the weapons this time through, after about 1/3 of the way through the game you had the best ones and there was no real reason to bother collecting any more.

[JayVe]

- The city will decay and become increasingly dangerous as the game progresses

This! The first Crackdown was excellent on many levels, but as you progressed, the game felt safer and safer... less and less of a challenge. I love the idea of the city falling apart and becoming more difficult.

[DoctorFinger]

From the little they had on NeoGAF, it sounds like the devs want the weapons to be more balanced. Everyone pretty much just took the homing missile launcher and the big LMG with almost no variation.

[darkbase]

I remember becoming more and more depressed as Crackdown's story progressed because it was obvious you were leading the real villain of the story, and it becomes extremely obvious in the end...

Also those new Sprint commercials drive me crazy because isn't the voice-over guy the same from this game? I keep expecting him to say "Good job, Agent" or "That bitch..."

[KamaItachi]

Originally Posted by JayVe

- The city will decay and become increasingly dangerous as the game progresses

This! The first Crackdown was excellent on many levels, but as you progressed, the game felt safer and safer... less and less of a challenge. I love the idea of the city falling apart and becoming more difficult.

The city becoming much safer fit in with the ending, but ultimately I agree. It felt like you were actually removing parts of the game as you progressed. They could have at least added random crimes for you to take on to keep things more interesting. Chasing down a hijacked security van while weaving in and out of, or just exploding, traffic could have been awesome. Even more awesome would have been just outrunning the damn thing on foot before you kicked it into the sea.

[JayVe]

Originally Posted by KamaItachi

Even more awesome would have been just outrunning the damn thing on foot before you kicked it into the sea.

Fairly early-on in the original Crackdown, I realized I was such a badass, that I didn't even NEED a gun OR a car. I spent more than half the game running around on foot, beating the shit out of criminals.

When you can pick up a bus, and leap over buildings, who the heck needs a pistol?

[total]

Originally Posted by DoctorFinger

- 4 person co-op, with 16 person competitive multiplayer. Competetitive MP will have a skill progression system in the vein of Call of Duty.

This makes this an instant purchase for me. What an absolutely grand idea.

[Gorvi]

Originally Posted by JayVe

Fairly early-on in the original Crackdown, I realized I was such a badass, that I didn't even NEED a gun OR a car. I spent more than half the game running around on foot, beating the shit out of criminals.

There was no real reason to ever get into a car in the first game that I could ever find. It was just faster, and a hell of a lot more fun, to run and jump around.

[Mot Wakorb]

I like the ideas of street gangs and the city decaying - zombies, though? Really? Why do we need zombies in this game? Past that - everything else looks good.

[DoctorFinger]

Originally Posted by Mot Wakorb

I like the ideas of street gangs and the city decaying - zombies, though? Really? Why do we need zombies in this game? Past that - everything else looks good.

I think they're trying to differentiate the enemies in the game more this time around. But yeah, the zombie thing is getting a bit too common. Why not make them vampires? At least then we could pretend they were the Twilight douches.

[JayVe]

Originally Posted by Mot Wakorb

I like the ideas of street gangs and the city decaying - zombies, though? Really? Why do we need zombies in this game? Past that - everything else looks good.

Personally, I find killing hordes of zombies to be much more satisfying than killing hordes of human beings. I also like the rotting / decaying / infectious unstoppable wave of dread aspect that zombies bring to the table. It has the same relentless feeling of fighting something like the Borg...

[Superman's Dead]

I'm not sure I really like the city getting worse as you progress...that could just be because I've played too much Spider-Man: Web of Shadows and Prototype. I mean, you're supposed to be cleaning UP the city.

And the dark turn the plot took was one of my favorite parts.

Edit: There were already zombie-esque baddies in the game; the mutants from the Asian part of town. Also, I hope the racial stereotypes are definitely still in.

[Kelegacy]

Oh yeah, I forgot about the mutants from the first game. Huh.

[Wackman3000]

Crackdown is one of those X360 exclusives I've always wanted to give a shot, so hopefully they do a PC version this time around.

[Karak]

With the mutants from the first game, the zombies aren't too much of a stretch, but I too am getting a bit tired of the zombie thing. Crackdown felt so over the top cartoony and the racial stuff was just funny as well. I am interested to see how it pans out.

[Mike Kelehan]

Okay, we'll see where this goes. Two player Crackdown was a blast, hopefully four player will be as well.

[LongStepMantis]

Originally Posted by DoctorFinger

I think they're trying to differentiate the enemies in the game more this time around. But yeah, the zombie thing is getting a bit too common. Why not make them vampires? At least then we could pretend they were the Twilight douches.

Because the only undead more played out than zombies right now is vampires.

Now if someone would make a WWII zombies vs. vampires game, we could get the entire crew of overused themes in one game.

Isn't it about time we had more werewolves?

[roboninja]

Originally Posted by Wackman3000

Crackdown is one of those X360 exclusives I've always wanted to give a shot, so hopefully they do a PC version this time around.

I am doubting it. The first game still has be thinking about picking up a 360; it is the only exclusive that I can think of that I want enough to do so. This game may push me over the edge.