Crackdown 2 catch-all

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Ooooh...the Crackdown 2 demo is on the 360 today, free for everyone to download. It features 30 minutes of play time that includes 1) 4 player co-op; 2) extra-fast developing skills (for kills, agent), ala the Crackdown demo; and 3) achievements that will carry over into the full game when you finally get your grubby mitts on it.

So, who has had a chance to play it?? Does it rock as much as I dearly want it to?

And, what does everyone think about the achievements being available in a demo? I presume you won't actually earn the achievements until you plop the $60 disc into your system. Whether fair or not, I think this is a great hook to get people to buy the game...I'm looking at you achievement whores salivating over in the corner when I say this (and I'm not judging, brothers!).

Wow, I'll definitely check this out. If it's "just more Crackdown," that's music to my nostrils.

I'm excited for this. I've been spending some time finishing up the first game this weekend, as I still had the third and final area to play.

I think the achievement in a demo thing is cool. Some XBLA games try to get you tempted to buy the game from a demo within that game session by telling you you've unlocked an achievement, but it's only earned if you buy right then. This is another level of tricky carrot on a stick.

MannishBoy wrote:

I'm excited for this. I've been spending some time finishing up the first game this weekend, as I still had the third and final area to play.

I think the achievement in a demo thing is cool. Some XBLA games try to get you tempted to buy the game from a demo within that game session by telling you you've unlocked an achievement, but it's only earned if you buy right then. This is another level of tricky carrot on a stick.

Yeah; I think it was Shadow Complex that got me with that one, but I was going to buy it anyway...

I got to play a little on my lunch break. Pretty much the same old Crackdown, not that this is a bad thing. The only real difference I noticed was that the cell shading seemed more noticeable.

Mr E.B. Slugworth wrote:

I got to play a little on my lunch break. Pretty much the same old Crackdown, not that this is a bad thing. The only real difference I noticed was that the cell shading seemed more noticeable.

Agreed, just more Crackdown on steriods... Loving it!!!

The only thing is the cell shading seems bland this time around - could just be me, kind feels dated now. Not a show stopper by no means.

Can the demo do co-op?

Can the demo do co-op?

Yup, up to 4 people.

Mr E.B. Slugworth wrote:
Can the demo do co-op?

Yup, up to 4 people.

Sweet.

I will probably pick this one up, too.

30 minutes a day, or 30 minutes total?

30 minutes per sitting. I'm sure it works like any other demo, you can boot it right back up when you done and get another 30 minutes out of it. I think the trick to that is, they don't want you progressing too far, but its okay if you do the first 30 minutes of stuff over and over.

I checked it out. I got lost in orb-hunting and realized I only had 6 minutes of demo left, but hadn't done anything it wanted me to.

Maybe, later, I'll jump on to do some co-op with some fools.

Oh crap, it has co-op? Crap. CRAP. Well, there goes my week.

*raises hand*

Look for me for some Co-op later on tonight.

SallyNasty wrote:

I will probably pick this one up, too.

Let me be clear [/rabbitgwj]: my purchase is already a done deal! I'm just wondering how the demo shapes out and whether I need to clear my whole week to cause chaos in 30 min chunks!!

I too am pretty much sold on this if it's nothing more than more Crackdown.

AnimeJ wrote:

I too am pretty much sold on this if it's nothing more than more Crackdown.

I'd like to add my name to this list.

Prederick wrote:
AnimeJ wrote:

I too am pretty much sold on this if it's nothing more than more Crackdown.

I'd like to add my name to this list.

I will add my name to the list, and then joyfully leg-hump the list to express my happiness. Crackdown is some of the most fun I've had with my 360.

damn...only just realised this was out. Oh well, downloading now.

Had a solo through the demo at lunchtime. It feels like Crackdown, and that's both good and bad. Controls are still a bit floaty, melee attacks are a crapshot as to whether they hit, and it's easy to get swarmed by freaks. If I don't miss my guess, it'll be a hoot in co-op, but a little empty for solo.

It's moot for me - got no funds for it - if I was flush, I might well have picked it up.

It's Crackdown with a radar ping that marks nearby orbs on your map. 'Nuff said.

It's more Crackdown. I love it. MP session tonight?

CptGlanton wrote:

It's more Crackdown. I love it. MP session tonight?

I'm in, I've been waiting for this game for quite a while.

Just ran through the 30 minutes, didn't unlock any achievements, but I was just screwing around. More Crackdown is good. Will buy.

Guess I'll try some more tonight, but I'm also playing Crackdown 1 because I think I'm getting close to finally finishing it.

Sinatar wrote:

It's Crackdown with a radar ping that marks nearby orbs on your map.

Woo hoo! Add me to the list, leg humping and all!

I played through the demo and i have to say it was a bit disappointing. Open world games have evolved a great deal to the point where "more crackdown" almost feels last gen. After darting around maps in games like Assassin's creed 2, Just cause, and Infamous, the movement here feels a bit janky.

There also seemed to be one huge frustration, that i hope is just a function of me not knowing how to do it, but can you really not switch between targets while locked-on? I would lock-on to an exploding barrel instead of an enemy, and no matter what I pushed it wouldn't switch my aim to the enemy without unlocking on. It was really frustrating in areas with lots of enemies and barrels.

I also want a button to make the narrator guy shut the f up.

I don't want it to sound like I hated the demo. I could see it being some mindless fun for a rental, but unless I missed some stuff, I don't know how this can't be seen as a disappointing failure to evolve with the times.

Jonman wrote:

Had a solo through the demo at lunchtime. It feels like Crackdown, and that's both good and bad. Controls are still a bit floaty, melee attacks are a crapshot as to whether they hit, and it's easy to get swarmed by freaks. If I don't miss my guess, it'll be a hoot in co-op, but a little empty for solo.

It's moot for me - got no funds for it - if I was flush, I might well have picked it up.

I felt differently about the first game, and do about this one after having played the demo both solo and cooperatively. I just think it works better solo.

Crackdown gives you next to no incentive to playing cooperatively. You're such a badass that you generally don't need the help, and trying to stay near someone else usually is keeping you from the constant progress that the game allows. I'm certainly open to co-op, but I'm not going to put the brakes on and wait for someone else.

Maybe the new game will have challenges later on that require teamwork, but I doubt it, and doubt that'd sit well with me. It's kind of against the spirit of the game.

As it stands I don't want to pay 60 bucks for the new one, but only because it's so much like the old. $40 I'll have to think long and hard about, $30 is the instant buy point.

IUMogg wrote:

I played through the demo and i have to say it was a bit disappointing. Open world games have evolved a great deal to the point where "more crackdown" almost feels last gen. After darting around maps in games like Assassin's creed 2, Just cause, and Infamous, the movement here feels a bit janky.

There also seemed to be one huge frustration, that i hope is just a function of me not knowing how to do it, but can you really not switch between targets while locked-on? I would lock-on to an exploding barrel instead of an enemy, and no matter what I pushed it wouldn't switch my aim to the enemy without unlocking on. It was really frustrating in areas with lots of enemies and barrels.

I also want a button to make the narrator guy shut the f up.

I don't want it to sound like I hated the demo. I could see it being some mindless fun for a rental, but unless I missed some stuff, I don't know how this can't be seen as a disappointing failure to evolve with the times.

If you think AC is smoother than this, you're doing it wrong.

I agree that there should be a better lock on solution, but I've been used to this system for long enough that it doesn't bother me. You get to the point with good enough weapons that you won't be locking on much.

Regarding the bolded, they had two options when making this game. Make it too much like Crackdown and disappoint people expecting greater things, or make it too much like other games and lose the very specific Crackdown feel. I've played just about every open-world game inspired by the original, and I'm glad they decided to stick close to the source. It's a largely personal call.

Blind_Evil wrote:

If you think AC is smoother than this, you're doing it wrong.

I agree that there should be a better lock on solution, but I've been used to this system for long enough that it doesn't bother me. You get to the point with good enough weapons that you won't be locking on much.

Regarding the bolded, they had two options when making this game. Make it too much like Crackdown and disappoint people expecting greater things, or make it too much like other games and lose the very specific Crackdown feel. I've played just about every open-world game inspired by the original, and I'm glad they decided to stick close to the source. It's a largely personal call.

Although I think AC could improve in some areas, the dynamic climbing and running on objects feels better to me than the jump to ledge, pull yourself up, repeat from crackdown. AC is great example for the improvements I would have hoped for in crackdown. AC1 had interesting and innovative gameplay, but not much content. I had hope that Crackdown would have also iterated on the mechanics while added more interesting content. Based on the demo, that doesn't seem to be the case.

IUMogg wrote:

Open world games have evolved a great deal to the point where "more crackdown" almost feels last gen.

Agreed. And unfortunately the gunplay hasn't improved at all, it sucked the first game and it sucks now. Explosions feel meaty as always but the actual gun combat feels as limp as ever. The whole lock-on system should have been tossed IMO, but I guess enough people must have been satisfied with it. Traversal was fun in the original and I'm sure it will also be in the sequel, but for me that's just not enough to carry a whole game. The zombies were pretty cool though, nice to at least see some enemy variation.

I did enjoy the movement and gameworld aesthetic more in AC2, though I was not thrilled with the actual combat in that game either. Infamous I think, really one-upped Crackdown in both respects - combat was just fun in that game and that makes all the difference. And of course playing so much Just Cause 2 lately, Crackdown 2 is just not even in the same league.

Not to excited with reusing the city. I know it's had a nuclear face-lift, but some aspects of the alterations seem weird. Lupus found a spot where they had put down a big cement wall right on top of a road, like in the middle of a lane. Seems sloppy. The narrative behind the game is so thin that there's really no reason to stay in Pacific City.

Lists don't have legs.

When it comes to mindless fun games, I'm actually pretty happy to have more of the same - partially because I'm poor enough that I can't usually go back to the original because I rented it or I've sold it. I'll just be using it to keep my hands and eyes occupied while listening to podcasts, anyway.

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