This past week, one game has been on my mind. That game is Crackdown, a great co-op game for the 360. As is my nature, I always find the good games months and years after they come out. However, sometimes being late to the party can be nice, since I was able to discover Crackdown without the pretense of the Halo 3 Beta fury that was associated with Crackdown at that time. So, in the past week, I've been experimenting with the game and thoroughly enjoying the co-op experience.
I should first thank my Crackdown teammate, yimmt666, who I met randomly and is now my "Crackdown guy." So together with my fellow Crackdown gamer, I discovered the great fun that is Crackdown.
Hilarity described in detail, after the break.
First off, Crackdown is great for co-op gamers mainly because accessing co-op is fairly easy, and even to this day, there are plenty of people playing the game. Also, unlike some games, the addition of an extra player doesn't make it a cakewalk. I have many fond memories of mowing through enemies with my buddy, only to be blown out of the water by a rocket, thus necessitating a re-spawn at one of Crackdown's supply points.
As much as I love co-op games, I am an equal fan of single-player games, so I was surprised to find that the single-player and co-op modes of Crackdown are really the same and play the same. Also, the character you play as in single--player mode is the same as the one in co-op, and any improvements you make in the co-op mode transfers to the single-player mode, and vice versa. However, Crackdown is, to me, a game about great moments. So, instead of continuing on with my paragraphs of discourse about the game, I will give you some of my memorable moments in co-op.
- After locating an enemy boss, my teammate and I fought through hoards of enemies to get to the boss. Our solution to defeating the boss? Dual rocket launchers. Now, certainly we could have killed him in a much easier manner. But there's nothing quite like watching an enemy flying, rag doll-style, while constantly being bombarded by rockets. That is until he bursts open, letting loose experience-giving orbs, like a sort of perverse pinata.
- My teammate has an affinity for explosives. That's great and all, but the problem is that with explosives, you cannot necessarily determine who you are going to kill. More than once, I have run at my enemies, all gung-ho, only to be blown back by a stray rocket, followed by a "oops sorry." However, when you are a human tank, it doesn't really bother you much when your teammate accidentally blows you up.
- My teammate and I were doing clean up after defeating a tricky boss residing on an oil derrick. After scouring the base for enemies, my teammate remarked "well, there's two left." Two seconds later, I located one of the two remaining and disposed of him via rocket. "One remaining" was quickly followed by another enemy meeting a rocket-related doom, to be replaced by my "no remaining" comment.
These are just a few of the memorable moments I had while playing co-op in Crackdown. I quickly discovered why I loved Crackdown's co-op: playing as a superhero with a superhero for a teammate is very rewarding. Along with generally fun gameplay, Crackdown also is a fun game in general, especially when you have with a teammate to enjoy destroying enemies.
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This one isn't too bad in terms of gore etc, really I'm not sure why it got an M.
This and Gears of War are easily my two favorite Co-Op games this generation. I absolutely love this game, and I cry to think there isn't going to be a sequel.
Those who havenīt played Crackdown in co-op mode donīt know what they are missing :p
This game is awesome. My only complain is that it lacks aerial vehicles, as well as a vehicle for two people (where one drives and the other fires).
This game was made to be played in co-op. The single player is alright but it isn't nearly as fun without another person playing with you. I always enjoyed lifting up a giant truck and decking my partner with it.
Crackdown was one of the first games I bought for the Xbox when I finally picked one up this March. It was nice because it was cheap and easy to find used, but to my amazement, it was fantastically entertaining. I had a lot of fun playing solo, but once I roped some friends into playing with me, we were in hysterics over our co-op antics. Definitely a "Must Have" for Xbox co-op!
I finally got around to beating Crackdown last month. I had help from Rimmer and FiveSki, both guys I met here on these boards. It was pretty nice in co-op mode but I will say it has its issues.
Several times in co-op I got lag. Not sure why, could have just been the night. Also a few programming issues bothered me, mainly the lengthy portion you spend on the ground after taking a big enough shot. VERY annoying! Also, the enemy seems to track you instantly, regardless of where you are, after you make one single shot.
I would have liked a little bit more team work integrated into the experience as well. When the game was just coming out, I remember reading in Game Informer an interview with the developer where he said one strategy would be to have one player get in a car and the other player throw the car over the compound wall, allowing the first player to land in the car and start driving around, causing havoc. I was never able to pull this off, as every single time I picked up a car they shot it so quickly it blew up in my hands!
Anyway, it is a good game with a good player backing you up, and a sequel would have been nice but evidently that's not happening now.
Total Comments: 6
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Nice article! I may pick up this game eventually, it seems fun. I don't get much chance to play 'M' titles. (Yay being a dad!)