Crackdown 2 too faithful to formula

When you are playing a sequel, especially when a new developer has taken the reins, there's always a danger they will stray too far from the formula that gave the original its magic. This is not the case in Crackdown 2, an unfortunate tragedy. If anything, Ruffian Games didn't stray enough in developing this sequel.

Fans of the first Crackdown will enjoy donning and developing superhuman power once again, leaping, driving and shooting while cleaning the corrupted streets of Pacific City as before. What fans will regret is that Crackdown 2 mirrors the first game a little too closely.

Sure the weapons and vehicles have been given a much-needed makeover, but essentially, Crackdown 2 is Crackdown with one addition — zombies. Of course, to maintain the facade of originality, they’re not called zombies. In Crackdown 2, they’re called freaks, a genetic aberration. Fine, let's do a little test, shall we? Sluggish movement? Check. Only come out at night? Check. Swarm in a mindless horde? Check. Call them whatever you want, but if it groans, shuffles and explodes like a zombie, it is a zombie.

And I'm tired of zombies. Dead Rising did it, Dead Space did it, and Left 4 Dead did it. It’s been done to death, hence the common thread in the titles of most zombie-based games. Through video games, movies and literature, the zombie genre is just that — dead. The addiction has been a plague on gaming for long enough and the industry needs to move on.

If you’re looking for ingenuity from the storyline end, think again. The plot mirrors the first game. Woven within the daily cycle of night and day objectives, there is a loose plotline of political deceit and manipulation. If you've played the first Crackdown, there will be no surprises here. It's a plot that screams plagiarism and hides in the shadows of originality. And don't expect Grand Theft Auto’s level of depth or scope, either from the plot or character development. These shortcomings leave the player unmotivated, so much of the game can become repetitive at times. Align a beacon, destroy bad guy stronghold, kill freaks, repeat for six hours.

Crackdown 2 won't break any records in the graphics department either, but to be fair, neither did the original. It's not meant to. It's designed to be a comic book take on Grand Theft Auto. This means that up close, things can look anywhere from average to downright shabby at times. Combined with frustrating camera control, this sequel should have been tested more thoroughly in its early stages of development. What was acceptable for its predecessor back in 2007 is deemed a sad shortcoming three years later.

Having said that, action is Crackdown 2’s saving grace. During the day, the city is your playground. Explore the towering heights and its rewards or play the street game, dispatching bad guys, entering races or pursuing vehicle and glider stunts. At night, thousands of freaks litter the streets, waiting for you to slaughter them as you see fit, which will be no problem as the game’s had a sweet upgrade in the weapon and vehicle departments.

So what does this all boil down to? Well, despite the banal plot and the tacked-on zombies — sorry, freaks — Crackdown 2’s blend of exploration and execution still manages to create a pleasant, wide-open gaming experience for those who love non-stop action. Either you’ll enjoy re-visiting the magic that captured you in the original or you’re new to the franchise and will get a taste of what made the first one so special.

When he’s not teaching junior high, St. Albert Catholic High School alumnus Derek Mitchell spends his free time attached to a video game console.