
It hasn’t been that long since I reviewed another AAA game, usually not as a rule, but out of choice I have found myself reviewing another. Lately, I have found more abundant creativity and playability in flash based internet games than full price retail titles (check out the awesome “Coma” on newgrounds). The last title I fully enjoyed from start to finish was Heavy Rain. I would count Demons Souls in here, but I never got round to finishing it (I will one day, when I can muster the strength). Apparently then, a strange shift from hardcore gamer to casual, it has left me wondering if I’m either getting old or just jaded from the gaming industry. Or, is it that I expect too much?
Crackdown 2, is yet another let down (red dead, Alan wake, splinter cell conviction, the list keeps growing!!). I loved the prequel. Scaling buildings with a single bound, collecting orbs and of course shooting bad guys, it was great fun. A title that was overlooked on release, that has since gathered a cult following. 2 Player co-op was even better than the campaign mode. Now the developers Ruffian have upped the ante with the sequel, which boasts an impressive 4 player, drop in, drop out co-op and online multiplayer. Other changes include “freaks” that roam the city at night, although they look like rejects from Left 4 Dead and provide little more than an inconvenient distraction to the game itself. Sounds like an improvement on paper, here’s the thing… Whilst playing I had that overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Do my eyes deceive me? Surely not…! It is identical to the prequel!
Aside from the flimsy missions where you turn radars on to locate the freaks lairs, it’s the same. The buildings are the same, the bad guys are the same, and with the exception of a few bits of debris on the roads, the environment is 99.9% identical to the first game. Of course… the game is set in the same city 10 years later, games have done this before but provided significant changes to warrant it. Graphically, it’s a fairly uninspiring affair, the cel-shaded look is refreshing from the pseudo-realistic graphics we are used to seeing, but I’m fairly certain that it’s not as detailed and pretty as the prequel. Textures often pop in, the colour palette is drab and it lacks the polish of other games of this ilk.
Sure, the game is fun, until repetition sets in. Jumping buildings and shooting the bad guys from the air is a blast (ahem!) and fans will be pleased to hear Orb hunting is as challenging and addictive as ever. However, despite loving the first game, I refuse to pay for it twice. The gaming masses were in uproar over the aforementioned Left 4 Dead 2, claiming it was a recycled game, but this sets the bar. Development like this will kill the industry. People are not stupid and will quickly realise when to jump ship. You cannot keep re-packaging the same old game with no new additions (unless of course, you are Nintendo).
If you have never played the first one, it might be worth checking out. If you have, you will quickly realise this reeks of lazy development. Perhaps tight deadlines were to blame, either way it is inexcusable for a retail title, when the first one was so good. A major disappointment, I was hoping this would tide me over until the summer games drought has ended. As it stands, I couldn’t bear to finish it. Cackdown 2 more like. Arf!!
5 / 10
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