Who will admit that back in 2007 when we bought the Halo 3 beta that had a game called Crackdown bundled with it thought that Microsoft had found an easy way to shift units of a game that didn’t look that good?

I thought so, me included.   But when you played a couple of hours of Crackdown waiting for the delayed Halo 3 beta to surface, who then found out that this was not some cheap stunt at all but Crackdown provided more entertainment than you thought the game would deliver?

Crackdown, developed by Realtime Worlds, made such a statement in the sandbox action genre that not only did it deliver a great experience but also single handedly create its own sub genre.  Fusing classic sandbox over the top action with a vertical as well as horizontal urban playground, Crackdown provided, fun, frolics, exuberant gunplay, crazy explosions plus a new gaming drug called hunt the orb which has had people hooked on searching for them for the past couple of years.

Cue, 2010 and the sequel, Crackdown 2, which has left the Realtime Worlds creators to be developed by Ruffian Games.  The game takes place in Pacific City 10 years later where chaos has broken loose with infected “Freaks” rampaging through the city, tearing up and destroying anything in their paths and the Cell who are a group that want to protect what the Freaks are doing and want to stop the Agency from cleaning them up.

Think of them as a Save The Whale type hippy foundation with a ridiculous arsenal of weaponry and you’ll know where I am going.  Your task as an advanced Agent is to activate absorption beams that will highlight a Freaks lair.  You are then tasked with dropping into the lairs, calling in support to drop in a UV mega weapon, defend the weapon from attacking Freaks until fully charged that will take out the offending lair.

If you remember the original Crackdown then you will also release that the narrative was never its strong point.  It was there merely to service the requirements that drive the game forward before you become addicted to the many side quests that were on offer.  Crackdown 2 will play out exactly the same way and although the story is a basic foundation for the game, you will get sidetracked very quickly with the many side quests in the game.  There is a lot more to do this time so it will suck many more hours from you.  From taking over tactical locations that are Cell strongholds, closing down Freak breaches, rooftop and driving races to the ultimate gaming addiction of finding those orbs that are dotted around the city, you will soon find that there are more things to check off that will make this games pick up and play value far more superior to a lot of other games in it’s genre.

One of Crackdown 2′s main draws is your character’s power up system and how it operates.  Broken down into several skills that include weapons, strength, explosives, driving and, of course, agility you will find yourself constantly trying to build these up to unlock new items.  Driving will unlock new cars, weapons and explosives speak for themselves with strength and agility allowing you to open up more of the city as you climb and jump higher and longer to reach those places that were not possible in the early part of the game.

There is a real addictiveness here which will lead to the searching and collection of 500 agility and 300 hidden as well as some special co-op only orbs that are to be found in the game.  If that wasn’t enough, you can also attempt to grab the rogue agility and driving orbs that are also liberally scattered around.  This becomes the real addiction as you try to figure out how you can reach some of them.

The action itself is fierce and heavy from exciting set pieces triggered off by your Agent trying to capture a tactical location, taking out a Freak breach and trying to set off the absorption beams to just going out at night when the Freaks start to appear in droves and going on an absolute orgy of gunplay and the thrill of the kill in as many ways as you can imagine.  From setting off a chain of explosions to ripping off a lamp post and battering a few enemies with it, there is always something creative for you to do to eliminate Cell and Freaks in the bloodiest way possible.

The control system does a good job here and in the main works smoothly to get the desired action.  One problem for me was that the system did feel a little clunky as I reached the latter lairs in the main story.  I found that the pace of the attacks by the Freaks in the final 2 lairs of the main story left me feeling frustrated as I wanted my Agent to do something but was too slow to react to it.  Now, I know i’m getting old but my reactions are not that bad.  For those mistakes I spent a good part of an hour tearing my hair out trying to hold off the waves of Freaks whilst trying to protect the UV weapon only for the weapon to get too damaged due to a slow weapon swap and having to restart the mission.

Another frustration I found in the game was the way your character got knocked of of his feet.  I appreciate the fact that this has to happen but the time it takes to get up coupled with the rag doll physics that will have you bouncing around can sometimes make you lose a mission that you really should have completed.  These are very small grumbles and ultimately, Ruffian have provided a game where the positives far outweigh the minor negatives that I have explained.

Getting back on a positive track, Ruffian have now given Crackdown fans their biggest request and that is to deliver 4 player co-op to the party.  Sometimes, the game can become a trawl on your own but Crackdown 2 really comes alive when you have a mate or two to jump around with.

Whether it is tracking down the xbox live orbs, helping out in the main story or one of the many side quests or even seeing what is possible in the game for laughs then co-op will have you hooked for days on end and is a perfect accompaniment to losing a few hours after a serious night of gaming.

There is also a multiplayer element to it where up to 16 players can go head to head in Rocket tag and a couple of deathmatch options.  Although a lot of fun, it does feel as though it has been bolted on rather than had some serious attention given to it that will give the modes some longevity.  More of an afterthought rather than being a necessity and you will head back to co-op very quickly, I feel.

Overall, Crackdown 2 delivers a whole lot of fun and is definitely worth a purchase.  Some people may think that Ruffian are very brave to revisit Pacific City but the destruction within the environment gives the city a completely different look and feel.  It just goes to show that with a lot of effort something that could have turned out to be a clone of the original and would lose its edge can be turned into an enthralling playground that has advanced itself in a positive way, added more depth and challenges to deliver a game that will both satisfy and keep you coming back for months on end.

Crackdown 2 will be released in the U.K on Friday 9th July and is exclusive to the Xbox 360.