• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Crackdown 2 |OT| of Orbs, Freaks, and Exploding Pedestrians

M

Mrbob

Member
GhaleonEB said:
Also: Worst. Manual. Ever.
Click to expand...

:lol

Funny because I just opened up my copy and was gonna open up the manual and see it is a 2 page pamphlet! Then you have the fold out poster/manual, strange setup!

Of course I really don't need a manual for this game so it isn't that big of a deal but I was thinking the same thing as soon as I opened my box!
 
T

TheListener

Member
SapientWolf said:
You can turn him off in the options. People said they loved him in the first one so I guess they went overboard this time.
Click to expand...

He should quiet down after the first hour if you've been completing objectives and trying all the game features.
 
M

MrDaravon

Member
Played for about 7 hours today, about 5 hours of that co-op. Ultimately while there are a lot of niggling little issues and flaws, it's still Crackdown at it's core. That said, I would be lying if the group I was playing with (who all loved the first game) weren't all a tad disappointed, and I can't really disagree with most of the reviews.

If you liked the original and will be playing it co-op, I think it's still worth it at full price, having the co-op (especially 4 player) is great. The whole time we did 4-player there wasn't any real technical issues either.

If you liked the original and will be playing single player, I think it's going to depend on how much you really want a new Crackdown. If you're a whore for orbs (like I am) and almost don't give a fuck about anything else but the opportunity to get a bunch more orbs, it'll probably be worth it. If you're not that into the orb collect-a-thon and you're concerned about the reviews, I'd say it's probably still worth getting, but I'd recommend waiting for a price drop.

I have to agree that probably the only addition/change that I can say without a doubt was improved over the first is 4-player co-op (and of course even more orbs). Everything else is kind of a mixed bag for me, some things feel better and others don't, etc. In particular the poor UI choices (no easy access to a full map, no different color icons to show different players, general menu navigation) are really annoying. I'm still having a blast, but how strong the defense force in here is a pretty good indicator of a lot of the valid doubts people have and faults the game has. It's seeming more and more like a lot of this was just Ruffian getting screwed on time constraints which is really upsetting, but we've got to deal with the hand we've been given.


As a complete aside, how the fuck do you use the glide suit? I had to look at the controls to even see what button it was, and even then I just seem to plummet like a rock. I'm guessing it's one of those things where you need to sort of dive and rise, but so far I'm just diving :lol
 
M

Mrbob

Member
I didn't want to make it too easy so I'm playing with the difficulty above Tough. I've died a couple times so there is some challenge, but mostly its just annoying enemy spam fire. With more enemies it would have been nice if Ruffian had cleaned up the lock on targeting system. Too many times I accidentally lock onto an item in the world instead of the guy I want to shoot.

I'm still having fun hunting orbs, especially the renegade agility orbs. Those are awesome to try and get. Not sure if I like the mission structure better than this one or the first game, need to play it some more. I'm only seeing a couple mission objectives right now. Activate the beacons or take down a stronghold. Technically this is a bit more variety than just hunting down the crime boss from the first game but I miss this aspect. I loved hunting down each boss because they each had their own bio and personality. Plus each area they were in seemed to be tailored around what type of character they were. Are there no crime bosses in Crackdown 2? Just enemy camps to infiltrate? I cleared an underground freak zone too, and it just wasn't that fun. All you do is run in a circle and look for the yellow icon freak that is attacking the beacon so you can take them out. You can't stand still and use any strategy because there are so many other ones running at you. But run in a circle and they can't catch you!

I dunno what filter Ruffian used but to me it makes the game look uglier. I want the clean look of the first game back. Also, a lot of the city seems the same to me. At least the first island.

Still having fun with the game overall and I definitely need to get some co op in. Especially for the co op orbs.
 
U

U2NUMB

Member
Just played for 4 hours with 2 friends. We all really enjoyed it and love being back in the world of crackdown. We love finding the LIVE orbs and catching the renegade orbs.

The game ran smooth as butter also... loving it!
 
Mohonky

Mohonky

Member
Lionheart1827 said:
Ohhh ok. Well then that's not bad at all. It was a cool effect though. Oh well.
Click to expand...

Yeh you just get new load out vehicles. It's ok but it wasn't nearly as cool as racing back to find an agency vehicle to see what it would morph into.

That gave the levelling up your driving skill a more progressive feel, it meant that you had to level up your driving to do certain things like Stunt Markers. Now it's like oh wow I got a new car......eh.

Should never have taken that out.
 
S

soldat7

Member
Nearly everything is improved, IMO. I'm very impressed after all the whining that's gone on. More weapons, more vehicles, more orbs, more races, Pacific City in ruins, different missions, solid graphics, and excellent music are all to be had.

The game doesn't look worse than the original and targeting is not worse (hint: it's actually better). When I play Crackdown 2 (so far), I feel like I did playing Gears of War 2 or God of War 2: it's more of the same + stuff + awesome. Great job Ruffian.

Mohonky said:
...racing back to find an agency vehicle to see what it would morph into.
Click to expand...

This is a bummer, but when your agent levels up, holy smokes! That more than makes up for it; it's so satisfying.
 
A

antiquegamer

Member
I got this from Amazon today, I thought there was a pre-order bonus that comes with the game. Do I get email later? I never pre-order from Amazon before so not sure how they handle the pre-order code.
 
G

GhaleonEB

Member
Mrbob said:
:lol

Funny because I just opened up my copy and was gonna open up the manual and see it is a 2 page pamphlet! Then you have the fold out poster/manual, strange setup!

Of course I really don't need a manual for this game so it isn't that big of a deal but I was thinking the same thing as soon as I opened my box!
Click to expand...
Yeah that threw me for a loop - I thought I'd just gotten the sleeve.

Still, the fold out is missing information that a manual would have - at least that I saw - such as where to save. I spent a few minutes with my daughter, and we were trying to find a place to save the game before I thought to check the pause menu and scroll over to "System". Whoops.

Mrbob said:
I didn't want to make it too easy so I'm playing with the difficulty above Tough. I've died a couple times so there is some challenge, but mostly its just annoying enemy spam fire. With more enemies it would have been nice if Ruffian had cleaned up the lock on targeting system. Too many times I accidentally lock onto an item in the world instead of the guy I want to shoot.
Click to expand...
I'm playing two notches above Tough, and it's pretty brutal. When I got out of the car at the beginning I died five seconds later, before I could even run around the corner. And yeah the lock on system is horrible: I just started to clear the first supply point - on the raised platform - and I had to run and hide when all the dudes spawn after you call the chopper. I'm on a row of cargo containers, and one guy is coming around the corner on my level. There's several guys below me, out of line of sight. The guy comes around the corner, ten feet from me, and I hit the bumper to lock onto him. The system locked me onto one of the guys down on the ground, out of sight, instead. No, I don't want to target someone I can't see. I want to target the guy in front of me with the shotgun. :\

Wasn't there supposed to be a day 1 patch for this? It needs it.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
GhaleonEB said:
I'm playing two notches above Tough, and it's pretty brutal. When I got out of the car at the beginning I died five seconds later, before I could even run around the corner. And yeah the lock on system is horrible: I just started to clear the first supply point - on the raised platform - and I had to run and hide when all the dudes spawn after you call the chopper. I'm on a row of cargo containers, and one guy is coming around the corner on my level. There's several guys below me, out of line of sight. The guy comes around the corner, ten feet from me, and I hit the bumper to lock onto him. The system locked me onto one of the guys down on the ground, out of sight, instead. No, I don't want to target someone I can't see. I want to target the guy in front of me with the shotgun. :\

Wasn't there supposed to be a day 1 patch for this? It needs it.
Click to expand...

Ohhh two notches above well fine then! :lol

You run into any climbing glitches too? I've hit multiple points in this game where my agent is attempting to climb up a building and he just didn't grab one of the ledges. Won't be an issue when my agent is fully leveled up agility wise but until then it is a bit grating!

I grabbed an update when I first booted the game up. Not sure what it did though.
 
G

GhaleonEB

Member
Mrbob said:
Ohhh two notches above well fine then! :lol
Click to expand...
I'm a bit of a sadist. Poor targeting right now aside, I really enjoy the gunplay and the feeling of working through gangs methodically. It makes the satisfaction of leveling up that much better. Plus, this is probably the only retail game I'm getting before Reach, so I'm just trying to stretch it out.

I'm also a man. :p

You run into any climbing glitches too? I've hit multiple points in this game where my agent is attempting to climb up a building and he just didn't grab one of the ledges. Won't be an issue when my agent is fully leveled up agility wise but until then it is a bit grating!
Click to expand...
Yeah, a few. In the docks there are a few of those little nooks that I should be able to climb up into, but can't. Some windows as well. Still, I'm level 2 Agility and leaping about snagging orbs is as joyful as ever. But there's a definite lack of polish here that even the first Crackdown, with its rough edges, didn't have.

I grabbed an update when I first booted the game up. Not sure what it did though.
Click to expand...
I just realized my daughter played before me - she probably got the update. Kind of depressing that this is the improved targeting. :lol

Question: How and where do I deposit my found Cell guns into the armory? I'm heading on a suicide run to island #3 and want to make sure these are on my list now, but am not sure where to take them.

Edit: gah, died again and lost the weapons. :\
 
M

Mrbob

Member
GhaleonEB said:
Question: How and where do I deposit my found Cell guns into the armory? I'm heading on a suicide run to island #3 and want to make sure these are on my list now, but am not sure where to take them.

Edit: gah, died again and lost the weapons. :\
Click to expand...

I believe you have to return them to an agency marker in a stronghold you already cleared.
 
A

ArachosiA 78

Member
Is it easy to join up with strangers in this game for 4-player co-op, or are you only allowed to play with people on your friends list?
 
M

Mrbob

Member
You can choose what level of participation you want:

1) Public where anyone can join

2) Only Friends on your list can join

3) Solo game no one joins.
 
I

I AM JOHN!

Banned
I really want to hate this game for feeling like such a lazy cash-in. The fact that almost nothing is changed from the first game except that the city is "destroyed" in places is goddamn striking. And as much as I love the announcer and his nonsense, the game feels like a lot of the charm is missing, with Cell being boring and Freaks being an obvious and kind of trite solution to it being ridiculously hard to power up driving in the first game; are bizarre crime lords too much to ask for? I can't help but feel like Realtime Worlds would have made a much better sequel and that they would've taken the time to refine the game and come up with crazy new features instead of cranking out what amounts to a glorified expansion pack in a year's time.

And yet, I'm fiending for orbs like a motherfucker, and I'm at Level 3 for everything except agility and strength (I'm at Level 4 for those two) after one night. I'm having a great time, but the game certainly hasn't earned its fun.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
Well about half of Realtime Worlds studio went to Ruffian so some of the talent is there. Of course that could be part of the problem too. The studio split in half. APB doesn't look too hot either so maybe this wasn't for the best.
 
B

Bebpo

Banned
At first the game was super fun like the original. Totally addicting.

After 90 mins of 2p coop, it got boring reallll fast. Secure the landing zone -> 3 beacons -> lair, repeat over and over. Same locations. Zombies are incredibly boring and unsatisfying to fight against. The lair escort stuff is super dull.

The chase orbs are the best part. Dunno if I'll actually finish this game. Will try it with 3p/4p next time. But even as someone who loved Crackdown 1, this game is boring.
 
I

I AM JOHN!

Banned
Mrbob said:
Well about half of Realtime Worlds studio went to Ruffian so some of the talent is there. Of course that could be part of the problem too. The studio split in half. APB doesn't look too hot either so maybe this wasn't for the best.
Click to expand...
I played a bit of the APB beta, and it didn't exactly inspire me to want to play the real thing. But that's neither here nor there.

My point is more that given the choice between Realtime Worlds not having a good deal of their studio poached by Microsoft to make this game and possibly working on it after APB or what we got, I'd rather have taken a chance on the former. I don't know who at Ruffian did what on Crackdown 1 so I don't want to say it's a talent issue, but I think that at the very least, Realtime would have taken the time to really rethink Crackdown and wouldn't have churned out an expansionesque sequel on command like Ruffian did. Not that I think it's Ruffian's fault, since my guess is that when you're a studio created to make a certain game that the publisher wants out by a certain point for whatever reason--even if that's only a little more than a year away--you don't really get that much control in what you can do.

Maybe Ruffian could put together a really unique and interesting Crackdown sequel if actually given the time. My worry is that the two parties have instead screwed up so badly in making a compelling sequel that they've killed any possibility for them to explore another Crackdown.
 
G

GhaleonEB

Member
Mrbob said:
I believe you have to return them to an agency marker in a stronghold you already cleared.
Click to expand...
Got it, thanks.

Well over an hour and a good half dozen deaths later, I've fetched two new weapons from the northern tip of Pacific City and returned them to my lone stronghold in the south. Good lord that was a lot of swimming. Got the Sniper SX-1A and the Mach HMG-120 machine gun. Both are absurdly over-powered compared to the weapons I had at the time. The Mach HMG just chewed through six guys before I had to reload. :D

(Edit: make that 15. Baby's got 100 rounds per clip. :lol )

There's something about finding a high perch, lining up a headshot, waiting for that targting sight to slooooly lock on, hearing the crack of the rifle and then, a good 10 seconds later, a mix of agility and firearms orbs floating my way as reward.

Now to find and clear a flagrantly out-of-reach stronghold in the north with my new found toys.

It's Crackdown, all right.
 
N

Net_Wrecker

Member
Anyone else having a LOT of connection failures while in a randomly joined session? I don't think I've properly quit out of a Campaign I've joined because the connection is always dropped before I can even think about leaving.

Aside from that, this was well worth the purchase. 4 player co-op is hilarious, and mowing through freaks in an Agency buggy is a great stress reliever. Gathering Orbs is as addicting as ever, the sense of progression is still there, jumping all over the place still feels great, and messing around in the city is still fun.

My favorite thing to do right now is stick a light pole, and vehicle together with mag grenades, and let the game do it's thing when I swing the light pole :lol MASSIVE mistakes by doing that, but it's too funny.
 
D

derFeef

Member
GhaleonEB said:
Got it, thanks.

Well over an hour and a good half dozen deaths later, I've fetched two new weapons from the northern tip of Pacific City and returned them to my lone stronghold in the south. Good lord that was a lot of swimming. Got the Sniper SX-1A and the Mach HMG-120 machine gun. Both are absurdly over-powered compared to the weapons I had at the time. The Mach HMG just chewed through six guys before I had to reload. :D

(Edit: make that 15. Baby's got 100 rounds per clip. :lol )

There's something about finding a high perch, lining up a headshot, waiting for that targting sight to slooooly lock on, hearing the crack of the rifle and then, a good 10 seconds later, a mix of agility and firearms orbs floating my way as reward.

Now to find and clear a flagrantly out-of-reach stronghold in the north with my new found toys.

It's Crackdown, all right.
Click to expand...
Ah, good to know it is still in. The addition of the resupply points for capturing cars should make it a bit more enjoyable. Driving the whole way back to the agency tower was a bit of a pain in CD1.
 
M

Mush

6.0
Well if we're going by the Skate series plan...

OG Skate - San Vanelona
Skate 2 - "New" San Vanelona
Skate 3 - Port Carverton

OG Crackdown - Pacific City
Crackdown 2 - "New" Pacific City
Crackdown 3 - ?

Am I the only one seeing the similarities here? :lol
 
D

DrBo42

Member
Just sunk a few hours in. Love it. Really enjoying the gameplay and enemy change between day and night. It's crackdown remixed and I'm completely fine with that, it makes me smile. :D
 
D

derFeef

Member
Mush said:
Well if we're going by the Skate series plan...

OG Skate - San Vanelona
Skate 2 - "New" San Vanelona
Skate 3 - Port Carverton

OG Crackdown - Pacific City
Crackdown 2 - "New" Pacific City
Crackdown 3 - ?

Am I the only one seeing the similarities here? :lol
Click to expand...
Yes.
 
G

GhaleonEB

Member
So, another hour and two more confiscated high level weapons (frag grenades and the grenade launcher), I have yet to find any strongholds to capture, or any of the other sub-objectives. I found several of the beacons that are not yet lit up, but I can't do anything with those. I've explored a good chunk of both of the other districts, and nothing ever came up on my radar or got called out.

Is is possible to sequence break those, or do I need to do the first thee that pop up on the radar in order to find any others? Given how much of the game I just sprinted through, I'm pretty surprised I didn't find anything. Still having that one supply point to the far south is a little inconvenient.
 
D

DrBo42

Member
I require GAF co-op. None of my friends are playing it at the moment, and I don't want racist XBL randoms.

GT: DrBo
 
G

gazliddon

Neo Member
GhaleonEB said:
Is is possible to sequence break those, or do I need to do the first thee that pop up on the radar in order to find any others? Given how much of the game I just sprinted through, I'm pretty surprised I didn't find anything. Still having that one supply point to the far south is a little inconvenient.
Click to expand...

Do the first 3 that pop up on your radar and after you finish the beacon it unlocks you'll get other activities open up on your map.

After that you can the do the AUs / Beacons in any order but the map direct you to one it has selected. The freedom is there but the map will provide a suggested a order to complete things in.
 
G

Gr1mLock

Passing metallic gas
random question for anyone...can you disable the auto lock on or the aim assist? or whatever its called
 
A

AgentOtaku

Member
Bebpo said:
At first the game was super fun like the original. Totally addicting.

After 90 mins of 2p coop, it got boring reallll fast. Secure the landing zone -> 3 beacons -> lair, repeat over and over. Same locations. Zombies are incredibly boring and unsatisfying to fight against. The lair escort stuff is super dull.

The chase orbs are the best part. Dunno if I'll actually finish this game. Will try it with 3p/4p next time. But even as someone who loved Crackdown 1, this game is boring.
Click to expand...

snap! =/
 
G

gazliddon

Neo Member
Gr1mLock said:
random question for anyone...can you disable the auto lock on or the aim assist? or whatever its called
Click to expand...

You don't have to use it. It's on the left trigger so if you don't like it just don't touch that button.
 
T

TheApatheticOne

Member
I played yesterday for just a bit, up to dropping the first beacon into the freak's lair. Is there a trick to how close they can get to the orb? I failed this due to them dealing too much damage to it, but not once did I see any freak even hit the thing? Do they just need to be near it to cause it damage? I had issues with this part. I found the UV shotgun, which is badass, but there were so many freaks, I quickly ran out of ammo, and couldnt find anymore. : (
 
B

bryehn

Member
Finally had a request to join after 4 hours of play, unfortunately I had to go :/

Basic impressions:

- Mission structure is essentially the same. Move to an area, clean out dudes. Would be better if they kept gang leaders as well. Pretty repetitive already.

- Day/night cycle is a neat idea, but falls flat because freaks are dumb and not fun to kill (UV shotty excepted)

- Rogue orbs must be chased, cool addition.

- Graphics look a bit nicer. Better draw distance, but feels empty/like less geometry. Lacking things like power boxes/AC units. Something seems more barren/basic. Much more tearing/slowdown than before. Lots of texture seams too. Also, it's missing the "glow" from the first game that would flash around enemy vehicles.

- Platforming seems more sketchy, tougher to tell what agent will grab.

- NPC chatter is better. Music is different, more cinematic but still good

- Targeting, even after the patch is terrible

- Very few people online day 1. 1 out of 50+ friends

- Orbs are way easier to find thanks to radar, will help in end-game but kinds of feels cheap at the beginning.

- Online-only orbs are annoying
 
D

Denzar

Member
So, does your character selection at the beginning influence your later appearence, or do al agents transform into the same buffed up armor dude?
 
G

gazliddon

Neo Member
TheApatheticOne said:
I played yesterday for just a bit, up to dropping the first beacon into the freak's lair. Is there a trick to how close they can get to the orb? I failed this due to them dealing too much damage to it, but not once did I see any freak even hit the thing? Do they just need to be near it to cause it damage? I had issues with this part. I found the UV shotgun, which is badass, but there were so many freaks, I quickly ran out of ammo, and couldnt find anymore. : (
Click to expand...

The freaks with the yellow thing over their head do the beacon damage by flinging snot at it. Concentrate on them and it should be really easy :)
 
G

GhaleonEB

Member
gazliddon said:
Do the first 3 that pop up on your radar and after you finish the beacon it unlocks you'll get other activities open up on your map.

After that you can the do the AUs / Beacons in any order but the map direct you to one it has selected. The freedom is there but the map will provide a suggested a order to complete things in.
Click to expand...
Thanks a bunch.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

SCHiM | Review Thread
Analysis Review
7
751
Eiknarf replied
  • Poll
Hellblade 2 | Review Thread
Analysis Review 51 52 53 54 55
3K
149K
SEGAvangelist replied
Homeworld 3 | Review Thread
Analysis Review
22
3K
amigastar replied
  • Locked
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 | Review Thread
Analysis Review
2
948
Draugoth replied
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 | Review Thread
Analysis Review
4
1K
BlackTron replied
Top Bottom