The first thing that should be mentioned is that in spite of the Halo 3 beta being marketed as an enticement, Crackdown's got enough legs to stand on its own. Many gamers have expressed concern that Microsoft is packaging an undeniably lucrative bonus with a possibly crap game. It's a valid concern, given that consumers have been burned all too often by offers like this. That having been said, Crackdown's biggest strength so far is its core system. Unlike Saints Row's Disney-fied gangbanging and GTA's incisive social satire wrapped around ultraviolence, Real Time Worlds has created a sandbox title that's broken the genre down to its essentials circa GTA III, and so far, has made it work.
Crackdown's plot is that...there really isn't one. Players take on the role of fairly anonymous and genetically modified supercops. They're part of the Agency, an international law enforcement group bent on bending the rules to clean up crime. If it feels slightly fascist a la certain Paul Verhoeven movies, it is, in a very sly way. The supercops are completely disposable, as their genetic memories can be replicated in another clone if they are killed in action.
It's in the gameplay that we've noticed surprises, and frankly, we're sure that most 360 owners have also noticed since downloading the demo. Crackdown feels different from the other sandbox games out there because it combines a streamlined GTA experience with RPG and platforming elements. It's got all of the open-endedness and slightly wonky vehicle handling that we've known for over five years.
However, the upgradability of each player's supercop will be determined completely by play style. Rather than letting players go to some shop to buy attributes, they come naturally through gameplay. Like an RPG, players will attain agility, firearms, explosive, and strength skills based on every kill. That means that if players start out performing melee attacks, they'll get stronger faster than they'll become a better shot or a demo man. There's a combo that we refer to as "the Centrum" in the office because of the way that it enhances multiple attributes at once. If players start an attack with a melee, then leap into the air for shots, they'll get three types of stats.
