Crackdown 2 is the sequel to Crackdown, and it features the same third-person shooter action set in an open universe as the original. The tale picks up ten years after the first game’s events. Pacific City is in ruins, and mutant freaks have taken possession. The player takes control of Agent, a member of the city-funded Agency tasked with maintaining order. The mutant monsters are backed by the Cell, an anti-Agency faction, and they transform into a heavily equipped terrorist outfit. Most of the primary campaign’s objectives revolve around holding ground, fighting mutant freaks at night and the Cell during the day. The tale is mainly advanced through audio logs obtained while wandering the city.
Much of the action is ridiculous, with tremendous explosions, massive hordes of adversaries, and Agent’s ability to juggle automobiles and cause havoc. He can also pilot a variety of vehicles and helicopters. The original game had a set of three cars that were upgraded with each level. This has been replaced with a new vehicle for each new level attained. Most of the game takes place in the streets of Pacific City, where the player can freely roam, travel to the rooftops, or dive underground to raid the mutant freaks’ lairs during the day. Sunlight becomes the most potent weapon underground. After recovering the absorption units guarded by the Cell, sunlight can be collected to power beacons that deflect light into the lairs, tearing through mutants that can only survive in darkness.
Exploration is furthered and encouraged, as in the original game, by hunting down Agility Orbs, which allow Agent to jump higher, run faster, and glide through the air, making new regions accessible and causing more havoc with weapon and melee combat. The upgrade abilities of Agents are separated into Agility, Firearms, Strength, Explosives, and Driving. The orbs’ location can now be pinpointed using radar. There are also new Renegade Orbs (which flee from Agent) and Live Orbs (which can only be obtained through online co-op) to collect.
The co-op mode in multiplayer has been increased from two to four players. There are also many deathmatch types for up to sixteen players and a Rocket Tag mode in which a clan follows down a single player armed only with grenades.
