Ten Things You Need to Know about Crackdown

The creators of Grand Theft Auto bring Crackdown exclusively to the Xbox 360, but this time you get to be the cops!

At first glance, Crackdown looks like Grand Theft Auto. It is, after all, the product of some former Rockstar employees. You have your free-roaming urban landscape, your explosive altercations, and an emphasis on gritty crime. This time, however, there is at least one important twist. The short version: This game looks hot. But it still has several months to go.

Take a journey with GamePro. We'll show you how Pacific City gets down.

Thing Number One: You are the good guy.

You wanna be a gangster? That's so 2005. As a po-po, you get better access to weapons and vehicles right off the bat. Plus, no matter what kind of havoc you wreak, no one will arrest you. And as your character evolves, the Pacific City PD will hook you up with increasing hot rides. You don't have to fight for territory, store fronts, or hoes. You fight for great justice, which is much more rewarding.

Thing Number Two: You will pwn their faces.
Them's a lotta bullets

Them's a lotta bullets

Crackdown is an RPG-lite, meaning it has skill-based stats. How well you shoot, how far and high you jump, what you can pick up and throw at people, how much damage you can take -- all of these are determined purely by how much you use those abilities. And you can max them out without having to do a single story mission. Since your guy has been genetically enhanced (in the interest of crime-fighting), he will eventually develop some super-human powers.

Every time you take a bad guy out, he'll spray colored balls worth skill points, somewhat like you see in Ninja Gaiden. And the skill points are awarded depending on what ability you used. Shooting them gets you weapon skills. A melee victory delivers melee points. Each category has a different color.

You'll be able to leap several stories, throw cars at people, score headshots while practically shooting from the hip, and take some serious punishment. In fact, your powers of leapage can become so hot that running is sometimes more efficient than driving to your next bust.

Thing Number Three: This game's engine is sexy.
Two pretty pals

Two pretty pals

If you get up high enough on one of the many towering buildings in Pacific City, you can see all around. The view distance is amazing. And if you can see it, you can get to it, whether it's on the street or dangling from a skyscraper. Just watch that first step. There's also no load times on the way over. Oh, and if it looks like it will take too long, the city is dotted with portal pads for instant shortcuts.

Also, you'll be surrounded by destructible objects -- especially cars. These things bust into a dozen pieces, and you'll be able to pick up car doors and hoods and use them as shields -- or as a bashing weapon. Or you can throw it as someone. It's all up to you.

Thing Number Four: You can end the game in one encounter.

Although we highly recommend you don't. But if you just have to, it's possible to head right over to Pacific City's crime lord and attempt to take him out. You'll have to wade through his guards, but he's there right from the beginning.

Instead, we recommend you take out his generals, each of whom is responsible for different aspects of the syndicate, whether it's supplying weapons, transportation, or party favors. There are six of them throughout the city, and you get a crazy amount of skill points when you take them down. Each eliminated general will make the kingpin a little easier to defeat. And each victory literally cleans up the streets; less drifting trash, discarded newspapers, and the like.

So when we say "free roaming," we mean it!

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