Whether the original Crackdown would’ve been quite the hot commodity it was had publisher Microsoft not bundled each retail copy with a Halo 3 beta key is anyone’s guess. What’s certain is that Realtime Worlds’ game became a runaway success and a sequel was as inevitable as a new season of Tool Academy.
Crackdown 2 has been in development at Ruffian since June last year. After fifteen minutes with the game, you’ll start to wonder where that development cycle was invested. In many ways, Crackdown 2 feels like a carbon copy - warts and all - of the original.
Due to budget constraints for example, it takes place once again in Pacific City, lifted from the original block for block and given an apocalyptic paintjob. It’s helpful in rubbing that nostalgic itch but is ultimately unsatisfying. It’s not a particularly attractive child either: Crackdown 2 boasts some of the worst tearing and cell shading in the biz.
A brutal reset, a smarter story, and a return to what made it great—Mortal Kombat (2011) revived the series.
Underrated comment. I used to hate that game so much that any time my siblings asked me to play it, I just picked Hom and shut myself down mid-match.
15 years went by so fast. I remember playing through the story mode at launch.
The name "Hewson" carries a special weight for anyone who grew up during the golden age of British computing. As the son of Andrew Hewson—the man behind legendary publisher Hewson Consultants—Rob Hewson didn't just grow up playing video games; he learned to spell his name from their title screens. However, Rob didn't just rest on his family's 8-bit laurels. From leading major LEGO franchises at TT Games to tackling the high-stakes world of technical porting at Huey Games, Rob has carved out a unique path in an ever-evolving industry. In this candid interview Rob to discussed the burden and beauty of a family legacy, the technical "scar tissue" left by the ambitious Hydrophobia, and why porting a masterpiece like Inscryption to consoles is far more than a simple copy-paste job.
To celebrate Tomb Raider: Legend's 20th anniversary, the official channels have shared an early in-development gameplay demo.
results in a 6.5/10