loved the first Crackdown.  As soon as I heard of it's existance, I went into it with open expectations.  I can honestly say that Crackdown 2 is as good if not better the Crackdown.  That's a fact.

Crackdown 2 keeps everything that made the first one great; sometimes to a fault, but most of the time to great benefit.  The graphics are more or less the same.  The animation is exactly the same.  The sound effects are the same.  The city is the same.  I like it.  Fans of Crackdown will feel right at home here, and thats who I feel this game was made for- the fans.  Even though the city is almost a carbon copy of the original, I appreciated it.  I got to know certain parts of the city in a different way; and when something was changed, I took pause to explore the new, slightly rearranged area.  The whole affair comes off feeling like a well-worn pair of shoes.

...And there in lies what most people will undoubtedly find as Crackdown 2s biggest fault: the lack of new graphics, gameplay, and the all-important but impossible to describe "feel."  This will leave some players with a sense that nothing is new, when in fact plenty is new.  Multiplayer options (a blast in co-op), improved driving, improved manual targeting, the wingsuit (which is awesome), the agency helicopter (which is awesome), etc.  There is more, and yes, they are all small details, but when these new elements are laid on top of a game with the same fun gameplay as Crackdown, it all feels new and exciting to me, and I'm sure it will to many others as well.  This game is simply fun.

It's not all roses, though.  The targeting is still not the most user friendly thing I've ever used in a game, and sometimes straight-up fails.  Grabbing onto ledges can still be unforgiving.  The inclusion on only one "gang" is a real letdown, as is the loose mission structure, which seems like a pretty major step down and missed oppertunity to improve upon the lacking structure of the first game (freaks are a fun and different diversion, however).  In fact, the story as a whole is pretty much pasted on.  Gamers who are aware of the very real-life threat of a "New World Order" may also find it's mention in the game distasteful, if not frightening.

Basically, if you liked the original, there is more to like here, and I feel that fans will get their $60 worth out of this title.  If you didn't like the original, there is nothing here to sway your opinion.  I'm telling you, some things not in the demo are a blast and playing with several friends is like nothing else.  Play the free demo and decide for yourself.  Be wary of any review that gives this game low marks.  The GI review itself seems to distort certain issues (wingsuit can be used to fly indefinitely, not just for short glides, for example).  Many user reviewers just seem butthurt that the game wasn't exactly what they wanted.  Welcome to video gaming.

Although it has been three years since the original Crackdown release, it is my understanding the Ruffian only had eight (8) months to put this game together.  That's something that many nay-sayers of this title fail to mention.  I believe an "average" game development cycle is somewhere around 16 months.  [Still] being a big Crackdown fan, I think Ruffian did a great job crafting a sequel for the fans.  I can't wait to see what DLC will be offered down the line (hopefully free to silence those who feel this game is a rip-off).  Crackdown 3 will be the title that takes the franchise to the next level, and I can't wait to see what Ruffian does with "years" instead of "months."