Crackdown 2

 Xbox 360
User Score
6.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 252 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 103 out of 252
  2. Mixed: 78 out of 252
  3. Negative: 71 out of 252
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  1. Brainstorm123
    Aug 13, 2014
    7
    This game is a 7 for me. It could've been an 8, but the game HURT me. I loved Crackdown (check out my review) but it feels like they stripped away the what made the game a blast, and just left the core. Granted, you can still have a ton of fun (I know I did) but it doesn't feel as fun as the original. I thought the recurring missions in the first one were fun, but these ones actually FEELThis game is a 7 for me. It could've been an 8, but the game HURT me. I loved Crackdown (check out my review) but it feels like they stripped away the what made the game a blast, and just left the core. Granted, you can still have a ton of fun (I know I did) but it doesn't feel as fun as the original. I thought the recurring missions in the first one were fun, but these ones actually FEEL REALLY repetitive. And boring. That's what the game is, it is just a stripped down copy of the first Crackdown, and one I can't recommend.… Expand
  2. mcelf
    Aug 20, 2010
    5
    Intro:
    It's been 10 years since The Agency put Pacific City right again. But in this short space of time it's become even worse than before. All the buildings have suffered collateral damage. Vast populations of freaks (Shi-Gen's failed attempts to make supersoldiers) have escaped from PCN Institute of Research. An omnipotent criminal gang called the Cell have taken over the role Los    Intro:
    It's been 10 years since The Agency put Pacific City right again. But in this short space of time it's become even worse than before. All the buildings have suffered collateral damage. Vast populations of freaks (Shi-Gen's failed attempts to make supersoldiers) have escaped from PCN Institute of Research. An omnipotent criminal gang called the Cell have taken over the role Los Muertos, The Volk and Shi-Gen used to play. That is to say they cause general anarchy.
    Gameplay:
    There is more to do on Crackdown 2 as opposed to its predecessor, instead of just going about killing gang bosses, you either recapture Cell strongholds or activate absorption units. When all three areas have been captured in a stronghold, the stronghold reverts to agency control. Similarly, once three absorption units have been activated, a solar powered bomb can be deployed inside a Freak Lair (usually found in old Crackdown gang boss locations) which, when fully charged, will emit a burst of solar energy which destroys the lairâ    … Expand
  3. droolinandfooli
    Sep 14, 2010
    7
    This could have been so full of win, but it fell short on many counts. I still like the game a lot though, I had fun with it. But the hype machine made me expect too much. it's just a standard game with an average vibe.
  4. drlowdon
    Oct 31, 2013
    7
    After the excellent original I have to admit that Crackdown 2 was a little bit of a let down with very few new features really adding anything to the experience. There is of course plenty of enjoyment still to be had for fans of the first game, especially when playing in co-op, but this is very much a sequel by numbers.
  5. WyattTheAwesome
    May 29, 2013
    7
    Crackdown 2, despite its flaws, was a worthy successor for Crackdown and adds many more hours of destruction. The downside is it's almost a near identical copy and paste game from Crackdown. Same city and same powers. While in that aspect it was disappointing, it was still really fun to be in a different setting. I enjoyed fighting the giant gang known as Cell and bringing on them deathCrackdown 2, despite its flaws, was a worthy successor for Crackdown and adds many more hours of destruction. The downside is it's almost a near identical copy and paste game from Crackdown. Same city and same powers. While in that aspect it was disappointing, it was still really fun to be in a different setting. I enjoyed fighting the giant gang known as Cell and bringing on them death and destruction. The zombies added in made it even more entertaining killing things as they are mostly cannon fodder. There are new racing challenges and orbs to find, but overall this is near identical to Crackdown 1. If you're a huge fan of the series, then you'll still enjoy it, but it's disappointing to see Crackdown 2 suffer despite being an awesome game.… Expand
  6. HaseoArmahem
    Jan 30, 2016
    5
    First of all: I love first game. It was fun and enjoable. And from second game I wait no less.
    First three hour is realy fun, but it was over when the game start to be boring and same as before. The new mission with install lighthouse is ridiculous - from some point zombie just clicking you and hero die. Jumping and catching to the wall is to bad for this game. Maybe after first game I    First of all: I love first game. It was fun and enjoable. And from second game I wait no less.
    First three hour is realy fun, but it was over when the game start to be boring and same as before. The new mission with install lighthouse is ridiculous - from some point zombie just clicking you and hero die. Jumping and catching to the wall is to bad for this game. Maybe after first game I wait too much, but Crackdwon 2 too bad for playin    … Expand
  7. Cleanlarryo
    Sep 4, 2010
    6
    Crackdown 2 was entertaining for the first few hours hours until you realize this is it.... and the credits roll. The game is short, the content is weak, the orb chasing is tedious and even on (Sadistic) it is far too easy. I rate it a 6 only because I enjoy mindless games from time to time otherwise I'd say its a 4 or so. I'm not saying it isn't fun for a little while but you will soonCrackdown 2 was entertaining for the first few hours hours until you realize this is it.... and the credits roll. The game is short, the content is weak, the orb chasing is tedious and even on (Sadistic) it is far too easy. I rate it a 6 only because I enjoy mindless games from time to time otherwise I'd say its a 4 or so. I'm not saying it isn't fun for a little while but you will soon get bored then furious when you realize you've wasted another $59.99.… Expand
  8. raefon
    Aug 12, 2010
    5
    After loving the first and thinking great a sequel should really move things ahead and get some great action, graphics, gameplay and movement in all the right directions. I was graced with a expansion pack that was delivered as Crackdown 2. It mad no moves forward and yet just provided you a name of what was a good game. Not worth the time or effort on any level.
  9. twos
    Apr 3, 2014
    5
    I don't feel like any aspect of this game was in any way better than the first, the controls were outright worse, a very bad sequel to what was a pretty enjoyable game.
  10. Susano
    May 20, 2011
    7
    I expected a lot more from Crackdown 2. I expected a lot more introduced from Crackdown, first and foremost. Crackdown 2 doesn't do much new, but it makes everything from Crackdown more AWESOME. You'll love it even more if you haven't played Crackdown as well. Still, like I said previously, Crackdown 2 does make everything more AWESOME. In keys to the City mode, you can be a super powered,I expected a lot more from Crackdown 2. I expected a lot more introduced from Crackdown, first and foremost. Crackdown 2 doesn't do much new, but it makes everything from Crackdown more AWESOME. You'll love it even more if you haven't played Crackdown as well. Still, like I said previously, Crackdown 2 does make everything more AWESOME. In keys to the City mode, you can be a super powered, invincible, tank driving, zombie spawning GOD. It is incredibly fun, and fairly big, but it's not exactly clever. You'll have fun in Crackdown 2, but it could have been so much more.… Expand
  11. HaloFever
    Mar 12, 2019
    5
    Supremely low effort game that uses the same map as Crackdown but worse. How is this series still going? I know it has been 9 years since Crackdown 2 was released and I know that Microsoft released Crackdown 2 for free. None of those facts make Crackdown 2 a good game. This is a bad game. A very bad game.

    Where to start? If you played Crackdown, then you have seen the entire map in    Supremely low effort game that uses the same map as Crackdown but worse. How is this series still going? I know it has been 9 years since Crackdown 2 was released and I know that Microsoft released Crackdown 2 for free. None of those facts make Crackdown 2 a good game. This is a bad game. A very bad game.

    Where to start? If you played Crackdown, then you have seen the entire map in Crackdown 2. Except in Crackdown, the map was populated by bosses and sub-bosses. You could strategically take down sub-bosses before taking on the boss. The places on the map had meaning. Crackdown 2 has none of that. You fight waves of human enemies at certain locations or waves of zombie enemies at other locations. The only difference is that human bases are less defended in the day and zombie bases are less defended at night.

    The abilities are also the same as Crackdown. They were radical super human abilities in 2007. They were less radical in 2010. They are subpar now. Worse, everything terrible about Crackdown was brought back for Crackdown 2 with no fixes. Ledge grabbing is still finicky. Your agent will get thrown around helplessly with ragdoll physics. Driving is still awful. Tracking rocket launchers are still the best weapon. Having fully unlocked most of the abilities, I have not found any new innovations that would make this game better than the original.

    All in all, I am baffled by Microsoft's handling of this game. The original Crackdown was a fun discount title that opened up the open world genre. The franchise could go in two directions: fun discount titles or real effort into an exclusive that could rival GTA. Microsoft wants both, a $60 game made on a discount title budget. Microsoft is releasing Crackdown 2 for free only weeks after Crackdown 3 took a huge hit in its Metacritic score. Makes sense because if you get players hooked on Crackdown 2, then they will be more likely to buy Crackdown 3. Problem is, a little Crackdown goes a long way.

    Don't take my word for. Download this bizarre game for free. Why would I recommend you play such a bad game? This is like those terrible cult movies. You and your friends can enjoy talking about how bad it is. "Do remember that driving in Crackdown?" "Oh yeah, the driving in that game was terrible!"    … Expand
  12. FraserA
    Jul 11, 2010
    7
    This is a difficult game to rate. How much you like it will depend largely on what you want from it. The reviews are polarised, but there is a telling pattern to them: negative reviews tend to focus on the simple and repetitive missions, the lack of changes from the first game and the dark-n-gritty graphics; positive reviews tend to focus on the simple joys of exploring, climbing, This is a difficult game to rate. How much you like it will depend largely on what you want from it. The reviews are polarised, but there is a telling pattern to them: negative reviews tend to focus on the simple and repetitive missions, the lack of changes from the first game and the dark-n-gritty graphics; positive reviews tend to focus on the simple joys of exploring, climbing, collecting, co-op and generally jumping around. Crackdown 2's strengths and weaknesses are the same as its predecessor's: climbing is just as fun (and sometimes frustrating), missions are only marginally more varied, combat remains nearly identical and orbs are still the most mindlessly entertaining collectible in all of gaming. This is a game to relax with and play in short bursts, preferably with friends. It's a game that rewards experimentation: see a tower and figure out how to climb it, drive a car over a cliff and dive out at the last second, jump on a civilian vehicle and surf across town while blowing out other cars' tires, chase a renegade orb around a rooftop for five minutes before getting distracted by something on another building, connect a whole lot of objects together with magnetically linked grenades and dangle them off a building before turning the whole chain into one long rolling explosions, stick five enemies to a car with the harpoon gun and drive it into the ocean. Dumb, pointless, fun stuff. If you consider the missions to be the central purpose of the game, they're disappointing. There is a wider variety of missions than in the original game (contrary to some perplexing reviews), but they all boil down to "kill everyone in this area" and are repeated with little sense of progression or significace throughout the game. To enjoy the missions, you have to treat them as one dish in a buffet; something you can do in between collecting orbs, building up your skills, completing races and generally mucking around. The auto-aiming is frequently off target. It didn't bother me that much. YMMV. I'm focusing on the positives, but the flaws are very real. So how should this game be rated? As a sequel to a great game, it's a bit limp. As a game of story and linear progression, it's positively floppy. As a toybox and adventure playground, it's pretty great. It's no better than Crackdown, but Crackdown was a great game, and most of what made it great is still in the sequel. On its own merits, it's a good game; don't sell it short by expecting it to be something it's not.… Expand
  13. Alex
    Jul 6, 2010
    5
    First off if your looking for a good sandbox game will lots to do this is not the game for you. The graphics are cell-shaded which doesn't look very good, along with the low resolution textures. Overall this is a game for only the hardcore Crackdown fans, it has no story at all which takes even more away from the expierence. The combat is the same as the first, the city is the same First off if your looking for a good sandbox game will lots to do this is not the game for you. The graphics are cell-shaded which doesn't look very good, along with the low resolution textures. Overall this is a game for only the hardcore Crackdown fans, it has no story at all which takes even more away from the expierence. The combat is the same as the first, the city is the same as the first, and basically the game is the same as the first.… Expand
  14. Gypsygib
    Jul 6, 2010
    6
    The game is completely average. As a sand box game, the shooting is boring, the enemies have virtually no A.I., the story is...well, hardly exists, the graphics are fairly poor and the sound is uninspired. The only fun part of the game is collecting the orbs and using some of the more creative guns, but that's not enough to make this game great, in fact it becomes tedious. While The game is completely average. As a sand box game, the shooting is boring, the enemies have virtually no A.I., the story is...well, hardly exists, the graphics are fairly poor and the sound is uninspired. The only fun part of the game is collecting the orbs and using some of the more creative guns, but that's not enough to make this game great, in fact it becomes tedious. While it's just a superior form of item collection compared to collecting feathers in AC or shards - it 's pretty lame to make item collection the staple gameplay mechanic of any game. Sadly, Crackdown 2 ignored making improvements to gunplay (which is really horrible) and story or graphics and made the best part of the game about jumping around collecting orbs. Really this isn't a true sequel, it's just a cashin - you can tell few resources (creative or financial) went into this game.… Expand
  15. Jay
    Jul 7, 2010
    7
    Crackdown 2 is fun but it the same game with more stuff to do and looks a bit better than the 1st and is a bit glitchy, still a fun game, but like the 1st the story sucks, AI can be a asshole, more cars and more guns than the 1st, coop is great, death match is okay Gameplay 7.3 Looks 7 Story 5.5 Sound: Good Fun 8 Online: 8.5 ___ Over All 7.3 Out Of 10
  16. Effuself
    Jul 8, 2010
    7
    The game is and can be lots of fun. It's most fun online with 4 people, but fun if your alone as well. It is a lot like the first one. Collect orbs, power up your agent and so on, but they did improve a lot of what was wrong with the first IMO. Your car no longer morphs, but instead when you lvl up your driving you unlock more vehicles. There are helicopters and the glide suit The game is and can be lots of fun. It's most fun online with 4 people, but fun if your alone as well. It is a lot like the first one. Collect orbs, power up your agent and so on, but they did improve a lot of what was wrong with the first IMO. Your car no longer morphs, but instead when you lvl up your driving you unlock more vehicles. There are helicopters and the glide suit function at max agility lvl. When you do pick up melee weapons, you can actually swing then around instead of only being able to toss them. It feels more like an expansion though than an actual new title and the hefty price of $60 is another reason I gave it a 7. I hope the DLC will add more features to the game. However it is a ton of fun with friends as previously stated and I think the hate coming down on this title is more disappointment from hopes and dreams than anything else. It is fun,but maybe wait for a price drop. If you played the demo you pretty much know what the entire game is about.… Expand
  17. Dr.Matta
    Jul 6, 2010
    5
    Not a sequel, just an "expansion". It improves nothing on the original; not even small things that annoyed people in the first, like the targeting system. The 'additions' are laughably bad, like Orbs that run away from you and some silly 'added gameplay elements' such as the all new WAVE DEFENSE. The game doesn't have story at all (like the first) but they try so Not a sequel, just an "expansion". It improves nothing on the original; not even small things that annoyed people in the first, like the targeting system. The 'additions' are laughably bad, like Orbs that run away from you and some silly 'added gameplay elements' such as the all new WAVE DEFENSE. The game doesn't have story at all (like the first) but they try so hard to bring one by including tons of unskippable dialogue and cutscenes. Stuff that annoys you like tutorials for EVERYTHING; they reckon no one has picked up a game before. It gets tedious and boring. What is also don't understand is why all the critics seem to (justifyingly) pan this game, but still give good grades. "YEAH WELL THIS GAME IS BORING AND NOTHING IMPROVED AND THE GRAPHICS ACTUALLY GOT WORSE - 8 out of 10" I'm thinking Microsoft had a hand in this, since normally they hype games weeks before release with their review scores. 8 months development time just isn't enough to create a compelling sequel, and this game proves it once again. If you loved Crackdown 1, just keep playing it, because 2 isn't any different. In fact, it's just worse.… Expand
  18. SamJ
    Jul 8, 2010
    7
    It's more of the same, though that's not necessarily a bad thing. The content is still plentiful: it will take you hours to complete all the things to do in this game, but most of it begins to feel a little tedious after a while. I like the darker atmosphere, and plowing through a horde of zombies with your buggy is immensely satisfying. If you loved the first one or are new to It's more of the same, though that's not necessarily a bad thing. The content is still plentiful: it will take you hours to complete all the things to do in this game, but most of it begins to feel a little tedious after a while. I like the darker atmosphere, and plowing through a horde of zombies with your buggy is immensely satisfying. If you loved the first one or are new to the series buy it now. If you liked the first one wait till it drops in price, but at least give it a chance to work it's charms.… Expand
  19. JD
    Jul 9, 2010
    6
    I was disappointed in this game, I loved crackdown 1 because it had a small storyline lots of fighting so on and i thought oh sweet 2 will be slightly improved at the least. It wasn't the game was like the first except they cut the story out of it, as the ending came I was left with many questions on key points in the game. If you want a game that's just fun killing and blowing I was disappointed in this game, I loved crackdown 1 because it had a small storyline lots of fighting so on and i thought oh sweet 2 will be slightly improved at the least. It wasn't the game was like the first except they cut the story out of it, as the ending came I was left with many questions on key points in the game. If you want a game that's just fun killing and blowing shit up Crackdown 2's your bet. If however you want indept storyline or at least a storyline don't get it.… Expand
  20. HeavyD
    Jul 12, 2010
    7
    Agreed, this game is basically a patched version of the original with a few twists. But it is still a fun game in its own right! I was able to pick it up for $20 at GS and at that price I am extremely pleased with my investment!! If you have never played Crackdown, get it!! If you have ... Go into it knowing it pretty much how you remember it in the core gameplay, with few multi-player Agreed, this game is basically a patched version of the original with a few twists. But it is still a fun game in its own right! I was able to pick it up for $20 at GS and at that price I am extremely pleased with my investment!! If you have never played Crackdown, get it!! If you have ... Go into it knowing it pretty much how you remember it in the core gameplay, with few multi-player offerings and four player co-op (FINALLY!!).… Expand
  21. Pirate
    Aug 31, 2010
    7
    If you like crackdown 1 then you will like crackdown 2. The gameplay is similar and the game is pretty fun. It has some problems, the gangs are not as fun as crackdown 1. The zombies can sometimes be a headache to deal with. Overall this game is fun. When the price drops to 29.99 I would recommend you pick this one up.
  22. USarmygamer
    Jun 21, 2018
    7
    Crackdown 2 was a baseline good game. A 1-10 scale that calls 7/10 average is ridiculous. Who needs 6 levels to differentiate poor to broken games? 1=Broken; 2=terrible; 3=bad; 4=poor; 5=mediocre or average; 6=fair; 7=good; 8=great; 9=outstanding; 10=DOESNT EXIST/PERFECTION. Yes a 10/10 does mean perfect. Its in the score itself. If something reaches the available ceiling, then it has noCrackdown 2 was a baseline good game. A 1-10 scale that calls 7/10 average is ridiculous. Who needs 6 levels to differentiate poor to broken games? 1=Broken; 2=terrible; 3=bad; 4=poor; 5=mediocre or average; 6=fair; 7=good; 8=great; 9=outstanding; 10=DOESNT EXIST/PERFECTION. Yes a 10/10 does mean perfect. Its in the score itself. If something reaches the available ceiling, then it has no room for error. This nonsense todays gamers use that a 10 doesn't mean perfect is participation trophy generation nonsense. A 10/11 doesn't mean perfect but on a 10 point scale, it certainly does. And that doesn't exist in reality.… Expand
  23. storygamer
    Mar 16, 2022
    7
    Crackdown 2 is more an update of the first part than a sequel. That´s a bit of a letdown, because the first game was very innovative. But if you liked part one, you should check this out.
  24. ZackH25
    Mar 25, 2023
    7
    Very similar to Crackdown 1 but it is somewhat of a downgrade. Locations all mostly feel the same. Missions of killing gang members have not changed much. The gunplay is again still basic but chaotic and fun. The zombies were really fun to mess around with but there was only like 3 types of zombies, so it does get repetitive killing them. The missions of staying in a hive and trying toVery similar to Crackdown 1 but it is somewhat of a downgrade. Locations all mostly feel the same. Missions of killing gang members have not changed much. The gunplay is again still basic but chaotic and fun. The zombies were really fun to mess around with but there was only like 3 types of zombies, so it does get repetitive killing them. The missions of staying in a hive and trying to destroy a nest did get very repetitive.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

20
#20 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2010
30
#30 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 91 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 91
  2. Mixed: 49 out of 91
  3. Negative: 7 out of 91
  1. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    80
    Crackdown 2 looks sharper, the action is fiercer and the increased number of players pays dividends. Despite all this, we can't shake the feeling that it isn't the monumental sequel that the series deserved. The over-familiarity of Pacific City and the cropping of key features like the gangs and transforming vehicles will leave some Agency veterans feeling a little bit disappointed.
    Read full review
  2. GameWatcher
    75
    It's gets a tad dull by the end of the game, and as your character levels up, it becomes less of a challenge as well (unless you're on harder difficulties, naturally).
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  3. VideoGamer
    70
    If you're coming into the series afresh, Crackdown 2 is well worth checking out, but for those of us who have patiently waited over three years for a sequel, it's a mild disappointment.
    Read full review
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