Graphically, Crackdown is one of the best extensive wide-open world environment, free-roaming, car-jacking, shoot-'em-up games there is. Player models vary, depending on how you create your character, and this is easily seen in single or multiplayer modes. This game is as visually appealing as Spiderman was when it first came out. The view from atop some of the tallest buildings can be nonetheless breathtaking at times. The wind can even be seen to blow things and give you a sense of vertigo I have rarely experienced in a videogame. The audio is fairly basic, with constant sounds of tires screeching, bullets flying, and civilians screaming or chatting.

If you're a fan of Grand Theft Auto and want to experience something beyond basic car-jacking, then this could be the game for you. If you would like to leap over buildings, then this may just be the game for you. If throwing a car into a crowd of thugs appeals to you, then this is probably the game for you. If jumping from fifteen stories and landing on the concrete to see the ground crack beneath your feet while joining a firefight intrigues you, then this is certainly the game for you.

When you start the game, you're an incredibly tough cop in a city that has been overrun by crime. You are tasked with eliminating the enemy by any means necessary. The only drawback is killing civilians. Kill a few, lose attribute points; kill a lot and you will be marked for death and may God have mercy on your soul. Like most RPG's, your character can increase your starting attributes. While the attributes are not in detail to the extent of RPG's, it is definitely less grinding to get what you want. There are five attributes that you can increase and they are: Agility, Driving, Strength, Firearms and Explosives. After playing the game for several hours, you will start to become the super soldier most people can only dream about. By doing anything that pertains to an attribute, it gets increased; if you want your firearms attribute to increase, for example, go around and shoot a bunch of gang members.

One of the major drawbacks to the game is lack of story, and I do mean lack of story. Aside from going around and killing people... there's not much else. Playing the game straight through will take about ten hours, but if you're anything like me, then there are hours of entertainment that can be found outside the story. Finding ways to create as much havoc as possible has always been my forte. Throughout the course of the game, you will find glowing green orbs that will increase your character's abilities.

I didn't find Crackdown difficult at all, but then again, I kill things for a living. This game is, basically, just like every other game; the better your character gets, the more advanced your adversaries become. Eventually, you will get to the point where you are untouchable. The most difficult part of the game is turning on your 360.

The mechanics in Crackdown are simply amazing; the physics are superbly done. The controls are just like every other 1st/3rd person shooter, so you will be thrown in the action as fast as you want to be.

Mission opportunity and lack of story may leave much to be desired, but Crackdown makes up for this in other subtle ways. For instance, if you kill the local arms dealer, you can attempt to infiltrate the gang boss' casa with less heavily-armed thugs. Another one of my favorites is to kill the gang's recruiter; that way, the surrounding area will have fewer gang members.

The best way I can describe the game is that it is a great mix between Spiderman, GTA, and City of Heroes. You are basically a superhero fighting crime... or you just as easily can be a schoolyard bully. The choice is yours and the city is your playground.