I’m King of the world
On the other hand in Crackdown 2 up to four players can inhabit the same world and if they wish have nothing to do with one another. Imagine this scenario; perhaps four players are on the way to a mission when the tell tale sound of a missing orb rings in you ear. All of a sudden you turn around and one of your allies is missing. You pass an enemy base and another friend decides to investigate, then suddenly another pal dies and is transported elsewhere. Before you know it you are fighting alone against insurmountable odds. There are so many distractions in Crackdown 2 that keeping four individuals on the same wavelength is a challenge itself. Data links, enemy bases and orb chasing can be tackled more easily as a foursome, but can also be done alone. Only the special Live Orbs truly require you to be in the vicinity of an ally. There is a good chance in Crackdown 2 that you’ll suffer from the Burnout Paradise issue of all the players working together, except for one who is doing donuts on the other side of the map.
Which style of co-op is best, the game that forces you to stick together, or the game that gives you free reign to do as you wish? The answer of course is neither of them has got it quite right. No game should blatantly force you to stick together, but a co-op game should incentivise co-op play.