Nick "bapenguin" Puleo
For me Crackdown 2 allows a lot more of those “little moments” that make the game so much fun. It’s not necessarily completing the story with friends that makes the game so enjoyable, it’s the crazy things your co-op crew tries to set up. The UV weapons are a great addition to this, as there were numerous times I’d try to blast my partner up to a higher ledge or over an area without him taking much damage. Ragdoll physics are still as funny as ever.
With three other agents by your side and a ramped up AI difficulty, it’s always great when backup arrives. Numerous times I’d quickly become over run at a tactical location and after calling for help (usually after dieing) it’s awesome to see one or two agents stomp into the field of view knocking enemies around and reviving you. The chaos that can ensue from three or four agents with rocket launchers and cluster grenades is absolutely beautiful. It’s beautiful destruction.
I absolutely loved seeing all the familiar landmarks of the original, now in rubble. It's really interesting to see how the city dynamic has changed because of the wear and tear. Familiar areas feel fresh and new, but still have that nostalgiac factor.
One thing that surprised me with Crackdown 2 was the sheer scale of of the Freaks. While they played a minor part in the first game, there’s a large variety of them. Not only that - there number of Freaks on the screen at any one time is incredibly impressive. As they fill the roadways it’s so satisfying to blow them up, or better yet, run them over in explosions of green goo with a vehicle.
At one point a friend and I were over looking the old quarry from a building and the entire thing was completely filled with Freaks as far as we could see.
“Wow, that’s really impressive, “ I exclaimed.
“There’s only one thing to do,” he said, “lets find a car.”
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: The campaign is playable with 4 players online. Players can revive fallen teammates, collect co-op only orbs, and help complete the host's city while bringing their skill progression back into their own single player game.
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.