Crackdown 3 | Xbox One | Review

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It's been a busy winter release schedule and things aren’t about to let up any time soon, yet that's not the reason you're only just getting our thoughts on Crackdown 3. That first reveal, way back at E3 2014, showed off an exciting level of destruction in what would surely be a triumphant return for a mistreated franchise. Surely. Right?

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by James
Michael
​Parry

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@James_Parry

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Developer: Sumo Digital
Publisher: Microsoft
Studios
Platforms: Xbox One, PC
Players: 1 - 10

Of course, back then we didn't know about the many trials and tribulations which both Crackdown 3 and the Xbox One platform were poised to go through before the game would ever see the light of day. Boasting about the power of Microsoft’s Azure Cloud technology right out of the gate might not have been the best strategy in hindsight, as we now come to play a neutered final product that fails to match its ambition.

While we were optimistic that the perpetual march of technology would see its unrivalled chaos brought to life outside of just an E3 tech demo, reports later confirmed that Crackdown 3 would only feature cloud-powered destruction in competitive multiplayer. That’s right, in the campaign not even a vending machine need fear the hand of your mighty Agent!

Those who’ve played Crackdown before already know the score: a city under the thumb - this time of an evil monolith corporation called Terra Nova, rather than shady gangs or zombies - which you’ll tear through in order to inspire the locals and take the city back one area at a time. If it sounds like a tried and tested conceit, that's because it is, and one which doesn't bring a lot of new ideas to the table.

Once again you fill the role of an Agent, a soldier (most likely Terry Crews, though you do get the pick of several) employed by The Agency, an organisation once trusted with maintaining peace and order throughout the world. Hundreds of cities have been attacked simultaneously this time around, leaving New Providence standing as the final safe haven and the place you now call home.

​Little of that actually factors in when it comes to gameplay, though. There's not a worrying level of overpopulation due to all the refugees streaming in, rather there aren’t many people around at all when you consider the context. The largely spotless aesthetic also fails to convey what should be a grittier vibe, greeting you with a maintained neon skyline during what amounts to the collapse of civilisation.

That skyline is peppered with large green orbs, which can be sought out in order to improve your character. Ah yes, the orbs. Probably the most compulsively addicting aspect of the series, these guys are super satisfying to jump around and collect, all the while increasing your agility level to allow for access to even more.

Other forms of experience are awarded when you perform their relevant actions. Fancy some fisticuffs? Smaller red orbs will spill from enemies and boost your melee damage, as well as periodically unlocking new abilities like a ground pound. If blowing things up is more your speed, then you'll begin to gobble up yellow orbs, and so on. The additional skills in each upgrade path are fairly elementary at first, but do start to add a little depth later on, so it’s worth adopting a varied play style despite nothing being supremely memorable.

Gunning down goons comes courtesy of a satisfyingly snappy lock-on function, which makes it easy to bound about as you wreak havoc and zip away from hostile fire.

​Core gameplay basically just involves clearing out enemies from specific locations, veiled in a number of different ways. When the locales are all pretty similar and their objectives rarely differ, the overall mission structure quickly gets repetitive. 

Gunning down goons along the way comes courtesy of a satisfyingly snappy lock-on function, which makes it easy to bound about as you wreak havoc and zip away from incoming hostile fire. At the same time it does also remove an element of skill, which, coupled with foes that are pretty standard fare, makes the level of challenge on standard difficulty fairly low.

Crackdown 3’s most fun aspect is probably traversing the world, scaling buildings at will, though even that isn’t without issue. Jumping will feel too floaty for many, plus there’s the odd and inconsistent inclusion of fall damage, which seems to either not occur at all or cut you down in a heartbeat. It can also be a grind to get to the point where you feel truly agile and/or powerful, in spite of there being an element of instant gratification here.

​Multiplayer comes in the form of the standalone Wrecking Zone package, which shares the campaign’s flaws, only while presenting more intense firefights fought across compact maps with a focus towards verticality. The lauded cloud-powered destruction is frankly nothing to write home about and the pair of available modes won’t do much to keep you around for long.

As a somewhat throwback gesture you can also play the campaign cooperatively, but only with one fellow Agent, instead of three as was initially promised.

In the end, the Crackdown experience is much the same now as it ever was, even after countesses games raised the bar considerably in its absence. If you're picking this up as an existing Xbox Game Pass subscriber, there’s fun to be had without an associated fee, but it's certainly not worth buying the game itself or even subscribing to the Game Pass service specifically for.

Crackdown 3 is a disappointing end to a years-long saga fraught with anticipation and disappointment, and one which will hopefully be the final of Microsoft’s misfires this generation to hit the Xbox One.

Pros

• Easy to pick up and enjoy for brief stints
• Some instant gratification to be found
• The narrator is back

Cons

• Somewhat soulless and unsubstantial
• Repetition sets in quickly
• Terry Crews’ one-liners are either too hammy or not hammy enough…

6/10