Review: Crackdown 3

• Platforms: Xbox One (Reviewed), Windows PC
• Developers: Reagent Games, Sumo Digital, Cloudgine
• Publisher: Microsoft Studios
• Release Date: February 15th, 2019

Nine years. It has been almost nine whole years since the release of the second installment in the Crackdown franchise, which became one of the flagship franchises for the Xbox 360. Crackdown fans have been sitting and stewing as they watched the long-awaited Crackdown 3 receive multiple delays and even had to witness the game in developmental limbo. But thankfully for Crackdown fans the wait is finally over, with Crackdown 3’s release just one more day away. Crackdown 3’s campaign delivers a familiar experience filled with explosions, carnage, and a pinch of Terry Crews. The Wrecking Zone multiplayer shows plenty of potential, and is in need of a few minor tweaks.

Cities all across the world have been hit with terrorist attacks known as “blackouts”. Millions of civilians are forced to seek refuge on a remote island called New Providence, but things are not as peaceful as they seem. The island is owned by the CEO of an organization known as TerraNova. The Agency is sent in to eliminate key members of the TerraNova organization one by one, but you can’t just stroll into their headquarters and gun them down. You’ve got to hit them where it hurts by taking out the infrastructure for the Security, Industry, and Logistics to weaken them, while gaining intel in the process. Once you’ve destroyed all of the services a target is responsible for, it will rattle their cages enough to get them out of hiding and ready for your Agent to take them down.

If you’re new to the world of Crackdown, Crackdown 3 is an open-world sandbox game along the same lines as series like Grand Theft Auto and Saint’s Row. As a buffed-up superhuman member of The Agency, you’re free to go wherever you want whenever you want. Exploring at your leisure, you dictate the pace of progressing through the game’s story by freeing civilians from captivity, destroying chemical plants, capturing hostile monorail stations, and just generally ruining TerraNova CEO Elizabeth Neimand’s day.

In your downtime from neutralizing the targets one-by-one, Crackdown 3 includes many of the series staples to keep you occupied. The collectathon of orb-hunting has made its return, with hundreds of agility and hidden orbs scattered across New Providence. It can be very easy to get lost in somewhat of a hypnotic trance, bouncing from rooftop to rooftop, grabbing up every orb in sight, leveling up your Agent and unlocking new abilities in the process. There are also Agility races that will put your parkour skills to the test, as well as various vehicle races and stunt loops to soar through.

The driving controls for those vehicles are one of the main issues to be found with Crackdown 3’s campaign. For the most part, any vehicle you decide to commandeer that has a significant amount of speed can be very difficult to control, especially the Agency’s specific vehicle when it is in its default mode. Another small controls issue is the auto lock-on’s inconsistency, especially on flying targets such as drones. Other than the two issues mentioned, the remainder of the controls perform rather flawlessly.

One thing that I definitely did not think I would be saying when reviewing Crackdown 3 is that I wish there was more Terry Crews. In fact, I expected the total opposite. I expected to get so sick of Terry Crews during my time with Crackdown 3 that I’d never be able to enjoy his work again. From all the marketing and trailers leading up to the game, I thought Terry Crews would be so saturated and shoved in our faces when playing the game, but he is actually used rather sparingly. Aside from the opening cinematic of the game, which shows Terry Crews at Old Spice level ridiculousness, he doesn’t really get much of a chance to really shine throughout Crackdown 3’s campaign.

In fact, all of the twenty-one agents, including Terry Crews’ Jaxon, don’t really get a chance to shine. There are the occasional quippy one-liners to be heard every so often when you’re mowing down TerraNova baddies, but there are no cutscenes that showcase each character’s personality. The one spot that really could have used this is when you finally get the chance to confront each TerraNova target one-on-one, but instead the villains do most of the talking and appear in the brunt of the cutscenes.

Crackdown’s signature cell-shaded comic book aesthetic really pops on the Xbox One, and New Providence’s Miami-esque neon lighting provides a nice contrast, especially in the night cycles of the game. There are times where the night can be so dark it’s a little debilitating, but that is a side effect to the aforementioned blackouts from the game’s story.

Crackdown 3’s Wrecking Zone multiplayer features two different modes: Agent Hunter and Territories. Agent Hunter is essentially a “kill confirmed” take on team deathmatch, with each team trying to be the first to collect 25 badges that are dropped from fallen opponents. The Territories mode is pretty much self-explanatory, with each team trying to control the most zones and be the first to accumulate 250 points.

The big highlight of Wrecking Zone that has been hyped up for the last few years is the completely destructible multiplayer maps. While it does definitely appear to be downgraded from what we’ve been teased with in previous showings, the amount of destruction that occurs during a match is actually pretty impressive. See an enemy in the room next to you? Blow apart the wall and go after them. Got an enemy picking off your teammates from a bridge above? Take out your homing missile launcher and collapse the bridge they’re standing on. The wreckage can sometimes cause issues when maneuvering throughout the maps, especially towards the ends of matches when most of the structures are in shambles. This, paired with the fact that they went a little too crazy with the launch pads in such a congested area, can cause your agent to bounce around like a pinball, trying to find firm ground to land on or a ledge to grab onto.

One other issue that will likely be addressed post launch is the lack of weaponry to choose from in the multiplayer modes. With a handful of primary weapons, heavy weapons, and abilities, there isn’t much loadout diversity, and you’ll see most players in the match running the same gear as you are.

Overall Crackdown 3 gives you everything you’d want from a Crackdown title. Does the game play it safe by not taking very many risks and sticking a little too closely to the formula of the previous two games? Absolutely. Does that safe play mean that Crackdown 3 isn’t an incredible amount of fun? Absolutely not. In single player or cooperative play, it may be the same old Crackdown, but the high-octane action is addicting as hell, and the overall gameplay is extremely satisfying. The Wrecking Zone multiplayer modes are chaotic and destructive, and it can only get better with some tweaking after launch. Fans of the franchise who have been patiently waiting for the last nine years should not be disappointed, and there’s no better time for newcomers to get started with the series, as it launches on the Xbox’s Game Pass subscription service.

Xbox One review codes for Crackdown 3 Campaign and Crackdown 3 Wrecking Zone were provided by Microsoft Studios