Xbox 360 has several legendary exclusives, but Crackdown is the most enigmatic. Relaying a comedic, near-future dystopia through mob boss murder and an open, island city, the RealTime Worlds title was, for many, the first true HD 360 experience. Assuming the role of an Agent, the player's task was simple: reclaim the streets while avoiding civilian-vapourisation. Pacific City's sandbox, drop-in co-op, physics-based action and the ludicrous, all-American VO secured Crackdown a rightful place in the hardcore's heart.
A second game was not inevitable. Microsoft got cold feet after the original "only" sold 1.5 million, and RealTime Worlds moved onto APB. Braying fans got their wish, though, when staffers split away from RTW to form Ruffian in December 2008 and started work on what was announced at E3 2009 as a full sequel. The wrangling's well-documented. The game's more important.
We were lucky enough to visit Ruffian in Dundee last month. The two builds we saw showed enough to confirm that Pacific City's undergone some huge changes. While the sequel's set on the same map, we're now in a post-apocalyptic setting. The Agency gained control at the end of the original, then quickly lost it. A civilian splinter group called the Cell, effectively a terrorist organisation, is calling the shots. The Agency is playing a weak third in the power stakes to the Cell and the Freaks, the mutants that appear near the end of Crackdown.
We'll wrap up all the detail in a feature tomorrow. In short, it feels like Mad Max on brick-dust smack; it's got four-way co-op for the entire campaign; nine huge, completely new, underground areas with an "underworld population"; co-op vehicles; new types of orbs; a new hand-to-hand fighting system; fully-featured multiplayer, including modes like Rocket Tag; it'll be locked at 30fps; Skills are now limited to five levels; and nope, there's no release date.
Check back in the morning for the preview and play impressions. For now, though, hit the link for our massive interview with Ruffian's creative director, Billy Thomson, and the game's producer, James Cope. We've put this up in two parts: get the second bit here. There are new screens here.
Interview by Patrick Garratt.
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