I could go on about Crackdown 2’s shortcomings and disappointments, but despite all the issues hampering the game I still managed to have a great time with it. That has to count for something, right?

Although Crackdown 2’s controls felt clunky & dated, the missions repetitive & shallow, the map unnecessarily frustrating, and the nagging ‘been there, done that’ feeling I still stuck with the game for hours upon hours just having... well, fun. Crackdown 2 is a sandbox game where it’s an absolute joy to just jump in feet first and kick the sand around for a while.

New additions like the wingsuit & the helicopter as well as more orbs than you can stuff in your agency armor kept me in the game long after I completed the (and I use this term loosely) main story. Crackdown 2 is an achievement hunter’s kind of game, with plenty of orbs to chase down, and goals to complete. If that’s not your thing, you may want to pass - but for me, I’m around the 25 hour mark with Crackdown 2 and I’ve still got a bunch of things left to scratch off my ‘Pacific City To-Do List’. Sure, they may only be stunt rings, rooftop races and the like but again - I’m in a sandbox, and I’m playing around.

As for a rating on Crackdown 2, honestly - it depends how much you pay for it. If you can score it for $25 - 30, then it’s money well spent. Any less and you’ve got a stellar deal. Any more, and... well, hopefully you can get some of your money back when you trade it in.

One again, Crackdown 2 has all sorts of wrong in it, but still manages to be fun. Makes you wonder what it could have been...