Crackdown 2 Developer Talks Criticism and DLC

Crackdown 2 was finally released yesterday (want to know what we thought? Then click here), and thanks to the game’s list of Achievements, there is already buzz spreading about premium downloadable content packages called “Toy Box” and “Deluge.”

Eurogamer (via Destructoid) reports:

The description for one locked goodie reads “(Toy Box Add-on only) Complete ‘Fly Swat’,” presumably referring to an Achievement, while the adjacent one says “(Toy Box Add-on only) Thank you for buying!”

Then there’s “(Deluge Add-on only) Complete ’15 Minutes Of Maim’,” presumably another Achievement, and “(Deluge Add-on only) Thank you for buying!”

Xbox360Achievements.org says that the rewards for unlocking those Achievements are a green Agent suit, a green helmet, a PVP suit, and a PVP helmet, respectively.

At MTV Multiplayer, Ruffian’s Crackdown 2 Producer, James Cope, took the time to address the downloadable content situation, as well as a few other items.

On the subject of DLC, he confirmed the above reports, though the packages seem to be “tentatively titled.” Toy Box will come first, and brings with it new gadgets, vehicles, and the “Keys To The City” debug mode. This allows players the ability to “spawn in any object they want, gain even more powerful abilities, and generally just mess around.”

Deluge, on the other hand, is focused on changing how people play. Says Cope:

“We’re looking at new game modes to expand the play, rather than say, ‘Here’s some new map packs for the game you’ve already got,’ which I don’t think it great value from a consumer’s perspective. We’re aiming at having a completely new way to play the game you’ve already got. I think people are much more appreciative of that.”

Beyond that, Cope remained mum on the DLC subject, leaving the time frame of its availability subject to speculation.

On another topic, Crackdown 2 has been subject to criticism regarding how similar it feels to the original game. Part of that is due to the return to the setting of the first game, Pacific City, and the reason for that is all a matter of time: whereas Realtime Worlds had five years to develop the original, Ruffian was given a mere 18 months to produce a triple-A title.

“The timescale aspect did factor into that decision. At the beginning of the project we thought, Ok, there’s potentially some effort savings here and we can focus that time in places where we can expand upon the gameplay. The gameplay always won out in those decisions. Did it work? It’s arguable.”

Cope does dispute the idea that it’s the same city all over again, citing that it is a “complete evolution” of what came before. However, he is understanding of the consumer perspective as well:

“As a consumer, I think it’s a fair criticism. With my consumer hat on I would look at it the same way. But for us we see [Pacific City] as a huge positive. It’s something that’s unique to ‘Crackdown,’ people know it, and new fans to the franchise won’t have that baggage, so they’re getting that great big new experience.”

Cope talks more about other issues, including the deliberately duller color palette (part of which will be remedied through DLC), the lack of story, and repetitive missions. You can read his thoughts on those issues in the full article over at MTV Multiplayer.