RipTen Videogame Blog » Crackdown

Is Crackdown Developer Ruffian Games Working on a New Game?

Justin Carter — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:15:17 +0000

Since the release of Crackdown 2 last year, not a lot’s been heard from developer Ruffian Games. In fact, the last anyone really heard from them was for a new DLC pack for Crackdown 2, and that was months ago. However the Scottish developer is now rumored to be working on a new multi-platform game.

Job listings at the Ruffian Games website are asking for an art director and environmental artists. The game they’re working on isn’t revealed, but they’re said to be in a “major contract with one of the biggest publishers in the industry,” so that’s potentially got the list whittled down to EA, Bethesda, Activision, Ubisoft, or Square Enix, since all of them put out multiplatform games.

Via [Joystiq]

Microsoft Details Crackdown 2 “Toy Box” Add-on and Paid Bonus Content

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:17:25 +0000

Adding more excitement to Pacific City, Microsoft Games Studio and Ruffian Games announce “Toy Box” Game add-on and paid upgradable content DLC for open world game Crackdown 2. In an earlier press release the “Toy Box” DLC was confirmed free and will add new content such as: a Vehicle Tag Mode, Level 6 ability award, and return of the notoriously popular Keys to the City which includes God mode, infinite ammo, a fly cam, new weapons and other delectable goodies.

Still want more? Upgradable content is available for 560 Microsoft points via Xbox Live. Expect two new vehicles, an Agency ATV and Squad Chopper. There will be five new toys including a Mass Driver, Portable Launch Pad, Thrusters, Stickler Grenades and Mags on characters. For achievement hunters, expect ten new achievements totaling 250 gamerscore.

No release date is set but Microsoft is definitely giving reason for players to Crackdown in Pacific City again.

Check out our review of Crackdown 2 HERE.

Crackdown 2 Video – Hilarious Orbs Footage

Bryce Wilson — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:09:00 +0000

They say there’s a defining moment in every video game. Assassins Creed had the gameplay, Mass Effect had the story, Goldeneye 64 had the nostalgia and Crackdown, well Crackdown had them damn orbs.

The main collectible in Crackdown was a bunch, actually around 500 of these floating glowing orbs, sometimes placed in the stupidest of places and of course there was an Xbox 360 achievement for collecting them all. Thankfully Unfortunately in Crackdown 2 they made a return, except this time they moved.

The attached video really demonstrates the anger and feeling of despair you have when trying to collect these orbs, and I commend the person who recorded this for even trying to get it for so long. Just watch, and enjoy…

Crackdown 2 Campaign Demo Impressions

Dylan Duarte — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:23:06 +0000

Crackdown 2 is not a game best displayed in demo form. It’s the epitome of a sandbox title. Anakin Skywalker would hate it. In the demo, you’re plunked down into the game’s big, open world with a 30 minute timer ticking away. For me, this meant running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to take in everything. My first playthrough wasn’t great, but on subsequent trips to Pacific City I began focusing on single elements of the game and enjoying my time more.

Everything that was great about the first Crackdown has been retained. I had a blast jumping across rooftops and kicking criminals to the streets below. Taking on Cell (bad guys) hideouts was fun, but mounted turrets aside, there was nothing new there. Possibly the biggest addition are the “freaks,” which are, for all intents and purposes, zombies. They flood the streets at night, making for a pretty different play experience. I enjoyed mowing down hordes of freaks in my agency car.

Obviously, Crackdown 2 is enjoyable, it’s just doesn’t seem fulfilling in the way great games are. The first Crackdown was a hell of a lot of fun, but it felt lacking in substance. And while it got by on fun factor alone, I don’t know if that’s enough to carry a sequel.

To their credit, Ruffian Games seemed to have injected a lot of new content into Crackdown 2. And again, I’m playing a demo of a game in a genre that’s not suited to demos, so the full title could be a totally different experience. Furthermore, I plan to play through the demo several more times, which should say something. For these reasons, I’m cautiously optimistic.

The demo is open to the public starting today on Xbox LIVE. Try it out and let us know what you think.

GDC 08: Prototype – Open World, Open Wounds

Dan Landis — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:04:36 +0000

Prototype is what Crackdown would be if you were a bad-ass instead of a superhero. Crunching cars beneath your feet, running up buildings, literally smashing peoples’ heads into the ground, and absorbing dead bodies into your own — just some of the things you will be doing as Prototype’s main anti-hero, Alex Mercer.

During GDC, we were presented with a brief explanation of the background and inspiration for Radical’s new game. Essentially, when players are given an open world to do whatever they want, they always behave badly. Radical have embraced that fundamental human desire to be naughty and designed a game that is gritty, disgusting, and fucking awesome.

As you can tell from this slide, the basic structure of the game is to “Kill guys and take their stuff”. It’s much more than that, though. There’s a war going on between the Infected and the Military, and you’re in the middle. You can play the two against each other, or help one side fight the other — whatever it takes to accomplish your goals.

Alex has no idea who he is (except that his name is Alex Mercer, apparently) and absorbs peoples’ brains to help himself figure it all out. He accomplishes that in many ways, all of which involve killing people in super-awesome expressions of love. We witnessed a man’s head getting forcibly squished into his own chest cavity, but we also saw such classics as the basic head-exploding curb stomp. Awwww, how cute…

Once people are absorbed, Alex’s biomass increases. This effectively let’s him smash things easier and grow huge claws and so forth. You can also assume the identity of the absorbed people to blend in easier or open special abilities. For example, assuming the identity of a high-ranking military official let’s the player call in air strikes!

Alex can also steal vehicles, including tanks and helicopters. Both hijacking maneuvers include spectacular gore-splosions, but Alex somehow manages to keep his white hoodie nice and clean. Of course, you can just avoid direct contact by tossing the tank at the helicopter, destroying them both.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Eric Holmes and Tim Bennison may have a little Prototype in themselves.

After the presentation, one of the Radical guys just sat there and played the game for 15 minutes while we all watched. It looked amazing, and they claim the graphics are far from complete. I asked about a release date, and they say they are really hoping for this year, but there is no official release scheduled.

Oh, they also let slip that there will be a full-blown cooperative mode, as well as the possibility of “other multiplayer modes” that they aren’t ready to discuss. Stay tuned and we will give you all the information as we get it.

Nintendo Dominates Amazon’s Videogames Top Sellers

Dylan Duarte — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 20:52:14 +0000

This man has a hold on you.

Merry Christmas, Nintendo! For the second year in a row, the Nintendo Wii is one of the must-have holiday items. And although I’m completely aware of the console’s success, I was still pleasantly surprised to see just how well the company was doing on Amazon.

Amazon’s videogames best sellers list goes as follows:

1. Nintendo Wii Console
2. Super Mario Galaxy for Nintendo Wii
3. Wii Remote Controller
4. Wii Nunchuk Controller
5. Crackdown for Xbox 360
6. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for Xbox 360
7. Wii Points Card
8. Wii Play with Wii Remote
9. Wii Zapper with Link’s Crossbow Training
10. Wii Charge Station

The thought of all those little children running amok with their Wii Zappers blasting just warms my cold heart. The list changes hourly, and while the positions have been shifting somewhat, the same items have been there for several hours.

As a Nintendo fanboy, I’m pretty ecstatic. It’s also nice to see Call of Duty 4 doing so well, because I personally believe it’s the best game of the year. As for Crackdown? That seems out of the blue, but I think I remember Amazon having it on sale for $19.99 a little while back, which would explain its presence.