The Streets of Pacific City
I used to love this town. My family is here, I was born here, I'll die here—I even get lucky here on occasion—but I'd blow the whole damn place up in a heartbeat if I could take every poisonous scumbag criminal with it. The world would be a better place.
—Roberto Juarez, reporter for the Pacific City News
Crackdown™ is set in Pacific City, the metropolis you'll love to hate. An expansive port city with a West Coast feel, Pacific City is more than just a backdrop for the action in the game; it's center stage. The actions of your character affect the city in very real and visible ways, and you can use the elements of the city around you to aid in your fight to purge its streets of corruption.
As an Agent, your job is to eradicate crime. You are tasked with putting an end to the war zone Pacific City has become and restoring its past peaceful state as a safe environment for the law-abiding civilians who live here. In other games this would be a backstory motivation that has no real effect in the game, but in Crackdown, the city is a character all on its own. By the time you've toppled your last kingpin, you will have shaped the city with your own hands, exploring its side streets and hidden places until you know it by heart. You'll interact with it more than with any other character in the game—it reacts to your choices and gives you the tools you need to do your job. Pacific City can come to be your best friend or your worst enemy—it's all up to you.
From the moment you step onto the streets of Pacific City, the entire town is open to you. There is no place you can't go, be it inside or out, up or down, east or west. It is a fully immersive environment on a scale rarely seen in gaming. Both the game and setting are non-linear, leaving you to make your own decisions and direct your activities accordingly.
Prime Real Estate
Pacific City is built on and across a series of islands. It is divided into four key areas: La Mugre, the Den, the Corridor, and the Agency. Each area has four quarters: North Side, South Side, East Side, and West Side.
The Agency lies at the heart of the city, a large self-sufficient island that forms the last bastion of law and protection within Pacific City. It is the base of operations for all Agents, and the one refuge for citizens who fear for their lives. It is free of gang presence and corruption and offers access points to all other sections of the city.
La Mugre lies on the west side of Pacific City and is home to Los Muertos. It's home to fast cars, beautiful women, drugs, graffiti artists, and most of the tourism in Pacific City. The hotel district is here, as well as sports arenas, amusement parks, and the barrio.
The Den is the Volk's stomping ground. It covers the industrial side of the city, including the docks, the utility companies, scrap yards, and refinery. Anything dealing with warehouses or manufacturing has the Volk's hand in it, and most of it is centered in this portion of town.
The Corridor is the nickname for the portion of Pacific City co-opted by the Shai-Gen Corporation. It is a sterile if luxurious corporate enclave where its citizens live in isolated comfort. Most of the big business in Pacific City has a presence in this upscale urban environment. Bars and restaurants, office complexes, skyscrapers, and retail areas are found here in abundance.