Taking It to the Streets: The World of Crackdown

In Crackdown™, Agents are expected to be resourceful and innovative, using all their wits and abilities to get the information and access they need to do their job. The Agency gives access to equipment, gang dossiers, and other Agents, but as far as tracking down leads and finding criminal hideouts go, you're on your own.

All is not lost, however. As an Agent, you're stronger, tougher, and just plain physically better than most of the criminals out there. While this means you can eventually fight, shoot, or drive better than any gangland wiseguy on the street, your abilities aren't limited to the realm of combat. You can use the terrain and items around you to your advantage, exploring the streets, alleys and rooftops of Pacific City to get the drop on the bad guys and put the targets in your sights.

Going Vertical

While the streets are your starting point in Crackdown, they're by no means the limit of your domain. From the water to vehicles, statues, and rooftops, you can (and should) go wherever the chase takes you. Criminals don't do their business in the open street in broad daylight. They've become experts at finding out of the way places where no one will interrupt their business. To catch them, you need to find these places as well, catching them where they hide.

Pacific City is a wide open city that functions on a number of different levels. Parking garages, balconies and rooftops are available for use by either criminals or Agents. While you may have to resort to fire escapes, stairwells, and ledges to access them in the beginning, as you grow stronger and more agile, you will be able to climb and jump to great heights—as high as a multi-storied building at your peak.

Of course, being able to effectively stand on top of the world has other benefits as well. In addition to crashing gang parties, your opportunities for accurate surveillance increase as well. The higher you are, the better you can observe the street and what goes on there. Whether you're stacking up items to get above the crowd or leaping onto rooftops to get a bird's eye view, realizing that you are not chained to the ground is one of the first steps in becoming a successful Agent.

Grab and Go

While the rooftop view is great, buildings aren't your only environmental tool in the war against crime. A superior Agent learns to draw on his environment, using the items and terrain around him to best effect. Pacific City is not only an expansive setting, it is interactive as well. Almost nothing is relegated to acting as mere scenery; if you see it, you can use it (or, more specifically, throw it), provided you're big enough and strong enough to do so.

This across-the-board interactivity is at the core of an entirely different level of gameplay you'll find in Crackdown. Xbox Live® Achievements can not only be gained through the standard elements of storyline, fancy driving, and being a crack shot, they can also be gained through interacting with your environment in new and creative ways. Should you run short on resources in your quest against crime, don't hesitate to experiment and discover new methods for bringing down the crime lords who stand in your way.