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Crackdown 2 'Toy Box' Issues ResolvedLate last week, Crackdown 2 players who purchased the first download add-on pack, Toy Box, were met with loading and freezing issues upon starting the game. Microsoft responded over the weekend saying everything is resolved."It's true that some fans who downloaded the premium content for the new "Toy Box" Game Add-on in the first 48 hours of its release may have experienced load issues," a representative said in a statement. "The teams at Microsoft and Ruffian Games have been working around the clock to deliver the new content, and are happy to report that the temporary issue has been resolved and the 'Toy Box' Game Add-On is ready for download. Microsoft offered a solution for those who previously downloaded the add-on pack and are still experiencing issues. The company said to first clear the Xbox 360 hard drive cache, delete any existing Crackdown 2 add-on content, and then re-download 'Toy Box' from the Maketplace store. Crackdown 2 Gets a Toy Box Add-onToday Microsoft announced that a new bundle of content will soon be made available for download for Crackdown 2. The Toy Box includes free content for those who purchased the game and an additional pack that will cost 560 Microsoft Points.The free stuff includes the Keys to the City, a cheat that enables invincibility, infinite ammo, fly cam, the ability to spawn weapons, the ability to freeze the time of day, and maxed-out skills. Also, anyone who reached level six on all of their skill sets will be given a new Thruster Ability that allows players to boost themselves into the air. The final free add-on is a new multiplayer mode called vehicle tag which accommodates up to eight players in six different arenas. The content that will cost you includes two new vehicles: the Agency ATV and the Squad Chopper. The first one is an aquatic mini-tank that can climb walls and the latter seats up to four players, each with their own weapon. There are five new gadgets including the mass driver gravity weapon, portable launch pads, stickler grenades, thrusters, and mag grenades that can attach to characters. There are also two avatar awards in the premium pack including the Xbox Green Suit and Green Helmet. To get the green suit you must have the Rocketeer Achievement. Those who purchase the new content will be able to unlock 10 new achievements for 250 more gamerpoints along with eight new agent suit colors. Crackdown 2's Rebellious Soundtrack RevealedDid you know that in addition to the original score from Kevin Riepl to capture the darkly heroic and futuristic setting in "Crackdown 2," the game also features an extensive soundtrack with hits from icons of rebellion? As you've been playing through your review copy of "Crackdown 2," you've probably heard some fantastic (or crazy) tracks as you mowed down Freaks, took on the Cell and set justice in motion – your way.These licensed tracks and updated remixes will have you smashing through Pacific City with a vengeance. Public Enemy, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, R.E.M. – and Whodini? – just to name a few. On top of that, some of these tracks are being remixed by cutting edge artists sharing their interpretations of what the can-do attitude of "Crackdown 2" is all about. Remix artists include Dan the Automator and Domino, The Bug, Sientific American, Mistabishi, Kleptones, King Cannibal, and Tigerstyle. So pop in the game, blast up the volume and show the world what justice means to you! Cell Remix R.E.M. - Ignoreland - Remixed by Kleptone Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bad Moon Rising - Remixed by Mistabishi Afflicted - Here come the cops - Remixed by El B Blue Oyster Cult - Godzilla - Remixed by Mistabishi Johnny Cash - Man In Black - Remixed by Sientific American Bob Dylan - Masters of War - Remixed by Sientific American Whodini - Freaks come out at Night Remixed by Mistabishi Deltron 3030 - Virus - Remixed by Dan the Automator 7 Seconds - We're gonna fight - Remixed by Sientific American 7 Seconds - We're gonna fight - Remixed by Tigerstyle Public Enemy - Louder than a Bomb - Remixed by Bug The Damned - Smash It Up - Remixed by King Cannibal Cell Licensed King Cannibal - A Shining Force King Cannibal - Aragami Style The Bug - Angry Tek-One - Broken String Qemists - Dem Na Like Me Dminds - Maniac Cop Reso - Otacon Rossi B & Luca feat. Killa P - Police Ar Come Run Atari Teenage Riot - Revolution Action Jakes - Scannerz Reso - Slap Chop Starkey - Spacecraft DJ Prime Cuts & Dyanmite MCv-vWarning (Eddie K remix) Agency Ame - Doldrums Tokyo Blackstar - Kagura Klaus Schulze - Invisible Musik Morgan Kuhli - Journey of a Bird Morgan Kuhli - Airmusique Rice Mutt - 4Eliza #6 Ohler - Untitled 1 Noumena -Aggregate Civilian Joker - Digidesign Joker - Purple City (w/ Ginz) Joker - Psychedelic Runway Freeland - Do You (Joker rmx) Daedelus - Touchtone Stimming - Song for Isabelle Headhunter - Life Form Instramental - Photograph Roots Manuva - Witness (1 Hope) Qemists - The Demand Qemists - The Affliction Damm - El B Mensah - Pulse 80's Putting the Craic in Crackdown 2Back in 2007, playing Crackdown was the most fun that Xbox 360 owners with a little imagination could have. Presenting a completely open city from the off, it was an explosive playground in which you could do as you please; there was no linear story to follow, no prescription of how the game 'should' be played — it was, at its best, a freeform riot.It's this philosophy which Ruffian Games has run with in the sequel. Producer James Cope describes playing the game and the resultant laughter as "an outburst of joy rather than humour", and from some hands-on time with the full game, it's clear that this is very much the case. It was Ruffian's intention that the player should know everything they could possibly need to know about the whole game within an hour of starting. There's a brief tutorial sequence followed by a loosely linear mission structure. In fact, once they have escaped the tutorial, players are free to go wherever they please, much like the original. Of course, it may be to their benefit to follow the initial objectives until they have powered up their characters a little, but the key concept is that they don't have to. "One of our primary goals in producing the sequel," says Cope, "was to stop players feeling overwhelmed by being dumped into an open world." Click here to continue the IGN article. Pre-Load Achievements in the Crackdown 2 DemoThe Crackdown 2 demo became available on Xbox Live today. It is free of charge, features accelerated leveling, four player co-op and also includes a little something special.Gamers have the ability to earn certain achievements by playing the demo. The actual achievement points are cataloged and then actually awarded when players pop in the full version of the game upon release. This message appears when players load up the demo: You can earn Demo Achievements during gameplay! While playing this demo, you can meet the requirements for several Crackdown 2 achievements. If you succeed, the achievements and gamerscore will be awarded once you play the full version of Crackdown 2. You must be signed in to Xbox LIVE for the duration of the demo and when playing the full version of Crackdown 2 to receive the achievements and gamerscore in full. Crackdown 2 Is Good To GoCrackdown 2 is ready to go.Developer Ruffian Games announced on its Twitter account the game has passed certification and ready to be pressed onto game discs. "Crackdown 2 has passed cert, thanks for the fantastic work by all. Load up those trucks, Agents. We're heading out," the studio wrote. After numerous delays, Microsoft finally announced the game will finally ship in North America on July 6 and in other territories on July 8 and 9. Crackdown 2 Campaign Preview Crackdown 2 is following the tried and true blueprint for creating a sequel: Take the formula for what made the first game a hit and crank it up to 11. That's the first impression I got from a recent play test with a near final version of the game's up to four player cooperative campaign mode. The other impression? Crackdown 2 looks a bit rough. This was my first time playing the story-driven campaign for Crackdown 2 -- all previous looks at the game had been of the competitive multiplayer modes. I started from the beginning with a new agent, joining The Agency just as things look darkest. Crazy genetic freaks are roaming the city streets at night, tearing up the familiar Pacific City haunts. When the sun comes up, rioting insurgents take to the streets and maintain order with an iron fist. Things look bleak, but as anybody that has played Crackdown 1 knows, a lowly agent only stays underpowered for so long. Crackdown 2 follows in the footsteps of its predecessor by offering an open-world sandbox filled with targets to shoot and orbs to hunt. By killing enemies and hunting down special collectibles, players can upgrade their agent to superhero status. Grab enough agility orbs from rooftops and your agent will be able to run faster and leap higher, thereby giving you access to even higher locations. Hop in a vehicle and run over enemies or take part in races and you'll unlock new rides. The same skill progression holds true for explosives, strength, and guns. By the end of the game, you'll have an arsenal that includes magnetic grenades, tanks, and gigantic cement clubs – on top of being able to leap several stories at once. But since this is a sequel, Crackdown 2 adds more goodies to the mix. Special online only orbs can be hunted in groups. Others will actually run away from you as you approach them, forcing you to give chase over rooftops or in a car. The rewards have been cranked up, too. It only took about an hour of playing before I was tearing around Pacific City in a machine gun mounted dune buggy, pausing only to toss out explosive satchels. Make it further into the game and you can expect to find everything from tanks to helicopters, with some rides built for multiple passengers in case you've got a few friends along for the ride. Early on, the missions were pretty straight forward. You can clear out gang controlled blocks or freak infested hives. There are defense systems that need to be reactivated. You can hunt down special recordings to learn a bit more about how Pacific City fell to ruins. And, of course, there are races to blast through. There wasn't a whole lot of storytelling through the first few hours, and the missions themselves didn't have much variety, but there was absolutely no shortage of things to do. A nice dynamic I ran across was the give and take between the day and night cycles. Freaks come out at night, and they're more immune to standard guns. You can carry two weapons, plus explosives, at once so if you're out for a big excursion it's sometimes a good idea to carry several different types of weapons. Special UV guns and grenades emit light rather than lead, a deadly force against freaks but nothing more than hot air against humans. The entire city is open for exploration right off the bat, but certain parts are more overrun with freaks than others. I managed to get caught off in a distant corner of Pacific fighting for survival against massive swarms of freaks, praying for daybreak. One of the cooler aspects of Crackdown 2 is that it takes place in a destroyed version of the same city as its predecessor. If you played the first game, you'll recognize vestiges of memorable landmarks, and many little hideouts (such as the offshore drilling rig) remain intact. It's a nice nod to the people that made the franchise a success in the first place. On the flip side, Crackdown 2 is not looking too hot. A high level of detail just wasn't present, and even the explosions looked rather low-resolution. Add in a few bugs and some framerate hiccups and I was left a bit worried. The gameplay is a blast -- especially when you get a group together to play cooperatively – but it doesn't look like Crackdown 2 will be able to compete visually with some other recent sandbox games. There isn't much time for everything to come together into the complete package, but I've got my fingers crossed. Crackdown 2 Animated Miniseries Unravels the Thrilling Tale of Pacific City The harsh days and volatile nights in Pacific City come to life in a riveting five-part animated miniseries chronicling the events that have transpired between the Xbox 360 smash hit "Crackdown" and the highly anticipated sequel, "Crackdown 2." Starting today, fans can tune into Youtube.com/machinima for a look down the back alleys and behind the locked doors of Pacific City with an exclusive premiere of the series with episode 1, titled "Home Truths." The first Crackdown took place in the fictional metropolis of Pacific City, where the Agency – an organization using genetically enhanced soldiers known as Agents – was contracted to rid the city of three powerful crime syndicates. The saga continues 10 years later in "Crackdown 2," with new enemies (the Cell and the Freaks) that stand in the way of the Agency's goal to bring Pacific City back under control. After the events in the first "Crackdown," a dangerous virus was released and those who were infected – the Freaks – began ravaging the city. A civilian resistance, called the Cell, also formed to take the fight into their own hands by mounting offenses against the Agency. Players return as Agents in "Crackdown 2" to once again bring peace to Pacific City – by any means possible. Written by Ruffian Games Senior Designer Ed Campbell, the events that lead into Crackdown 2 unfold to answer your most pressing questions: Why is Pacific City in turmoil? What happened to the Agency? Who is the Cell? Where did the Freaks come from? And, most importantly, who is Catalina Thorne? Animated by seasoned comic artist and illustrator Alex Ronald, you'll see the vibrant world of "Crackdown 2" like never before, as the Agency, Cell and Freaks bring Pacific City to the brink of destruction. With the Voice of the Agency returning to narrate the way, you'll go deep behind enemy lines, scour the underground and experience more of the explosive action leading up to the Xbox 360 exclusive's launch in July. The miniseries will be viewable in five parts, with the conclusion of the series airing on June 21, 2010. Stay tuned for each episode of the "Crackdown 2" miniseries at Youtube.com/machinima: Episode 1 - May 21, 2010 Episode 2 - May 28, 2010 Episode 3 - June 4, 2010 Episode 4 - June 11, 2010 Episode 5 - June 21, 2010 Crackdown 2 is available exclusively on Xbox 360 this July, but fans can prepare for the action early by pre-ordering now. At participating retailers, fans who pre-order will receive exclusive, in-game bonus armor in four new shades: Gold, Gun Metal, Black and Green. Want in on Crackdown 2 Early? Microsoft is kicking off a viral contest that will allow intrepid fans early access into the Crackdown 2 demo. Simply grab a smart phone, the Microsoft Tag program, and start hunting for orbs in real life. Sounds simple, right? Once you have the reader, you can look for hidden orbs. The first can be found at the end of this video. After scanning the first, clues to where you can find the rest will be sent by text message. Sound like too much work? You can always just wait for the demo to go public. That is happening in June, according to Microsoft. Crackdown 2 Features 'Thousands' of On-Screen Enemies Ruffian has revealed that Crackdown 2
will feature "thousands of enemies on screen" - and claimed that the
game's 16-player online multiplayer will be "insane". Microsoft last month confirmed that the Crackdown 2 release date will arrive on July 9 - and more details are expected at E3 in June. Explaining the differences between the
first and second games, executive producer Peter Connelly said: "During the day you've got to battle against The Cell, which is the remnants of the gangs and civilians who have joined together against The Agency. So you've got quite a formidable set of adversaries with thousands of characters on screen for you to mow over or eradicate which ever way you see fit." Speaking in a video interview with GameTrailers, he added: "You've a bigger uber-mission and more of a focus in terms of the mission structure... We like to think of Crackdown 2 as very much a toy box for people to experience and play with. And we've given them more toys to use in that toy box this time round. "We've also greatly enhanced it with four player co-op, so that's twice the trouble and twice the fun that we had last time. Then we've got the 16-player multiplayer... which is insanity, chaos and great fun." PAX East 10: Crackdown 2 Avatar Hoodie on LIVE Marketplace Now! Download link: Xbox.com (US)  PAX East 10: Crackdown 2 Multiplayer Hands-on
Most people loved the
original Crackdown, but I think we can all admit
that it needed a 16-player multiplayer mode where you could target the
one object everyone was trying to get and just spam the hell out of the
area with rockets for an awesome kill streak.
Thank goodness Crackdown 2 fixes the original's omission. Set to be released in July, Crackdown 2 boasts a co-op campaign for up to four people, but it's also packing two competitive multiplayer modes known as Team Deathmatch and Rocket Tag. Because you've been playing games for awhile now, I'm sure that "Team Deathmatch" is pretty self-explanatory. That's good because Team Deathmatch is cool and all, but Rocket Tag is where it's at. Rocket Tag is, well, tag with rockets. One person runs into the orb and becomes "it." The longer that person is it, the more points her or she earns. Everyone else is trying to kill that person so that the orb is up for grabs again. The only gun everyone has is the rocket launcher. Toss in the Crackdown leaping and launch pads everyone knows and loves, and you have one of the most solid recipes for a multiplayer match you'll find on Xbox Live. Click here to continue the IGN article. Microsoft Confirms Crackdown 2 Release Date Crackdown
fans will have to wait a bit longer to get their hands on the
upcoming sequel from developer Ruffian Games.
Crackdown 2 delay? As recently as just a month or so ago, both Microsoft and developer Ruffian were insisting that Crackdown 2 would be ready for release in the first half of 2010. Then came X10 and suddenly the message changed. Now, you can expect to get your Crackdown 2 fix before the end of the year. What happened? Who knows. Oddly enough, Microsoft allowed people to play Crackdown 2 at the Tokyo Game Show. They even allowed our video crew to film the game off of the demo screens. We weren't allowed to do any of that at X10. Crackdown 2 Coming 'Later This Year'Microsoft
is showing off its 2010 lineup at the X10 event in San
Francisco this week, and the show is chock full of info about the Xbox
360's upcoming games. On the list is Crackdown 2,
the much-anticipated sequel to the 2007 online multiplayer hit.
In other Pacific
City news, Microsoft announced that Crackdown 2
pre-orders will come with a code to download four exclusive suits of
armor – Gold, Brushed, Red Metal and Blue Metal. Crackdown 2 Trailer - 'Blow Up Stuff'The sequel to the orb hunting extravaganza that was Crackdown is coming in early 2010 and we've got a new trailer showing off all of the pretty explosions. Plus, it's got a shot of a player flying through the air. You have to see it to believe it. Click here to view the trailer Crackdown 2 Launches Graffiti ContestTo garner excitement -- and a little fan participation -- for Crackdown 2, developer Ruffian Games has announced an open competition for fans to create Pacific City's graffiti. Winners will not only get their design in the game, but they'll also get their name in the credits. The competition is underway now, but entries must be turned in by December 9th. The winners will be announced the following week. Contest Rules:
The Ten Commandments of Crackdown 2The original Crackdown wasn't necessarily one of the highest scoring games of its time, but it certainly left its mark. It was one of those titles that served up a huge amount of raw gameplay, and was incredibly good fun to play as a result, but that needed a bit more sculpting (particularly as far as its missions were concerned) to fulfil its true potential. Can the sequel take all that good stuff and shape it into the ultimate super hero-infused open-world shooter? That remains to be seen, but we do know quite a bit about the game now, and have been able to divine the ten commandments that are helping to shape the sequel. Click here to continue the IGN article.
E3 2009: Crackdown 2 AnnouncedToday at the Microsoft Press Conference in LA Crackdown 2
was announced. The game is being worked on by Ruffian Studios, not the
original developer Realtime Worlds.
The only thing we've seen so far is a computer generated trailer but we
hope to hear more about the game soon. The trailer began with the
tagline,"The city is infected. You are the cure." Apparently the
franchise is abandoning the gang warfare story of the first game in
favor of a zombie outbreak.
A similar art style to the first Crackdown was featured throughout the trailer, though no actual gameplay was shown. The trailer showed super powers similar to the first game such as lifting up cars and running at high speeds. And, naturally, there are still guns. The trailer ended with a massive explosion that ate up the entire screen. An update to the Microsoft official game lists it has having online multiplayer that features 16 players simultaneously. We'll have more updates from the Press Conference as the day continues.
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