The following article was originally published on www.gamesbox.ie in 2010 in the run-up to the launch of Crackdown 2 on the XBox360. The article combines a preview of the game with in interview with the game's producer. Peter Connelly.
Crackdown 2 is a game that might never have been. Realtime Worlds, the Scottish developers behind Crackdown, have moved on to bigger (and they would say better) things with APB, an action-MMO that will see 100-player online battles between virtual cops and robbers in an open-world setting. The studio's head, David Jones is the man behind the Grand Theft Auto series and APB seems like the next logical step for the genre.
For two years even fans of the original might have questioned the need for a traditional sequel to Crackdown. Realtime Worlds dismissed the possibility
as far back as 2007
saying that Microsoft was “a little late in stepping up to the plate to ask for Crackdown 2".
And so the series stalled until last year's E3. Cynics might claim that Microsoft was in desperate need of a first-party "hardcore" game at a show dominated by the likes of Beetles Rockband and Project Natal, but the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
The sequel is now under development at new studio Ruffian, comprised primarily of former Realtime Worlds staff. The game's producer at Microsoft Games Studios, Peter Connelly, was in Dublin last week as a speaker the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 'Cinema Controller' event. I caught up with him on Friday to ask exactly what we should expect from the follow up.
If the first game could be accused of relying too heavily on the Halo 3 beta key bundled with the game, Connelly was keen to stress that the Crackdown IP is one Microsoft regard to be very strong in its own right.
"We knew we had a great game" he said talking about the 2007 release, "We used the [Halo] beta as a vehicle for awareness."
On the issue of the transition from Realtime to Ruffian he downplayed any bad blood this may have created. He said that the business opportunity Crackdown 2 presented couldn't align with Realtime Worlds considering their work on APB. "They're a great company" he said "and we wish them every success with that. I look forward to playing it."
So why get excited about the return to Pacific City?
Two things stood out of Connelly's description of the game that grabbed my attention. The first is Crackdown 2’s design as a carefully crafted 3D platformer; not something immediately apparent considering the game's penchant for violent explosive action.
“The city is designed; it’s not just random… So if you see orbs that you can't get at a certain point, you’ll need to progress your character to get your agility up”.
The second was a reference to the new multiplayer component as "a very twitch/rapid fire gameplay experience".
When I suggested that this sounded like a return to an older style of multiplayer he laughed. "I don't want to say it but you can. It is very like those games you would have been playing; the first sets of Quake-type experiences."
At this point the Microsoft staff-member demoing the game for us chimed in, referring to the previously announced multiplayer capture-the-flag game mode "rocket tag". Like everything in Crackdown, multiplayer will be built around verticality, chaos and quick reflexes. Connelly confirmed that multiplayer would feature in the forthcoming demo later this year.
Four-player co-op is a major selling point for the game. While the original suffered from stability issues Connelly insists that a completely new network layer is something the team are very proud of. On top of 16 player online, co-op session’s will give gamers the freedom to explore the city individually while connected, allowing then to team up for missions when they see fit.
As before the entirety of Pacific City is open for exploration. New enemy types; The Cell (a terrorist organisation) and the 'freaks' (mutants released toward the end of the first game) will provide new challenges.
"It's going to feel familiar, you know the road layout, but it's all new. You've got all the orb hunting back again, you've got a brand new agent, you've got a new set of weapons [and] you've got a real difference this time between night and day." Pacific City's mutants roam the streets at night and the rooftops no longer provide safe refuge from these agile enemies
Connelly went on to talk about the game’s story: With the original "we had a great story that we didn't tell, and we were criticised for that". This time around specific orbs will flesh out the back-story while video screens provide access to the Pacific News Network. This type of storytelling through game-play may have its origins in the likes of Half-life but it's something that will sound very familiar to fans of inFamous.
On that note I took the opportunity to ask whether the developers felt any significant pressure considering the slew of similar games entering the market during the past year. “There's always a little bit of pressure when you're creating a sequel but it's also thrilling to have created a sub genre” he said referring to Assassin’s Creed’s flag collection in the same breath as Prototype and the like.
Remaining predictably tight-lipped about the games rumoured audio solution Connelly would only go so far as to say that Crackdown 2 would be taking a new approach for a game of its type. "We want the music this time around to be more approachable instead of just having to get into a car to get it; we'd like it to help set mood and the emotion that you're experiencing".
Considering Crackdown, its sequel and of course the GTA series have their origins in Scotland, I asked Connelly what sets that country apart as a hub for games design.
"Scottish Enterprise put an awful lot of investment directly into gaming." he replied matter-of-factly; "People like Dave Jones are icons of the industry and they've invested back in their home towns. The same facility just isn't here."
He was however positive about innovation and technical expertise in Ireland referring to the likes of Havok and Demonware, but said that it's "unfortunate that we haven't cracked the content layer on top of that yet and I think that we will".
When asked about the possibility of returning here to work however he was a little more hesitant: "There are still opportunities for me as executive producer. I have still a lot to learn in the trade [but] it's not here, it's still out there.”
Peter Connolly is executive producer on Crackdown 2 at Microsoft Game Studios. He is also credited on titles such as Mass Effect and Gears of War. Crackdown 2 has no fixed release date as of yet, but will be available in 2010.
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