(updated)New Crackdown Content!!!

SubNoiZe · 10:37 AM

all text taken from teamxbox.com.

Quote:

Crackdown began its life as an open sandbox game from former Grand Theft Auto gurus, spent its mid-life as a marketing experiment for Halo 3, and is kicking back as one of the best Xbox 360 games to date. But this critically-acclaimed sci-fi masterpiece isn’t quite ready to retire to the DVD rack.

We are on the brink of a trifecta of goodies for Crackdown from Realtime worlds and Microsoft, including a title update and both free and pay downloadable content nuggets. We know what you’re thinking: “Hey TeamXbox.com…how can an already great game become even greater?” That’s a simple task if you’re Realtime Worlds.

For Crackdown, Realtime diligently follow the post-launch forum chatter and attempted to address all of the concerns with the base game, while at the same time adding new content to keep it all fresh. There are also some items that perhaps didn’t make the final cut for Crackdown’s original launch (time constraints will do that to a project of this magnitude) but have been prepared and thrown into the upcoming DLC code. However it actually came about, Crackdown’s Title Update, Free-for-All” and “getting’ Busy” packs are a win-win for those allied to the Agency.

So without further ado, here is what to expect when Crackdown’s downloads come on air:

Title Update Items:

Reset Gangs: In place of the current option to reset the city’s crime (unlocked by defeating all 21 bosses), the gangs can now be completely reset in the main campaign.

Easier Orb Hunting: Imagine how great it would be if when searching for the last remaining hidden agility orbs the audio range on each of them got wider as fewer remained; well imagine no longer. Audio ”ping” range is now gradually increased when searching for the last 50 percent of hidden orbs, and 20 percent of agility orbs.

Ground Strike: Available to a four star strength agent only, it is now possible to slam downwards while airborne by holding the attack button. The resulting strike is deadly to anything it hits, with an additional shockwave stunning nearby enemies.

Improved firing over low walls: Agents can now fire downwards at a greater angle while taking partial cover behind a low wall.

Targeting enhancements: Improved target lock prioritization of enemies behind vehicles as well as live enemies over corpses.

Those damn fire hydrants!: The fire hydrants were near indestructible but were also hard to spot. Now, though still best avoided, they can be smashed over for a far less unreasonable penalty.

Stunt Ring Visibility: Stunt Rings are now much easier to locate.

No “Lefty Flip” on vehicle control: Removal of the lefty flip on vehicle control so that left-handed players can aim with the left stick, but still steer with the right stick.

Persisting Charges & Mines: Limpet Charges (and the new Proximity Mines) will persist at all times within the game world and not just when within a certain range of the player.

Distant Explosions: No matter where the explosion(s), players will be able to see them provided they have a line of sight… it’s always a clear day in Pacific City!

Ramp Truck Issues: Some vehicles didn’t seem to get on well with the ramp truck, but we never intended this to be a SUV-only toy. Now none of them can get enough of it!

Camera Enhancements: Better camera for performing vehicle stunts or driving on near vertical surfaces (particularly with Top Level Agency SUV or new Peacekeeper Buggy). Also vertigo-inducing tweaks for those long leaps of faith.

Player to player precision shots: We’ve dropped the PvP lock-on but now another agent can be hit with a head or leg shot using normal targeting.

“Free-For-All Pack” Free Downloadable Content:

Keys to the City: The ultimate Cheat Mode! Enter this mirror of the main Campaign for a clean-slate game that can be fully exploited and customized for a single play session.

(Note: Achievements and leaderboards will be disabled in this mode)

Build a pile of 100 explosive drums at the top of the Agency Tower – then let it rip!
Spawn a ramp truck anywhere, and it’ll stay there
Create an agency vehicle or one of the new Peacekeeper vehicles any time, any place
Players can set character skills however they want them, or just activate the accelerated skill leveling feature (“Crackdown” demo anyone?)
Check out “Super Agent Agility” to jump ridiculous distances, swim faster than a torpedo and sprint faster than a speeding bullet (almost)
Try the “Super Agent Strength” to toss a truck with deadly accuracy further than ever dreamt. Boot enemies into the stratosphere!
Get the most out of the exciting selection of new weaponry by activating infinite ammo. Max out the selection at each supply point too!
Do all of this without skipping a beat of the action – the pop-up cheat menu is always available during play without pausing the game

Vehicle Impounding: The Agency Garage has been given an overhaul; this was partly to accommodate the brand new Peacekeeper Vehicles, but also to allow Agents to impound their favorites so that they’re always available…in their preferred color.

Impounding is simple: commandeer the vehicle and return it to the garage
Vehicles that aren’t yet impounded are displayed as feint images, so players can see at a glance what’s missing from their collection
The “Confiscator” achievement awaits those who simply had to catch ‘em all

Co-op Trophy sequences: A trophy emblazoned with my gamertag that is displayed for me and my opponent every time I win at the existing game types!? Yes please! Psychotic Mission Trials

A record is now kept of Time Trials completed at “Psychotic” difficulty
Scoring the maximum 21/21 isn’t just the ultimate challenge that every true Agent of Justice should have the stones to take on, but it’s also the only way to unlock the highly coveted “Psych Out” Achievement

“Getting’ Busy Bonus Pack” Premium Downloadable Content:

New Vehicles:

Agency Patrol Buggy:

Double wishbone suspension absorbs the bumps in spectacular fashion
Rides over anything – even when scaling near vertical surfaces
Insane air control
Roof mounted, independently aiming mini-gun activated with either “B” or “Left Bumper”

Agency Pursuit Vehicle:

Ridiculously powerful mono-cockpit race car
Acceleration that blows away everything else in the city
Incredible grip and top speed
Those road race leaderboard times are set to tumble!

Agency Armored Vehicle:

Like the Agency Truck, the AAV can smash through barricades with ease
Tank-like in design, occupants are completely protected from assault
Surprisingly fast and agile for its size
Rockets fired from independently aiming main turret with either “B” or “Left Bumper”

Street Racing: Pacific City is finally free from crime. Agency activity is once again concealed behind closed doors. The remaining peacekeepers, having very little to do, quickly grew restless. To satisfy their lingering lust for danger, high risk Street Racing tournaments have been established across the city.

Compete in six different on and off road races across the city
6 radically different vehicle options per circuit
Race against up to 11 other “do or die” opponents, including another player over XBL
Compare fastest race times as well as race wins for that session with your co-op “buddy”
Players can post their fastest time per circuit to the online leaderboards
Take advantage of the world of “Crackdown” to win by any means necessary: create road blocks, hit gas tanks, or simply slam opponents into submission

New Equipment

MSK Lobber

Mini rockets are thrown out from the rotating muzzle section before their boosters ignite and swarm towards their target.
The homing mini-rockets are incredibly agile making this the ultimate fire-and-forget weapon

EX1 “Proximity Charge”

Similar to the standard issue “Limpet Charge,” these can be attached to any surface.
A visible local field is generated when the charge is set. Enemy penetration of this field will result in detonation
In a bid to reduce the extensive civilian casualties lying in the wake of any crime fighting Agent, intelligent threat-sensing technology prevents the charge from detonating when a firearm is not detected
Unfortunately the technology isn’t quite intelligent enough to prevent detonation due to field penetration by another Agent

HRX “Harpoon”

A powerful gas powered mechanism capable of launching a deadly, razor-sharp spear over large distances with incredible accuracy
Can be used to ensure enemies “stick around” when players need them to, or to attach perps to their vehicle if they need to take them downtown…or around town

MZ360 “Mini-Gun”

The ultimate fast-firing projectile weapon
“Spin-up” to full fire rate takes some time, but the devastation is incredible
Comes with a bountiful supply of high-caliber ammunition

VS1 “Cloaking Device”

The perfect device for the Agent that likes his action served psychotic, or for anyone that just needs to get under the radar from time to time
Renders the player barely visible and off radar
The VS1 is fuelled by Agency suit armor; when depleted an Agent can find themselves distressingly vulnerable

New Game Types

Max-Agility Rooftop Races

Compete solo or with two players in races across the city rooftops
Nine new races in total, each with its own solo & co-op leaderboards
Four are with Los Muertos, three with The Volk, and The Shai-Gen play host to the remaining two
And no, gamers won’t need to complete these too for the existing “Over Our Heads” Achievement!

Stockpile

Each district (including Agency Island) hosts a Stockpile game – clearly identified with its unique beacon
Stockpile can be played solo or in co-op
The aim is to collect all the game specific orbs (also marked on the tracker) in the fastest time
Best times are uploaded to the online leaderboards
Two players can work co-operatively to find all the orbs in the fastest possible time, or simply compete for the highest score when the time runs out
In the case of competitive play, it doesn’t always pay to do the grunt work of collection; when an Agent is killed he drops a third of his spoils

Checkpoint Chase

A highly addictive two-player competitive game that makes the very most of the world of “Crackdown”
The game can only be initiated in one place – the Agency Garage
A random target destination is identified somewhere on the city, but is only marked on the tracker (not the map)
The first person to reach the destination gains a point and activates the next checkpoint
The winner is the first to 10 points
Other than that, Checkpoint Chase has no rules!

Rocket Tag

 The ultimate competitive combat event!  Each of the 21 gang boss lairs now also plays host to a game of Rocket Tag  When the game is activated the players are randomly assigned as “hunter” and “hunted”  The hunter has a straight-shootin’ “Hotshot” rocket launcher…and more ammo than he could ever need!  The hunted has…a pistol  To win, the hunted player must avoid being caught in the blast of the rocket launcher for 60 seconds. Simple!

NOTE: Gamers can essentially “try before you buy” by partnering cooperatively with another player that has purchased the “Getting’ Busy Bonus Pack”. This will give both players full access to pack’s goodies, for that session. Trust us when we say that once you sample the fun of this pack, you’ll want to “Get Busy” every time!

Achievements:

The new content brings with it seven new achievements (taking the overall total to a nice round 50). Let’s get one thing straight, nobody’s paying for the 100 points that were missing from the original game – and in fact we’re repaying that debt with some serious interest! In total the download pack unlocks a whopping 350 gamerscore!

Confiscator *

Impound all the chosen vehicles and store them in the Agency Garage
40 Gamerscore

Psych Out *

Complete all Time Trial missions at the Psychotic Difficulty level
100 Gamerscore

Stockpile Supreme **

Complete any Stockpile mini-game in less than 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
10 Gamerscore

Flippin' Crazy **

Complete three flips of any type in a single jump in any vehicle
20 Gamerscore

Body Armor **

Use the Harpoon gun to attach five corpses to a single vehicle
10 Gamerscore

Street Racer ***

Win all Street Races using any vehicle
20 Gamerscore

Street Racer Elite ***

Win all Street Races using all available vehicles
150 Gamerscore

* Available with Free DLC
** Available when one player has Premium DLC
*** Available only with Premium DLC Platform:

Our quick preview didn’t reveal all of what is in this massive update and DLC pack, but what we did see was mind blowing to say the least. The “Keys to the City” is an amazing free upgrade that should make Crackdown an even better platform for creating wild YouTube-style video shorts. More super super agents, instant spawning of items and infinite ammo is a cheater’s dream. Keys mode can be entered and exited at the gamer’s leisure as well, thus keeping the original game intact if so desired.

The new weapons are winners as well. Each one was demonstrated for us, with each having more strengths than weaknesses. The lobber is fun because of the sheer rate of fire and the homing capabilities of each charge. Proximity charges can be artfully used as a safety halo since enemy activity sets them ablaze. The Mini-Gun takes a while to get to speed, but quickly becomes the highest rate of fire weapon in the Crackdown universe. There’s also a defensive-style weapon in the cloaking device which pays obvious dividends in all mission aspects.

But it was the Harpoon Gun that really caught our eye. Harkening back to Painkiller: Hell Wars, Crackdown’s Harpoon Gun can affix any enemy to any surface in the game. This includes buildings, and more importantly vehicles. In fact, stapling foes to vehicles is an Achievement since it’s so darn fun, especially when said vehicles start to drive away with their new “cargo”.

You could call us impressed with the Premium pack’s new vehicles too. The AAV is a sheer brute, and its rocket clusters pack quite a punch. The Agency Powered supercar is the exotic of the Crackdown universe, with blinding speed and grip to boot. But we really liked the dune buggy the best, as it was designed for stunts and has a knack for climbing vertically. The buggy is also amazingly rendered, with the exposed dampers and engine animated beautifully.

We would have loved to have gotten our hands on the new content, but we had to satisfy for an unbelievable demo by one of Crackdown’s testers. The non-pay DLC is a no-brainer of course and impressive in itself. You’d be silly not to nab the pay material though, as it is just as exquisite as the freebie DLC, and holds with it some exclusive Achievement points. Heck, you can even try the pay stuff out for free if a co-op partner has it. But you may as well just buck up, as this content appears commensurate with the quality that made Crackdown a hit in the first place.

well, i can say that i will be buying this. it will help pass the time until the beta, and will be there for when the H3 beta ends. well, i say i am buying it, but that all depends on the price!

EDIT:

this stuff comes out next week and its gonna be 800 points.

IXx LaNcE xXI · 05-10-2007

When does it come out? BTW, that's fucking awesome and this should make Crackdown actually fun for a good month or two again! lol

FantasticDuck · 05-10-2007

edit - Lance beat me to it

SubNoiZe · 05-10-2007

i am not sure when its coming out, but it should be soon.

Mofogo · 05-10-2007

its too bad that these guys think that they have a great seller. I doubt they would have sold half of the copies without the beta attached. I just got the game, and I almost bought RB6 but i figured, why not, ill get the beta too, then buy vegas later.

its still fun though, glad they fixed some of those issues, i get tired of punching low walls when im trying to shoot. dont know that ill be paying for the extra stuff though.

SubNoiZe · 05-10-2007

imo, crackdown was a great game. i probaly would have still bought it even if it didnt come with the beta. its a different kind of game, a game that i can just sit back, have some beers, and play.

the harpoon sounds like it will be freakin awesome. and how about that achievement where you have to stick 5 people onto the back of a single vehicle. the new patrol buggy sounds pretty sweet also. there are some pics of all the new stuff, but since i had to use a proxy to get all this information (i am at work), i cant get the pics to load right.

xl Optimous lx · 05-10-2007

im only getting the free shit i bought the game for the beta mostly and im selling it the day the beta end's.

SubNoiZe · 05-10-2007

it comes out next week and its gonna be 800 points

Dark SoliloQuy · 05-10-2007

i just got the Demo off the marketplace this morning and i was playing a little, it seems like a really fun game.....i would like to buy it,...i also wanna get my hands on one that has the beta. lol.

SubNoiZe · 05-10-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark SoliloQuy

i just got the Demo off the marketplace this morning and i was playing a little, it seems like a really fun game.....i would like to buy it,...i also wanna get my hands on one that has the beta. lol.

you should have no problem finding one that has the beta. i was at walmart on tuesday, and they had plenty (with the beta sticker on it).