Xbox Gaming in South Africa

With the original Crackdown, people came for the Halo 3 beta access, but they stayed for the outrageous open-world action. We all hoped, nay, expected the sequel to take what made the original great and crank it up to the max. Now that the review embargo on Crackdown 2 has been lifted, overseas critics seem divided over whether or not this sequel is a worthy successor to the acclaimed original. Let's take a look at some of the scores so far:

• 1Up: "I suspect that Crackdown fans hankering for an excuse to revisit Pacific City will find enough to like about this imperfect sequel to justify at least a rental." - B-
• Eurogamer: "There's plenty of fun to be had in the game's roomy arenas, and that magical mixture of left-trigger targeting and traversal makes the transition to player-versus-player with admirable grace." - 8/10
• GameTrailers: "After a multi-hour session consisting of little more than hunting down agility orbs and engaging in unstructured havoc, you'll still find it hard to peel yourself away." - 7.9/10
• Giant Bomb: " ...if you've already had your fill of Crackdown, the second game doesn't make enough changes to drag you back into Pacific City for longer than it takes to see the credits roll." - 3/5 stars
• IGN: "Crackdown 2 feels uninspired and rushed, and it certainly doesn't feel like a full sequel." - 7.5/10
• Joystiq: "...if you really loved the first game, you'd probably be expecting something worthwhile and fresh in exchange for your hard-earned cash and three-and-a-half-year wait. Unfortunately, you're not going to find it here." - 3/5 stars
• Metacritic rating: 73/100

It looks like Crackdown 2 isn't the sequel everyone was hoping for, but  it does seem to offer some value for those looking for more of the same (orb hunting!), but now with 4-player co-op. Crackdown 2 is set to release locally this Friday, 9 June.