I love Terry Crews. He is all-encompassing energy. If a steroid had arms and legs, a head, and screamed a lot, it would be– I’m getting off track.
This year at E3, the Crackdown 3 trailer popped up out of nowhere, and I was excited–at first. Having not seen the title for at least two years (Gamescom 2015 if I recall), I was expecting Microsoft’s orb-filled contribution to the open-world genre to make a HUGE impact now that Xbox One X hardware actually exists, a move that would undoubtedly improve the title with the added delay.
After all, when it was still a wee One title pushing the nebulous power of “cloud computing”, I remember being blown away at the vast levels of environmental destruction, and pondered endlessly on how it would affect the gameplay. Just check out the trailer:
It’s excessive to the point where it inspires giddiness. Why go through a building taking out the goons when you can just KNOCK OUT THE ENTIRE BUILDING? Can’t reach that ledge? EFF THE LEDGE. The possibilities seemed endless in my mind, and thats right in line with the appeal of Crackdown–the ever increasing power fantasy of being a super agent.
So when the E3 trailer began, I was pumped. When I saw TERRY CREWS standing atop a building, I clenched my teeth. I was ready. The image of whole buildings falling en masse while he deployed that maniacal Old Spice laugh took hold in my mind, and he was selling it.
Then halfway through the gameplay took center stage, and I have to be honest, I kinda just said “meh”. We all know games go through several changes over the course of development, but after two years and no updates other than a delay, I expected a bit more than that. Where’s the destruction? What is the game even about? What can you do in this that you couldn’t in Crackdown 1 and 2? I couldn’t tell the difference. I couldn’t really see the difference.
It looks like the Crackdown I know and love, and the features I seek may very well still be in the game, but there isn’t a hint of it in the trailer. Instead, I felt like my love for all things Terry Crews is being used against me to sell me a game I might not want. Or haven’t been given reasons to want.
The landscape has changed drastically since Crackdown 2 was released in 2010, with many games inspired by it since, namely Saints Row 4, and its spiritual successor, Agents of Mayhem, the latter releasing in August.
An identity crisis is imminent if Microsoft can’t find a way to better assert Crackdown 3’s identity before its November release.
Terry Crews doesn’t deserve that, guys. Just look at him. He’s clearly happy to be here. Let’s make his videogame debut awesome instead of lukewarm.
Crackdown 3 is set to release on November 7, 2017 for the Xbox One.
