Picking this week’s game of the week was straightforward. I know how much you’re all been waiting the new Club Penguin.
And by Club Penguin I mean Crackdown 2.
Crackdown had a curious gestation. A bold, open world shooter, it was unheralded for much of its development until Microsoft cleverly decided to bundle it with access to the hugely-anticipated Halo 3 multiplayer beta.
As a result, Crackdown sold well. Given Halo’s popularity, that was hardly surprising. People bought Crackdown so they could play Halo.
But what was surprising was just how good Crackdown turned out to be. By eschewing open world genre staples such as story missions and a linear progression, Crackdown rewarded players with almost a pure sandbox. It was a playground where the swings were replaced with bullets, cars and collectibles. It was an entire city reimagined as a jumping castle.
Crackdown 2 follows in much the same fashion, albeit handing you more toys with which to cause havoc and the opportunity to do so in the new four-player co-op mode.
There’s no Halo this time around, but Crackdown is good enough to stand on its own.
New releases for the w/c July 5:
Club Penguin: Herbert’s Revenge (DS)
What Is It? Another handheld spin-off of the Disney MMO aimed at kids.
Should You Care? I wouldn’t think so.
Crackdown 2 (360)
What Is It? Sandbox action set in a now undead-infested open world where you can go anywhere at any time and take on any mission.
Should You Care? Convince three friends to pick it up and enjoy the co-op.
Dragon Ball: Origins 2 (DS)
What Is It? Follow-up to Bioware’s hit RPG from last year… Wait, what? Oh…
Should You Care? Apparently it’s a fighting game where you stab enemies with your spiky hair.
Coming later in July there’s a little thing called StarCraft II. I’m pretty sure there are no other games coming out this month.
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