Crackdown
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New details on Crackdown DLC
In an Eurogamer interview with Crackdown's producer Phil Wilson, we get a smidgen more information about Crackdown's upcoming downloadable content. Mr. Wilson (we just had to) openly answers fan's questions with brute honesty, even going as far as to say that the studio came to terms with the Halo 3 beta inclusion by looking at it as a "marketing stunt". But the cream filled center of this interview is the promise of a boss reset option in the next update. So, no more creating new gamertags or other lame workarounds, a reset is on its way. Wilson also touches on the addition of a new co-op game mode, the possibility of four player co-op, and flying high ... all possible in future updates. Make the jump for the full interview, that is, if you've collected enough agility orbs agent (we just had to).
Crackdown updates include new multiplayer modes, 'gang reset' option
With a pint of Guinness in his (virtual) belly, Crackdown producer Phil Wilson reluctantly braved a swarm of fanboys eager to squeeze his brain empty of downloadable content details. Wilson's tight-lipped policy didn't last long, and he was quickly charmed by the Eurogamer forum rats, already dropping hints in his first response (a question about aircraft): "airborne antics [are] definitely not off the table going forward." What we know is that Realtime Worlds has created several competitive multiplayer modes, with one being optionally cooperative. Apparently, one of the modes was inspired by a user-created video posted online (GASP, Game 3.0 on Xbox 360?!). Wilson suggested that the creators would "eventually" be credited for the idea, adding that many of the videos popping up on YouTube (particularly this one) had impressed the development team. The new modes will likely be limited to two players, though Wilson teased that "the prospect of mass co-op is definitely an exciting one." Wilson also confirmed that a free update will include a 'reset gangs' option, eliminating the frustrating need to delete the game data (or your Gamertag) from the hard drive in order to start over. Wilson apologized for the oversight and added, "while I'm spilling beans, there's also another great mode that I'm pretty sure is also kinda what you're asking for but a whole lot more -- so I hope that goes some way towards compensation." Could you be anymore vague?
Crackdown's hidden orb clip download
In the past we've brought you a few of the coolest sound clips from Crackdown and the Xbox 360. Today, our good friend Major Nelson posted the hidden orb sound clip for you to download in three exciting flavors. Yes, it's short, it's simplistic, but it still warms our Crackdown gaming soul. And remember, you can still grab the infamous agility orb and the 360's achievement unlocked sound clips for your downloading pleasure. Now quit whining about not being able to get your hands on the hidden orb sound clip and download it ... you know who you are.
More Crackdown glitch videos
Adding to our continuing coverage of various Crackdown cheats and glitches, the guys over at playinghalotoday sent us a few more Crackdown glitches from their library. In the video above you can see something they call "sand surfing" on the sandy beaches of Pacific City. It sort of reminds us of Marty's hoverboarding adventures in Back to the Future, ride on Marty ... ride on. The other two videos are embedded after the break featuring the Crackdown "teleport" and the "float". If we've piqued your curiosity then go watch more glitching videos after the break.
A360P posts map for Agility Orbs
Crackdown's hidden and agility orbs are an addictive little treasure hunt for gamers. We posted up a guide for finding the hidden orbs, and now we're bringing you a top down map showing off all the agility orbs, courtesy of Achieve360Points. Sure, while the dots on the map don't exactly tell you what height the orb is at, the top left corner has some vital info for orb hunters. It tells you how many orbs are on each gang's territory. 212 for Los Muertos , 155 for the Volk, 128 for Shai-Gen, and the remaining 5 can be found at The Keep. Combine that information with IGN's guide, which only has 498 Orbs pictured, or completely photographed lists for both types, but plagued with duplicate pictures, and you have a shot at finding the last ones you're missing. So, how many orbs, agility or hidden, do you have yet to obtain? [Thanks, DjDATZ]
Crackdown leads game sales in February [update 1]
GameDaily BIZ posted the just released February NPD sales numbers which show that Xbox 360 software is selling quite nicely. Overall, things are looking bright for video games as the industry is up 66% over last year with hardware and software sales on the rise. Crackdown led the month's sales moving 427K units, with other 360 titles like Gears of War and Lost Planet in the top ten. The Xbox 360 is also moving a fair amount of consoles beating out an under-performing PS3, 295K units to 228K 228K units to 127K. It's great to see our little boy Crackdown succeed in February and four other Xbox 360 games place in the top ten. Though, we wonder, with the Nintendo Wii selling so well (485K 335K units) does Microsoft have to shift its focus away from Sony and watch Nintendo to protect its next gen lead? Only time will tell, but we're confident that our white box can fend for itself simply by the games that will be released for it in 2007. A full list of NPD's February sales rankings for hardware and software is after the break. Update 1: Fixified the comparison numbers between the 360 and PS3 ... and the Wii. Math is hard.
Possible Crackdown DLC details
A tipster on the MSXbox World forums claims to have some details about the upcoming downloadable content for Crackdown. Some of these details aren't exactly new. For instance, the content should include the missing 100 achievement points and it should be free (according to recent policy changes, it has to be free, actually). There are, however, some things we hadn't heard yet. For example, the content is likely to include several new gameplay elements including vehicle impounding, street races with AI controlled cars, new equipment, new agent skins, and new mini-games. Unfortunately, all we have to go on is that the MSXbox World tipster has a reliable -- yet unnamed -- source for this info. So, for the moment, we'll take it with a grain of salt. Would you be interested in these supposed new features? Would you like to see anything else added to Crackdown?
Remember agent ... Crackdown tshirts
Xbox 360 Fanboy reader Jamie Guy sent in a little project he was working on for himself and a few of his friends. He decided to take the infamous "Skills for Kills" phrase from Crackdown and create some nifty tshirts. As you can see in the finished product above he even includes the Crackdown logo on the front featuring the phrase "Remember Agent ...". Nice job Jamie, and if you have a few extra you could always send them our way. Quick question though, if video game companies released more apparel for their games, at reasonable prices, would you be proud to wear your Bioshock or Mass Effect clothing around town or would you be a little too embarrassed?
The best of Crackdown tricks and glitches
We've asked for them and you've come through for us in full force. We've compiled a few of our favorite fanboy-submitted Crackdown videos showcasing some of the many glitches, bugs, and tricks you can do in the game. The video above showcases an agent's ability to render a vehicle ... invisible. Now you too can recreate the Saint's Row Musical with a modern Crackdown twist. Or you can simply float around the city (in the sitting position) as everyone admires your superhuman abilities. Two more videos after the break including a herniating agent and the ability to launch vehicles a great distance. And thanks again to everyone who sent in Crackdown videos, you guys rock. [Thanks, Rick-E]
Finding every hidden orb in Crackdown
Tracking down the last few hidden orbs in Crackdown can be a daunting task, especially in a city the size of Pacific City. So, that's why Herman Gatevold went through all the work to post a picture of all 300 hidden orb locations as well as conveniently plotting them on a map of Pacific City. Yes, you can thank him later by showering him with gifts or paying his electric bill, but right now you have hidden orbs to find. It's time to unlock the Orb Hunter achievement agent, so start hunting![Thanks, Choob]
Video: Under The Agency Tower
Before, we showed you how to get your SUV on top of the the Agency Tower. Xbox 360 Fanboy reader whopper submitted a pretty cool video of him an a buddy in Crackdown Co-op going underneath the Agency Tower. The video shows you how to pull it off yourself, as well as does some exploring The Keep once out of the map. Just as a reminder, if you find any cool bugs or glitches in Crackdown, let us know and if it's wicked enough we'll be sure to get the word out.
Live top ten: Sin City descends
Last week, Crackdown came on strong with bronze position on the Live top ten. Now it's swapped spots with Rainbow Six: Vegas as Call of Duty 3 continues to be just shy of the podium. GRAW 2's mulitplayer demo makes a return to take the Crackdown demo's position, which moved to 7th. Madden refuses to budge at sixth while Lost Planet and Oblivion get nudged to eighth and ninth, respectively. GRAW rounds out the bottom of the list while last, and obviously not least, Gears of War retains its top spot over all of Xbox Live-dom. Do you feel slightly confused? If so, our simple, yet eloquent list awaits your review after the break, complete with last weeks standings in parentheses.
Crackdown: Climb the Agency Tower ... in a SUV?
Climbing the Agency Tower in Crackdown can be difficult, especially if you miss a jump and fall hundreds of feet to your sure death. But what if you could safely drive up the tower, you know, plop your four tires on the building's exterior and Spider Man your way up to the top. Well, it looks like it is possible as 007craft discovered a bug where he can climb the Agency Tower with his SUV. Check out his video above to see how he accomplished this amazing feat, but be sure to note that you'll need a four star driver rating to replicate it. If you've found a cool Crackdown exploit or bug and wish to share, feel free to send us a tip ... we have a soft spot for Crackdown bugs.
Pushed to the edge in Crackdown
TonyBowman got the urge, the urge to take one long swim in Crackdown. He wanted to see how far you could actually swim away from the island in the game before you were stopped by a mysterious invisi-wall. And after a 15 minute swim he found his answer. TonyBowman stated that after 15 minutes of swimming he didn't run into an actual invisi-wall, but instead his character got kicked back a few strokes giving the impression that he was still swimming without actually moving. So, he waited a full day's cycle and posted a few day and night screen grabs of the island from an ocean perspective. And it's nice to see that Crackdown's draw distance still keeps chugging along. Job well done agent and nice work on leveling up your character to full four star ranks.
Watch 300, win a copy of Crackdown
Warner Bros. upcoming movie 300 and Microsoft's Crackdown are teaming up for a contest. You have a chance at winning 1 of 300 copies of Crackdown, but to enter you must download and watch all five 300 clips. Each clip is roughly 50mbs and is exclusively downloadable from the XBLM. At the end of each clip will be a code, write down each code and enter the contest here. It's that easy and quite entertaining. Even if you don't care about the contest, you have to download and watch Clip #1 "No Prisoners! No Mercy!". The cinematography in that scene is amazing and should get you excited for this movie. And for the record, anytime we get to see a leg being hacked off in a violent manor we are instantly interested in seeing more. [Via Major Nelson]
Download Crackdown's agility orb sound clip [update 1]
If you've played Crackdown you know locating agility orbs in the game is not only an addiction, but can affect your daily habits. And for that reason Gemeni Ace was kind enough to cut the agility orb sound clip from Major Nelson's most recent blogcast. This short mp3 is extremely universal and can be used for a variety of things. Have it play on your cell phone when you receive a text message, put it on your mp3 player of choice whenever you spot an orb in the neighborhood, or simply loop it to annoy everyone around you. There are so many practical applications for this Crackdown agility orb sound, how are you going to use it? Update 1: Looks like Major Nelson posted the same clip, so choose your mp3 wisely.
Crackdown co-op achievements explained
It wasn't long ago that our lovable Dustin Burg encountered some problems gaining achievements while playing a co-op session of Crackdown. He was able to gain certain achievements, but achievements for removing gang leaders were not earned. Additionally, gang leaders he had killed during co-op reappeared during the single player campaign. We received an official comment from Microsoft regarding this issue. Basically, the company line goes like this: when players enter a co-op session, they are essentially entering the friend's version of Pacific City. Individual achievements can be gained during co-op, but gang related achievements cannot. This was done to prevent one player from doing all the work and essentially giving the achievements to the other player. So, there you have it fanboys. If you want gang achievements, you'll have to make sure you're hosting. While this will no doubt irk poor Dustin (you should hear him rail in the latest Fancast) at least it explains the issue.
Crackdown cracks Xbox Live Top 5 (twice)
According to last week's Xbox Live activity report the addicted and still-experimenting were both heavily preoccupied with a new substance, Crackdown. While unable to topple heavyweights Gears of War and Rainbow Six Vegas, Crackdown (full version) and its demo ranked #3 and #5 respectively on Xbox Live's popularity list (published by Major Nelson). Barring the arrival of radically altering downloadable content, Crackdown won't have much longevity in the hands of the average gamer. As interest in the demo wanes, watch to see if there's a spike in the full version's player base. If enough demo players are tempted to invest in the full game, then Crackdown has a shot -- however briefly -- at the top spot on Xbox Live during these seasonably slow (-to-deliver-games) months. Still, Crackdown is sure to tumble once Bungie opens up the beta.
Live top ten: Agency Ascension
Last week, we had 4 demos on the Xbox Live Activity top ten. This week, we only have one on the list. Gears of War and Rainbow Six: Vegas continue to hold their respective top two spots. Crackdown comes in strong taking third place, pushing Call of Duty 3 down a notch. The Crackdown demo holds its middle of the pack position, even after its retail counterpart has been released. Madden and Lost Planet continue to follow behind, while Oblivion moves up a spot. Pro Evolution Soccer 6 comes in ninth and Saints Row makes a return to the list at tenth. We've got a list ready for you after the break with the title's standings last week in brackets for those statistic hungry types.
Ctrl+Alt+Del Crackdown comics
Co-op Achievement woes got you down? Well, perhaps a couple of Ctrl Alt Del's Crackdown comics might be able to tickle your funny bone. The first of which look at the life of a citizen of Pacific City and how they cope with the Agency and its employees. The second more or less shows the uglier side to an obsession with agility orbs. Rather than go into any further detail and ruin the punchline, both are available for your viewing pleasure after the break. Clicking the images enlarges them to full resolution, and we'd recommend you take a good look at the fine print in the latter of the two.
