RealTimeWorlds
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Real Time Worlds has MS raise total Achievement limit
When David Jones of Real Time Worlds was looking at the ideas for Achievements for Crackdown, they had at around 200 or so to choose from. Jones said he wanted to just reward gamers for doing what they do best, having fun. When Microsoft told them they were allowing a total of 50, David felt that would cripple the whole concept of how they were going to approach the game's Achievements. So, when Microsoft recently altered their policy on Gamerscore, they also moved the total Achievements to 80 at Real Time Worlds' request. This gave Crackdown some breathing room with the upcoming 100 and potential 250 Gamerscore add-ons. Hopefully with proper feedback, their new content will be as fun and fulfilling as the current list. What Achievements would you want to see on top of the current set in Crackdown?
MS defends Crackdown/Halo 3 beta decision
Ever since it was first announced that Crackdown would contain an invite to the coveted Halo 3 multiplayer beta, comments have been flying around the intertubes. Some have said that the beta was added in order to push an otherwise lackluster product. That theory, more or less, has been quashed now that the Crackdown demo has won the hearts and minds of the people. Others have expressed outrage at being "forced" to buy Crackdown in order to get into the beta. Frankly, this argument doesn't really hold water, as a beta test is just that, a beta test. In a recent Reuters article, Microsoft's Craig Evans defends the choice. In response to the claim that Crackdown was virtually off the radar before the Halo 3 beta was announced, Evans says, "I can understand why people might think that, but the bottom line is that Crackdown is a game that stands on its own." Referring to the common joke that people are buying the Halo 3 beta and not Crackdown (see image), Evans notes, "People are definitely saying 'I'm getting a free beta with Crackdown', not the other way around," adding, "The Halo 3 beta isn't going to push the game's sales into the millions. Crackdown is going to push its sales into the millions."We certainly won't argue that Crackdown is a good game on its own merits, but it would be foolish to assume that the inclusion of the Halo 3 beta had nothing to do with its quick rise into the spotlight. In the end, it was a slick way for Microsoft to promote a good original game with no franchise history to exploit. Grand Theft Auto, for example, practically markets itself. Crackdown didn't have an obvious marketing hook. The beta put Crackdown in the public eye, and now that we've had a taste, we want more. Halo 3 beta or not, we're picking Crackdown up next week. Anyone want to take bets on how long it takes to become a million seller?[Via HBO]
Ten things to try when you get Crackdown
Next week Crackdown will hit the streets and gamers everywhere will explore the game in all its sandbox goodness. But what can you a person do in Crackdown ... what can one do? The EWoC Team posted a somewhat humorous video of the top ten things they feel you have to try in Crackdown. This video was made using the demo that is available on the XBLM, so if you won't be purchasing the game you can still try out some stunts. We're especially excited about completing a few of these like "walk like an idiot", "get hit by a car whilst holding a skip", and our favorite "kick a friend over a cliff when he's not looking". Get inspired, see a Batmobile, and take a look at the EWoC Team's ten things to do in Crackdown.
Crackdown for sale south of the border
No, not "Crack for sale down south of the border", but Crackdown itself is. While you may be able to find both, we're really only reporting on the availability of the latter in Mexico. According to a wily reader of PlanetXbox360, Crackdown has been available at Mexican retailers as soon as it arrived at their doorstep. Some locations are even sold out of their initial shipment. Apparently, this isn't even out of the ordinary, and Mexican retailers tend to ignore street dates, as seen above. One thing we're curious about, is how many of the 3405 gamers who has played Crackdown on MyGamerCard.net has taken advantage of this, and 50 have Mexico as their locale. Another thing we're curious about is whether any of you fanboys near the US-Mexico border are going to try your luck south of the line or just wait patiently until the 20th?
Fans to decide missing Crackdown points
Some time ago, we reported that Crackdown will ship with only 900 gamerscore points available. It was later revealed that Crackdown's missing 100 points would be made available via downloadable content. This week, Major Nelson's blogcast reveals the way in which those points will be doled out. During an interview with Aaron Greenberg, it was revealed that Realtime Worlds, developer of Crackdown, will be monitoring what people do while playing the game. They'll be keeping track of the most popular achievements to see what players are doing in Crackdown. Realtime Worlds will then create new achievements based on what they observe. For example, if everyone playing Crackdown is going for the rocket launcher juggling achievements, Realtime Worlds may add another achievement that expands on that. We love the idea of adding achievements based on how people play the game. It would be interesting to see other developers take this approach as well. Are there any Achievements you'd like to see added to Crackdown?[Via DarkZero. Thanks, SoonerBill]
Crackdown getting the patch treatment
IGN is reporting that next week, when you pop in Crackdown, you'll be prompted to download an auto-update via Xbox Live. Developer Realtime Worlds told IGN that they went back into the game's code and found a few things that needed tweaking that weren't caught before the game went gold. According to them, the patch will address issues that they discovered relating to lag in both online and sytem link co-op mode. We're just glad that we didn't have to discover this problem when we sat down to play a co-op match on launch day. Thanks again Realtime Worlds, at least you can own up to and fix your mistakes.[Via Joystiq]
Video: Crackdown's first 10 minutes
Xboxyde has a video showcasing the first 10 minutes of Crackdown. The opening cinematic takes a comic book style similar to XIII or Ultimate Spiderman did on the original Xbox. That makes sense, given that all three titles used a form of cel-shading. The video doesn't do much except show the difference in the rate your attributes level up from the demo. None the less, it's interesting enough for those who can't wait until the 20th. It is available as torrents in High Definition (346 MB WMV), Standard Definition (106 MB AVI), and Streaming. It looks to be a blast, and now you feel like you have to earn those 4 star attributes, rather than being spoon fed your skills. Speaking of, which attributes do you plan on power leveling, if any? We think that getting four stars for driving out of the way first, then grabbing agility orbs as you progress through the story seems like an interesting way to start.[Thanks, SoonerBill]
Crackdown meets the real world
You ever play a game so much it starts to intrude on your everyday thoughts? Maybe you spy a piece of driftwood and think to yourself, "that looks an awful lot like a brute shot." Maybe you see the side of a building and see tetrominos falling. Flickr user, AgentG must have Crackdown on the brain, because he sees agility orbs everywhere. From Mt. Rushmore to the Eiffel Tower to EPCOT, those agility orbs could be anywhere. AgentG has even gone to the trouble of locating some secret orbs, too. You'll have to look very carefully to spot them though. Halo 3 beta or not, the wait for Crackdown is becoming interminable. Hopefully these pictures will ease the pain a bit. Hit the "read" link to peruse some more.[Thanks, Jonah Falcon]
Crackdown disc required to play Halo 3 Beta
On Monday, we showed you a screenshot of the Halo 3 Beta download screen in retail copies of Crackdown. Today, we have a picture of the invite card, which confirms how the process works. In short, you need to have the Crackdown game in your Xbox 360 to play the Halo 3 Beta. It does NOT show up in your "Demos and More" tab on the dashboard after downloading it through Crackdown. This coincides with the original press release, which stated you had to load the game to download the beta. Check out the invite card after the break.
Crackdown creator's ego intact after Halo 3 boost
Buy the Halo 3 beta and receive a free copy of Crackdown! That was the joke that hurtled across the chattering landscape of the internet, as soon as it was revealed that Microsoft's supercop-in-a-sandbox game would ride the coattails of a ruthlessly marching Halo 3. But that's okay, according to Crackdown creator, David Jones. "It's really scary to think you could make a really great game that nobody has ever heard about," he notes in an insightful interview with Stephen Totilo of MTV News. The main problem, Jones states, is that Crackdown simply doesn't look good in screenshots. Perhaps a "snapshot" makes for a better word, as he feels that the game's qualities are conveyed far better when it's in motion -- the seamless world, the explosive physics and the player character's constant evolution. Since it takes a while for Crackdown's protagonist to build up his attributes and start leaping over buildings, the game can't be readily grasped in the first five minutes or indeed, in a snapshot. As Totilo aptly puts it, it's a "gradual sell." The Real Time Worlds developer goes on to explain how his desire to reward players resulted in a lifting of Microsoft's achievement limit from 50 to 80 per game, and that "90 percent of the fight is just getting people to try something." Though the Halo 3 beta business may have inadvertently made some gamers doubt the game's quality, the demo currently available on Xbox Live should do much to help allay any GTA fan fears.
How Crackdown's Halo 3 Beta Works [update 1]
That screen pretty much sums it up for how the "specially marked boxes" of Crackdown are going to allow downloading the Halo 3 Beta. Simply navigate to the "Downloads" section in the menu, and there's an option to get the Halo 3 Beta. We presume that an Auto Update will take place on the beta's launch and then the message at the bottom of the screen will change appropriately. So, while a bunch of fanboys eagerly await halo3.com to allow them to register, at least they can get a glimpse of their next and final option available in just of 2 weeks.Update: The hosehead blogger responsible for crediting the wrong source has been reprimanded accordingly. Not only was he subjected to 360 lashes by strips of Canadian Bacon, but his following paycheck will be using an embarrassing 1:1 USD/CDN exchange rate.
Crackdown Demo climbs up Top Live Titles
Yesterday, Major Nelson released his weekly report regarding the Xbox Live activity, and the results caught us off guard. No, Halo 2 didn't beat out Gears of War due to the Halo 3 beta's Rule of 3 phase. Crackdown's demo came in 2nd for unique users on Xbox Live. It even toppled Rainbow Six Vegas, which is equally surprising. Obviously the game is a lot of fun and people are enjoying the demo, and doesn't need a marketing ploy to sell copies. The thing that we're curious about is how the Crackdown demo compared to Halo 2's unique user count? Then again, perhaps the Rule of Three kept Halo 2 as second overall between Xbox and Xbox 360 combined. So, obviously, some of you must have been playing the demo, have you done anything cool this past week in Crackdown?
Gamespy says good things about Crackdown
Crackdown seems to be the game everyone wants to figure out, leaving us to ask ourselves a bunch of questions. Can the game hold its own? Is the Halo 3 beta attached to it solely because it sucks so bad? Why is there no crack in Crackdown? We all got our hands on the demo and the truth is, we're thinking this game could be worth the $60 by itself. Now more good news comes from the Gamespy camp where they got to play a preview build of the game and it looks like they enjoy it. Gamespy says that the game isn't reinventing the wheel when it comes to sandbox games, but does things well enough to keep the experience fun, fresh and unique. Maybe it's leveling up of one's super powers or maybe it's just because we aren't forced to be thugs in the game. Whatever it may be, Gamespy goes out and says "this title is shaping up to be a solid purchase, Halo 3 beta invite or not" ... we really hope so. Read Gamespy's full preview after the jump.[Thanks, Jonah]
Video: Crackdown achievements
Xboxyde has posted a video of Crackdown's many achievements. The achievements in Crackdown are reflective of the game's sandbox nature (much like the achievements in Dead Rising). You'll get achievements for things like juggling people (or cars) with a rocket launcher or climbing to the top of the agency tower (and jumping back down). We particularly liked the driving achievements, and not just because the stunts were cool, but because we never thought of infiltrating an enemy HQ by jumping over the surrounding water. Nice.We are seriously jonesing for the retail version of this game. One hour of a demo is not enough, damn it! Hit the "read" link to watch the video.
Crackdown demo breaks records
It looks like Crackdown has massaged itself into your collective curiosities ... ours included. Microsoft told IGN that the recently released Crackdown demo has broken all previous download records to date. Previously, both Lost Planet and Fight Night Round 3 held top download honors, but Crackdown has taken the crown for most download in a 24 hour and seven day period. It's crazy to think that this game may actually be good, may actually be fun, and may actually prove all those Halo 3 beta jokesters wrong. We're enjoying the demo, but haven't decided on a purchase yet. Have you tried out the demo and has it persuaded you into a purchase?[Thanks, dpcough]
Badass Crackdown Physics Video
Sometimes words can't quite describe something just the way you want it to. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, and extrapolating from that, 30,000 words per second of video. In any case, the above clip leaves us speechless. YouTube's seemore10 has taken some clips from the Crackdown demo, and exhibited the physics engine's capabilities in regards to explosions added to nearby vehicles. Combining a pile up with some remote mines, he got devastating results that remind us of the Crashbreakers from the Burnout series. He's got some other gems available on his user page worth checking out. If you get a little creative in Crackdown with the camera rolling, give us a shout. [Via Digg]
Halo 3 beta in every copy of Crackdown [update 1]
Update: Oops. It looks like IGN didn't quite get it right. Microsoft has contacted us and clarified that the Halo 3 beta will be included in every copy of the initial shipment of Crackdown and that the boxes will be specially marked. So if you want yours, you'd best pre-order. We say again, the Halo 3 beta will only be available in the initial shipment of Crackdown in specially marked boxes.It was revealed by IGN yesterday that the Halo 3 beta will be included with all copies of Crackdown. Previously, it was stated that the beta would be included in specially marked boxes only. Naturally, this means that the Halo 3 beta is much bigger than originally expected. In fact, one might call it huge. Given that the second wave of registration includes 13,333 available spots, the number of participants involved once Crackdown is thrown into the mix could be astronomical. Whatever happens, we say the more the merrier. And if it makes Halo 3 multiplayer that much better as a result, then that's just gravy. We have to wonder though, was the beta planned only to go with only specially marked copies? We get the feeling that someone realized they could sell a lot more Crackdown if the beta was in every box.So, you've got a kick ass demo up on Live and guaranteed access to the Halo 3 beta, is anyone still not interested in Crackdown?[Thanks, dpcough]
Crackdown glitches already found
The Crackdown demo has only been available since yesterday, and glitches are already popping up. Posted on the Flickr account of im_the_real_scooby are several images of glitchified Crackdown in action. It looks as though he managed to fall through the map and look at its undersides from the ocean below. We can't help but think of Saints Row (and its fabulous musical). With any game of this scale, glitches are bound to be discovered, but we never expected them to be found so quickly. Considering that Crackdown is already gold, it looks like the glitches are here to stay, too. Hit the "read" link to see more images.
Crackdown: more fun than a bag of grenades
We just spent the last 2 hours playing the Crackdown demo and so far we're impressed. Crackdown immediately offers players with several possible objectives, and multiple paths to complete them. We played through the demo twice and found new and different things each time, even with objectives that we had completed before. The gameplay is fairly simple, it's your job to take out local gang leaders and eventually each gang's kingpin. In what manner and in what order you do this is entirely up to you. There are multiple weapons and skills available to you, and each one of them is useful (though we were particularly fond of the agility and explosives skills). The demo tasks you with eliminating leaders of the Los Muertos gang.
Crackdown demo assaults Xbox Live
The day has finally arrived. Today is the day that all of us can finally try out that free game that comes with the Halo 3 beta. We keed, we keed. We're actually genuinely excited about Crackdown and even woke up early to get the demo downloaded. We'll be playing it as much as possible and updating you with our impressions later today. The demo is over 1 gig so you'll want to get started with the download as soon as you can. Anyone manage to play this already? What do you think?
