When gamers think about the Xbox, they often think about Halo and Gears of War. At one point, there was a third series that was pretty popular during the Xbox 360 era. This series was known as Crackdown, and it brought players to a sandbox playground where they had the freedom to do what they wanted. The game prided itself on the open-ended nature of its gameplay and was critically acclaimed for it. Crackdown would go on to sell millions of copies and kickstart a video game franchise that did not live up to the original title.
Since 2019, the Crackdown franchise has not had any new content. After Crackdown 3 was met with mixed reception, fans of the franchise have been left wondering whether a fourth entry will ever happen. If Xbox Game Studios were to make another game then maybe it should go backward instead of forward. It has been 15 years since the first entry in the series was released, and it is the perfect candidate for a full-on remake. Instead of crafting a fourth entry in the series to try and bring it back, Xbox should take the first game and modernize it for the Xbox Series X era.
The History of the Crackdown Franchise
The Crackdown series began in 2007 and was developed by Realtime Worlds. It brought players to the fictional city of Pacific City and gave them control of a biologically enhanced Agent. They were tasked with defeating the three crime lords and their syndicates, and they could do it however they wanted. The game was a non-linear experience and players were able to choose how they wanted to complete their missions or activities. The gameplay had them running and jumping through a large sandbox as they destroyed anyone that opposed them.
After some internal struggles and delays, Crackdown 2 hit store shelves in 2010. This time it was developed by Ruffian Games and took place 10 years after the original title. The game played pretty much the same as its predecessor except instead of tracking down and killing crime syndicates, players had to combat a virus and a terrorist group known as the Cell. The player was given more power to play with, but it did not do enough to differentiate itself from the first game. It was met with mixed reviews and some felt that it was unneeded. The series then went on ice for a little while.
Crackdown 3 came out in 2019 and was developed by Sumo Digital. The game was announced back in 2016 and was supposed to usher in the return of the franchise, but after many delays, it released to mixed reviews. The game introduced players to the brand-new city of New Providence and had them take out the criminal syndicates in the city. It saw the introduction of a new mode called Wrecking Zone which allowed players to destroy the entire city, but the mode has since been abandoned. The game was criticized for not innovating enough and also felt like an unneeded sequel.
A Crackdown Remake is the Right Call
One of the major complaints of the Crackdown sequels was that they felt unneeded and did not do enough to innovate the franchise. Instead of moving forward with a fourth entry that may receive the same complaints, Xbox Game Studios should consider just remaking the original cult classic game. It does not have to try to break any new ground or add innovative changes to the franchise; it just has to remake the original with modern-day mechanics. Doing so could bring the series back into the spotlight and give players some old-school gaming mayhem to indulge in.
A remake of Crackdown could take the basic premise of the original game and update it for today's hardware. The Xbox Series X/S allow for much larger games than the Xbox 360 did, and the remake could take advantage of that. When giving players the ability to run through the streets of Pacific City as an ultra-powerful agent, they will spend hours causing mayhem. Microsoft should take what it learned from Crackdown 3 and plunge those resources into a full-on remake, and the studio may have a hit on its hands.
In the age of remakes, it would only make sense to give Crackdown the remake treatment. The series has struggled to innovate itself, and as such, the games have not been received well. Instead of moving forward, Xbox Game Studios should look back at the original Crackdown and just do that again; it is the best way to continue the classic franchise.
Crackdown 3 is available on PC and Xbox One.