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Crackdown 3 (XB/PC, Sumo Digital) E3 Trailer out Nov 7th

There are a ton of things beyond visuals that this game is likely doing that goes well beyond what was capable on a 360 such as the Size of the City and the AI.

Not to mention we don't yet know the extent of the destructive mayhem in the multiplayer mode which from previous demos goes WELL BEYOND anything last gen. You guys really need to stop judging games by only how they look. There is so much more under the surface.
Granted, we don't know what the destruction and stuff in the multiplayer will bring, but that's Microsoft's fault for not showing it, not people's reactions on what has been publicly shown (especially a game that's presumably less than 6 months from release). Of course it's beyond anything last gen, but it has this sparse look to the world which is in-line for a Crackdown game, but looks a little dated nowadays. The textures are nice and the world is pretty big, but it seems like they're able to do that because there's not that much going on apart from simple buildings, enemies, and some cars.

Comparing it to a similar cartoony style, over the top, open-world game like Sunset Overdrive which came out 2 years ago, it just feels like it's lacking an amount of detail and density of stuff that I'm used to. The game is definitely embracing that look so I personally don't mind it, but I'd never have said Crackdown 1 or 2 were particularly great looking games either. There artstyle is nice and the graphics allow them to do what they want with the scale of the games, but that's about it.

I certainly hope the multiplayer destruction is as amazing as the early tech demos, but frankly I was hoping that after how long this has been in development that the single player would see some of that technology, even if you did need to be online for the cloud to process it. You have all these massive explosions going off around these geometrically simple buildings and there's just no reaction. Red Faction Guerrilla was one of my favorite games last gen primarily because of the open world destruction and I was really hoping that Crackdown 3 would have been able to take up the challenge and improving upon it for this generation, but it doesn't look like it outside of the multiplayer (which hasn't been shown in ages).
 

blakep267

Member
Granted, we don't know what the destruction and stuff in the multiplayer will bring, but that's Microsoft's fault for not showing it, not people's reactions on what has been publicly shown (especially a game that's presumably less than 6 months from release). Of course it's beyond anything last gen, but it has this sparse look to the world which is in-line for a Crackdown game, but looks a little dated nowadays. The textures are nice and the world is pretty big, but it seems like they're able to do that because there's not that much going on apart from simple buildings, enemies, and some cars.

Comparing it to a similar cartoony style, over the top, open-world game like Sunset Overdrive which came out 2 years ago, it just feels like it's lacking an amount of detail and density of stuff that I'm used to. The game is definitely embracing that look so I personally don't mind it, but I'd never have said Crackdown 1 or 2 were particularly great looking games either. There artstyle is nice and the graphics allow them to do what they want with the scale of the games, but that's about it.

I certainly hope the multiplayer destruction is as amazing as the early tech demos, but frankly I was hoping that after how long this has been in development that the single player would see some of that technology, even if you did need to be online for the cloud to process it. You have all these massive explosions going off around these geometrically simple buildings and there's just no reaction. Red Faction Guerrilla was one of my favorite games last gen primarily because of the open world destruction and I was really hoping that Crackdown 3 would have been able to take up the challenge and improving upon it for this generation, but it doesn't look like it outside of the multiplayer (which hasn't been shown in ages).
There wasn't much going on in the sunset overdrive world either. DOnt get me wrong I love the game but it was you and enemies that would spawn if you stopped moving long enough. It has better/different art direction than Crackdown but the world definitely wasn't more lively
 

bede-x

Member
I certainly hope the multiplayer destruction is as amazing as the early tech demos, but frankly I was hoping that after how long this has been in development that the single player would see some of that technology,

But that's the thing, they did imply that you could use the destruction to take down crime lords at the top of a building, by collapsing the building instead of scaling it. And if we assume they never implied that - which they did - and this was only ever intended for the multiplayer, it could be another example of Microsoft forcing (service) modes into games, because it would mean they invested heavily in multiplayer - basically making the impressive destruction exclusive to it - in a franchise that was mostly about co-op. No doubt this will have some card game, loot boxes or similar revealed later on to ensure a steady flow of microtransactions and that's probably the real reason the multiplayer got so much attention.

It's just... That was never a big part of Crackdown and it's such a turn off seeing the most unique aspect shown from the game - destructible environments - being exclusive to a mode that was such a small part part of Crackdown's identity. Still excited about the game, but I do wish I felt the "corporate mandate" or what ever we should call it, a little less in Microsoft's first party.
 

E92 M3

Member
I hope they keep a lot of stuff secret as surprises. Nothing is worse than when a developer blows their whole load before the game comes out lol.
 

DopeyFish

Not bitter, just unsweetened
anyb...anybody got anymore of those yummy agility orbssss?

crackdown.gif_zpsu10sziug.gif~original
 
There wasn't much going on in the sunset overdrive world either. DOnt get me wrong I love the game but it was you and enemies that would spawn if you stopped moving long enough. It has better/different art direction than Crackdown but the world definitely wasn't more lively
I guess I was speaking more in terms of density of stuff in the world, I watched some video of SO to compare and there's just more small things around, like simple stuff like trash cans and destroyed cars.

I think it's mainly down to the scale of the games too. SO is more about being down on the streets or doing specific moves and bounces around the buildings, while Crackdown is more about leaping over entire buildings, so small world details would be less noticed by the player anyways.
 

Kssio_Aug

Member
There are a ton of things beyond visuals that this game is likely doing that goes well beyond what was capable on a 360 such as the Size of the City and the AI.

Not to mention we don't yet know the extent of the destructive mayhem in the multiplayer mode which from previous demos goes WELL BEYOND anything last gen. You guys really need to stop judging games by only how they look. There is so much more under the surface.

Don't get me wrong, if the game is fun, it's fun, and I'll be more than happy with it. It's more a thing of Crackdown 3 story that has been built over all this time... they have generated some expectations about the title, and for that I expected something much greater than what was shown to us.

I still rise my eyebrows on suspicion when I think about it's cloud processing. They talked a lot about it, the game is 6 months from release, and if I'm not mistakne, the only demonstration of destruction we had was in a empity city. I want to see this in action in-game... with things happening, NPCs in the area and stuff... and I wonder why they decided not to show it on stage.

That said, from what they have shown of actual gameplay, it wasn't pretty. It doesn't ncessarily means it won't be fun, but it was still quite disappointing. As I said, nothing in this demo stood out for me.
 

Alx

Member
I think it does too and I'm still stuck on that gen. So who is the protagonist of this game. There's not really any info in the op about this game.

There's no real depth to the character in Crackdown, you're an artificially engineered super-human agent created to enforce the law, and that's it. No backstory nor dialogs, because you don't need that to jump on rooftops and blast everything. :)
 
When they finally show the MP again and my guess is Gamescom I hope they haven't toned it down in any way. So when we use our rifle on a wall that you slowly start to see holes in the wall and small damage and as you keep shooting more and more will it damage the wall. It was very detailed in that older footage.

Hopefully buildings still crumble to the earth in the same way. Man that looked so killer and could be fun as hell when a enemy is standing on top of one.
 
That said, from what they have shown of actual gameplay, it wasn't pretty. It doesn't ncessarily means it won't be fun, but it was still quite disappointing. As I said, nothing in this demo stood out for me.

Same here.

In all honesty, it looks like an HD remaster of an original Xbox game from the early 2000s.
 

SOR5

Member
The loading times are beyond insanity here though. I really do expect that kind of horrible stuff to be finally gone with the new system or at least significantly reduced.

Also a shame transformable cars weren't shown at all. You'd think they would show all the features of the SP after such a long time of quietness.

Game Informer about Crackdown campaign

https://youtu.be/g4iUmL9LrKs

Somebody said it before, but ill take a GTA V situation of long loading times at first to kill off loading times during gameplay
 
Somebody said it before, but ill take a GTA V situation of long loading times at first to kill off loading times during gameplay

Agreed. It does seem to only be once. So when you die you'll instantly respond without loading. That's good. That's like you said GTA V and also Uncharted which always has rather long loading times the first time.

This game gonna bomb so hard on critics and sales that we won't heard anything about a crackdown game until, at least, two decades...

We'll see. I mean we have some sites that didn't like it at all and there are sites that really liked what they played. It really seems to be like the first Crackdown without very few changes and new things which personally I find a bit disappointing. But it remains to be seen how the MP is and what people say about it. Hopefully at GC.
 
Ok that's good to know. But Forza during the Xbox show was on XB1X? I'm sure it will look exactly like this or better come November.
Forza were both.

They had PC builds on that super chair and wheel setup (because they are going to support that in the final game), but for the regular stands with a controller it was on xbonexes.
 
This game won't bomb. It's Crackdown, an established IP of an old fan favourite. It's also effectively a Scorpio launch title. Plus the multiplayer has potential to impress, not just the campaign. And there will be 35 million plus people to sell it to by the time it releases.

Besides it already looks great, ya'll blind. This is a proper game, no fluff just fun. That IS Crackdown!
 

Chris1

Member
Crackdown should do well if MP lives up to it's potential, since there's no RDR this year any more it should appeal to the GTA Online players.

Like how Watch Dogs was seen as "hacker GTA", this will be seen as "destructable(?) GTA" and enter peoples Christmas wish lists

Assuming it's GTA Online-esque anyways
 
First off... what does bomb even mean, here? Secondly, Crackdown is a brand in a weird spot, because it's honestly hard to measure the traction and engagement of the brand.

There is the brandwatch thing that shows Crackdown 3 with relatively high interest level during the presser, but at the same time, my tracking Crackdown 3-related stats on Google Trends & YouTube doesn't exactly paint an extremely favorable picture for Crackdown in terms of mindshare.

Low search trends and poor V/L ratio are what I gather when I see Crackdown 3-related info. There is brand awareness, but nothing that compels a second or third look, which is the conversion point from awareness to purchase intention.

I'm seeing far higher trending data with Sea of Thieves and State of Decay 2.
 

EmiPrime

Member
I thought the highlight reel during the conference looked decent enough but the footage I have seen from the show floor is far too reminiscent of Crackdown 1, it looks very underwhelming given there is a 10 year gap between them and the core lock-on gameplay hasn't really evolved either. It just looks bland, I don't think the cel-shading works, neither does the lighting.

I was expecting it to be a Scorpio showpiece, for jaws to hit the floor like with Spider-Man but it's just kind of okay.
 

gamz

Member
I thought the highlight reel during the conference looked decent enough but the footage I have seen from the show floor is far too reminiscent of Crackdown 1, it looks very underwhelming given there is a 10 year gap between them and the core lock-on gameplay hasn't really evolved either. It just looks bland, I don't think the cel-shading works, neither does the lighting.

I was expecting it to be a Scorpio showpiece, for jaws to hit the floor like with Spider-Man but it's just kind of okay.

I'm more surprised they didn't even show MP? I expected to be blown out with it, which leads me to believe the worst. I mean why? Perhaps we'll see it at one of the other game conference later in the year.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I thought the highlight reel during the conference looked decent enough but the footage I have seen from the show floor is far too reminiscent of Crackdown 1, it looks very underwhelming given there is a 10 year gap between them and the core lock-on gameplay hasn't really evolved either. It just looks bland, I don't think the cel-shading works, neither does the lighting.

I was expecting it to be a Scorpio showpiece, for jaws to hit the floor like with Spider-Man but it's just kind of okay.

The gameplay of the first game is exactly what I want. I sure don't want "evolution" just for the sake of it. If anything I would want gameplay changes to be subtle. I'm also happy that the cel shading was preserved from the original. I guess I want it to be Crackdown, not a different game with the Crackdown name.
 

oldergamer

Member
The game isn't a visual showcase, it will have fun single player and even more fun multiplayer. It's also not going to retail as a full priced game. MS isn't claiming it to be a showcase, so people need to stop expecting that.

I bet this is one of the most fun games to play this year.

-Q
 
I'm more surprised they didn't even show MP? I expected to be blown out with it, which leads me to believe the worst. I mean why? Perhaps we'll see it at one of the other game conference later in the year.

Might be wishful thinking, but they've basically confirmed a MP beta for later in the year. They could've showed off impressive destruction at E3 but without letting people at home try it, there'd still be the lingering conversation of "yeah but I bet it doesn't actually work that well".

So they show off the MP at Gamescom with a simultaneous beta release to let everyone try it for themselves.
 

EmiPrime

Member
I'm more surprised they didn't even show MP? I expected to be blown out with it, which leads me to believe the worst. I mean why? Perhaps we'll see it at one of the other game conference later in the year.

Yeah it's concerning. This E3 should have been Crackdown's big coming out party, MP and SP. Maybe Gamescom...

The gameplay of the first game is exactly what I want. I sure don't want "evolution" just for the sake of it. If anything I would want gameplay changes to be subtle. I'm also happy that the cel shading was preserved from the original. I guess I want it to be Crackdown, not a different game with the Crackdown name.

There is a gulf in visual quality and environment interaction between Infamous and Infamous SS but it's still unmistakably an Infamous game. Not buying it sorry.
 

RBH

Member
It's funny to think back to 2007 and the months leading up to the release of Crackdown 1. That game got similarly criticized quite a bit in the months prior, but it all somehow came together quite nicely once the game was actually released. This situation with Crackdown 3 kinda reminds me of that in a way.

The gameplay videos from the show floor have made me feel better about this game.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
Yeah it's concerning. This E3 should have been Crackdown's big coming out party, MP and SP. Maybe Gamescom...



There is a gulf in visual quality and environment interaction between Infamous and Infamous SS but it's still unmistakably an Infamous game. Not buying it sorry.
For a minute there I thought that we were talking about Crackdown. I didn't realize that this was about the differences in visual quality between Infamous games. My mistake.i didn't realize it was bad to not want Microsoft to mess with the formula too much. I'll let you get back to your smugness.
 

Shpeshal Nick

aka Collingwood
Somebody said it before, but ill take a GTA V situation of long loading times at first to kill off loading times during gameplay

One of the devs replied to me on twitter about the long ass loading times. At least I think he was

Said they'd work on those closer to the end.
 
"It's Crackdown"

Yes, we know it is, pretty obvious isn't it? I doubt anyone was expecting this to be a visual force by any means but in terms of destruction due to what Microsoft have said previously. Yeah.Look at what Red Faction guerrilla was doing back in 2009.

I don't think it's highly unreasonable to have expected a little better than what we have seen this week. How about better animations, explosion effects, some destruction, better lighting, shadows ? Improvements on those doesn't mean you have to drop the cell shaded look that is tied to the series does it?

Soon enough they will show multiplayer to see what it's really going to be like, hope it's a pleasant surprise.
 

EmiPrime

Member
For a minute there I thought that we were talking about Crackdown. I didn't realize that this was about the differences in visual quality between Infamous games. My mistake.i didn't realize it was bad to not want Microsoft to mess with the formula too much. I'll let you get back to your smugness.

Huh? You're being really precious. They're both open world game franchises with superhuman playable characters with a first party budget behind them. The comparison is valid: there can be huge generational leaps without losing the essence of the original game.
 

blakep267

Member
Huh? You're being really precious. They're both open world game franchises with superhuman playable characters with a first party budget behind them. The comparison is valid: there can be huge generational leaps without losing the essence of the original game.
infamouse is much more story focused and from an open world playground standpoint, it's not even comparable between the 2. A better comparison would be Infamous to an Activision Spider-Man game and Crackdown to saints row. Just because they are first party doesn't mean anything.

It's dumb to compare halo to killzpne or days gone to State of decay just because they are in the same overarching genre.
 

munroe

Member
Wait, I have to wait until November 7th for the E3 trailer?!?!

Rip the lowly comma

Anyways, looking forward to C3, planning on getting a One X at launch and will get this alongside, it looks fun to play.
 

gamz

Member
Huh? You're being really precious. They're both open world game franchises with superhuman playable characters with a first party budget behind them. The comparison is valid: there can be huge generational leaps without losing the essence of the original game.

Nah. Come on completely different style of games. Crackdown is cell shading and a cartoon. SO is more a direct comparison, but with Cell Shading.
 
I can't deny still being extremely gutted that it doesn't look anywhere near this

https://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2916155-crackdown-3-02.png


https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3960250/crackdown-3-agent-city.0.jpg

Now they never claimed this was ingame but this should easily be possible on the Xbox One, especially the X. I was definitely expecting to be impressed by the lighting and detail and just overall. To me graphically this doesn't look like a game that has been in development for many many years. But what do I know?

At the end of the day it is what it is and I really want to give this one a try myself before judging the gameplay. But a showcase game for X this is definitely not. Perhaps the MP is with the full destruction though?

On Reddit someone claimed MS will have a press conference at GC. Perfect time for that I'd say.
 

EmiPrime

Member
infamouse is much more story focused and from an open world playground standpoint, it's not even comparable between the 2. A better comparison would be Infamous to an Activision Spider-Man game and Crackdown to saints row. Just because they are first party doesn't mean anything.

It's dumb to compare halo to killzpne or days gone to State of decay just because they are in the same overarching genre.

Nah. Come on completely different style of games. Crackdown is cell shading and a cartoon. SO is more a direct comparison, but with Cell Shading.

Missing my point. If you put Infamous side by side with Infamous SS/FL you see a massive generational leap in lighting, animation, environment interaction, city detail and new powers that the PS3 could never have managed.

If I perform the same exercise with Crackdown I do not see the same generational leap, more of a generational bump.

To indulge in a "what if" scenario, if Crackdown 3 was being made by Insomniac you would see that visual leap and you'd have their trademark weapon creativity to freshen up the game play. IMO that's what the game needed, not Crackdown 1 in 4K.


Now THAT would have been a generational leap in visuals!
 
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