I recently had the pleasure of being gifted a few free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for PC. Curious as to what I could get my hands on that was previously unavailable on the other storefronts, I opted to start off with the third iteration in the Crackdown series, which was exclusive to the Microsoft Store. As a fan of the first two games on my trusty Xbox 360, I looked forward to the game, despite it having quite the mixed reception near its release.

To my surprise, I found in the first 10-15 minutes that this was a standard Crackdown affair. Agency Director Charles Goodwin, with his iconic voice, returns as you’re tasked with overtaking a corrupt city. You take the shoes of an Agent, custom-built to be a war machine that can overcome any odds thanks to superhuman agility, strength, accuracy, explosive ordinance, and driving skills all of which are continually upgraded with consistent performance.

The default Agent is Jaxon, modeled and voiced by the prolific Terry Crews. He clearly didn’t phone it in for this role, delivering an enthusiastic speech at the game’s introduction. My only gripe is I couldn’t hear him and his quips over all the gunfire/explosions. Also, I was so attached to the idea of playing as him that I didn’t feel like giving any of the other agents a try, as his star power far overreached any of the other options. Nevertheless, each agent provides unique XP bonuses, so they’re worth trying if you’re tailored to a certain playstyle and don’t mind not playing as Terry Crews.

Also back are tons of agility orbs across the city, a completionist’s dream come true with 750 to collect. In addition, there’s a great variety of guns and grenades to discover. Allotting for 3 primary weapons, I eventually opted for a destructive combo: a powerful assault rifle that took out units in a few hits (at the cost of a low ammo salve), a flak rocket launcher for vehicles, and a zapper gun with unreal damage-per-second numbers. Truly I felt overpowered, as the game wanted me to feel, but it may come across as easy to most.

With the leisure to explore the open world at your will, Crackdown 3 lets you take things at your own pace, whittling down the bosses’ fortifications before taking them on. I will gladly give praise to the variety in these boss fights, with gimmicks switching up between them all. A courteous checkpoint system didn’t leave me dejected when I got overwhelmed a few times, putting me right back in the action with a new strategy succeeding.

All in all, I can’t see why Crackdown 3 didn’t get the praise it deserved in 2019. It’s a full-on good time and doesn’t make a deviation from what makes Crackdown, Crackdown. In fact, it only enhances things with a plethora of new ways to dispatch your foes and doesn’t incorporate anything to bog down the action. As the game reaches the cheaper end of the spectrum, it’s worth a try for those who enjoyed the previous games or open worlds with lots to do.

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Crackdown 3

$29.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Tense, Tight Combat
• Lots of Guns, Grenades, and Vehicles
• Runs Great
• Doesn't Deviate from Crackdown Formula

Cons

• Too Easy
• Repetitive After a While
• Repeated Voice Lines