I really grew to love Crackdown, to the point that I will occasionally delete the saved game to replay it and relive the experience of upskilling and upgrading all over again. Not many games are ‘keepers’ for me, so I always value a title that has something about it I want to revisit on a regular basis. (Think of oldies like Doom and Duke Nukem 3D … How many times did you go through THOSE?) Crackdown 2 might not have been what some were expecting, but now that I have bought it and had a chance to play it, I would say that if you liked CD, you will grow to like CD2 as well. The graphics have had a nice coat of paint, and one of the most noticeable things is the slight sideways shift in the palette in the ‘Watchmen’ direction: the same cell-shaded cartoony effect as CD with a bit of gaudiness injected into the scheme. While some have bemoaned the fact the the graphics have not leaped ahead like a frog after a nine shot flat white and three Red Bulls, the developers are always faced with some difficult choices in following up a title, and I think the subtlety of the changes work more effectively towards creating a real kinship between the two titles, as opposed to ending up with too jarring a break from a total rework. One decision which has drawn some skeptical criticism was to set the game in exactly the same city, but after some time and general societal degradation have had the opportunity to rough it up a little. Some thought it a sign of a lack of imagination, or laziness, or both … The step has really grown on me as being an interesting and creative one. It's actually cool – so long after playing CD – to go orb hunting and realize as you turn up in an area, ‘Hey … I KNOW this place! Wow .. It's really gone to the pack!’ There's a really interesting mix of recognition and surprise at key areas all over the city. Again, this leads to quite an effective organic connection between the games, like an expansion pack on steroids. All that to say: don't judge too quickly. If you can get this at a good, non-release price (as you can here at the moment), buy it and try it. Let your expectations sit in the back seat for a bit (or better, send them out for snacks) and try to connect with what the developers have tried to do with CD2. And don't feel it has to be compared too much to the first CD and set in opposition – get BOTH. There are enough similarities and differences in the two to make them a worthwhile ‘set’ to own.