Calling the choice to not immediately begin work on a sequel "a horrible, horrible decision that we still dwell on," Macdonald tells VG247 that "I don’t think the door’s closed" on a sequel. Sounds like RTW is still willing, and able, to take another crack at Crackdown, should Microsoft call upon them. And they may, one day.

Crackdown 2: “The door’s not closed,” says Realtime Worlds [VG247]

Realtime downplays GTA Online talk [Eurogamer]

Crackdown wasn't that long ago and our development budget was something like USD 50 million, and even that to me now, I don't know if I could do anything for much less than that.

The biggest difference between the two games is that Assassin's Creed allows the users to do just about anything, moving up and over the whole sandbox environment using Parkour-style moves, but doesn't reward players for the fluidity and beauty that authentic Parkour demands. On the other side, Crackdown has specific Xbox Achievements that encourage players to be more fluid and artistic with their movements, but permits fewer grab points and forces the player into a more linear, less free and experimental path. What Robertson doesn't refer to is the upcoming game Mirror's Edge, based solely around the art of Parkour. If these two elements are married in Mirror's Edge, it could be a big Free Running hit. Then again, if it's only those elements, I can't imagine long-term play possibilities for the game.

Game Culture Vultures: Parkour

APB does have persistence and progression, if done a bit non-traditionally. But customization is one feature that APB has in spades.

Jones kicked off the early look at APB with a preview of character customization. One of the design goals for APB was to "let the player make their own action figure", putting character generation in the hands of the user and giving them the ability to make their avatars look totally unique. While deep character customization has become a staple of the MMO, APB's version may feature the broadest set of tools yet.

Jones walked us through a sped up version of the creation process, outfitting his avatar with unique identifiers—facials scars, veins, freckles, tattoos, realistic looking hair, a massive wardrobe. Using a system that might look familiar to serious Forza Motorsport 2 players, APB looks to one-up what Turn 10 Studios has done, with a decal system that has some stunning customization chops. Not only can users manipulate primitive vector shapes, they can apply shaders, textures and pre-made hi-res images to their designs, making for extremely realistic decals. These decals can be applied to anything the player wears, even to his skin, with a realistic tattoo look applied to the player generated content.

Clothing is also fully customizable, with attention paid to fit, layering and even things like tucking or untucking one's shirt.

That unique identity extends not just to your own character, but to your clan and your car as well. Car customization works just like avatar customization, so the decals a player has emblazoned on his jacket can also be applied to your ride.

Jones showed footage from the game, featuring characters fresh to the world—one thug was on an early mission, stealing a TV set in the default noob outfit of white t-shirt and jeans—and characters who were longtime APB vets. The MMO features "dynamic matchmaking" as Jones called it, essentially setting up player versus player missions on the fly. A three-player group of Gangsters were tasked with scoring some loot, then driving it to a safe point to complete their mission, a standard Grand Theft Auto-style mission set up. The moment the Gangsters crossed the line and broke the law, an APB was sent out to the game's Enforcers, the cops to their robbers.

What followed was essentially the MMO version of a Counter-Strike round, with players either driving their respective vehicles or engaging in a third-person firefight. The pair of Enforcers, two player pairs, responding to the all points bulletin eventually tracked down the bad guys, blocking them into an alleyway.

Jones said that these dynamic matchmaking battles in APB wouldn't necessarily pit players of the same level against each other. He showed a clip of a group of new players, with just a single pistol between the four of them, being matched with a very high level Enforcer. He quickly took them down, but not before destroying their low level car with a rocket launcher. Who doesn't like rocket launchers?

What we saw of APB was really exciting stuff. The team looks like they may have something special that appeals to gamers who would traditionally scoff and MMOs, but something that isn't just Crackdown Online or EverQuest In The Bad Part Of Town.

The final feature that Jones showed, was APB's ability to generate great machinima. With a group of wildly customized characters that looked like Cloud and Barret from Final Fantasy VII taking on a Cactuar and something impish, but not immediately recognizable to this FF noob. A turn based battle ensued, which quickly ended when "Cloud" summoned a decked out flaming car, done, of course, to hilarious effect.

We have dozens of screens of the game in motion at GDC, including the mock Final Fantasy VII cinema, in the gallery below. Be sure to check them out.

Internet cafes have been repeatedly targeted for breeding juvenile crime and promoting truancy, despite widely ignored rules barring anyone under 18 from admission. Located in towns and small cities throughout China, internet cafes mainly offer online games that are popular among young people. Authorities have blamed the cafes for Internet addiction and for encouraging juvenile crime as a way to earn money to play online games.

First the problem was that kids were so busy playing WoW and other MMORPGs that they didn't have time for anything else; now the problem is that WoW's keeping them too busy ... with crime? Does this mean we'll see a related drop off in suspect addiction 'treatment' methods?

China Targets Internet in Crime Sweep [AP]

In a sweep designed to "clean up young people's online environment," police in the southern Chinese border city of Shenzhen uncovered 563 illegal Internet cafes, Xinhua said. The crackdown netted 1,407 computers, while 7 people were arrested and nearly 5,000 Internet accounts closed.

Shenzhen police in one case discovered 30 computers crammed into a 40-square meter room.

Other unregistered establishments were tucked in the upper floors of otherwise empty buildings. "This shows the difficulties the law enforcers face," Xinhua noted.

Promising more crackdowns and more laws, the Chinese government is attempting to bite back. I'm just unconvinced it's actually going to do anything other than flush out some illegal businesses and further bloat the bureaucracy.

China flags crackdown on "undesirable" online games [Reuters]

GDC executive director Jamil Moledina's updated his Director's Cut blog with a bit more news about the upcoming Game Developers Conference, cluing us into to the fact that Dave Jones, of Lemmings, GTA and Crackdown fame, will be spilling some beans about his latest project: An MMO.

Moledina says that all he can tell us is that the audience for Jones' session, "My First MMO", will be in for a real treat. He does go on to say that there is some details out there, some of which can be discovered by reading between the lines of the session description:

As designers look to make the leap from a finely crafted single player experience to a persistent living breathing world with hopefully millions of connected players what would you do to herald your entry into this space? With a rich heritage of creative IP from DMA Design/Realtime Worlds, Dave Jones walks and talks us for the first time through something a little different from the fantasy based RPG's. From the DNA of games like LEMMINGS, GTA & CRACKDOWN you should expect some thinking outside of the box.

I would assume that this will be about APB, the open-world criminals versus cops game that sounds an awful lot like a Crackdown MMO.

Moledina also points out that famed MMO designer Raph Koster will be doing a postmorten of his Metaplace gameplatform community... thingie in his presentation "Metaplace Postmorten: Reinventing MMOs.

Director's Cut: The Biggest Unanswered Question Is . . . [Director's Cut]

Will they sell a lot of software? Certainly. Will it sell hardware? I think it's an open question... I think that the Halo 3 consumer already has the hardware, because they're playing BioShock and Crackdown and a variety of games that are, in the end, quite similar: first-person shooter experience, multiplayer capable online. Tell me what's new?

That bigger and better thing is most likely Real Time Worlds' cops and robbers MMO APB which is definitely not a remake of Atari arcade game of the same name (sadly). The Scottish developer also has something else up its sleeve, due to hit unspecified platforms in 2009.

Despite a rocky development cycle that went overbudget and a "poor image pre-release", it seems that Crackdown was definitely a success. So why no sequel, Microsoft?

Realtime Worlds chats about Crackdown creation challenges [Develop Mag]

The other big nominees include the European developers behind Motorstorm, Viva Pinata, DEFCON and Formula One Championship Edition. The full list of nominees for each award are listed at Gamasutra. Michael McWhertor

Crackdown Tops Develop Award Finalists [Gamasutra]

Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb wrote on his (temporary) site:

As you can imagine, we have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to modded consoles connecting to LIVE. We're very serious about this, and if we detect you have a modded Xbox then you will not be able to connect to Xbox Live. If you see this screen and get Status Code: Z: 8015 - 190D...that means your console has been banned.

We've heard of a few users who claim not to have modified their console in any way still getting the above ban error, but have no way to confirm this. If I were in the market for a used Xbox 360, I'd be very wary of buying one over the next few weeks. Michael McWhertor

Keeping Xbox LIVE Fair [Gamerscore Blog]

Bungie feels your pain, and they've decided to make it up to you:

We realize this has been a pain for many and an inconvenience at the very least. Given the circumstances, we've decided to extend the duration of the Halo 3 Beta from June 6th to June 10th at 11:59 PM PDT. So, you lost almost a full day of play today but to make up for it we're tacking on four more days (and a weekend at that).

Halo 3 Beta Downloads via Crackdown are fixed! [Bungie.net]

We're happy to finally announce that the issues being faced with the Halo 3 beta and Crackdown will be resolved shortly. The Microsoft team has found a solution and it's undergoing final testing now. Assuming the test pass goes according to plan, the fix will come in the form of a Crackdown title update within the next three to six hours.

Sit tight, gamers. You'll be dual-wielding with the 24,000-plus other Halo 3 beta participants in just a few agonizing hours. Michael McWhertor

Halo 3 / Crackdown : UPDATE! [Bungie]

In short, we know, and so does Bungie, who are working on the problem with the Xbox Live people as we speak. Frank himself says so:

Folks are reporting problems downloading the Halo 3 Beta via Crackdown this morning. We have alerted the appropriate Live authorities and they are taking care of the problem as we speak. More news as it comes in.

Crackdown Delay: We Know! [Bungie.net]

Realtime Worlds' downloadable content for Crackdown is just dripping with new features, many of which are free. The video clip you see above shows off the DLC's new mini-gun, cloaking device, the "Lobber" and, most importantly, the amazing HRX Harpoon gun. Do not miss what this weapon is capable of.

Microsoft's Major Nelson has uploaded three additional clips to YouTube that highlight the title's new gametypes, as well as the Street Racing and Keys to the City modes. Very, very point-worthy. Michael McWhertor

Consider all that unconfirmed speculation, but watch for an announcement on the new downloadable content in the near future. Michael McWhertor

Sneak Peak at a little bit of the downloadable content... [Crackdown On Crime via TeamXbox]

Bungie just announced that the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta goes live May 16th at midnight PDT and ends on June 6th at 11:59pm PDT. In short: Those who picked up Crackdown with the Beat or snagged a spot through promotions will be able to check out the game's multiplayer earlier. You didn't? Then, you'll have to give into Microsoft's sneaky plot and pick up a marked copy of Crackdown to get in. Other details according to Bungie's Frankie:

• The Beta itself consists of three maps - Valhalla, High Ground and Snowbound - graphically improved since our first MP screenshots - and all three will be playable in Matchmaking only (that is after all, what we're Beta testing here). All three maps are suitable for a wide variety of gameplay types, and you will have the chance to try all manner of game types, familiar and new.
• There will also be new guns, vehicles and gameplay features to try - including the mysterious "X-Button" functionality.
• There are a number of new features you'll get to test out - including a new grenade type, a completely different class of weapon and some of the enhanced online functionality we plan to bring to the game - but it should be noted, a lot of secret features are hidden in this Beta.
• You will see frame rate skips, unfinished animation and graphical features that will change come Fall. All the footage is clearly marked Alpha. You're looking at the features here folks, not the final quality bar - which we've set pretty high. Your next taste of that will be in May.

Sounds great, can't wait. Brian Ashcraft

Multiplayer Beta Details [Bungie, Thanks Chris!]

Dan from the always fabulous bits bytes pixels & sprites was nice enough to let us know about this clever Crackdown clip which brings armored cars, unintentionally, to the Xbox 360 game. Bonus points for the A-Team intro. Michael McWhertor

Now, apparently in-game advertising has spread to military recruitment campaigns. Kotakuite Alex sent us this screen shot he took from Crackdown showing Royal Navy billboards in the background. According to Alex "Pretty much every other poster and billboard in Crackdown has turned into a "Join the Royal Navy" advert." While the billboards don't actually say "Join the Royal Navy", I'm assuming that's the implication. Now, my guess is that this would only appear in the UK version of the game, but I wonder how long it will take before we start seeing "Be An Army of One" billboards in the U.S. version. Has anybody else seen anything similar? Flynn De Marco

Crackdown Orbs Picasa Album [via The-InBetween]

Thankfully, you don't actually have to watch three hundred videos, you only have to watch five videos for the upcoming Spartan masterpiece, 300 for your chance to win a copy of Crackdown. Sign on to Xbox Live and download the five 300 movie clips and get the special codes from each clip. Then, head on over to the official contest page and enter the codes in any order for your chance to be one of the big winners. There will be a total of three hundred copies of the game given away (clever, eh?). Oddly enough, they aren't giving away copies of the actual 300: March To Glory PSP game. I wonder why? Hmmmm..... Flynn De Marco

300/Crackdown Contest Official Site [Warner Bros.]
[via Major Nelson]

Work hard enough at your skills (play the game) and you can eventually leap tall buildings in a single bound, or...drive better.

So is it any good? Hit the jump to read our Frankenreview: the Best. Review. Ever.

Worthplaying
Crackdown is one of the manliest games you will ever play. The only acceptable way to play Crackdown is with a cold beer and a bowl of salty snacks (popcorn, nuts, or chips are all acceptable) at your side. At times, I wondered if it was in fact possible for me, a mere woman, to faithfully review a game that was so explosively masculine...In Crackdown, basically all problems can be solved by going and shooting some guys, or kicking their heads off. That's what makes the game so incredible.

Gamezone
"...it's your choice which ability you want to develop and how much time you spend developing the ability. When I first started playing the game I tried to grab as many green agility/athletic medals as I could find. Once I went up a level I soon discovered I had more fun jumping from building to building looking for more agility medals than going after the gang members. To me I felt like I was creating a superhero...The freedom to develop your character is nothing new [but] turned out to be a blast."

Computer & Video Games
"...when the action's getting hectic you can always call in the assistance of mate; Jump in/jump out co-op lets you and your Xbox Live buddies join forces for some 2-player city-slicking madness, and it's simply-put this is one of the best co-op games out there...It works flawlessly and you'll be hooked from the moment you set off your first 100-barrel explosion chain... If you thought flinging cars was fun on your own, wait until you're drag-racing the streets and scuffling on skyscrapers with a partner."

Rocky Mt. News
Problem is, once you succeed in toppling a gang, that particular city gets quite boring... If I do leap, say, from a high rise into the center of the street, or accidentally kick a car into a light pole, people panic... It's unclear what the developer's original intention was in creating this sandbox of criminals and cops...[as] I now feel the need to walk, gun timidly at my side, through the idyllic thoroughfares of the crime-free town.
Kotaku (Because I can speak for EVERYONE here)
The game is called Crackdown for a reason: it's the most addictive title I've played in a long time. And despite every mission consisting of the same immeasurable odds, when I die it feels like I should have done something different as a player—not that the game is somehow unbalanced. So why aren't we seeing even better scores? From the occasional near-building camera issues to the frequent voice over problems, Crackdown lacks the polish of a killer app. Mark Wilson

What do you call Crackdown when you don't call it Crackdown? In Japan, Riot Act. (In America, that game that comes with the Halo 3 beta.) Whatever you call it, the title dropped today in Japan, two days after it hit the States. Apparently, the Japanese version plays in English and Nihongo. Microsoft Japan so realizes that a good chunk of its customer base are foreigners. So all, whaddaya think of that poster? Brian Ashcraft

I love capping FREE, it's so spam.

Major Nelson announced that Crackdown just got a free four-pack of new agent skins for the game. The set includes, he says, one that looks like it's wearing Sam Fisher head gear, but no women. I guess in Crackdown only men deliver mammoth beat-downs and explosions. Too bad.

This freebie is available to every region that gets the game. In other words, not Germany. Brian Crecente

Crackdown Four New Agents [Major Nelson]

• flOw (PS3) Jenova Chen's trippy swim and eat finally arrives on a home console.
• Crackdown (X360)
  Fight crime! Throw cars and junk!
• Supreme Commander (PC)
  Real Time strategy form the creator of Total Annihilation
• Sonic and the Secret Rings (WII)
  The spiky haired hedgehog makes his premier appearance on the Wii
• NBA Street Homecourt (X360)
  EASports keeps it coming with the fourth entry in their NBA franchise.
• War Front: Turning Point (PC)
  An alternate WWII where Hitler is dead sets the tone for this PC game.
• Maelstrom (PC)
  Fight aliens in a post apocalyptic future
• Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3)
  Punch and kick your way to victory!
• Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja (DS)
  A new RPG with best title ever.
• UFO: Extraterrestrials (PC)
  More strategic alien battling

Flynn De Marco

Last week, a Kotaku reader sent in his picture of a copy of Crackdown that he purchased at his local Comp USA nearly a week before the game is supposed to hit the streets. This sort of thing seems to happen a lot at retailers where video games are not the main focus, probably because they have so much other product to deal with, that things like launch dates get lost in the mix. So obviously I raised an eyebrow upon receiving this email from Kotakuite, Baukie.

I strolled into my fav game store and I was dumbfounded to see Crackdown in the cabinet and I asked the gent behind the counter if I could have 2 copies and he obliged. The store name rhymes with DB lames.

Very strange considering that anyone who works at DB Lames should know the importance of keeping street dates if they want to keep their jobs. I thought that was the sort of thing that was drilled into employee's heads from day one. Has anyone else experienced broken street dates at an actual dedicated game retailer? And if you are someone who works at one of these establishments, how does such an obvious gaffe get overlooked when the risks of fining and firing are so high? Flynn De Marco

I found it interesting that Crackdown players will have to launch the Halo 3 Beta from within Crackdown itself, meaning no buying the game for the beta invite and then reselling it. I was expecting a flood of eBay beta invites before hearing that. Very crafty indeed. Hit the link to have all your beta questions answered! Michael Fahey

Halo 3 Beta FAQ [Bungie.net]

Looks like the group is launching a handheld mag near the end of the month, so keep your eyes peeled for more. Michael McWhertor

GamerZines [via MajorNelson]

This clip by EWoC is really more humorous, slightly, than it is informative.

10. Surf on a Car
9. Walk like an idiot
8. Get hit by a car whilst holding a skip.
7. Try to jump a gap you clearly won't make.
6. Kick a friend over a cliff when he's not looking
5. Shoot out the tyres of a car causing it to roll
4. Place cars onto a rooftop
3. Explode a barrel surrounded by bodies
2. Jump off the tallest building in the game
1. Build your own scrap yard
Pre. 1: Transform cars ???

Yes, excellent, though they left off: Jumping on someone's head from a building, killing bad guys with other bad guys and shooting bodies into the air with a well timed exploding barrel. Brian Crecente

Kotaku reader Brian sends word (and photos) that his local CompUSA retailer has already started selling Crackdown. Let's let him explain:

Rang up for $220 dollors but the cashier just overroad it for me. Seems funny as there is a bright orange sticker that says DO NOT SELL BEFORE 2/20/07 on it.

Yep. That it does, that it does. Anyone else pick up Crackdown early? Brian Ashcraft

"A title update will be available with the release of Crackdown on Feb. 20. in the U.S., Feb. 22 in Asian territories and Feb. 23 in European markets. This update will address some matchmaking and minor stuttering issues during certain cooperative play sessions via Xbox Live and System Link. The update will help ensure a more smooth and seamless cooperative gameplay experience for Crackdown fans everywhere."

Video: MASSIVE Crackdown Explosion [360style.net - Thanks Chilly!]

Shizzle Games received their retail copy of Crackdown in the mail today, for reviewing purposes, and snapped some pictures of the included Halo 3 Beta Tester Invite.

Here's the exciting stuff:

When the Halo 3 beta is released, the Download Halo 3 Beta option will be activated automatically and you can choose it to connect to Xbox Live Marketplace to download the beta, free of charge, and with no codes required."

To play Halo 3, you'll have to launch it from inside Crackdown. I wonder if that's going to totally skew Crackdown's Live numbers? Brian Crecente

The Halo 3 Beta Tester Card [Shizzle]

Stephen Totilo over at MTV news has posted an interesting column about a phenomenon that many gamers experience after a long gaming session where elements from the game begin creeping into real life, changing the way we see the world and process information. I first experienced this when I got my first Gameboy. After playing Tetris for hours on end and then going outside I started trying to stack everyday items into neat little piles in my head.

Stephen was inspired to write the column after a marathon Crackdown session made him start looking for jumping solutions in Brooklyn. The same thing happened to me when I visited New York for the first time during our Kotaku party trip two weeks ago. Instead of seeing the sights and marveling at the size of the buildings, I was looking for handholds. As Mr. Totilo puts it...

I never jumped a building. I never smashed another car. I never even ate a row of yellow dots. But sometimes the world looked like it would let me. I would if I could.

Multiplayer: Real Life As A Video Game

Remember back at last year's E3 when the ability to play as a female in throw-stuff-get-stronger Crackdown was touted? The final version of the game doesn't feature any lead ladies. So, what gives? MTV's Stephen Totilo talked to David Jones, the game's Creative Director. Jones explains:

That was planned for and time just didn't allow it... It's a whole new set of animations for a female bulking up than a male one.

And so that's why they couldn't just throw a dress on a male character. 'Cause muscle dudes look different from muscle ladies. Well, sorta. Brian Ashcraft

Why Crackdown Is Filled With Men [MTV]

Good news, to be sure, but it comes just a day after potential hits Virtua Fighter 5 for the PS3, Crackdown for the Xbox 360 and Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Wii. That's an expensive week for multiplatform gamers.

More detail is available at the official flOw site. Michael McWhertor

Feel the flOw [Gaming-Age]

I have, over the past week, played an absurd amount of the near final code for Crackdown on my Xbox 360 debug unit.

While it's not that surprising that a guy who writes about video games for a living is staying up till 2 a.m., 3 a.m. to play a game, what is surprising is that until I got my hands on the game I was absolutely sure it was going to suck.

Everything I'd read and seen about the game, yes even those trailers, made me think crap Grand Theft Auto knock-off, or worse still, crap 20 to Life knock-off.

But what I didn't take into account, didn't realize, was that at some point I would be able to level up my character's strength so much that he would be able to jump from a high rise onto a moving car, hop down, lift it over his head (with a driver inside) and toss it at a gun-toting thug, crushing the criminal instantly.

Yeah, you can do that.

The one thing this gaming is missing is any sort of versus multiplayer gaming. Sure you can coop with someone through the game using Live, or in-room, but I wanted to toss cars at other people on my friends list. I wanted to drop on their heads from hundreds of feet up. I wanted to air juggling them with a rocket launcher.

Despite a Microsoft rep volunteering to coop with me through parts of the game, I haven't yet had a chance to check that out. I've been too busy bounding from rooftop to rooftop.

So far I've taken out four to five of the various gang bosses, leveled up all of my skills but driving (who the hell wants to drive when you can leap from building to building.)

I've also done a fair amount of exploring.

What I like about the game is its immense open-endedness, its intertwined plots, its leveling-up. Actually, the leveling-up is what I like best.

When you start out you can barely jump up enough to grab the edge of a roof while standing on a dumpster. You can barely chuck trash cans and containers. But as you practice these "skills" your boost them and when you level up, your guy erupts into explosions of glowing blue light.

Each level up comes with a pretty hefty increase in that ability. Soon you'll find yourself running and leaping from rooftop to rooftop, plummeting down from buildings to land next to a bad guy, crushing the roadway, and then kicking the man across the street, instantly killing him.

Whats so fun about the game isn't that you have these super powers, it's that you earn them. There's something very satisfying in slowing building up a character's strength and seeing the direct impact. None of this damage bonus, no, you go from lifting trash cans to throwing cars.

While I really like the game, there are some issues. Most noticeable is the abundance of strange clipping and collision problems.

It doesn't take much to find yourself falling through or under the game's graphics, which is really unfortunate. Once, I spent a good half hour polishing off all of the gun-toting bad guys crammed into the lobby of an office building, only to have kill myself off after falling through the floor of the elevator while riding it up to the top to take on a boss.

Don't get me wrong, the game is a blast, and the persistent leveling of specific skills really makes this game, but I hope to god they do some work to polish it. To be fair I don't have the final build, so perhaps some of these issues have already been fixed.

I'm expecting the gold in the next day or two, so I'll let you know. Brian Crecente

You'd better hurry! There are only 13,333 qualifying slots available for Bungie's big public beta.

For those of you who slept on the "Rule of Three" phase and are without an invite, you can still buy your way in with a specially marked copy of Crackdown. Michael McWhertor

Halo 3 "Rule of Three" Beta Registration