VR-Zone

Getting on top of things? That’s the job of a real cop

Here’s the bombshell: There is practically no story in Crackdown 2. In fact, there is just a checklist of places to blow up for the main mission, and some side-quests to complete. Probably a good thing for gamers who are looking for pyro action.

Without that compelling narrative that keeps pushing you to find out how the story ends, the game becomes a matter of rushing to complete the main missions — well, just because it is just that.

Sure, there is something sinister within the ranks of The Agency, the Freaks are a secret waiting to be unearthed, and the Cell resistance has a strong rationale behind its movement, but you never feel anything about these story elements — they are just cannon fodder to shoot, smash and splatter.

If you insist on believable characters with sparkling dialogue and intense action set pieces to rival Hollywood blockbusters, well, you’ll need to back down and track down another game — because the usual suspects are missing here. But if Michael Bay is your idea of a sophisticated movie director, you’re in luck.

What saves Crackdown from being cracked down is the sheer guilty pleasure of mindlessly shooting and meleeing monstrous zombies (aka the Freaks) or just flushing the Cell militants out of their bases.

It is a big thrill to just leap loose and free, up and down buildings and other climbable structures — or at the least, fall down tall buildings in a single bound and not end up as a bloody mess.

I hear zombies are the ‘in’ thing now. They make every other horror icons look like road kill