Crackdown Ever since the introduction of sandbox games, the worlds they take place in have been getting larger and more complicated, adding just about every type of gameplay you could imagine in an attempt to make a go-anywhere, do-anything world.

With Crackdown, Microsoft Game Studios' Realtime Worlds adds new spice to the mixture.

In Crackdown, you assume the role of a super cop. Your assignment is to remove three rival gangs from within the fictional Pacific City. Your mission begins inside the Agency, a towering skyscraper in the center of the metropolis. There, the Agency provides the first update on a local gang. But the mission isn’t very straightforward, as the instructions are to take out their kingpin without knowing much information about him. It’s up to the Agent to seek out his underlings, take them down and then remove the kingpin from power. But what makes this game new is that you’re able to go straight to the kingpin, without taking out any of his lieutenants. The trade off is that he will be better protected and harder to finish off. However, should the Agent be defeated in combat, advanced cloning techniques allow him to be reborn anew with the same level of skill that he had before he were executed.

There are two ways to play through Crackdown’s storyline. The first is to do the single player mode, in which you’re a solo agent out to take down the gang members. The other way is to hop onto Xbox Live and play with your friends in a co-op multiplayer mode. The two agents can either team up to take down the same lieutenant or split up and tackle two at once. But since this is also a sandbox game, you’re not restricted to fighting enemies; if you’re so inclined you can also turn your weapons on your ally and let the firefight get intense as you try to take them down before they snuff you out.

The player isn’t limited to the storyline. There are plenty of other ways to enjoy Pacific City. One of these is racing. There are two types of races in Crackdown: rooftop racing and street races. Rooftop races are intended to be tackled on foot, while street races are intended for those who love to be behind the wheel. As your skills in agility and driving increase, so will your race times. Also, completing races improves the performance and modifies the appearance of Agency vehicles.

Crackdown’s controls are simple enough so that anyone could pick up the game and within a few minutes understand how to do some damage. Targeting is one of Crackdown’s best features. The Agent is able to lock onto his target’s chest, and from there choose to shoot at their arms, legs, or their head. However, locking onto a key spot like the head or arms takes longer than the chest, and different weapons have different lock-on speeds, making weapon selection critical when taking on key members of the different gangs.

Graphically, the game looks great even when playing on a standard-definition television. The level of detail is high enough that texture and explosions look really nice. However, if played on an HDTV, the details really pop out, the explosions are downright gorgeous and the cel shading is much more crisp and distinctive.

If you’re looking to try something new for the 360 this summer, this is a great game to pick up. Halo fans will be happy to hear this game also comes with an invitation to the Halo 3 multiplayer beta. So for $60 you get a great Xbox 360 game, some Xbox Live fun and a small Halo fix. I’ll be seeing you in Pacific City. Agent out.