Back when this first came out in 2007, Crackdown was I think the first demo I downloaded when I bought my XBOX 360. I heard a lot of hype about its crazy GTA-meets-super hero gameplay and the demo of it was good enough to sell me on it...eventually.
I didn't pick it up that year. For whatever reason, I could not justify purchasing this game, making a note to myself every time I saw it that I would pick it up someday. Well, when the opportunity arose to get it for $5, I couldn't resist.
Is it worth more than $5? Absolutely. If you're the type of person that played Grand Theft Auto for the fun that comes with messing around with a big city, then this is right up your alley. In particular, the super powers of strength and agility make this game its own beast. The sensation of being able to jump to the top of a skyscraper and across rooftops is pretty exhilarating. It's this awesome gameplay mechanic that has left many a gamer scavenging the world for every last agility orb to maximize their hops.
Compared to Grand Theft Auto IV, Crackdown is a much more "free" experience. The game gives you essentially only 3 types of "missions" (capture a supply point, kill a general or kill a kingpin) and technically, you can complete them in any way you choose. However, the lack of structure can be a downer to those looking for a good story. The game ultimately boils down to "kill dudes", and not much else. Which for the most part is fine, because for what it does, it does really well.
My only real beef at the moment is that the game isn't really as open as it hypes itself up to be. Players are kept away from playing the game "out of order" by making elements of the world physically unreachable or the opposition too strong and too vast to take out. I totally understand why this was done, but it did feel really cheap in implementation.
With Crackdown 2 on the way early next year, this game is still worth a look even after all this time. I'm almost done the game, and maybe see myself picking up Crackdown 2 a lot faster than I did with this one.