Crackdown 2

I've been spending my last few evenings (and early mornings) with Crackdown 2.  At the end of the night, I definitely can say that I had an absolute blast, but I still agree with some of the impressions that other reviewers have gotten from it as well.  I also feel like some of these comments are missing the point.

Liking:

- New Stuff/New System
There are a few more new toys, vehicles, and general environmental stuff to play with.  I'm sure I'll be discovering a few more as the game goes on, and find even more that I like to mess around with, but even the ones I've unlocked so far are a riot.  The magnetic grenades are probably my new favorite tool, allowing the player to connect objects together, allowing for some physics defying results.  My long term goal with these is to make a giant slingshot, but we'll see how that goes.  Getting the new things are also unlocked by leveling up your character, not by finding them off gang bodies and surviving the trip back to a supply point.  A little less stressful, but still effective.

- The Narrator
A huge fan favorite from the first game, the perverse overlooking narrator of the game is back, encouraging you to basically be awesome.  Same voice actor (or one very, very close), same weird sense of humor, and same borderline morality. 

- Co-op party time
Inclusion of 4 player co-op play is a much welcomed addition, something that lacked in Crackdown 1.  It runs smoothly as far as I've experienced, and it really makes the sandbox game feel more like a playground.  It's fun to mess around with all these new tools and weapons, but it's more fun in a group, using magnets to get stuff together, hunting for orbs and fighting off the hordes.

Disliking:

- "Well that's a huge achievement..."
As much as I love being encouraged by the Narrator to rock out, I don't appreciate him breaking the fourth wall whenever an achievement is earned.  Every time one is unlocked he has some cheesy line that revolves around the word "achievement".  It wouldn't have been so intrusive had it only happened once or twice, almost like a joke, but it happens a lot.  It's almost become fun trying to guess what he'll say based off of what achievement I earned... almost.

- What's all this... story?
I liked Crackdown 1's narrative because it was basically there to drive the gameplay, and nothing more.  No social message (save the end of the game), no real cut scenes... just guidance on who to kill next.  Although the story content on Crackdown 2 is a bit of a joke, it is much more present, and you'll inadvertently get pieces of it collecting audio logs, background from the narrator while attacking some base or stronghold, or any other random time.  Who cares?  I'm not here for engaging dialogue, I want to blow stuff up, or throw a car... sheesh.  (On a similar note, I didn't like being made aware of the narrator's role in the world as the agency director.   Although it's implied fairly strong in the last game, it's made obvious in this one, and it makes it less fun guessing why he's so nurturing to your destructive tendencies.  Apparently he's got a job to do too...)

-Body /Juggled
I think this one will get more fair when I get better guns, but I've been body juggled a few times by enemy AI, and it just doesn't feel fair.  I guess I can just jump away to some safe point, but they've let a ton of rockets go in my direction, it's a little paralyzing just laying there while my body gets tossed around by explosions.

Still on the Fence:
- Zombies
Sometimes I really like the zombies.  Quick way to get some driving skill points, maybe some melee points... good stuff.  Sometimes they just seem to get in the way.  They only come out in force at night, which is good.  It diversifies the world, making it a fun action based time any time of day, not just when gangs are out and about.  There's also some uber-zombies that can climb, jump around like me, and spit acid all over the place.  It's good to have an enemy that I can't just avoid by climbing the nearest sky-scraper, but it's a tad annoying if I just need a break to recollect myself and heal up.   I think I'll arrive at a solid point on this one soon, but the zombies/freaks in the game haven't ruined the experience like I first thought they would.

Conclusion
I definitely can't recommend Crackdown 2 for everyone.  If you loved the first game and want another trip back to Pacific City (it's the same city, by the way), then by all means, pick it up.  If you're more of a GTA open-world type player though, the lack of focus and story might throw you off your game for a while.  There's a lot of fun to be had, but it doesn't do as good of a job as the first game leading you to it, and sometimes you just need to make the fun yourself,  but I think that's the point.  Ruffian followed up Crackdown 1 with a fun world, with fun tools, to have fun with... go get em' Agent!