Mass destruction with Crackdown 3 and Jump Force

Crackdown was one game that you could just sit back, relax and unleash your super-powered agent on an open-world city. Its simple gameplay mechanics was designed to let you have the maximum fun. It’s been a long wait for Crackdown 3, almost nine years, since Crackdown 2, and truth be told, most of us had forgotten about the game and the series. Now Crackdown 3 is finally here, and it’s a blast from the past and it even looks the part.

Crackdown 3

What’s it about?

In the aftermath of a global electromagnetic pulse attack that severs power to everything, you are the sole surviving agent sent to counter a threat from New Providence.

After being regenerated to life by the mysterious Enakshi Swift, you’re sent into the city controlled by Terra Nova, an evil corporation whose motives are unknown.

The best part of Crackdown 3 is Terry Crews, who brings his high-strung, muscle-bound brand of energetic comedy to the game as Commander Isaiah Jaxon. Who you can thankfully play as, and he fits perfectly into the city-wrecking destructive gameplay that is the core of Crackdown. The story itself is just a way to propel you into the game world, giving you an excuse to cause mass damage to property. As you take out all the members of Terra Nova one by one.

How does it play?

What does carry forward from the earlier games is the same brand of laid-back destruction that can be therapeutic. The game levels up for you as you just do your thing; all you need to do is collect orbs of various colours. That increases the abilities of your super suit, allowing you to leap from tall buildings, or destroy enemies with a punch and other such Superman/Iron Man stuff.

The game takes its time to ramp up to that though, as you have to slog through all of the seek-and-destroy, find-em-all sort of missions that feel like a to-do list. While it is fun, it is monotonous too, the perfect switch-your-brain-off kind of fun. There’s not really anything new here, especially if you’ve played the earlier Crackdowns. The developers have included a sort of ‘nemesis’ system, as seen in Shadow of War, where you have to identify Terra Nova leaders, then draw them out with enough collateral damage. One can’t help but feel that this should have been much more.

The biggest evidence of that is the dated graphics, that looks like it belongs to the Xbox 360 era. Crackdown 3’s architecture looks blocky, with rough textures covered by a lot of neon glows to draw your eye. Terry Crews’ face looks great though, and it looks like all the polygon density has gone to making his mug look as lifelike as possible. Complete with his trademark swagger and exaggerated animated movements. The rest of the game looks unimpressive, which is a shame.

Should you get it?

While Crackdown 3 looks dated, it is still a fun game that lives up to its marketing hype of ‘bringing back the BOOM’. It is loud, it is fun and it is sort of Zen in the way it handles its destructive elements. Plus, Terry Crews is worth the admission price. Does the brand Jump ring a bell? No? Well, then I’m sure Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball Z and Bleach do ring those bells. While you may not have heard of Jump, it’s actually a serialised manga magazine called, Weekly Shōnen Jump, that is extremely popular in Japan and South East Asia.

Jump Force

What’s it about?

You play as a civilian who was mortally injured by Dragon Ball Z bad guy Frieza’s attack on New York City and now you’ve been revived and turned into a superhero by other members of the manga.

After creating your character out of one of three fighting styles, you get to fight alongside the Jump heroes as they form a new team.

Playing through the story as your own character instead of being one of the main cast, like what Mortal Kombat did, is a bit of a let-down. However, the character creation is quite deep, letting you create the perfect anime character, complete with funky hairstyles, face paint and even eye types from Naruto. Either recreate your favourite character, or go all out and do something wild.

The art style is a quasi-realistic drawing that works well in context, however, it lacks those exaggerated anime style flourishes associated with these characters.

How does it play?

The character you create can be One Piece like the pirate style, ninja style a la Naruto and a fighting style like Dragon Ball Z. It is the one-on-one fighting mode that truly shines in this game, and is one of the best parts. You play in teams of three, where you and your enemy select one main character and two supporting and jump into an arena. You can switch between characters freely and the effect is satisfying and smooth as they jump in with an attack.

The game looks fantastic in fighting mode, as the levels are pulsing with detail and life. The characters look great and the moves fill the screen. It’s also really easy to pull them off; there’s the normal rush combo, high rush, low rush and the various counters you can perform with good timing. Hold the shoulder button and you get a list of powers you can unleash, many of which transform the character into their awakened states. The detail and love put into this fighting system are incredible.

Should you get it?

If you’re a fan of Shōnen Jump and all of the amazing characters it represents, then you’re in for a treat, especially if you have like-minded fans to fight with. The story mode is not bad but lacks a certain sizzle. Whichever way you see it, it’s great fan service, but not fan service at its best.

The writer is a tech and gaming enthusiast who hopes to one day finish his sci-fi novel