Crackdown is a unique take on the genre as its the first game to completely forgo any kind of story and focuses entirely on the gameplay. This freedom opens up the gameworld allowing the player to combat the gangs in any order, and any way they see fit. Similar to Gears of War Crackdown allows for online co-op throughout the entirety of the experience.
At the beginning of the game players choose the kind of agent they want which is purely aesthetic and has no result on the way the agent is controlled. The gameplay customization comes in the way that the player chooses to upgrade their agent. There are four main key areas that can be expanded: strength, agility, explosions and marksmanship. Other than agility, which requires finding special orbs littered around the three islands, the other abilities are enhanced by simply playing the game, usually by killing enemies. Punch/kick enemies to increase strength, run over them to increase driving, and shoot them to increase marksmanship.
Enhancing your agent's powers turns them into superhuman agents that lets them throw cars, jump 30 feet in the air, and drive up the side of buildings. The game world is a virtual playground for your character to use their abilities to take out enemies, or do a variety of other things such as take part in optional races, and try to accomplish any one of the many achievements that are laid out. The main goal in the game is to take down the main bosses that run the gangs. The comic book nature of the game is emphasized by a cartoonish cell-shaded graphical style that uses bold colors.
