As the GTA franchise has blossomed into a global behemoth, its easy to forget that Rockstars cash cow was born in Dundee, and dreamt up by the man who brought us Lemmings. But while the last thing gamers need is another GTA clone, David Jones latest take on the free-roaming crime caper is an outrageous, deliriously thrilling adventure.
A cross between GTA and The Matrix, Crackdown casts players as a burly government agent policing a city governed by crime lords. But besides the usual exploration, car jacking and pedestrian pestering, completing missions allows players to evolve their surly hero into a Neo-like superhero who can leap between buildings, hurl busses at enemies or jump behind the wheel of a car and blast through dense traffic jams, scattering hapless motorists to the four winds.
While its comicbook graphics and sober script may alienate many of those seduced by GTA, the games exhilarating sense of freedom and captivating co-operative mode are enough to mark it out in a crowded market, making Crackdown yet another compelling reason to own a 360.