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‘Crackdown’ plays like ‘GTA’ on steroids

From the mind of Dave Jones of “Grand Theft Auto” fame comes Microsoft Game Studios’ ambitious “Crackdown,” another open-ended urban game for the Xbox 360 that combines on-foot gunplay and in-vehicle races, but with superhuman powers, cooperative play and upgradeable skills.

Because of its explosive weapons, superhero-like powers and enormous 3-D city, “Crackdown” can best be described as “Grand Theft Auto” on steroids — except now you’re a genetically enhanced agent instead of a criminal. Sure, you can still carjack vehicles, shoot down gang members and take on dozens of nonlinear missions — but you’re discouraged from abusing your power, such as driving over innocent pedestrians.

After you select from one of the available agents at the beginning of the game, and then choose your first vehicle in the Agency garage, you’re introduced to the story surrounding three rival gangs who have turned Pacific City into an urban battleground.

You also learn about the game’s role-playing game-like “level up” feature that lets your character upgrade skills over time and experience, in one of five categories: agility, driving, explosives, strength and weapons. Savvy players can work their way up to a 4-star rating in each of these areas.

Finding the 300 well-hidden orbs in the city can also help to increase your skill ratings. Within a few hours, your agent will be able to perform moves such as jumping from rooftop to rooftop, throwing criminals a couple of hundred feet or pulling off daring behind-the-wheel stunts.

Played from a third-person perspective, the game resembles a colorful graphic novel with its “cel-shaded” visual style. And more so than in past “GTA” games, the Pacific City in “Crackdown” is quite vertical, so you will be able to climb, hang from and scale walls, ledges and boulders in order to best explore this huge city and perform the various missions. More than 100 licensed songs and 5.1 surround sound add to the overall immersion factor.

Have a friend over? He or she can pick up a second Xbox 360 controller and partake in the fun with the optional cooperative mode, allowing two agents on the scene.

Another incentive for picking up the game: access to the coveted “Halo 3” multiplayer beta program. From the “Crackdown” main menu, click on Downloads and the “Halo 3” beta option can be found, although it’ll be grayed out until the program is ready.

Crackdown. 4.5 stars Xbox 360. $59.99. Rated “M” for Mature. Marc Saltzman writes for Gannett News Service.