A new feature in Crackdown is target specific lock-on which allows a player to target the legs, arms, chest or head. Or in the case of cars the body, wheels and gas tank.

Question: What do you get when you mix one part Matrix with two parts Grand Theft Auto? The answer: Crackdown.

Crackdown is a new take on the sandbox genre. Set in fictitious Pacific City, Crackdown has players using a genetically-enhanced police officer given the task of ridding the citys three gangs.

I know this may sound like nothing new, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The game rewards skill points in five different areas that enhance your characters agility, driving, explosives, strength and weapons. Every time your character shoots, punches, kicks, runs over, throws, explodes or lands on an enemy they gain experience in these five traits and that makes your character stronger.

There are also agility orbs that are scattered all around the city on rooftops and hard-to-reach places. As a player advances in skills, they will find themselves jumping from rooftop to rooftop shooting enemies.

A new feature in Crackdown is target specific lock-on which allows a player to target the legs, arms, chest or head. Or in the case of cars the body, wheels and gas tank. This system allows a player to take down an enemy in a number of different ways.

There are a few things that bog down Crackdown. The games story is lacking any real background or characters, other than the gangs. Your only ally in the fight against the city is an annoying voice that sounds like a game-show host.

Civilians continue on with their lives as though there were no crime. Any civilian casualties will result in a slight decrease of one of the skills, which can get annoying as your blast radius becomes larger and larger.

The city feels like a giant playground, just about every part of the city can be scaled or entered. Thanks to Xbox Live, players can team up to take on the city together or duke it out however they see fit.

Crackdown is a wonderful new step in the world of free-roaming games. It is a fresh take on the genre that only GTA has seemed to master. Slight issues with how the game flows aside, it stands as a strong entry into the 360s library.

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