Xbox 360 Features

Crackdown 2 has a load of collectibles for players, with 500 agility orbs and 300 hidden orbs waiting to be snatched up. In addition to the orbs there are also audio logs to hunt down. Unlike the orbs, the logs actually play a big role in fleshing out Crackdown 2’s story as each one tells a little bit of plot from a supporting character’s perspective. And even if you don’t care at all about the story, there’s still an achievement to be had from collecting them all!

Hello there. Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin. Feast your ears on this week's TalkRadar UK featuring Mr Cundy, Mr Houghton and Mr Irvine as they cover topics ranging from being more scared by a child leaping from behind a door than most 'scary' games and George appearing in listener's dreams. We've also got....

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If there's one thing Big Bird, Elmo and that weird-ass thing that lives in a bin have taught us, it's that you can never judge a book by its cover. Take the following cute-looking game worlds, for instance. If they were pieces of literature they'd have bunnies and sunflowers on the cover... and then the pages of Mein Kampf inside. Yup, these virtual universes may look serene and adorable, but in reality, they'd be hell to live in.

Above: Looks like the Mythbusters crew forgot to carry the 1

Hidden Orbs. 300 of ‘em. Just in case 500 agility orbs weren’t enough to satisfy your addiction. While the location of many of these hidden orbs are fairly obvious, some require a little more than standing over the purple radar blip and scratching your head. Here are some helpful tips for making your search a bit easier.

With this song, we're ready to rock until all are one...

Crackdown 2's got a lot of balls (literally) to ask gamers to find every last one of its 500 agility orbs. There's a better joke in there somewhere, but it's almost lunch time. Fortunately we've assembled an easy to use map that points out the location of every last one of the little guys. Perfect for when you get tired of chucking taxis at pedestrians and your completionist urges get the better of you... 

Above: The exact moment 3D gaming became unavoidable

While the debate as to the necessity of 3D in films shows no sign of ceasing (or becoming interesting), the gaming front is another matter. Depending on your level of optimism, we're either stepping into an age of unparalleled interactivity, or hurtling down a blind alley into yet another of the industry's lame-brained get-rich-quick schemes. Rather than trying to work out which is the case, a better question might be: How do we get the most gaming goodness out of this latest boom?

One E3 demo had the right idea: re-inventing classic Nintendo titles in 3D. We've already laid down wish-lists for 3D makeovers of N64 and contemporary titles – but what other old-time games would benefit from a full-3D makeover, on the 3DS or elsewhere? If the industry wants to sell us on 3D, here are just some of the hundreds of titles we’d happily pay again to play again in 3D...

I don’t want a new generation of consoles any time soon. I don’t want one any time not soon either. It’s not just that I’m happy with the current set. I absolutely am, and I’ll elaborate on that in a minute, but that’s not my main point.

No, my main point is that the longer this generation goes on, the more clear it becomes that a new set of machines would be pretty damn dangerous for the health of the industry itself. It would also be pretty damn dangerous for creative game design, and it would be very damn dangerous for your wallet. Here’s why you should go home and give your console a big hug tonight, and forget all thoughts of casting it out into the cold for a new model.

Like Charlie, I've been playing a hell of a lot of Crackdown 2 over the last week. But while Mr. Barratt has been in charge of the overall Super Review (you can find his bang-on-the-money verdict right here), I've been taking time out from grinding my Agent's super skills to blast my way through the new competetive multiplayer modes.

My findings? In its current state, Crackdown 2's multiplayer definitely isn't a good enough reason to buy the game. But looking at the great fun that can be had in it, there's a lot of unfulfilled potential I'd like to see realised. Which is actually a quite pleasing revelation, considering that in theory it really should be crap...