Why Crackdown 2 needs a replay function

A videogame moment can be so fleeting. Television has DVR and movies have the rewind button, but when something truly amazing and unexpected happens in a videogame, the only proof you're usually left with is a "wait, did that really just happen" memory. You can't experience it again, you can't prove it to your friends and you can't upload it to the internet for the rest of us to marvel.

That's why Halo 3's Saved Films tool was such a revolutionary idea, one that extended the life of the game and one that I can't believe hasn't been copied by more competitors. Luckily, the team behind Crackdown 2 agrees. In arecent interview with OXM UK, they claimed they were working on a replay function for the sequel… though it wouldn't be ready in time for release and would have to be added through future DLC.


Above: PLEASE LET THIS HAPPEN

I'm excited even by the possibility – it's hard to think of a game that would benefit more from the addition of a replay function. Crackdown isn't about story or characters. Crackdown is about extreme sandbox stunts and wildly uninhibited experimentation. The only thing missing is the ability to share the results.

To prove my point, here are some of the best videos produced in the original Crackdown. Witness these spectacular moments of game-breaking beauty, then imagine how much better they'd be without the crappy music and blurry camera work. That's what Crackdown 2 could be!

"Nuclear bomb"

"Crazy long chain explosion"

"Infinite jump"

"Stunt drivers"

"The barrel"

"Fun with harpoon guns"

"The many murderous objects of Crackdown"

"300 light bulbs"


Mar 8, 2010

Charlie Barratt
I enjoy sunshine, the company of kittens and turning frowns upside down. I am also a fan of sarcasm. Let's be friends!