One problem with many games in the Grand Theft Auto-style "sandbox" genre is that after a while, they still have a tendency to railroad you, sort of defeating the purpose of a fully interactive world. Enter Crackdown, a game that admirably ups the ante for the genre, taking out many of the negative aspects of other GTA-style games, but in the process engenders some new flaws that may bring down the experience for some.

In Crackdown, you play as an artificially enhanced supercop who's tasked with ridding a city of crime kingpins. However, unlike previous GTA-style games that often try to present you with a specific way of doing it, in Crackdown, you're given as much free rein as possible right from the get-go. Due to the lack of a traditional mission structure, you can assault the bad guys head on, find the path of least resistance, or get creative with your own methods; you don't even have to worry about the order in which you take out the bosses.

Adding to the freedom is a skill progression system that increases your abilities the more you use them (raise your strength by kicking criminals, for instance); while skill progression is not a new idea, it really adds to the freeform feeling by allowing you to dispatch your foes with your favorite method. There are a few other things to do, such as hunt the hugely expansive city for hidden power-ups, partake in races, and perform various vehicle stunts. However, each crime boss' defenses tend to have a uniform setup, ultimately making the gameplay somewhat repetitive. There's also a distinct lack of content, as there are but a few crime bosses to take out, and little to do beyond that and the aforementioned other activities.

However sparse the content may be, Crackdown offers enough fun and originality to differentiate itself from the other GTA-wannabes out there. It also can stand alone as its own game, and not have to rely on the offer of an invitation into the Halo 3 beta on specially marked boxes.

Crackdown is an Xbox 360 exclusive, and is rated M for Mature.