Crackdown: Bringing Order to the Streets Company: Microsoft Game Studios In a market that typically has you playing the gangster against other hoodlums and the police, Crackdown is a game that puts you on the other side of the coin. In Crackdown, you will play a character (whether it be cop or vigilante has yet to be made clear) who has been given the chance to go after the biggest crime organization in a massively persistent fully 3D virtual city. Your character will be able to walk the streets and do pretty much whatever you want him to do -- so long as it leads to a cleaner street. Brought to you by David Jones, the mind behind Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto, Crackdown will also let you join up with a partner as you walk the beat in co-op mode. As you progress through the game and clean up the streets in your particular fashion, the agent's "genetic tendencies" will develop and the character itself will grow to your gameplay style. Crackdown's open-ended environment and high-powered physics engine also lets you use pretty much anything in the world as a weapon. Trash cans, vehicles and even other people can be used in your fight against crime. Keep it locked here for a full review when the game is released. -J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer Related Links: Real Time Worlds