Welcome to Crackdown's Pacific City, a town that makes Camden, New Jersey seem like Beverly Hills. In this burg, three gangs -- Los Muertos, the Volk and the Shai Gen Corporation battle for control and in the process, murder countless innocents. Armed vigilantes roam the streets, make fools out of law enforcement and play their music really loud, but not for long. The Agency (the police) just unleashed its latest weapon onto the criminal underworld, tough-as-nails hombre responds to smack talk with bullets to the face.

At its core, Crackdown plays like Grand Theft Auto in the sense that players explore a large and dynamic world, bouncing from mission to mission executing kingpins and stocking up on ammunition. Except developer Realtime Worlds discards the overused "be a criminal" theme in exchange for playing a good guy, the muscle bound and genetically engineered cop known as Agent. The mission? To eliminate the gangs from the bottom up, targeting their kingpins and eventually, their gang bosses. That's it. No escort missions. No need to avoid the fuzz. Hell, in this game, the police happily relinquish their rides. They even respond to incidents and open fire, giving the player a much needed assist against swarms of enemies. With that being said, the game features less content than most sandbox video games, but this lack of variety doesn't significantly damage the experience.

The Agent's five skills -- Agility, Driving, Explosives, Strength and Weapons -- evolve over time, making him a more effective killing machine. Increased Strength allows him to lift heavy objects like trucks. In addition, Agility boosts increase his jumping skill, letting gamers scale buildings and leap hundreds of feet into the air, sailing over rooftops and blasting criminals. Realtime Worlds further expands the concept by dropping races into the game, timed challenges that force people to reach green markers by climbing and vaulting over things.

Gamers can also cause quite a ruckus. Running over criminals gives way to stacking vehicles, planting explosive devices and blowing the entire pile, sending debris and fire flying as hundreds of innocents scramble about in terror. We expect creative people to post thrilling stunt videos online.

Orbs wind up being the game's most intriguing items. Hidden amongst Pacific City's nooks and crannies sits 500 Agility and 300 Secret Orbs, most of which reside atop hard to reach places. Finding them becomes an obsession as well as an excellent way to test the jumping mechanic and figure out short cuts. It also provides a nice break from the senseless killing, which gets old after a while.

Vehicles also play a huge role. Players may jack any vehicle, though The Agency supplies them with three cars, the Super Car, SUV and Truck Cab, all of which transform into much cooler rides as the Agent's driving skills evolve. In addition, the more players drive, the easier it will be to perform spins and make hairpin turns. To offer them a quick means to level up, the developers include numerous races throughout the city, where players must (similar to the on foot challenges), pass through markers before time expires.