Crackdown: A new world of destruction

What little we know about Crackdown’s return already sounds crazy. Directed by the original creator Dave Jones, and co-developed by his new studio Cloudgine, the game will make use of Cloud technology to make a more expansive open world. Howexactly? We’re not sure on the technical details but we do knowthat the added power will enable more detailed and larger destruction physics. We doubt you can level the entire city, but what we’ve seen of test footage looks mightily impressive.

Speaking of impressive, the enhanced visual palette is looking stunning too. While Crackdown has always been a stylised world, the Xbox One sequel takes it further into the realm of Borderlands-esque cartoon design bathed in neon and darkness to give it an almost anime edge.

The footage released so far shows a team as they plot to take down a criminal kingpin inside his heavily guarded, top story penthouse. But, in Crackdown's typical explosive fashion, rather than take the stealth approach they strap explosives to a fuel truck and blow up the adjacent building, launching large fragments of the structure into the window of the enemy. If the actual gameplay when the game is finally released can match even a tiny percentage of the promise of the trailer, then you could be looking at one of the most gloriously inventive and thrilling open-world multiplayer action games on Xbox One next year.