Greenberg: Crackdown 2 in early 2010

By Robert Purchese Published 22 December, 2009

Hallelujah.

US Microsoft bigwig Aaron Greenberg has described Crackdown 2 as a first-half 2010 game.

Speaking on the Major Nelson podcast, he said 2010 "hands down will be a bigger year than 2009", and of that he has "no doubt".

"It's funny looking back at the first half of 2009: what made that interesting was that we had a lot of big DLC content," said Greenberg. "What's different about 2010 is we have, starting in January, a triple-A exclusive title pretty much every month for the first half of the year.

"You got Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell [Conviction], Alan Wake, you got Crackdown 2, we know we've got things like Fable III and Halo: Reach coming later in the year. And that's just the exclusives! That doesn't include things like Final Fantasy XIII.

"There's no way we had a first half of the year like that this year," he added. "While we had Modern Warfare 2, which was awesome and the biggest title of the year, knowing that Halo: Reach will be that big daddy for us is very exciting as well.

Crackdown 2 had been penned for a vague 2010 release, suggesting autumn. Good news, then, and a perfect opportunity to steer you towards our recently written hands-on impressions of Crackdown 2.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (50) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • muscleblade #1 2 years ago

    "You got Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell [Conviction], Alan Wake, you got Crackdown 2, we know we've got things like Fable III and Halo: Reach coming later in the year. And that's just the exclusives! That doesn't include things like Final Fantasy XIII."

    Damn. Thats more than enough exclusives. Bayonetta, Dantes Inferno, Darksiders and alot more multilatform games aswell.

  • melch #2 2 years ago

    well chuffed, cant wait for crackdown 2. First one was an unexpected gem.

  • s11mmy #3 2 years ago

    Who's got the most exclusives next year ps3 or 360? I'll start first with a ps3 exclusive God Of War 3. Somebody name a 360 exclusive and then continue one at a time...
    Edited by 1 at 22/12/09 @ 10:10

  • ocmerius #4 2 years ago

    @s11mmy

    I'll raise you a Mass Effect 2

    edit: I actually don't care which platform's got the most exclusives. It's going to be an awesome year for gaming all around
    Edited by 1 at 22/12/09 @ 10:20

  • s11mmy #5 2 years ago

    I'll add one Gran Tourismo 5 to that.......

    I don't care either too, just nice to hear about all the cool games coming out, no flaming intended!!

  • cyacomini #6 2 years ago

    Fable III is the only thing I care about in 2010 - until Peggle 2 is announced that is :)

  • spidermanalf #7 2 years ago

    Another awesome year of gaming!
    Edited by 1 at 22/12/09 @ 17:17

  • NewbieZilla #8 2 years ago

    So, what beta will they throw in with this one?








    Joke.

  • s11mmy #9 2 years ago

    @spidermanalf

    if it hurts you so much then ignore the comment. Whats retarded about wanting to know about exclusives on platforms?

    Just wanted to see if I missed anything coming up.

  • NewbieZilla #10 2 years ago

    "Just wanted to see if I missed anything coming up."

    1) Why does it need to be exclusive?
    2) Eurogamer has quite a good release date list. http://ww w.eurogamer.net/releases.php?pl...

  • DB2k #11 2 years ago

    Alan Wake - bound to be postponed until 2011.. and then held off until the next xbox.

    Looking forward to Crackdown 2. The last one was sooo mcuh better than I thought it would be. Bit worried that I am now going into the 2nd one with high expectations which it will probably find hard to match.

  • kangarootoo #12 2 years ago

    This is a public service announcement. If Crackdown 2 is half the game CD1 was, it will be f*cking awesome.

    For each person that doesn't play it, a baby otter will be made into otter jam.

    That is all.

  • s11mmy #13 2 years ago

    Yeh I've seen that list, stopped reading it a while ago, too many errors in that last (eg games still showing as not released and a lot of incorrect dates).

  • wizlon #14 2 years ago

    Hmm, Jam.

    Never played Crackdown 1, I have to say I'm looking to get my open wordly goodness from Just Cause 2.

  • NewbieZilla #15 2 years ago

    ^ You really ought to pick up CD1. Great game. Are you looking forward to JC2 on account of playing the first, with the derivative quests wrapped up in a nice looking vast game?

  • DonnieDarko333 #16 2 years ago

    April 2010 for Crackdown 2 then!

  • Skooch #17 2 years ago

    Couldn't care less about Mass Effect, but Crackdown2 - Hooray!, Conviction - Hooray!, Alan Wake - small hooray!, Halo: Reach - do I really want to play another Halo....?

  • WinterSnowblind #18 2 years ago

    @wizlon
    Without trying to put down a game never having played it.. Did you play the first game? A lot of us were very hyped about that, until they released a very underwhelming demo and expectations totally dropped. Bad missions design, boring environments, and most of the tools/skills felt like the game was playing itself. It just wasn't fun.

    Perhaps the second game will be a huge improvement, but for now my money's on Crackdown 2.

  • NewbieZilla #19 2 years ago

    January: Mass Effect 2 and AC2 DLC.
    February: BioShock 2, Conviction and AC2 DLC.
    March: Final Fantasy XIII.
    April: CD2, I'm guessing.

    Whenever Heavy Rain is released, I'll have to get me access to a PS3 for a while to play that. Also need to keep an eye out for Tales of Graces for the Wii whenever that'll be out. And I'm sure there are other games that I'm not mentioning there. In short, good times ahead.

  • kangarootoo #20 2 years ago

    Just Cause 2 does also look pretty damn fine. The first one had issues, but it looks like they have used the lessons well.

  • Petulant_Radish #21 2 years ago

    @ SVD

    It has a lot of the original developers working on the game, so I wouldn;t worry about it in that respect as I'm sure they'll treat it with the love it deserves. There were also mutants in the first one, you actually released them into the city, so it makes sense that they are there.

    As long as it has that lovely noise when an orb is near I'll be happy anyway.

  • muscleblade #22 2 years ago

    And its 4 player coop this time. Sounds like fun to me.

  • septimus #23 2 years ago

    @hammerhead666: Yeah, it's also the year of linux.

    Please f off with the fanboyism. This place has seemingly grown up a bit in recent months, no need to drag it back down. If you don't own both consoles by now you are really missing out.

  • Monkey_Puncher #24 2 years ago

    Yes, with Triple A titles like Joyride the competition don't stand a chance!

    I joke of course, I just found it amusing that Joyride got a mention in this thread. Bring on Alan Wake, Splinter Cell and Crackdown 2!

    I can't believe for a second that Fable 3 won't get delayed till 2011 though.

  • MiniAmin #25 2 years ago

    "Let's hope it was! Check back soon for part two of the interview, with better jokes, stuff about orbs, and other jazz." - At the bottom of the page it says there'll be a part two.

    Where's Part 2 EG?

    I'm really looking forward to reading the rest.

    Cheers for part 2 :D I love this website!


    Edited by 2 at 22/12/09 @ 18:41

  • EuroStalker #26 2 years ago

    I see variety is on an extended Xmas break on Xbox 360.

    /Will still buy beefy graphics card for PC to play some of those.

  • lockload #27 2 years ago

    "Alan Wake - bound to be postponed until 2011.. and then held off until the next xbox."

    Except remedy have conformed they have basically finished the game content and are just polishing, cudos to Ms for giving them the time to polish it

    Anyway back to the post, my thinking is april or may 2010 for crackdown 2..

    That would make it

    Mass Effect 2, Bayonetta, Bioshock 2 - January
    Splinter Cell, Heavy Rain - February
    FFXIII, God of war 3 - March
    Crackdown 2, Halo Reach Beta - April
    Alan Wake - May

    Holy Crap the first half of 2010 is insane!

    EDIT: Missed a load i know too many games!

    Edited by 2 at 22/12/09 @ 14:38

  • richardiox #28 2 years ago

    The first 4 months of 2010 are all about; Mass Effect 2, Bad Company 2, Bioshock 2, Just Cause 2, Alan Wake, Bayonetta, Splinter Cell, Lost Planet 2, Red Dead Redemption, Dantes Inferno, FF13, Perfect Dark HD and Metro 2033.

    With a first third of the year that chocked full I can't see any sense in releasing Crackdown until late Summer - along with the other "missing" titles for late 2010; Halo:Reach, Rage, Dead Rising 2, Crysis Console, Fable 3, Castlevania Reboot, Metal Gear Rising....not to mention Natal and its launch software....

    Compared to 2009, 2010 is already looking all kinds of awesome. Even so, I'm still eager for news on Half Life Episode 3, Elder Scrolls 5 and (new) Ghost Recon - none of which I think will actually make 2010 - which is probably a good thing.

  • WinterSnowblind #29 2 years ago

    @EuroStalker
    What's wrong with the variety? We have Mass Effect, a hardcore RPG. Fable III, more of an action/adventure RPG. Splinter Cell V, a stealth game. Halo Reach, a (squad based?) FPS. Alan Wake, a survival horror. And Crackdown 2, a sandbox.

    You can also bet Natal will see the release of a good number of more family orientated games. Rare have mentioned Viva Pinata 2 on numerous occasions and Lionhead have confirmed they're working on Black & White 3 (which isn't exactly family friendly, but still worth mentioning).

  • ParanoidZombie #30 2 years ago

    2010 will be an awesome year for sandbox games: crackdown2, dead rising2, read dead redemption, maybe just cause 2... Can't wait!!!

  • CunningLinguist #31 2 years ago

    Splinter Cell and ME2 are also coming out on PC, so call them console exclusives. Not to mention BioWare doesn't want to talk about the rumors that ME2 is coming to PS3. Alan Wake is probably the most interesting 360 game coming out exclusively on MS's console.

    As for PS3, after the rather insipid GT5 demo, who knows. God of War 3 will most likely be the flag carrier for the console in 2010. I can't really see Heavy Rain or the new ICO game (if it comes out 2010) pushing enough units to make it a flagship title. Final Fantasy 13 might also be a contender, considering most people will identify it with PS3, and if you own both consoles you will get it on the PS3.

    The one aspect of 2010 that I really would be worried about is that MS's exclusives and console exclusives are mostly shooters. The PS3 does offer a larger palette of gaming genres.

    It will be a better year for MS, but that is because 2009 wasn't really anything to write home about, at all.

  • WinterSnowblind #32 2 years ago

    @CunningLinguist
    See my previous post. Once again, the PS3 actually has a larger amount of shooters on the system.

    I definitely agree that 2009 has been a pretty weak year for MS, but now it seems it's the PS3's turn for a lackluster lineup (yes, they have a few standout games, but so did MS this year). But there's still E3 and MS inparticular tend to keep most of their big game announcements for that, so next year should definitely be interesting.

    Also, I own both a 360 and PS3 and plan on getting FFXIII on the 360. Just because of comments like this. FF belongs on the Xbox just as much as it does the Playstation.

  • muscleblade #33 2 years ago

    "If you own a 1080p"

    What? The 360 does 1080p just as well as the PS3 if not more often.

    edit: Unless you mean the old release model of course.
    Edited by 1 at 22/12/09 @ 21:05

  • muscleblade #34 2 years ago

    The 360 version of Bayonetta might be better than GOW3. I think its a close race though. But with Dantes Inferno and Bayonetta i dont need a PS3 for GOW unless its superior to those wich it cant be as Bayonetta gets amazing scores. 10/10 from Edge is incredible.

  • Kerome #35 2 years ago

    There will never be a Peggle 2, they can't possibly advance the concept of the first one... everything else will just be expansions ;)

    As to Crackdown 2, I'm sure it'll be awesome (and exclusive).

  • onyxbox #36 2 years ago

    glad to see 360 back on track with some killer games next year... I'm lookig forward to both 360 and PS3 stuff next year, just hope I can keep up with all these games.

    /must remind myself that there's always a bit of a dought in the summer (can catch up then)

  • WayMucho #37 2 years ago

    Like almost everyone has said 2010 is going to be a mad and expensive year for games. I want everything mentioned, and really really want Crackdown (please, please be good). I thought owning all consoles would be a good thing, but i'll never be able to afford all of the exclusives i want on both platforms
    I still don't believe any date quoted for Alan Wake. It seems soooo long ago that i saw the first pictures - was that 1982 or 83?

  • El-Dev #38 2 years ago

    Crackdown was a fun game, bit flawed but hopefuly the next one will be improved. Bit m'eh for some of the other titles. Will probably get Alan Wake but Mass Effect 2 doesn't really appeal to me.

  • Petulant_Radish #39 2 years ago

    Does anyone know where I can get some wholesale goods? They're always so hard to find these days...

  • WinterSnowblind #40 2 years ago

    @wile_coyote
    Or you could compare it to an OPEN WORLD game on the PS3, such as inFamous, and see that the graphics are about on par?

    @Colossus80
    I can live with a slight dip in audio quality, and the 360 does support 1080p.
    But even if it didn't.. I very much doubt I'll be sitting there watching the FMV thinking how much better it would look on the PS3.

    If anything, I'll be questioning why they're still using FMV in this day and age.

  • patchbox360 #41 2 years ago

    prediction for 2010

    killzone 3 E3 trailer > EVERYTHING

  • Xerx3s #42 2 years ago

    "For each person that doesn't play it, a baby otter will be made into otter jam. "

    Hmmmmm.....

  • Emmit_Assassin #43 2 years ago

    Oh my god i'm going to have to get a second job just to pay for all the goddies coming out next year. I hope to god natal is cheap....

  • davisorle #44 2 years ago

    I have to say again that 2010 is full of huge titles. Great exclusives, great crossplatform and finally some great PC games that will stand out there for their graphical superiority once again and make our expensive hardware shine once more. Overall Im happy about everything. Including the risk of getting a Natal which will be fun either for a couple of weeks till you abandon it or more and more exciting as they include it in more games and interesting ways. I just hope its not too expensive in case its the first option and fails for e ones that have to go really deap in the wallets for it. Fingers crossed it works out.

    About FFXIII that was mentioned above... Apparently Im getting it on the 360 unless I have already my PS3 bought ( Holding onto it cause I was eager to buy for Uncharted 2 but got turned off when I read this thing , so I'll hold on to it for a while longer. One way or the other it will work better for me cause the longer I wait I will have more on a list that I will wanna get instead of just Uncharted 2 and Demon Souls as it is now.. Truth be told though Im always objective. When Im owing both consoles Ill be getting each crosssplatform on the console that it plays/looks better. So if I own both of them Id get FFXIII on the one that it looks better. Since there is no online lag will be no issue so it will be all about visual quality on that one.

    About Bayonetta thats been also mentioned, I finally got to literally play myself. It plays way better than it looks. Im seriously amazed way too much by it. Its really sucky that its not as gorgeous on the PS3 cause people need to enjoy this damn game in the same quality. Even that gay ass butterfly thingy she does when she jumps just looks sweet amongst everything else. Highly reccomended.

    So yeah Crackdown 2 will be awesome most likely, though lets start with January which has a huge sign of MASS EFFECT 2 writen all over it. Btw in case you wanna check the lastest "full" trailer thats been released over the XBL since EG etc are already on vacation go ahead and click here :)

    Merry Christmas and play safe ( seriously.. not a good time to break a controller against a wall or anything. Bad move to visit stores all over during these days )

  • Nephirion #45 2 years ago

    I havent bought DLC for ages most of the time its pretty weak so I can't really get that stoked about AC2 DLC

  • zisssou #46 2 years ago

    To whomever said they were excited for Fable 3... well it can piss off as far as I'm concerned. I loved the first and the second just ruined everything.. what a pile of god damn sweaty balls. Also Peter Molyneux is the biggest twat in the games industry.

    Bring on the negatives!!! or unless some of you actually agree with me...

  • stryker1121 #47 2 years ago

    Hey it's gonna be a cold dark winter spent with ME2 and Bioshock 2...so many other games on the radar...Darksiders, Dante's Inferno, Alan Wake, Red Dead Redemption...not to mention the AAA titles from the end of this year that I haven't gotten to yet. Hopefully I get that raise..

  • DAN.E.B #48 2 years ago

    Great news the first one was my GOTY lets hope the dont mess it up!

  • DaftVice #49 2 years ago

    I'm looking forward to ModNation racers. The Beta is a lot of fun. Needs more weapons though.

  • Chalee #50 2 years ago

    I'm amazed that even now, after the glowing eurogamer and edge reviews, people are still reacting with amazement at how good Bayonetta is and saying things like 'it plays better than it looks'. Guys, this is coming from the people who gave us Viewtiful Joe, Okami and God Hand - how can it be anything except fantastic?