The games center on the Agency's supersoldiers, known as 'Agents', as they fight threats ranging from various criminal syndicates, a terrorist group known as 'Cell', and zombie-like monsters called 'Freaks'.

[3] The game takes place in Pacific City, a dystopian metropolis that is suffering from an increase in crime rate.

[5] Criminal syndicates - namely Los Muertos, The Volk, and The Shai-Gen Corporation - have taken control of its three main territories, and they are armed with military-grade weapons that make it difficult for law enforcement to combat them.

A post-credit cutscene shows Thorne after surviving the crash, studying the Agent's dismembered hand, which had landed in her helicopter during his sacrifice.

The original reveal showcased the ability for players to destroy the skyscrapers of the game world, and cause them to collapse dynamically.

Instead of only increasing jump height, agility gave players the ability to have greater control over their aerial movement with the usage of thrusters on the Agency suit.

With the intent of going beyond the sandbox gameplay made popular by Grand Theft Auto III, developer Realtime Studios spent time with various testers, as well as former developers from the Grand Theft Auto series, in experimenting and refining the genre, with the use of additional content, items and rewards.

In each game, players assume the role of super-powered law enforcers called Agents who protect Pacific City with the use of high-tech vehicles and weapons.

[16] Using a third-person camera, the Agent can dispatch enemies by shooting them with firearms, blowing them up with explosives, or in melee combat.

Being a genetically enhanced human being gives the Agent various skills, namely "Strength" (punching and lifting power), "Agility" (jumping and movement speed), "Driving" (handling vehicles), "Explosives" (creating explosions), and "Firearms" (shooting ability).

[19] Crackdown 3 further expanded the series' coop by allowing over 8 players to participate, as well as being the first to have a fully destructible sandbox environment in multiplayer.

[12] The series is known for its artistic use of cel-shading visuals together with its rich color palettes, stylized ambience, and crisp and strong real-time shadows.

[21] Ruffian further tweaked Crackdown's draw distances by rendering the engine to allow the display of a larger vista of Pacific City.

Deciding to give it an electronic "dark and ominous" vibe, he selected music from Amon Tobin, Atlas Plug, Celldweller, and Hybrid that he put in each mission and premise.

[23] In Crackdown 2, music from Public Enemy, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, R.E.M., and Whodini were used to give the game a rebellious feel.

It tells the story of several Agents sent to pacify a city riddled with crime and violence, with the team losing members in every issue, before ultiamtely meeting their objectives.

"[41] Its formula of controlling super-powered beings in a massive sandbox environment, and using their abilities to cause mayhem and destruction have influenced other video game series such as Infamous, Prototype, Saints Row, The Saboteur, and Just Cause 2.

[1][42] Game creator Brian Fleming was influenced by the climbing and parkour aspects of the first Crackdown in designing the gameplay for Infamous.

[43] The series' mainstay gameplay of collecting orbs in an open world environment to increase a character's abilities, was also copied by another similar game called Prototype.

[46][47] James Stephanie Sterling, during their time at Destructoid, reviewed the game and called it "the most pointless, unnecessary, and insulting "sequels" ever created.

"[48] John Almond from Gonevis ranked Crackdown 2 at #5 in his list of most disappointing video game sequels, stating, "[It] was panned by critics and consumers because of missing gameplay features from the first game like transforming cars, strategy-building in taking out targets, unique weapons like invisibility, and simply being able to aim a sniper rifle through a scope.