Today word got out, via Major Nelson’s podcast, that Ruffian’s sand box super cop sim Crackdown 2 is slated to arrive in the “first half of the year.” While this may not be as specific as some would like, it’s better than Microsoft’s vague “2010″ date listed.

Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft product management director, appeared on Major Nelson’s podcast and stated: “Starting in January, we have a triple-A exclusive title pretty much every month for the first half of the year.You got Mass Effect 2, you got Splinter Cell [Conviction], you got Alan Wake, you got Crackdown 2. We know we got things like Fable 3 and Halo Reach coming later in the year. Those are just the exclusives, it doesn’t include Final Fantasy [XIII]. There’s no way we had a first-half of the year like that last year.”

If you missed out on the first Crackdown, you should take some time to check it out. It’s a basic sandbox game, set in a futuristic metropolis, where you take on the role of a super-powered cop. While it’s far from perfect, the online co-op and ridiculous powers definitely make Crackdown worth a rent. Hopefully Crackdown 2 will keep the great gameplay from the first title while improving on its shortcomings.

Source: Shacknews.com