According to a rumor we've picked up, Microsoft may be readying a couple of special Xbox 360 bundles to coincide with Grand Theft Auto 4's (Xbox 360, PS3) launch in Australia.

What makes this especially interesting is that the bundle will also include a copy of Halo 3. Details are available in the full article.

Independent Game Developer RealTime Worlds (RTW), the people behind Crackdown, has signed a deal with Dare to be Digital 2007 and is now a key sponsor for the event. Dare to be Digital is a games design competition for students held annually in the UK.

RTW will be providing both financial and logistic support by providing source persons and speakers for the duration of the 10-week competition. In addition, RTW will be showing some exclusive "behind-the-scenes" footage from Crackdown at Dare ProtoPlay where competitors will feature their entries.

Here's what RTW CEO and creative director David Jones had to say regarding the event:

Talent is a key factor behind the success of every game, and Dare to be Digital makes a big contribution to spotting and developing high quality talent for the industry each year. I have been closely involved with Dare to be Digital’s organisers, Abertay University, for many years, advising them on course structure, lecturing to students, and benefiting from already having had many Dare graduates join RTW over the years.

I am delighted to take that involvement and commitment to another level through this sponsorship and through becoming a Patron of Dare. We are employing 150 people at our Dundee office and would like to expand to near 200 by end of this year. Partnering with Dare will help attract more talent to our production hub in Dundee. We also have plans to work with Dare on our international expansion.

This event, which began in 1999, has grown and become one of the premier game developer competitions for students in the UK. So far, 12 teams have already committed to joining the event and are heading to Dundee, Belfast and Guildford in early June. Be sure to keep checking back here for more news on this competition.

Crackdown's heritage stretches back to Grand Theft Auto, partly because of RealTime Worlds' head David Jones, but that doesn't make Crackdown a "wannabe" title. This was producer Phil Wilson's reply to Xbox Community Network when asked about the frequent comparisons between the two titles.

Still, from the interview featured in XboxWay International:

I'm as guilty as anyone else of hearing about a city-based game and assuming that it's just going to be like GTA... But there is room for other types of games in the sandbox city genre, and we're already seeing that people are enjoying the difference that Crackdown provides.

Based on what downloading the demo did to Xbox Live (which is to say, jam it with more traffic than Pacific City), we'd agree.

Phil emphasized Crackdown's "true" free-form gameplay, in comparison to GTA, Saint's Row, and The Godfather. "In Crackdown, it's really up to you," he said. It seems he that there's no story-restricted linearity to progress in the game - if you want to take on the gang boss when you first go online, he said you can.

Asked to comment about Halo 3 Beta's inclusion in Crackdown, Phil was as full of praise as his boss David. "So while a lot of people will be looking at Crackdown because of the Halo 3 Beta, there will be many more people looking at it on its own merits." The way he looked at it, Crackdown was a great game to partner the beta with.

Speaking of which, on a lighter and more off-topic note, we, er, found this picture from Xkatsu, a Flickr user, of a box of Crackdowns w/ Halo 3 Betas on some inventory shelf. It seems like whoever decided to tag the box this way had his own set of priorities: it's Halo 3 Beta feat. Crackdown, and not the other way around.

 

This is about one of them "Did you know?" things for Capcom's superhero action title Crackdown. We won't be talking about the demo as we've seen how you've been enjoying it ever since it went live. And no, this isn't about Halo 3 beta invites and the shocking revelation that only initial shipments will have them. For the love of god, get over it.

Anyway, did you know that developer RealTime Worlds originally wanted 200 unlockable achievements for Crackdown? But a quick preview of the game's achievements, if we are not mistaken, suggests that there are only 43 achievements all in all. These total 900 gamerpoints and an additional 100 will be available once the scheduled free downloadable content appears.

So, what happened here? RealTime Worlds lead designer for the game David Jones explained, "They were only allowing 50, and we were saying, 'Oh, that's going to cripple us'. Eventually they announced they were going to a higher number." Microsoft and RTW eventually agreed on having 80 achievements.

Well, that's a lot already, and we're pretty sure you will all have a grand time unlocking all of them. And lastly, if you really want to talk about Halo 3 beta keys, David Jones shared his thoughts about the matter and how it affects Crackdown in general:

We kind of knew Crackdown would need as much help as it could get to get into players' hands. Like we've always said: It's a game player's game. It's not something that's going to sell in screenshot. So that was good.

Let's face it: Realtime World's Crackdown is an awesome game. Great plot, good graphics, insane physics plus it gives everyone their own special moment in the game.

Now much of its success may be due to the interest of gamers in the Halo 3 beta passes available in every copy of Crackdown sold in the U.S., in Japan, and even in the UK. But having played the game, I'd say it does have its own reasons why it is successful on its own accord.

So you wouldn't be surprised when David Jones, developer of the successful Crackdown, happened to say, "It's really scary to think you could make a really great game that nobody has ever heard about."

Although he may not be familiar to many gamers, he is the developer of the Lemmings game for the PC, not to forget his oversight on the development of Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto 2.

More on what Jones had to say at the Full Article!

For all the Xbox 360 Achievements junkies out there who are looking for new trophies to add to their gamertag, then you might want to consider grabbing a copy of Crackdown once it gets released later this month.

Developed by Realtime Worlds and designed by David Jones, Crackdown is set in the near future and revolves around the the activities of the law enforcement group which is known as "The Agency". With a force composed of genetically and cybernetically enhanced officers, all of whom are equipped with high-powered weapons and highly-developed armor, players will then have to take on the role of one of these officers and take out the gangs and mob bosses who have made the streets of Pacific City unsafe for its citizens.

Now, the fact that these officers can jump off of a ridiculously high tower and walk away unscathed makes some rather interesting achievements possible. Then, there are the guns, the rocket launchers, and the vehicles which should add to the fun. In the video that we have here, we'll be able to see just some of the achievements which players can earn in this game. One such example would be the aptly-named "Body Juggler" achievement which requires one to shoot someone, and keep their body airborne for at least ten seconds. Then there's the insane barrel rolls and flips that you can try out with your vehicle, and the jump-off-from-a-ridiculously-high-tower achievement, which was mentioned a while ago.

So, start taking notes, and download the video by clicking on the link below.

Download: [Crackdown achievements video]

360Monster reports that Real Time Worlds' super human police story Crackdown now has a release date. The game is set to be released February 20, 2007. Moreover, a single player and multiplayer demo will be available on the XBL Marketplace on January 18.

What makes this game worth waiting for? Other than the preview media (screens and vids), this game is from Lemmings and original GTA creator David Jones. Of course, detractors of the game say that the game looks like it was made by a bunch of Halo modders, but that's their opinion. We here at QJ would rather wait for the demo to see if it's worth it or not.

So, you've met the agents, you've seen the gameplay (ouch if you have a rap sheet), you know it's got a pretty promising co-op mode, and you know the demo's coming in January. What's RealTime Worlds and Microsoft Games Studios left to do, but to release more screenshots of their reverse-GTA game on the presumption of innocence?

Its creator, David Jones, has certainly come a long way since his Lemmings days, just like this title itself which has been teasing fans everywhere, not only because of it graphic novel-ish visual style, but for its exciting gameplay. Unlike the lemmings, though, no one will accuse these cops of being mindless drones who actually NEED a traffic enforcer... not unless they want to risk their necks. Crackdown. Still up for a Feburary release, still MSRP'd at around US$ 60.00. Still giving you the right to remain silent.

More screenshots after the Jump!

When you really think about it, David Jones has had it already made. During the early 90s, his creation Lemmings etched his name on the gaming's history books. Back in 1997, the much loved Grand Theft Auto series cemented his rep for being an expert on his craft. Ever since that time, Jones could go to The Bahamas and drink Piña Coladas anytime he wants. Again, the guy has had it already made.

But no. He didn't do that. In fact, for three years now, Jones and his Scotland-based company, RealTime Worlds, has been working on X360 titles Crackdown and All Points Bulletin. Between the two, the former has been gaining recognition even this early because of its similarities with GTA. When asked about their differences, Jones explained,

In terms of online, it's one of the first of these sandbox games with co-op. So that's quite difficult to do, but it's a hell of a lot of fun. We spent a lot of time on the technology for that. As the franchise progresses, you might see something else continue in that space.

On a more personal note, we've always fancied having real gamers as mafiosi, rather than just plain and boring AIs. Furthermore, Jones revealed his fascination of Microsoft's online service as well as its impact to their products. According to him,

I think Xbox Live is absolutely brilliant. One of the reasons we got the investment is so that we could try some new things in the Live space using the Marketplace, downloadable stuff. It’s just great for all the stuff you can do. There's just potential for other things as well.

With that said, it was unavoidable for the discussion to move towards other platforms. David Jones, in behalf of his company, admitted their obvious dedication to Microsoft's next-gen console. He explained that aside from that, he has only seen the Wii and the PS3 during shows.

Currently, RealTime Worlds is focusing on being independent and working on new IP. Jones divulged that they recently invested US$ 31 million for that. And finally, as to how Crackdown is going, Jones announced happily,

Basically, we're in the final, final stages of just bug-fixing now. We hope to have that all wrapped up over the holidays, and then launch in spring. It's not far away at all, as far as we're concerned.

Here are six new screenshots for the free urban action game Crackdown. As you may very well notice, there is a difference in the illustration of the characters portrayed. It appears that these screenshots were taken from the Japanese version of the game.

Crackdown came from the same guy who brought us Lemmings and the Grand Theft Auto series, David Jones from Real Time Worlds. The graphics engine uses realistic physics and a new style of cel-shading for that more vivid picture. The sand box style gameplay made famous with GTA3 is incorporated in the game as well.

Crackdown will be coming to your Xbox 360 in Q1 2007 (North America).