The lack of plot in Crackdown didn't irk me half as much as the lack of interesting enemies, and the lack of mission variety. I've argued that, in some ways, Crackdown is actually a step down from a game like Hulk UD, and that's the reason. No bosses, no enemies with cool (agent-like) abilities, just clones of basic thugs, with more or less health and powerful weapons. And the way you deal with any situation is to jump, kick and shoot your way to the target, and eliminate the target. That's why it's hard to blindly recommend that game, despite it being generally fun.
