I came home from work today to find this lovely bit of news about a game I am quite excited about. The game I am referring to is Crackdown. Not much has been heard about Crackdown since its delay a few months back. It had first been touted as one of Microsoft's flagship holiday 2006 releases but for one reason or another the game was delayed until the eerily vague "2007" release date.

That is until today when Microsoft and Real time worlds (the games developer) announced that the game will be in north American stores February 20th (still no firm release date for us Europeans but that date should not be far behind).

But even more interesting is that a demo will be available on the xbox live marketplace on January 18th. The demo it would seem will contain single and  multilayer portions which is a nice surprise.

Below is some more info about the demo and the retail game.

Pacific City—The city is overridden and crime controls the streets. Three powerful gangs have taken the once-great metropolis hostage and the police have proven powerless in their efforts to regain control. Only the Agency—with genetically enhanced agents of justice—can provide citizens with some sense of hope.

Brace yourself. Justice is coming to Pacific City.

On January 18, 2007, battle your way through the roads and rooftops of Crackdown™ as the explosive demo lands on Xbox Live® Marketplace. For the ultimate payback, combine forces in online co-op play for twice the thrills and double the retribution (Gold membership needed for online multiplayer).

Arm yourself with high-tech weapons, transformable vehicles, and incredible, gravity-defying super-skills in preparation to take back Pacific City when Crackdown storms North American store shelves on February 20, 2007.

From Real Time Worlds, Crackdown pushes the action-driving hybrid genre into the next generation with the first ever truly 3-D playground. Level up your Agent's strength, agility, firearms, explosives, and driving skills while scaling the fully vertical world of Crackdown. This M-rated game incorporates revolutionary co-op gameplay throughout the entire freeform campaign. Creat a volatile cocktail of judicial oppression and clean up the streets of a truly interactive world when Crackdown hits store shelves at an estimated retail price of $59.99.

I personally cannot wait for this game and if you are as intriqued as I am about Crackdown then head over to www.xboxyde.com where you will find a trailer for the game along with a co-op video.

See you all on live January 18th.