Vogster Entertainment, the New Jersey based game developer and publisher, launched CrimeCraft in August 2009 and in the 19 months since then, they haven’t been afraid to make major changes to their flagship product.

Originally launched as a subscription-based game, Vogster quickly made the smart transition to free to play. As a subscription game, CrimeCraft was a middle of the road offering. But as a F2P, CrimeCraft is definitely close to the top of the heap.

CrimeCraft offers several different types of game play that are satisfying to many different types of gamers. It’s got fast-paced run-and-gun shooter action, a deep economy, crafting, a competitive tournament system and gangs. Character creation is a little disappointing as there aren’t many options to choose from. The male characters look like Eastern European gangsters and the women look like hookers. But hey, some people like that look.

Most of these systems are introduced to users through a thorough, involved prologue campaign that takes players from level 1 to about level 9. It’s a PvE intensive run through the Moat, a proving ground of sorts for wannabe gangsters trying to make their way into Sunrise City. There is a chance to do some PvP in the Moat with other low level players, but it’s mostly PvE.

Even the PvE is heavy on the run-and-gun action, and this is where CrimeCraft really shines. Built on Unreal 3, CrimeCraft offers a variety of weapons in four categories: light, medium, heavy and splash. These break down into pistols/SMGs, assault rifles/shotguns, light machine guns/sniper rifles and grenade launchers/rocket launchers respectively. Clothing provides resistance bonuses against the four categories and on top of that there are “boosts,” various drugs that improve combat performance. The weapon/clothing/boost triumvirate take the place of the traditional MMO healer/tank/DPS triad. There are no classes in CrimeCraft, allowing each user to experiment with a variety of gear and abilities to fit their personal playing style.

PvP game modes include Shootout (think team deathmatch), Riot (every man for himself), Robbery (two teams fight to steal money from each other’s banks to deposit in their own), Snatch-N-Grab (traditional capture the flag), Turf War (team battles over five map points) and Capture the Zone (similar to King of the Hill style matches). PvE game modes include Stockpile (kill baddies and grab loot boxes), Safeguard (protect a strongpoint from waves of enemies) and Headhunter (kill the boss). These are played over 19 well-designed maps.

I’ll take a minute here to talk about an additional aspect of the PvE. CrimeCraft has a lengthy, 10-part campaign that is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a F2P game or even most subscription based games. Called the BleedOut, the campaign is a massive series of linked PvE encounters that challenge users with a variety of game types. Set up like a TV series, each episode has professional voiceovers and motion comic style cut scenes. There’s some really high-profile artists work in there including Tim Bradstreet, Nathan Fox, Ben Templesmith and more.

Unlike most online shooters, CrimeCraft has levels that gate abilities and gear. High level characters don’t get any more hit points than low levels, but they do have access to high-resistance gear and weapons attachments that increase damage and accuracy. There are some powerful combinations, but in most matches you will see a variety of weapons, clothes, boosts and abilities in use. There’s no super build that dominates in all match types.

Crafting and the economy are tied together tightly as the best gear in the game is crafted by users. Characters can choose from four professions, Engineering, Tailoring, Chemist and Gunsmith. Engineers craft attachments for weapons and special AUGs, some that give boosts in lobbies and some in combat. Tailors create the clothes characters wear for resistances. Chemists craft the boosts and medkits. Gunsmiths craft weapons and WMKs that change the appearance of weapons.

As a F2P game, users can also buy most of those items from the Black Market for Gold Bars, CrimeCraft’s real money currency. There are a few options to get Gold Bars; of course you can buy them through several payment options (credit card, WebMoney, PayPal and more), but you can also do surveys or special offers (like a Netflix trial) to add GBs to your account. Items sold in the Black Market range from purely cosmetic clothes and makeup to more useful gear. But other than the cosmetic items, there doesn’t seem to be much on sale for real money that you can’t get in the game through loot or crafting.

CrimeCraft offers daily tournaments to users where teams of four battle it out for in-game prizes. Currently the tournaments are played as Robbery matches on a variety of maps, but Devs have changed the game mode before and in a recent call with FreeMMOGamer.com said they would be changing it again soon.

Many of the teams that compete regularly in the tournaments are formed by gang members. Gangs are CrimeCraft’s version of guilds and they are very active. Recruitment is a regular theme in the game’s active in-game chat and most gangs can even set up private challenge matches for bragging rights and in-game cash.

For MMO players looking for a challenging PvP experience and online shooter fans looking for something deeper than a list of matches, CrimeCraft delivers a ton of game play in a fun, exciting package.

The Good: Run and Gun Game Play, Challenging PvP and Innovative PvE, Strong Maps and Fun Game Modes

The Bad: Some Balance Issues, Competitive Game Play not to Everyone’s Taste

Graphics: 9
Sound: 7
Game Play: 8
Story: 9
Final Score: 8.5/10