Pursuit Force

Pursuit Force - Review PSP

Pursuit Force - Review PSP

Now the PSP is here we expect some good games to compliment the system. So far we have had some pretty good titles, the obligatory Ridge Racer which is actually very good indeed then we have Wipeout Pure which is also an excellent title. What you may have noticed is that most of the launch games for the PSP are driving games of some sort. So what we need now is another driving game? Well not really but Pursuit Force is an exception to the rule.

Pursuit Force is essentially a driving game which sees the player in the role of a cop. In some respects it is reminiscent of the old classic arcade game Chase HQ. Pursuit Force adds a few more dimensions to that classic which basically involves catching cars and ramming them off the road. This is also possible in Pursuit Force but you can also choose to shoot the enemy while driving you vehicle or you can choose to use the Pursuit Force signature move and leap out of your vehicle onto another vehicle and get more upfront and personal before throwing the driver out of his vehicle.

Pursuit Force has all the usual modes to play such as time trial and race, but the real action is in the career mode. You will then be presented with two options you can decide to take on the Capelli Family who are the states oldest and most established gang or the War Lords who are a gang of rogue mercenaries. Each of these gangs offers a different challenge. To progress you will have to finish all of the missions that are available from the start. This will up your rank to sergeant, some more levels and gangs will be introduced into the game. As your rank increases so do the levels and opponents on offer. As you progress through the game you will not always be driving in cars, there are levels that will see you wandering around on foot and shooting people, driving boats and shooting people and flying helicopters and shooting people with a great big chain gun. You can be assured there is lots of shooting to be done.

The first Capelli mission is very simple, take the snitch and try to get him to the airport while the mob tries to stop you. This basically involves driving fast and shooting the Capelli gangs cars. The other missions however will introduce you to the jump move which will see you jump from one vehicle to another by pressing the circle button on the control. This move is only available when you get close enough to the vehicle you want to jump on. A symbol will show on the screen with and arrow which will to the vehicle you are close enough to. If you jump on to one of the enemies vehicles (you can jump on to any vehicle) you will have to dispose of its occupants before you can get inside and take the drivers seat. To do this all you need to do is shoot them without getting yourself shot. So once you are on an enemy vehicle you have the ability to drop off the back, front or side of the vehicle by pressing the square button. Besides from being a helpful move it looks great also.

Your dodging strategy will change substantially depending on which weapon you have available. Hand guns (default weapon) and shot guns can make going slow if you don't what to get shot. Especially in the shot gun scenario as it will take a while for you to reload, in the mean time you are best ducking out of the way. If you get your hands on a machine gun you will find it kills people so quickly you will very rarely have to duck out of the way. The one frustration I found with Pursuit Force is the weapon system. You can't select between weapons. You will start the game with a hand gun which has limitless ammo, when you come to taking over an enemy's car you will pick up the weapon they were using, even if you don't want it. So you can have a machine gun one moment and then be forced to use a shot gun or a nail gun. It would have been nice to keep weapons and select between them but it's not really such a big deal. Once you get used to the fact you don't know which weapon you could get, you will start to shoot vehicles while driving when you have more powerful weapons, and try to make the most of the situation.

Graphically Pursuit Force is one of, if not, the best looking PSP game I have played so far. Everything looks very sharp from the cars to the people in the cars. Its not just graphical talents that are on show, the animation of your character as he jumps from one car to another is super smooth and very cool looking. When people fall from cars they also look very convincing as their bodies tumble and turn along the road. Water effects in the boat chases are ok, but nothing spectacular. The sound effects are mainly made up of police sirens, gun shots, car engines and screeching tyres all of which are convincing. During the game you will hear quite a few voiceovers from the games characters including your boss back at the police headquarters. All the voice work is good and some of the language used by the Capelli's is very entertaining.

Force Pursuit is a great game that provides hours worth of intense chases and action. The levels through out the career mode become longer, harder and more intense and varied the further you progress. The signature move of jumping from one vehicle to another is more than a gimmick, its fantastic fun and offers far more to the player than you would expect. Although there are loads of driving games on the market for the PSP, Pursuit Force has created its own niche in amongst the masses and it's game that should be on every PSP owners to buy list.

9 out of 10

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