Pursuit Force (PSP)

Cast as a police officer in the Pursuit Force it's your job to arrest an almost unending stream of automobile equipped bad guys. And by arrest the game actually means run off the road, blow up or, in the game's signature move, jump onto a moving vehicle, turf out the driver and steal their ride. It's like an even more explosive version of Burnout but with guns and a wider range of transport.

The game is simple dumb fun, but the mix of driving and violence has rarely been combined so well. No doubt aware that the whole thing cold get a bit samey, there are plenty of different vehicles and weapons -- including the chance to pilot a police helicopter at various points in the game, complete with a highly destructive mini-gun accessory.

With some really stunning graphics and a great sense of speed this may be yet another driving game for the PSP, but there's far more to it than simply getting a better lap time, which may ultimately make it the best of the bunch. --Harrison Dent

Although once you have completed the game there isn't much point in it as the races and time trials aren't the great. This led me to sell it in the end.

I would recommend this game for it's graphics and story mode but if you want a long lasting game I would suggest you get another game


In Pursuit of Excellence....   January 20, 2006
fooxman
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

Pursuit force was the main reason I brought a PSP, from reading the box and countless previews/reviews of it, this game has all the elements to be amazing - chasing down criminals whilst leaping from moving vehicles, performing Matrix-style slow-motion leaps and unloading 100's of bullets into enemies before taking over their car/boat/bike!

To be honest I wasn't expecting much and from the under whelming first mission you get to play, Pursuit Force didn't initially deliver. However, once past that simple escort mission you soon get the hang of jumping on cars, hanging off the side to avoid fire and building up your justice gauge.

The graphics are easily the best I've witnessed on PSP, with bullet holes appearing on the roof of the car as you shoot the enemies inside, glass shatters and everything looks super glossy and shiny (there are some excellent lighting effects) however, when things get crowded (often mid-mission at a very difficult point) there is some slow-down.

So how does it play? Very much as you'd expect, it's great, you get to do exactly what the box says however, this game is hard....no frustrating... no insanely-smash-your-psp-against-the-wall-in-a-fit-of-rage hard. You see there are times when Pursuit Force is the game you want to play and you'll genuinely love but then there are the times when Pursuit Force throws a mission at you that you'll end up doing about 40times or more before you pass it, it's these times and the lack of checkpoints that mean you can easily grow to loath Pursuit Force - it has one steep learning curve!

However, if you can get past that minor "fault" and you're looking for a game that pushes the PSP to the limits both graphically and in terms of game play (think you're up to the insane difficulty level?) then Pursuit Force is the game for you!


Helluva action game   January 17, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Imagine, if you will, that car chase out of Matrix Reloaded. Yeah, the one with Agent Smith leaping from car to car to catch up with the Keymaker. Now, imagine that chase with helicopters, more sports cars, boats, guns and explosions, and you have Pursuit Force.

Hailing from new company Bigbig Studios (set up by 4 ex-Codemasters employees with the backing of WRC creators Evolution), Pursuit Force takes the driving chaos of Burnout and mixes it with True Crime-style shooting from the car and throws some mid-chase vehicular leaping in too. It's the fast-paced, in-your-face car chase Hollywood should have made a long time ago.

The Force of the title is, in the words of your in-game police chief "an elite force that'll root out every lowlife scumbag using the latest vehicles, weapons and special tactics". You can pretty much see where he's coming from: the game's Capitol City setting is infested with six gangs - from ex-mercenaries the Warlords to foxy bank robbers the Vixens - which you must dispose of in the game's main Career mode.

Pursuit Force's basic missions - or Cases, as the game calls them - generally involve either driving from A to B, or driving from A to C via B with some shooting in the middle. Although it sounds repetitive, it's kept original through the introduction of new weapons and vehicles. Nearly every - very highly detailed - car, bike or boat can be leapt on with a simple tap of Circle when pulled alongside. Following said leap, you can duck, dive and shoot at the occupants of the vehicle until it's yours. Holding Square lets you take cover over the side, and it's extremely thrilling, especially with the Hollywood-esque chase soundtrack - specially performed by the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra - in the background to keep your heart in your mouth. Animation and details of the characters is also great, and little touches like your enemies' slumped bodies swaying to-and-fro as you turn your car improve the experience more.

Even while driving, it's possible to select a target with the L button and shoot them by hammering the R button. Weapons range from your standard pistols to shotguns and even rapid-fire miniguns. You pick them up through earning A-grades in missions or simply nicking them from captured cars. There's also the odd on-foot section which simply involves shooting down criminals or arresting them with a tap of R up close. It's not very demanding but fun nonetheless.

Tallying up the score and earning that A-grade is the Justice meter. In-game, a meter on the right tracks your progress as a lawkeeper, awarding you for taking down crims and penalising you for shooting civilians. When full it can be used for an emergency health boost or used to create a sure-shot jump which lets you take out foes during a vehicle-to-vehicle jump. However, the meter is deeply flawed as you can be penalised for hitting civilian cars rammed into your path by enemies, and this can be a touch annoying.

Pursuit Force has a few other flaws too. The handling isn't tight enough so turns you'd expect to scream through turn into battles to avoid the wall. The bikes generally don't handle very well and it's impossible to knock riders off, which isn't exactly a perfect idea. The game also has a very steep learning curve, and you'll find yourself dying. A lot. The voiceovers get a tad annoying too, and eventually you'll probably find yourself reaching for the volume control. There's the odd bit of pop-up too, but not much to annoy. That said, these little flaws are bearable and don't do much to hamper the game.

Other modes available are standard point-to-point races (complete with bad voiceovers) and the Time Trial mode, which get a bit boring after a while. Thankfully, replaying old Career missions is great fun and means a lot of replay value, so even if the races and time trials don't last you, the car-to-car leaping will.

In Pursuit Force we have one of PSP's first truly original games - a mash-up of Hollywood and Burnout creating a truly exhilirating experience with top-notch gameplay and forgivable flaws that'll last you some time, but not quite forever. But which games do? None - this makes Pursuit Force an essential package.

Graphics - 4.5/5
Sound - 3.5/5
Gameplay - 4/5
Lifespan - 4/5
Overall - 4/5