Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice - PSP review

Can fast cars and gun toting police make this a game to remember?

2 January 2008 11:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

A cross between Ridge Racer and Chase HQ, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice brings action shoot'em ups to the racing genre, but can it work? We get behind the wheel to find out.

Promising to be more over-the-top than its predecessor first released 2 years ago, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice on the PSP sees you this time play a number of missions where the main crux is to catch up with the bad guys before taking them out.

Levels vary in objectives, but all involve driving fast, be it in a boat, a car, a truck or even a hovercraft.

Pissed at some guys breaking up your wedding day, the storyline of Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice is 100% cheese with the usual array of gangsters on the run, criminals doing bank raids and thinking they can get away with it, or masterminds trying to hijack a secret containment that everyone happens to know about.

But Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice isn't just about driving Ridge Racer style to get out of trouble or catch up with it. Once you've honed in on the bad guys you've still got to take them out and this involves aerobatics from vehicle to vehicle and a chance to show off your gun toting skills.

Everything is timed, giving you that extra panic to take out the bad guys quickly and the better you do the more skill points you can earn. Skill points can then be used to upgrade your skills allowing you to jump more accurately, improve your melee skills and other basic traits.

That said you can't choose to plough them all into becoming the best sharp shooter in the world and you're encouraged and then forced to upgrade your skills evenly.

Additionally in-game you get extra help with something the developers have named the Justice bar.

As if straight out of Judge Dredd you can use the stored power, which you get from taking out the enemy to either keep yourself alive, or dish out "extreme justice". This can vary depending on the level, but on the helicopter levels for example, it means a volley of missiles at the target.

With a four-player multiplayer option and three levels of difficulty on the 50 or so single player missions, there is plenty to keep you quiet.

Verdict

Pursuit Force is like a cross between Ridge Racer, Chase HQ and an action shoot'em up varying the action as you go.

Does it work? Yes it does although it does get repetitive as level after level you find yourself doing the same kind of things, still it's enjoyable while it lasts.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Sony
Price as reviewed: £30
The good: Good mix of gameplay, premise is crazy, good fun to play
The bad: Gets repetitive at times
Quick verdict: Pursuit Force is like a cross between Ridge Racer, Chase HQ and an action shoot'em up varying the action as you go
Score