FutureFive New Zealand - Consumer technology news & reviews from the future
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Tue, 1st Nov 2005
FYI, this story is more than a year old

I know what you may be thinking – does the PSP really need another driving game? However, Pursuit Force is an exception to the rule and is essentially a driving game where you spend as much time out of your car as you do in it. 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 involved catching cars and ramming them off the road. This is also possible in Pursuit Force but you can now choose to shoot the enemy while driving your 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.

Pursuit Force has all the usual modes to play such as time trial and race, but the real action is in the career mode, where you will 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 and as you progress through the missions you work up the ranks of the police. Through out 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). Basically, you can be assured there is a lot of shooting to be done.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 game’s characters including your boss back at Police HQ. 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 is a game that should be on every PSP owners to buy list.