1-Nov-2005 Driving fast and shooting things fused with a knowing nod to arcade classics like Chase HQ Apparently, British TV is revered around the world for its quality news coverage, but as far as we can see there's a big, live car chase-shaped hole in it. It's not the news crews' fault as they're probably not that exciting over here - stolen Ford Fiestas getting 200 yards before stalling doesn't make for great viewing.
Thankfully, here to provide us adrenaline junkies with our next fix of reckless speedfreakery and civilian endangerment is Pursuit Force. It's taken two of the best things in gaming - driving fast and shooting things - and fused them together with a knowing nod to arcade classics like Chase HQ. The twist is being able to leap from your vehicle to that of a suspect car to carry on swapping bullets, then drive off in your newly bad guy-free motor. If what you're driving starts looking a little too hole-ridden, you can commandeer a shiny convertible or SUV in the name of bringing perps to justice and continue the chase.
DIRECTED BY JOHN WOO It all works like a thousand action movies: blast merry hell out of the toxic chemical thieves/renegade army troops/foulmouthed thugs, car-hopping all the way. It's not exactly the most original concept in the world, but it stays fresh by way of the case objectives. Do you blast away at a truck with an explosive payload and hope for the best, or try to get close enough to jump aboard, Matrix-style, before popping a few caps into the driver? The pursuits themselves take in different modes of transport. One mission has you manning a chain gun in a police chopper, picking off criminals as they race for the state border. Another is a canal-based, sea sickness-inducing chase with an attack helicopter bombarding you with missiles. Pursuit Force certainly doesn't want for action.
Everything is crystal-clear, making Pursuit Force one of the best-looking titles to appear yet. Scenery hurtles by at some speed, but aiming is easy as the right shoulder button locks on to and fires at enemies with one simple squeeze. There is a downside to all the explosive driving action though, in the form of the onfoot parts of the game. The previously fluid controls suddenly fall apart, and you'll find yourself dying regularly after being shot through boxes which can't decide whether they're solid or not. There's no Wi-Fi mode either, which seems like a bit of a missed opportunity.
But Pursuit Force remains ludicrous, exaggerated fun, and for the most part glitch-free. It's one of those games, like the recent Burnout Legends, that'll have you bumping into strangers on the bus as you dodge through virtual traffic in short sharp bursts of pure gaming bliss. Try not to make wailing siren noises, mind, otherwise you'll just end up looking daft.
PSW Staff
// Overview
Verdict
The driving-shooter genre was looking dead and buried, but
now it's alive and kicking.
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