Pursuit Force ready to ride in 2006

If Hollywood has taught the American public anything, it's that rookie cops are often hot-headed loose cannons who'll bend the rules in order to get the job done, no matter how many fruit stands get obliterated, giant panes of glass being pointlessly carried across streets get shattered, or how many helpless baby carriages come within an inch of automotive tragedy. If games have taught the American public anything, it's that all that stuff is fun to control. Sony is attempting to combine those two lessons in the spring 2006 release of its PSP action game Pursuit Force, the company announced today.

Currently in development at UK-based Bigbig Studios, Pursuit Force puts players in the role of a young police officer charged with cleaning up the gang-infested streets of five different districts in and around Capital City. Earlier this year, it was named GameSpot's Editors' Choice Award winner for Best PSP Game of E3 2005.

Keeping in line with the devil-may-care, loose-cannon personality of the game's main character, Pursuit Force players can reach out of their ride to shoot a variety of firearms at fleeing perps. But it doesn't end there, as they can also ditch one ride for another, jumping between cars at top speed, clinging to hoods with a tenacity that would do T.J. Hooker proud.

Pursuit Force also lets players commandeer cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses for law enforcement purposes. Beyond simple vehicular mayhem, speedboat, helicopter, and on-foot sections of gameplay offer a variety of ways to get the job done. The game includes 30 cases to solve, 10 types of weapons, and more than 50 different rides.

For more on Pursuit Force, check out GameSpot's Q&A with Sony Computer Entertainment of America producer Ryan Hamlyn.