Gangs of London bum-rush PSP

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's London Studio is most famous for its two British action driving games, The Getaway and The Getaway: Black Monday. While reviews were mixed, anyone who has spent any significant amount of time in London was likely impressed with the games' re-creation of Great Britain's capital. So detailed were its virtual streets, several retailers reportedly threatened legal action due to their storefronts being included in the ultraviolent game.

Now the Getaway's reconstruction of England's primary metropolis is being shrunk down to fit on Sony's portable, the PSP. Today SCEE announced Gangs of London, a "spin-off title [that] takes the setting and criminal themes of the legendary Getaway franchise but offers gamers a whole new handheld gang warfare experience."

Specifically, Gangs of London will allow players to take control of one of five London gangs--Cockney, Triad, Yardie, Russian, or Pakistani--in a variety of modes. The "core action game" mode will feature a 60-mission single-player campaign in which players will control a group of gang members in "tactical urban combat."

Gangs of London's gang battle mode will combine card-game bluffing and board-game strategy. It will pit up to four factions--player- or computer-controlled--against one other in a battle to rule London's underworld. Players will use an interactive map to plan attacks and keep track of turf, which is gained and lost via card battles. It will support multiplayer bouts via a single copy, courtesy of the PSP's game-sharing functionality.

For those who feel like checking out the game's urban landscape without all the thuggery, Gangs of London will also include a free-roaming mode. There's also a tourist mode, which will put players in control of an overweight American tourist who runs missions to photograph major landmarks in the capital.

Last but not least, the game will sport two other UK-centric modes of play. First will be "the knowledge," a quiz of London streets modeled after the exam all cab drivers in the city must take. Gangs of London will also include several minigames based on classic British pub pastimes, including darts and pool.

Currently unrated, Gangs of London is set for release in the UK later this year. Sony has not yet announced any US release plans.