GripShift speeds onto PSPs

For fans of driving games, the PSP is the place to be. Though the handheld can claim only one role-playing game (an action RPG, at that), the number of racing games has almost reached double digits. However, each of those games is a PSP version of an established franchise--Need for Speed, Midnight Club, WipeOut, to name a few.

Sony Online Entertainment changed all that today by shipping GripShift to stores. The original game was developed by Sidhe Interactive, a studio based out of Wellington, New Zealand, and is being copublished by California company Red Mile Entertainment.

In GripShift, drivers spend as much time with their wheels off the ground as they do with them on the ground. The stunt-based racer has a single-player mode that challenges gamers to complete levels simply by crossing the finish the line. The problem is that these tracks have jumps, loops, and all sorts of obstacles in the way. There is also a simple kart racing mode, an ad hoc multiplayer mode, and a level editor.

GripShift is rated E for Everyone and carries an MSRP of $39.99. For more information on the game, check out GameSpot's full review.