Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice is a worthy follow up to a legendary PSP game that made console history.

User Rating: 9 | Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice PSP
Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice is a follow up game to one of the first major, innovative game for the PSP console, Pursuit Force. It follows the same arcade-like gameplay that is still incessantly addicting and tense. It's still amazingly adrenaline pumping. It still has a cheesy soundtrack, and the missions are as daring and impossible as ever.

Extreme Justice seems to have actually scaled down the graphics from it's predecessor, or perhaps I have just become used to better looking games on the PSP. The lower end graphics aren't really a big deal, since the game is very arcade like, and low-end graphics adds to this effect. It's funny to the see the Chief of Police in the cartoon boxes – he seems to either ponder the next move, or is in a violent outburst.

This game seems to add an emotional and personal touch to the elite force. The previous game was all about fighting the baddies, jumping from one vehicle to another and taking down loads of criminals in a matter of minutes. In Extreme Justice, we get a few emotional cutscenes and generally an identification with the force when they are faced with a rival force, the Viper Squad. Sound quality is decent, with the roaring of vehicles generally sounding the same regardless of the size of the vehicle. Enemy AI taunt you from the cultural basis they're from – the Convicts are Southerners, and have a strong accent, while the Russians talk about shooting you like Sputnik. It's not all politically correct, but video games don't have to be.

The technical detail of Pursuit Force have been ironed out. Pursuit Force now can be paused and/or the PSP can be put into sleep mode while in a mission. The controls are a little more sensitive, but this is probably because the game has been made a little less harder than the original. Don't get me wrong – it's still a hard as hell game, but it grows on you a bit more, and after failing a case or two, you get the hang of swerving by civilian cars, making effective jumps, and using your fellow force members to your advantage. You get a lot of gameplay in the story line, but the fun really comes from being able to do the story again, in variable difficulties. You get to earn stars which can be spent on upgrades, cheats, and other goodies at the shop.

In terms of the blood and gore aspect – Pursuit Force has none really, but the language and the emotional content may be harder for babies to digest. This Pursuit Force adds a multiplayer, but it seems like no one is ever on, and it's basically a useless feature. Pursuit Force also features much better loading times. There's no doubt that Pursuit Force is an essential game for all PSP owners who want a game that fits the portable's control scheme natively.

GRAPHICS: 7/10 (Arcade graphics through and through)
SOUND: 5/10 (Shoddy music and effects)
CONTROLS: 9/10 (Very good, partially since the game is suited to the PSP so much)
DIFFICULTY: VARIABLE (Three levels of difficulty.)
VALUE: 9/10 (Story, Challenges, and Bounty Modes, plus Multiplayer)
LOAD TIMES: MEDIUM (Significantly improved over Pursuit Force)
OVERALL: 9/10 (I can't help but just adore this game. Can't stop playing it. As such, will cause you to fail in school.)