GripShift

Another PSP racer, but this time there's more than a hint of platform action too.

Innovation on the tiny little PSP has been somewhat at a premium this early in its life. Although handheld versions of our console favourites, ported over with great skill and utilising every ounce of the PSP’s potential are most welcome, sometimes you crave the new.

So when a title such as GripShift, which at first glance simply looks like yet another handheld racing title, drops into my lap, you couldn’t really blame me for feeling a touch under whelmed. A quick glance at the box art hints towards a weapons based racing title, a style which we’ve witnessed so many times before Perhaps it's a gaming style that could do with a much needed rest.

But first appearances are frequently a long long way off the mark. Just like Carmageddon was a hell of a lot more than a collection of races, GripShift’s racing aspect is very much only a tiny part of the total package. So far as if you were to be forced to place GripShift into any one particular gaming genre, it’d be a close run thing between a platformer, and a good old head scratching puzzler.

Upon loading this particular title up (and after a short training section which gives you a feel of the controls and physics engine powering everything along) you’ll begin the first few easy levels. A simple piece of track, where you’ll race along at high speed, collecting stars. So far, so simple.

However, as you progress, you’ll notice that collecting these stars, and getting to the end of the track in the allotted time limit starts to become much more difficult. Hence the puzzle/platform based nature. In later levels, collecting stars will require astonishing levels of concentration and skill, as you hit a ramp at the perfect speed to land on a far away platform, just so you can claim that last stars and achieve a gold medal.

But simple progression is easy enough to achieve. It’s only when you become addicted to getting that last star, to get every single gold medal needed in order to unlock the various mini-games hidden inside that GripShift really starts to come to life. These tasks aren’t easy. Oh no. Achieving every single gold medal requires true skill. Your gaming abilities will be tested to the absolute limit, with some devilishly difficult sections of track, and convoluted routes to stars. But that’s where the frustration factor begins to creep in.

Each track in GripShift doesn’t have any kind of barrier to stop you plummeting to your death, and requiring a restart to the level. Hence, falling off some tracks that are barely wider than your car becomes all too frequent for those who lack the speedy twitchy fingers that a lucky few possess. But some of the later levels require all sorts of ‘perfect jumps’ in order to get that ever elusive gold medal. Not only may you require a perfectly timed jump, but also require the perfect speed, and the perfect mid-air swivel and nitrous boost in order to push your way towards your goal.

I’m not saying that the difficulty level shouldn’t be this high, but they remind far too much of the pixel perfect jumps of old, allowing far too little room for error, and requiring numerous restarts. Achieving total completion is something that very few people who buy the game are going to pull off.

None of GripShift's tracks have any kind of barrier to stop you plummeting to your death. Such a fall requires restarting the level. Hence, falling off some tracks that are barely wider than your car becomes all too frequent for those who lack the speedy twitchy fingers that a lucky few possess. But some of the later levels require all sorts of perfect jumps in order to get that ever elusive gold medal. Not only may you require a perfectly timed jump, but also require the perfect speed, and the perfect mid-air swivel and nitrous boost in order to push your way towards your goal.

I’m not saying that the difficulty level shouldn’t be this high, but they remind far too much of the pixel perfect jumps of old, allowing far too little room for error, and requiring numerous restarts. Achieving total completion is something that very few people who buy the game are going to pull off.

Thankfully you won’t be left frustrated by the way the cars handle. Each has its own unique characteristics, but all have a nice weighty feel, allowing you to fling them around corners at whim. In the air too, the cars have a delightful feel to them, allowing you to caress them to your chosen destination as you please. So you feel that a failure is down to player error, rather than a piece of dodgy coding.

With this delightful physics engine, the aesthetics do feel a touch of a let down. Though the graphics are solid, they lack any real character and seem to lack an interesting colour palette. Again, the sounds are a long way from spectacular, with only the mildly interesting music becoming the only vaguely appealing part of the aural experience.

The in built track editor becomes a real pleasure to use, it being incredibly simple to create and share your own devilishly difficult tracks. The drab nature of the aesthetics remains, so particularly pleasing on the eye tracks fall down to great track design, rather than talent with colours.

GripShift’s one of those marmite games. You’ll either fall in love with the weighty physics and adore the time based collection challenges. Or you’ll detest the numerous restarts, and missing out on progression by a mere split second. But at its budget price, and considering the wealth of options and gaming time held within, it’s hard to dissuade anyone from making the purchase. It might not be a PSP system seller, but it’s a damn enjoyable title all the same. Just make sure your ready for a true test of your gaming skills.

This review comes courtesy of our friends at www.boomtown.net .The home of harcore PC, Xbox, PS2, GameCube and handheld gaming news, previews, features and reviews.