It the time to dispense justice with the Sequel to the PSP’s (PlayStation Portable) Pursuit Force. Enter once more into the Elite Policing unit and Vehicular Combat in Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice! Here is our Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice Review!
Developed by BigBIG Studios and originally released in 2007 for the PSP, continuing the story of the First game, from 2005. Although a sequel to one of the better PSP games, this gem was not as good as its predecessor. However, taking on a new swing at Vehicular Combat and changing the formula that the original solidified mere years earlier, this game is still worth its time in the light. Recently released for the PS4 and PS5, if you liked the first game you should have some fun in this title.
STORY:
Unlike its predecessor, Extreme Justice is spread out over 5 Acts and has a total of 30 missions, in which you hunt down the gangs and dispense the justice only the Pursuit Force can. Much like the original game, there are the factions that the game is split into, but unlike the first game, they are slightly different, you can see them below:
- Syndicate – British Thief Ring
- Warlords – Military (Returning)
- Convicts – Escaped Criminals (Returning)
- Raiders – Pirates
- Viper Squad – Corrupt Policing Force
As you complete missions and progress through the available campaign, taking down the factions one mission at a time, as they come, Boss missions will be made available for you to close the faction. This is a constant, which was built into the core of the original game in 2005, however slightly different as it may be. The difference is how the game handles the “Boss” fights, just look at the game to see you take on Billy Wilde in the First Mission in the game, and he’s a Subordinate for the Convicts faction.
There are however some returning characters not just the Pursuit Force members but also the enemies like The Warlords Leader The General, The Convicts Leader Hard Balls, and The Convict Second in Command Billy Wilde. That being said it is 2 Years since the events of the first game and The Pursuit Force has grown to encompass some recruits who bring their own skills to gameplay. The game also plays considerably differently from the first, which is understandable as the game was apparently rebuilt from the ground up when fans complained about the difficulty of the original on PSP. Unlike the original game, this one is not split into faction missions, instead, this is a campaign-based game where the player will be set on a course to progress through the presented missions in the Act. That being said there is a distinctive presence presented throughout each Act highlighting the threat of an individual faction you will focus attention on.
Gameplay, Mechanic-Based, and Graphic Changes:
Although this was once made for PSP it plays really rather clunky on PS4/ PS5. Response times feel fast compared to the PSP release but still feel slower than its predecessor at times. The one saving grace is the Rewind function, like most of the Emulated Games, if not all, you can undo most mistakes making the game faster to play through. The graphics might have been good on the PSP, however when compared to the first game they really are pretty bad and masked by the impressive-looking artwork and reputation of the first installment of the series. The main gripe I have with the game’s mechanics is it is clunky, slow, and feels rushed compared to the first game. That all being said it was fun to play through and in comparison to the first game it is really easy, trophies are pretty much playing the game “Giveaways” as well which is perfect for anyone wanting some fast trophy grabs.
Control-wise if you don’t change the layout, meaning if you are happy with using the X Button as acceleration and R1/L1 Buttons to do actions, then you will find things a little troublesome like the first game.
Just like the original game a major issue was the fact of movement on foot has a locked camera, meaning you can’t rotate the camera independent of the character. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as the game is a PSP title but it was very irritating. The fact that you have been presented with an Aim Mode in these situations and it feels bad to use isn’t helpful. The main issue is the character is closer to the camera in Extreme Justice and it feels very unnatural with the camera locked to the character in such a way that the mechanics feel wrong to use. The Melee takedowns have now been refined to become a QTE sequence, which can vary between using three or four button presses, where this granted a more immersive experience than the first game, this was possibly the only thing that was good about being on Foot.
The saving grace about some mechanics is the Rail Shooter parts feel refined and looks like the team took extra care making them feel and react more naturally with the flow of the missions. This isn’t just referring to the Chopper Gunner but the Jeep Turret situation. The bad side of the Rail Shooter Sections is the Sniper events, the sniper is an alright weapon to use if you are stationary, however when in motion there is no compensation for shots meaning the player needs to manually compensate for where they need to shoot. The L1/R1 Buttons being reversed controls doesn’t help this situation much either, with L1 being Zoom In and R1 being Zoom Out.
Finally, different from the original game there have been some additional vehicle classes added to the game, the likes of Hovercrafts, Motorbike and Sidecar, and specialist sequences like Cargo Train, Soviet Tank, and Cargo Plane. Where it would have been nice to drive one of these special vehicles there is only so much you would be able to achieve and animations for entering/exiting would be more lengthy than what there is in the game.
Summary:
Overall the game is a tolerable experience, and although pretty short, it is fun while it lasts. Considering the like 5 – 20 minutes to install and the 4 – 6 Hours to platinum, it is a good title to pass the time for something bigger to install. The overall size of the game coming in at a total of under 3GB, also means that your hard drive isn’t going to be suffering, on either PS4 or PS5.
While it is short and awkward to play, and despite this author’s reservations and issues with the game, it is really worth a shot, mainly if you are a PS Subscription Member on Premium as it is free. Although the graphics are really nothing good, and don’t even represent the original Officer you control in Pursuit Force, do keep in mind that it is a PSP game and one that bigBIG Studio built from the ground up after Fan input was taken onboard. The Trophies are simple and barring a few are pretty straightforward, taking little to no effort in achieving the criteria.
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