What's on Shenji's Mind: Extreme Redefined

2 years ago, the action genre for the video game industry was redefined by Pursuit Force for the Play Station Portable (PSP). The game which offered fuel burning car chases, insanely (and also exaggerating) action stunts as well as a great scripted thriller had many standing ovations and thumbs raised for the game; the game itself legitimated the reason for video game fans to own a PSP. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a copy of Pursuit Force and like others who have played it, I truly have to agree with the fact that the game was indeed amazing. Since my completion of the game, I've always hope for a sequel of the game and the day the developers of Pursuit Force announced a sequel entitled Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice, I knew I was blessed. Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice hit the shelves of the market on the 29th of January this year and seeing that I was extremely excited about the game, I wasted no time getting my hands on the long awaited sequel. After 2 days of Pursuit Force:Extreme Justice, I successfully completed the game's campaign and as the credits rolled, I couldn't help but to give a big applause for the game developers for their tremendous effort.

For those of you who don't owe a PSP, it wouldn't be a surprise if you are unaware of the Pursuit Force series. The game revolves around an elite police task force called the Pursuit Force that specializes in direct armed encounters. This police task force was established in response to the uprising wave of crime in Capital State caused by five major gangs which consist of the Capelli Family, the Warlords, the Convicts, the Vixens and the Killer 66. The game pits the player in the boots of a Pursuit Force officer who is assigned to restore order in Capital State by taking down the five crime gangs one at the time through massive car chases and bullet hissing gun fights. The car chases aren't only the typical game of cat and mouse but it also escorted by insane stunts such as jumping from one vehicle to another vehicle at speeds over a 150 miles per hour; that makes Pursuit Force unique and different from other action games out there.

Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice shortly takes place after the ending of the 1st installment with order restored and the 5 crime gangs arrested. The Pursuit Force officer (the same one the player controls in the 1st installment) is happily married to Sarah, one of his colleagues. On the day of their joyful wedding day, a motorcade of Convicts (the same crime gang in the 1st series) violently crashed through, ramming everything in their way thus cutting the wedding occasion short. Knowing that the Convicts are on the loose, the Pursuit Force wasted no time in tracking the criminals on the run. Meanwhile, they received another intelligence report stating that the Warlords (another returning gang) are also on the loose and they are plotting a nuclear devastation on Capital State with the help of new crime gangs such as the Syndicate and the Raiders. With the nuclear threat on the table, the law enforcement of Capital State, under the mayor's aprroval has established the VIPER unit, a SWAT team which also specializes in riot control techniques to assist the Pursuit Force. As the countdown for the nuclear devastation begins, both the Pursuit Force and the VIPER unit are pitted against time to take down the ruthless gangs and prevent an all out nuclear mayhem. Although the story premise seem to be simple at first glance, many unexpected plots and clever twists are presented as the player progresses further in the game's story mode. Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice excels in terms of story content.

The tremendous game play is the obvious reason that pits Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice in the league of the elite. Unlike most action games out there in the market which only revolves around a single type of action whether is it driving, shooting or third person action exploring, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice combines all of them. The player will be thrown into a scene of high adrenaline car chase at one point of the stage, trying his or her best to take down a required number of enemy vehicles or reaching a certain checkpoint of the stage within the allocated amount of time. The scene then changes which demonstrates the player hopping onto an incoming police helicopter before manning an attached minigun which triggers the player's objective to shoot down fleeing enemy vehicles and incoming enemy rockets. The player will not be only restricted to the minigun missions but also missions which require him or her to take out enemy personnels from a distance using an automatic sniper rifle in a flying police helicopter or from a rooftop. The fun doesn't end there as certain levels of the game trigger a third person action sequence which forces the player to dodge his or her way through massive gun fights all for the sake of securing a perimeter or planting explosives on enemy equipments. When the fight gets too close, the player can pull off a variety of stylish close quarter combat techniques on his or her enemies. The boss fights are always amazing and also challenging as it test the player's ability to know when to dodge and attack. Besides that, certain boss fights require a correct sequence of button mashing combination in order to prevail, is isn't anything new but at the same time, is fun. With diverse action featured in Pursuit Force:Extreme Justice, it wouldn't be exaggerating to state that this game is a fine example of what an action game should be. The controls are great most of the time as the vehicle maneuvering is smooth as a silk, the 3rd person action shoot out are easy to control and the minigun control layout is comfortable. The default aiming sensitivity for the sniper missions can be painfully annoying seeing that it is extremely difficult to get the sniper cross hair on the target but fortunately, the aiming sensitivity can be adjusted in the options menu of the game. As the player progresses deeper into the game, many abilities like reloading the weapon faster, jumping onto enemy vehicles from a greater distance, increasing damage attacks and reducing the minigun from over heating by a certain amount of percentage, can be unlocked with credits earned during missions. With its awesome game play, it is not surprising that Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice deserves two thumbs up.

Like its terrific game play, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice blows the player away with its awesome style. Although the music score is not composed by Harry Gregson Williams or Hans Zimmer, a great mixture of metal and heroic themes in the game's soundtrack is sufficient enough to let the player experience how tough and valiant an action hero or heroine can be. Voice acting is still good although not exactly Hollywood scripted and the dialogs which features a handful amount of humor and sarcasm never fails to make the player giggle. Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice triumphs in its sleek, smooth and colorful 3D graphics which has a slight comic theme behind it making it ideal for the genre of the game. Overall, the game performs well in terms of its style.

After 2 days of Pursuit Force:Extreme Justice, I successfully completed the game's campaign and as the credits rolled, I couldn't help but to give a big applause for the game developers for their tremendous effort. With everything to rave and nothing to rant about the game except for its slightly flawed aim sensitivity which fortunately can be adjusted in the options menu, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice scores a 9 out of 10. Hopefully, there will be news regarding the development of a third title in the near future. Like Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops, Pursuit Force is an outstanding game that will prompt video game fans to own a PSP.

The player will assume the role of a Pursuit Force police officer in Extreme Justice.

Meet the VIPER unit. They are the law enforcement's SWAT team that also specialize in riot control techniques. The gentleman in the middle is Commander Decker and he is the head of the VIPER unit

Chase em!

If you can't get them to stop, jump onto their vehicle and shoot them.

Jumping onto the bad guys' vehicle is cool...but one small mistake and you're roadkill.

At times, your colleague will assist you to take down the bad guys.

A variety of vehicles at your disposal including bikes.

Run and gun!

Sorry sweet heart, but I only ride alone. An officer of the Pursuit Force knocking off a Warlord criminal from her bike.

Take the fight to the water.

...and air

Death from above. One of the few mingun missions which can be very enjoyable.

Target in sight. The sniper missions are as fun as the minigun missions...just make sure you adjust the aim sensitivity before playing or you'll hate this part of the game.