Gangs of London marks Sony’s
venture to take their Getaway franchise to the PSP. While the game isn’t a
direct entry to the series, it works as more of a spin-off game putting players
into the seedy underbelly of London’s criminal underworld. While initially the
game is pretty impressive, with a huge representation of London and a solid
graphical presentation, things quickly go sour once the game falls prey to the
problems of the PS2 entries to the Getaway franchise and then some, with
technical issues like poor controls, lousy mission structure and frustratingly
weak AI.
Gangs of London spreads
things out by allowing you to select from one of six different London gangs,
each with their own weight to the overall story arc. They each have their own
mission set that determines their side of the story, but these missions all feel
very similar and plain. Most missions are comprised of driving from one place to
another within a time limit or with cops on your tail or both and shootouts with
the AI.
The mission structure is a
little boring in Gangs of London, which is a real shame, since the game’s map is
so big. The developers didn’t really do a whole lot to make the huge environment
come to play in the story mode, as the only way that you can actually see much
of the map at all is through the free-roam mode. The missions don’t take
advantage of the game’s scope, making it actually feel very narrow.
The controls are another
sore spot for the game. Vehicle controls are very floaty, and cars handle
lousily with the PSP’s analog nub careening into a spin with what seem to be
slight flicks on the thumbstick. However, on foot control feels very clunky and
unresponsive.
The AI is also not as good
as it could be. Racing opponents make many stupid choices and mistakes.
Shootouts are also a bit of a joke, as enemies will sometimes just stand there
while you shoot them, and vice versa (your buddies won’t fight for you
sometimes, either).
Graphically, the game does
right for the most part. The huge environment looks pretty good, and the
character models move nicely and have an interesting pseudo-stylized look.
However, while the game looks alright for the most part, the overall
presentation seems a little ho-hum. Most of the textures and details look a
little washed out, giving the game a plainer look than you’d expect.
The sound is Ok, but not
great. The Guy Richie-esque banter between the characters appears in this game,
but the over-the-top delivery makes the game a bit more cheesy than cool. The
soundtrack is also very sparse, and could’ve used more songs and diversity.
Gangs of London is a bit of
a disappointment (I say “bit” since the console versions weren’t too hot, so the
game really didn’t have far to fall). While this game seemed to retain most of
the problems that pushed the console games down, here’s hoping they manage to
fix the controls, lame AI and boring story mode next round.
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Review Scoring Details for Gangs of London |
Gameplay: 5.0
With
clunky controls, weak AI and boring missions, Gangs of London is an exercise in
frustration. Plus, the huge scope of the game’s representation of London is all
but squandered in the story mode.
Graphics: 7.0
Gangs of London
is not a bad looking game, with an accurate portrayal of the city and some
decent looking character models. However, the overall look feels a little plain,
and most of the details seem washed out.
Sound: 6.0
The thick cockney
accents and layered profanity that seem to give the Getaway franchise its own
flair are present and over-the-top, but the soundtrack selection feels very
sparse.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 5.0
The game tries to
apply the detail and scope of the console versions, but falls victim to the same
problems that plagued them.
Overall: 5.0
Gangs of London
is a pretty dull game that can border on frustrating due to the clunky controls,
lame missions and weak AI. Definitely more ‘Swept Away’ than ‘Lock, Stock and
Two Smoking Barrels’.
