Thursday, March 30, 2006

Pursuit Force, where spikestrips are for wussies.


I'm not going to go into the whole business of reviewing games on this blog. Do not judge lest ye be judged and all that.

I did, however, come across Pursuit Force for the PSP. It's like Need for Speed meets Crazy Taxi meets Matrix chase scene. Haven't actually played the game but the concept is pretty simple. You play a cop that chases people down, using all sorts of silly weaponry and acrobatic skill. How does a concept like this happen... an immediate scene popped in my head.

Somewhere in LA, hours into a brainstorming session, game designers are frustrated and have hit a wall. Someone in the room turns on the TV and another car chase is on. Suddenly, they all look at each other and a collective smile forms.

Let me tell you. We just love our car chases here in LA. We love seeing someone hit that point of no return and simply go for broke. We sit back and secretly enjoy seeing the wolves hunt the silly sheep that strayed. We savor the delicious possibility of total and utter chaos. Finally, more often than not, we feel cheated when nothing happens. This game promises to fulfill all the devious little thoughts we've had while watching that guy fly down the 405.

I'm kind of tickled by the whole thing. Take a cultural element, translate it into a game. Here's some other things I'd like to see turned into a game:

  • Ultimate Thanksgiving - You play a Special Ops agent sent to infiltrate a large Southern family dinner. Your only mission: Don't kill anyone. Warning: The turkey WILL knock you out.
  • Insane Cupid - You're a D-list celebrity. Your job is to climb the ladder of fame by hooking up with other celebrities and then devising spectacular break-ups. Bonus points for converting yourself to another religion.
  • Mattress Mayhem - Shop for a mattress, don't get scammed. Protect your credit card as legions of sales guys, cresting over sales floor samples, hurl offers at you.
Right... I know, I need to get out more. On a serious note. We really are going to have to see some games that are totally out of the box if we want to grow this industry. Katamari Damacy is just a glorified version of what I do when I use my Swiffer. Look how that turned out.

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