The Con (PSP) Review

In order for a fighting game to really survive on the market it has to have unique appeal or be part of a best-selling franchise. Two obvious failures are Tao Feng and Kakuto Chojin, two Xbox fighting games that did nothing for the genre and hit the bargain bin as a result. Now here comes Sony with its own unique take on the fighting realm, the handheld brawler The Con, and while I won't deem it a failure like those other two pieces of trash, it's going to attract only an eclectic kind of crowd instead of the mainstream.

The game has a lot of fighting elements to it, but also involves a bit of strategy, as the title indicates. In the game, you choose from a number of characters, each with a different combat style and then take to the streets to do some fighting. The strategy comes into play with bets that you place on each fight, either on yourself or your opponent to win. One might think this is easy money, but the crowd is able to smell a "rat" right away if they think that someone is throwing the fight. So part of your job is to not only survive the fight, but basically sell it, taking enough injuries to make it look like you legitimately lost.

It's an interesting mix, to say the least, but the formula can only work so much on the strength of its gameplay. The Con has its moments with customizable moves and decent character animation, but it doesn't really appeal like other fighting games such as Tekken 5 and Soul Calibur III. It lacks the finesse and pizzazz of other fighting games, although it does have a few moves that are pretty sick to watch. Plus, considering those franchises aren't on the PSP (yet), your pickings are pretty slim, so it'll have to suffice.

The graphics look pretty good, though the strange behind the back third person camera angle will definitely not appeal to everyone. It works most of the time, but it fails to let the player know when he or she is butted up against a wall. It's a bit frustrating, but it's not that big a deal. Otherwise, the backdrops look good and the animation is solid. Music and sound effects are decent, but nothing overwhelmingly spectacular.

The Con does feature a ton of unlockable items, including new areas, new fighters, new outfits, and more, so progress is made within the game if you continue on your end of the con. Furthermore, while you can't take on players through online play, you can allow a friend to download and battle you on in a quick match to get an idea of what the brawling is all about. But this comes right back to the appeal of the fighting engine itself, and how much you can tolerate. Personally, I'm up for Darkstalkers for my Wi-Fi fighting action, even if the controls are a bit more limited than the arcade unit.

The Con is going to get a slight thumbs up from me because I like the idea behind it. But I wish some more attention was given to the fighting engine. It'll find its audience for sure, but it could've easily been a mainstream hit. Unfortunately, it appears The Con is on only for a select crowd.