Official Website

Platform: PSP

Genre: Fighting

Number of Players: 1 - 2

You're probably thinking right about now that you've got plenty of puzzle games for your PSP, you've picked up a number of action games, but for some reason there really aren't too many fighting games to play, and you've probably got a craving I'm sure. Fighting games are after all a tremendously popular genre right next to first person shooters and sports titles. Sony has just the thing for some of you taking modern gaming design and combining it with some good "old school" action.

The Con literally puts you in the street-fighting environment, but the object here isn't always about winning. You'll put together a group of highly capable fighters all with the potential to win, or the ability to lose. It's all about how you can pull off the con, and if you play your cards just right, and make enough money, you just might find yourself in the fight of a lifetime with a million dollar cash prize.

If you're tired of the norm, The Con steps quite a few steps in the opposite direction. It's not often you find a game that will intentionally let you lose and not have to continue. In each fight, you will have the option to place bets on the fighters, and the key to success is putting money on the fighter with the highest odds. There are times that it's not going to be you. As each fight begins, so does the con, and here is how it works.

Let's assume that you've placed money on a fighter with better odds. During the match, make sure to hit the L button at just the right time when being hit. This will make the fight look more convincing, and you can use this to increase your odds if you've placed a bet on yourself. You also have a timer that can be set before "all bets are off", and working this as a means to improve the odds is a bit part of the start of any fight. The fights themselves are simply comprise of combos, throwing punches and kicks in rapid succession, as well as dodging hits (if you're trying to win) and using an occasional grapple, if it's part of your fighting style. Make sure to watch the con meter as well if you're trying to take a dive, and everyone knows the meaning of thumbs up and thumbs down.

At the conclusion of the match, you'll see the results as well as how much money you've managed to make. However, if you're trying to take a dive and don't look convincing, the crowd won't take to it very well. You may find your fighter beaten down, all your wager lost, and having to pay some additional funds at the hospital. Playing it smart, making it look good, and working the timer to your advantage are the real keys to success.

After a fight, you then will be able to select your next bout. You will see how many weeks there are until it is scheduled, and on the off weeks you can rest (very important if you're fatigued from a prior match), train to improve your skills, or pay a hospital visit if needed. You can also purchase new items for your fighters that will not only change the looks but will also improve some of your stats.

Winning fights will gain you experience that will increase your level, eventually getting you new special moves, and gain you respect. The more respect you have, the higher the level of the teams you can take on will be, and you do have bosses to contend with as well if you want to make it to the top of the heap and bring in the big bucks. It's certainly not going to be a walk in the park though, especially when you finish a bout to find that the crowd didn't believe a moment of your "convincing" performance to earn yourself some more money. Also, as the skills of the fighters increase, so will the stakes and the amount you can wager, but also be spending some of those winnings on additional things for your characters, so it's best to try and move up in the rankings as quickly as you can to get more cash.

The Con has a quite a few characters that you can select from, but if that’s not good enough for you, you can always make your own. This will allow you to select your combos as well and establish them more to your liking. While this isn’t nearly as in-depth as what you might find in something like the WWE titles, it’s still great to be able to bring in a fighter that you took the time to make instead of simply being stuck with what the game has to offer. You can also use your fighter in the games quick fight option or play against a friend.

While The Con is an interesting idea, I do have to say that it grew old rather quickly. I expect fighting games to be the same, but honestly the real challenge that I’d find with something like SoulCalibur isn’t here. It isn’t too difficult to throw the fights if necessary, though there were some times I thought I was performing superbly only to get beaten down after the match and finding my coffers a little lighter. The graphics in the game I didn’t find too terribly impressive, especially when compared to many of the other games that Sony has created and released. The character designs leave much to be desired, even with the option of being able to purchase and add new items and looks to them, and the backgrounds often tend to be very unimaginative and bland.

The first few bouts of The Con really feel great, and having a 3D fighter seems like an outstanding premise, but The Con quickly grows stale. What begins as something of an addictive and captivating title quickly becomes one that can easily be put down after a short time and you quickly realize just who the one is that really got conned here.
 

-mike-