The Con (PSP)
- Publisher:
- South Peak Interactive
- Developer:
- Think And Feel Inc
- Release Date:
- 27.07.2007
- Number of players:
- 1 - 2
- Type:
- Fighting
- Sport Type:
- Alternative
- Sport Style:
- Contact
- Sport:
- Fighting
- Extra:
- Streets
We play The Con...
Some people would have you believe that gambling is evil. It isn’t of course, if done in moderation and within your financial means, and what’s more it can add spice to even the most mundane of events. The next time you watch a turgid football friendly, bung a couple of quid on either side and watch how everything suddenly becomes interesting again. Rather than the usual mind-numbing incompetence on display, every misplaced pass raises the pulse, every shot that reaches row Z is greeted with a sigh of relief. It’s an quick route for an adrenaline fix, and something that the PSP brawler ‘The Con’ knows all too well.
Choosing from the usual selection of fighting game menu options, the story mode starts out with a fairly unfathomable cutscene depicting your characters’ release from prison and subsequent introduction to a shady street fighting syndicate. “Life is tougher out on the streets than in the can” apparently, which is all rather clichéd but about the level of depth that you would expect. Somewhat uniquely however, entering the story mode triggers a character creation system as in-depth as any full console game to come before it, complete with customisable appearances and attack chains akin to the system in PS2 title God Hand. Impressive stuff for a handheld.
Taking your customised fighter onto the streets, the initial good impressions are soon shattered unfortunately. Played from an over-the-shoulder third person perspective, the core gameplay of ‘The Con’ is about as traditional as any fighting game to come before it. Controls are limited to dodging with the d-pad and stringing attack combos together from the usual array of high and low attacks mapped to the face buttons, along with a block control mapped to the right shoulder of the PSP. The only notable differentiating factor in play is the camera angle, which is more of a hindrance than a bonus for the most part.
The pacing is fairly slow and given the general lack of manoeuvrability could easily be misconstrued as being entirely on-rails. Tekken-style attack chains rule the day, with all the frustrations of that particular system coming along for the ride. Getting caught in a combo attack from the CPU entails sitting out the action until you’ve been knocked to the ground and subsequently recover. Flowing and graceful are two descriptions definitely not in the manual.
If the fighting system was all that was on offer, The Con would have little to recommend above established genre favourites such as DarkStalkers or Tekken Dark Resurrection. The game is partially saved however by the fairly unique betting system attached to all in-game bouts.
Prior to each fight, the game insists that a monetary bet is placed on either participant to win. In a basic form this allows you to earn cash by battering opponents efficiently and quickly, but soon opens up into a suite of different tactical opportunities. You could, for example, place a bet on your opponent for victory, and then throw the fight. Picking weak opponents to win can offer some of the best odds in the game, making it a worthwhile strategy and one that has to be explored in order to reach the top. Or as we’re in a ‘shady underworld’ I guess that’d be the bottom?
You can’t just stand there and get smacked around however, that’d be a slightly dull experience for anybody, and as such the game includes an ‘audience meter’ that swings left to right depending on the believability of the bout. Stationary fighters simply soaking up blows will soon get rustled, forcing you to throw a few punches in the opposite direction and then lean in (using the left shoulder button) at the correct time for your opponent to do extra damage in return. It’s an interesting system and works fairly well in practice, although it can be extremely tricky against fast fighters.
As an extra layer of depth, the odds for each fighter won’t remain static throughout each bout. At the beginning of every match you’ll have to choose a time limit during which the odds can fluctuate before being locked down for the remainder of the fight. This in turn opens up even more strategy to consider. For example, choose a strong opponent and your chances of winning might be rated at 3-1 at the start of the fight. Place a bet on yourself and allow for a convincing battering to take place initially and the odds will then be raised even further before being locked in. Once the odds are locked, fight your way back to snatch a victory at the last second and enjoy the rigged fortune that you’ve just created. Of course you can play that system the other way if needs be, and allow yourself a last-minute loss after betting on your opponent.
Each character under your control also has a few RPG-style fighting statistics which progress with experience throughout the campaign. This element of play soon turns into a time-management system as each fighter must be rested for a few weeks following every bout in order to recover, and train to improve abilities. You can set up fights against rival gangs from choosing amongst several options open to you at the time, so the dilemma will be to either provide enough resting and development time for your fighters, or jump into a lucrative fight against a rival gang that may disappear otherwise.
As complex and well thought-out as the main single-player mode is, the graphical quality on offer is middling at very best, without ever showing any particular flair for design or character development. It’s telling that when pushed I can’t remember any of the characters names, let alone distinguish between many of the stages. Sound design throughout is thoroughly average, with some awful music accompanying the bouts and the menu options. Given the PSP’s excellent audio capabilities, this sort of issue stands out somewhat.
Overall The Con is an interesting but deeply flawed fighter that can prove to be very addictive early on. Settling into a rhythm of betting and then rigging fights between each of your 3 crew members can become hypnotic and it’s a shame that the actual gameplay on offer wasn’t further polished before release. It’s definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the traditional fighting game non-event of a single-player structure, and almost manages to save itself from bargain-bin territory with some fairly unique additions to the formula. Close, but not quite a worthwhile purchase.
Top game moment: Throwing a fight and making some decent money for losing. Just remember to make it convincing!
 |
 |
|
| Combo attacks are key to success | The third person perspective is nothing if not unique |
Choosing from the usual selection of fighting game menu options, the story mode starts out with a fairly unfathomable cutscene depicting your characters’ release from prison and subsequent introduction to a shady street fighting syndicate. “Life is tougher out on the streets than in the can” apparently, which is all rather clichéd but about the level of depth that you would expect. Somewhat uniquely however, entering the story mode triggers a character creation system as in-depth as any full console game to come before it, complete with customisable appearances and attack chains akin to the system in PS2 title God Hand. Impressive stuff for a handheld.
Taking your customised fighter onto the streets, the initial good impressions are soon shattered unfortunately. Played from an over-the-shoulder third person perspective, the core gameplay of ‘The Con’ is about as traditional as any fighting game to come before it. Controls are limited to dodging with the d-pad and stringing attack combos together from the usual array of high and low attacks mapped to the face buttons, along with a block control mapped to the right shoulder of the PSP. The only notable differentiating factor in play is the camera angle, which is more of a hindrance than a bonus for the most part.
The pacing is fairly slow and given the general lack of manoeuvrability could easily be misconstrued as being entirely on-rails. Tekken-style attack chains rule the day, with all the frustrations of that particular system coming along for the ride. Getting caught in a combo attack from the CPU entails sitting out the action until you’ve been knocked to the ground and subsequently recover. Flowing and graceful are two descriptions definitely not in the manual.
If the fighting system was all that was on offer, The Con would have little to recommend above established genre favourites such as DarkStalkers or Tekken Dark Resurrection. The game is partially saved however by the fairly unique betting system attached to all in-game bouts.
 |
 |
|
| The betting aspect is enough to keep you playing | Customisable combo strings add to the depth |
Prior to each fight, the game insists that a monetary bet is placed on either participant to win. In a basic form this allows you to earn cash by battering opponents efficiently and quickly, but soon opens up into a suite of different tactical opportunities. You could, for example, place a bet on your opponent for victory, and then throw the fight. Picking weak opponents to win can offer some of the best odds in the game, making it a worthwhile strategy and one that has to be explored in order to reach the top. Or as we’re in a ‘shady underworld’ I guess that’d be the bottom?
You can’t just stand there and get smacked around however, that’d be a slightly dull experience for anybody, and as such the game includes an ‘audience meter’ that swings left to right depending on the believability of the bout. Stationary fighters simply soaking up blows will soon get rustled, forcing you to throw a few punches in the opposite direction and then lean in (using the left shoulder button) at the correct time for your opponent to do extra damage in return. It’s an interesting system and works fairly well in practice, although it can be extremely tricky against fast fighters.
As an extra layer of depth, the odds for each fighter won’t remain static throughout each bout. At the beginning of every match you’ll have to choose a time limit during which the odds can fluctuate before being locked down for the remainder of the fight. This in turn opens up even more strategy to consider. For example, choose a strong opponent and your chances of winning might be rated at 3-1 at the start of the fight. Place a bet on yourself and allow for a convincing battering to take place initially and the odds will then be raised even further before being locked in. Once the odds are locked, fight your way back to snatch a victory at the last second and enjoy the rigged fortune that you’ve just created. Of course you can play that system the other way if needs be, and allow yourself a last-minute loss after betting on your opponent.
Each character under your control also has a few RPG-style fighting statistics which progress with experience throughout the campaign. This element of play soon turns into a time-management system as each fighter must be rested for a few weeks following every bout in order to recover, and train to improve abilities. You can set up fights against rival gangs from choosing amongst several options open to you at the time, so the dilemma will be to either provide enough resting and development time for your fighters, or jump into a lucrative fight against a rival gang that may disappear otherwise.
As complex and well thought-out as the main single-player mode is, the graphical quality on offer is middling at very best, without ever showing any particular flair for design or character development. It’s telling that when pushed I can’t remember any of the characters names, let alone distinguish between many of the stages. Sound design throughout is thoroughly average, with some awful music accompanying the bouts and the menu options. Given the PSP’s excellent audio capabilities, this sort of issue stands out somewhat.
 |
 |
|
| Super-powerful special attacks are available, as always | Several different fighting styles are available |
Overall The Con is an interesting but deeply flawed fighter that can prove to be very addictive early on. Settling into a rhythm of betting and then rigging fights between each of your 3 crew members can become hypnotic and it’s a shame that the actual gameplay on offer wasn’t further polished before release. It’s definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the traditional fighting game non-event of a single-player structure, and almost manages to save itself from bargain-bin territory with some fairly unique additions to the formula. Close, but not quite a worthwhile purchase.
Top game moment: Throwing a fight and making some decent money for losing. Just remember to make it convincing!
