Calling All Cars! Review - PS3

Veteran game designer David Jaffe took a pass on directing God of War 2 to focus on creating new games. His PSP game Heartland, one that imagined America under Chinese occupation, never saw the light of day. Calling All Cars, on the other hand, is available for download via Sony's PlayStation Store. The game shares more than a little DNA with another one of Jaffe's projects, Twisted Metal. But where his previous effort went for the jugular, Calling All Cars is a tad more light-hearted. With a hand-drawn art style that echoes the underground comics of Robert Crumb and over-the-top, cops and robbers action that's more slapstick than balls-to-the-wall violent, the game marks a decided left turn for Jaffe. It's a change in an interesting direction.

Cheap, Fast and Out of Control

Calling All Cars is a decidedly casual offering. The game costs less than ten bucks. And though there's plenty of unlockables and solid online play to help milk every last cent out of that gaming dollar, the game ain't exactly epic. But that's not the point. Calling All Cars aims for pick-up-and-play fun. The scenario is uber-simple. Crooks are on the loose. Players compete to load the baddies into their Hot Wheel-style vehicles and deliver them to the slammer. Nabbing the fugitives is simple enough, but hanging onto them is another story. One collision or power-up attack is enough to send the criminal sailing into another player's paddy wagon. It's this frenzied, unpredictable play that makes Calling All Cars fun.

Tommy, Can You Hear Me?

Super-competitive games like Calling All Cars are best played against human opponents. A split-screen option makes the game an instant must-cop for PlayStation 3 owners looking for party games. The game is hampered, slightly, by Sony's online service. Technically, the matches work great. But trash-talk, or even cordial communication, is stifled by the fact that the PlayStation 3 doesn't come bundled with a headset. You know you've got a communication problem when players routinely name their online matches “headsets only.”

Sentenced to Additional Labor

Calling All Cars is part of a concerted effort on the part of Sony to create a space that's competitive with Xbox Live Arcade. They've got a long way to go, but if this game is any indication they're on the right track. David Jaffe's excursion into so-called casual games is a solid effort that hearkens back to old-school arcade action while fully representing the next generation. The game may be stylized, but it looks and plays spectacularly in high-definition. The best level, one that takes place in a rail yard with players launching over and occasionally through the railroad cars, is a feast for the eyes and a blast to play. With only four areas, as well thought out as they may be, Calling All Cars cries out for expansion. More places to play and a couple new ways to compete will keep PlayStation 3 owners chasing after those slippery lawbreakers.

Article by: Gus Mastrapa
Video produced by: Mark Fahey