Gangs of London

Gangs of London marks Sony’s venture to take their Getaway franchise to the PSP. While the game isn’t a direct entry to the series, it works as more of a spin-off game putting players into the seedy underbelly of London’s criminal underworld. While initially the game is pretty impressive, with a huge representation of London and a solid graphical presentation, things quickly go sour once the game falls prey to the problems of the PS2 entries to the Getaway franchise and then some, with technical issues like poor controls, lousy mission structure and frustratingly weak AI.

Gangs of London spreads things out by allowing you to select from one of six different London gangs, each with their own weight to the overall story arc. They each have their own mission set that determines their side of the story, but these missions all feel very similar and plain. Most missions are comprised of driving from one place to another within a time limit or with cops on your tail or both and shootouts with the AI.

The mission structure is a little boring in Gangs of London, which is a real shame, since the game’s map is so big. The developers didn’t really do a whole lot to make the huge environment come to play in the story mode, as the only way that you can actually see much of the map at all is through the free-roam mode. The missions don’t take advantage of the game’s scope, making it actually feel very narrow.

The controls are another sore spot for the game. Vehicle controls are very floaty, and cars handle lousily with the PSP’s analog nub careening into a spin with what seem to be slight flicks on the thumbstick. However, on foot control feels very clunky and unresponsive.

The AI is also not as good as it could be. Racing opponents make many stupid choices and mistakes. Shootouts are also a bit of a joke, as enemies will sometimes just stand there while you shoot them, and vice versa (your buddies won’t fight for you sometimes, either).

Graphically, the game does right for the most part. The huge environment looks pretty good, and the character models move nicely and have an interesting pseudo-stylized look. However, while the game looks alright for the most part, the overall presentation seems a little ho-hum. Most of the textures and details look a little washed out, giving the game a plainer look than you’d expect.

The sound is Ok, but not great. The Guy Richie-esque banter between the characters appears in this game, but the over-the-top delivery makes the game a bit more cheesy than cool. The soundtrack is also very sparse, and could’ve used more songs and diversity.

Gangs of London is a bit of a disappointment (I say “bit” since the console versions weren’t too hot, so the game really didn’t have far to fall). While this game seemed to retain most of the problems that pushed the console games down, here’s hoping they manage to fix the controls, lame AI and boring story mode next round.

Gameplay: 5.0
With clunky controls, weak AI and boring missions, Gangs of London is an exercise in frustration. Plus, the huge scope of the game’s representation of London is all but squandered in the story mode.

Graphics: 7.0
Gangs of London is not a bad looking game, with an accurate portrayal of the city and some decent looking character models. However, the overall look feels a little plain, and most of the details seem washed out.

Sound: 6.0
The thick cockney accents and layered profanity that seem to give the Getaway franchise its own flair are present and over-the-top, but the soundtrack selection feels very sparse.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 5.0
The game tries to apply the detail and scope of the console versions, but falls victim to the same problems that plagued them.

Overall: 5.0
Gangs of London is a pretty dull game that can border on frustrating due to the clunky controls, lame missions and weak AI. Definitely more ‘Swept Away’ than ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’.