Producer Ryan Hamlyn talks about Pursuit Force
By Michael Lafferty

“We also wanted to be sure to have at least a couple ‘Oh crap – that was freakin’ awesome! Did you see that?!’ moments.”

High-speed chases scroll across the screen, accompanied to the staccato of gun play. No, this is not the latest remake of a former Hollywood blockbuster, but rather what SCEA hopes emulates the feel and intensity while racing through the screen on the PlayStation Portable system.

Pursuit Force plants players in the role of a young rookie police officer, assigned to a special force tasked with shutting down five criminal gangs in the area around Capital City. Game scenarios will include collect and follow assignments, high-speed pursuit, on-foot action, and aerial attacks.

Commandeer vehicles, engage in shootouts at speeds reaching up to 150 mph – it’s all included. Not only that, but the range of vehicles is surprising. Not only are their highway vehicles (motorcycles, trucks, cars and buses) but there are speedboats and some aircraft as well included in this slick program.

Want to know a bit more? So did GameZone and so we turned to Producer Ryan Hamlyn, for answers.

Question: From the E3 preview seen oh-so-many months ago, it seems that Pursuit Force has a very arcade feel to it. Would this be accurate, or does the game have several different styles of play? If so, what other game modes are there?

Ryan: “Pursuit Force definitely has an arcade feel to it throughout. Part of that comes from the pick up and play feel that we were going for since it is a PSP title. Also, from the jump mechanic to the helicopter mini-gun to the on-foot sections, the non-stop action is a big part of what brings that arcade feel to the game.:”

Q: Does the game feature multiplayer and what kind is offered if there is this option?

Ryan: “We didn’t get multiplayer in this time, as we were really concentrating on getting the single player experience right.”

Q: What are the particular challenges of bringing a car racing vehicle to the PSP?

Ryan: “I think the challenges that we faced weren’t necessarily specific to the PSP, but rather, they were challenges that teams face on every platform. Does the player have enough control of the vehicle? Does the vehicle handle realistically/semi-realistically? Does the player truly get a sense of speed? If you can overcome those challenges, the gameplay should be in a very good position.”

Q: How do you go about determining what type of environments work best and how do you get enough variety to ensure replay value, apart from simply creating different difficulty levels?

Ryan: “The environments really have to work within the context and setting of the game, or else they do not work very well at all. So first it was determining general types of environments that could work in and around Capital City, such as freeways, mountains, and the coast. Then, within each of those areas, we looked for distinctive features that would really be cool for gameplay, like the ski slopes up in the mountains.

“As for variety to ensure replay value, it’s about the situations that you’re putting the player in, and the tools that you give them to get out of those situations. The more freedom the player has, the more they can get out of playing again and again. Also, how you reward the player is a big factor for re-playability.”

Q: Tell us a little bit about the control scheme of this game. How does the way you have developed the aspects of braking, tight handling and shooting work together to create an experience that will not have players fumbling through controls?

Ryan: “There are a couple of things at work here. First, different players have different preferences when it comes to controls, so we tried to make the controls easier for more people by providing an alternate control scheme for each of the different gameplay modes. Also, putting the default controls where people expect them to be from playing other games helps out. The X button as accelerate, the square button as the brake, and the R button as fire are all standards that come from racing games and shooters. The other key component is the design of the levels, and making sure not to overwhelm the player at any given time.”

Q: When you go about creating a game of this type, what elements do you put on the board as being those which must be part of the experience?

Ryan: “Sense of speed and action definitely go up on the board. We also wanted to be sure to have at least a couple ‘Oh crap – that was freakin’ awesome! Did you see that?!’ moments.”

Q: How do you decide on vehicle designs to meet functionality standards while appealing on a visual level?

Ryan: “Vehicles in the game were designed first and foremost to fit their drivers. In doing that, we were able to really distinguish one gang’s vehicles from another, and finding the visual appeal really went hand in hand with that. Functionally, the gang’s vehicles needed to stand out so that the player can easily identify them during the chases. Having the vehicles tied visually with their drivers also helped out in that respect.”

Q: What aspects of the game do you enjoy the most from a playing standpoint?

Ryan: “Even after working on this game and playing it time and time again, I still love the ‘Justice Jump.’ It is just so satisfying every single time!”

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