GripShift (PSP)

Gameplay

Grip Shift is as described a racing cum puzzle solving with some very nice extras thrown in. You choose a driver and car, which you then customise. After which, in single player mode, you have the following options:

.Challenge mode where you go through from Beginner to Insane levels of puzzles and races, collecting stars and completing other objectives like finishing the race to get medals. These earn you points to unlock features in the game. Challenge mode is initially very easy, but gets really tough really fast. One of only gripes with this game is here in that the challenge tracks are often very unforgiving, a little acceleration at the wrong moment can send you spiralling off.

.Race mode where you have a choice of a single race, time challenge, championship and practice options. The races are unlocked as you go through challenge mode.

. Bonus games where there are some pretty cool games, so far I've only unlocked the Pengiun Bowling (which is terrific).

There is also a multi player mode, which I've not tried, I'm sure its a load of fun to race your friends. There is also a Track Editor built into the game, and really adds a great deal to the game. You can go to the game website and download tracks, you can share tracks you've designed also.

Load times

Almost non existent compared to many games out there. By the time you consider counting the seconds for the load time, it's done. Restarting a level is instant, so there's not even the short load time to wait while you try and try to get all objectives for each level.

Graphics

Nice smooth graphics - looks like this thing was custom built for PSP. The framerate is nice and high. I've not noticed a single stutter throughout 20+ levels so far.

Sound

Could be better. I'm not a big fan of the sounds they use, which tend to get repetitive, but they don't grate on my nerves. They're catchy, and I find myself humming along sometimes - a mix of Drum'n'Bass and HipHop

Unlockables

As you play through each level, you unlock things as you earn credits for completing goals. The more goals for each level you complete, the faster you'll unlock things. Unlockables include new levels, new cars, new paint jobs, new hood decals, new drivers, and best of all, the bonus games! That's where you'll find Penguin Bowling, Bomb Pool, and more!

Replay

This game has replay value written all over it. Not only does it support ad-hoc multiplayer like all PSP games, but also it has a ton of bonus games, and to top it all off, it has a TRACK EDITOR! That means an endless supply of new tracks to challenge you as other player's on the net upload them for you to download to your memory stick! It's like Wipeout's downloadable packs, but better! I can't wait to see what fun and challenging tracks people come up with.

Fun

This is probably the most fun game I have played for PSP. I'm not just looking for direct ports for PSP, I want some originality. And this brings originality and lots of fun. I've been playing it a lot whenever I have some free time. For only having 4 different worlds, each level seems different and they have got some crazy levels.

Overall value

Worth every penny, in my honest opinion. Anyone who likes platform games and driving games should get this. Same with anyone who likes Puzzle games and driving games. You kind of need to love driving games, though. I'm glad I bought this, and I think if you're at all interested after reading this review, that you'll be glad you bought it too.