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Calling All Cars

by GaryTun

Info

Calling All Cars is a high-octane, fast action game of cops n’ robbers. Take on the role of a bounty hunter careening around a stylish cartoon world on the hunt for criminals on the loose.

Calling All Cars features four highly detailed 3D levels, multiple weapons and 10 vehicles to choose from. Gamers will attempt to apprehend criminals and toss them back in the slammer before other bounty hunters can steal them and collect the reward money. Experience a combination of demolition derby gameplay, crazy weapon pickups, humor and a healthy throwback to classic arcade games.

Players 1-4
Released: 2007

UK Price: £4.99
US Price: $9.99

Review

With the Twisted Metal games under his belt, Calling all Cars is familiar territory for David Jaffe. Gone is the dark and brooding style, replaced with a cartoony appearance and comic capering.

As one of four Bounty Hunters the player must guide their car around the level to catch escaped criminals, before scoring points by putting them back behind bars. This is done by either driving through the jail at the center of the map or delivering them into the back of a rolling paddy wagon. The more complicated the route taken to deliver the criminal the more points are awarded, so for example driving through the doors on the ground floor of the jail will not give as many points and driving up a narrow curved ramp and then timing it through a timed door.

When the time runs out for the the round, the person with the most points wins.

It sounds easy but since there is only one criminal loose on a stage at a time and all the other players are trying to do the same thing, it quickly becomes a frantic free for all. A bump from a collision with another vehicle or being hit by another players weapon (like a missile or giant mallet) will knock the captured convict out of the vehicle so there’s a need at all times for the player to be fast on the attack and quick with their escape.

As well as the single player mode where the AI is clever enough to offer a decent challenge, Calling All Cars allows for up to four players to play on the same PS3 or via the PSN. It’s at maximum capacity against other human opponents and the all out chaos that ensues that the game comes into being the most fun. Unfortunately once the novelty wears off there isn’t much more to it and the game becomes repetitive very, very quickly.

Calling All Cars is a good example of bite sized gaming – something that’s fun to play but once you’ve had your fill isn’t likely to keep you coming back.