• June 7, 2007    Home > Game Reviews > Verdict

    The Con

    We find out if this new take on the fighting genre packs a punch or robs your mobile.
    Version
     PSP    		Developer
    Think and Feel    		Publisher
    SouthPeak    		Genre
    Fighting

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    Page 2

    Prior to each fight, you can bet on whether you will win the fight or take a dive, and bet on the other fighter too. The odds on offer and the amount you can win will dictate which way you choose to go, but by applying fake attacks and cons you can alter these odds before your bet goes in. However, should the crowd not buy your theatricals you will end up even worse off - losing you winnings and taking a beating in the process.

    "Prior to each fight, you can bet on whether you will win the fight or take a dive, and bet on the other fighter too."

    Injured and fatigued fighters have a greater chance of sustaining serious injury in future fights. This will require a hospital visit (eating into your cash reserves) or a lengthy rest period preventing you from training. When choosing a fight from those on offer (typically against similar standing teams in the league) you're also given the number of weeks before the fight. This intervening time can be used for resting or training. The latter can be focused to boost your stats in either power, speed, skill, toughness or health, up to a maximum limit for each fighter.

    As they become more proficient and you move up the ranks, these limits will increase allowing you to improve your fighter. New moves will also be learnt, which can be used in the combo editor, allowing you to string together special moves for top-notch damage. New 'special' and 'super' attacks will also be in the bag - the former providing unique moves for your fighting style, and the later providing high impact 'burn' moves with fancy graphical effects.

    "Whilst graphically the game cannot be faulted, the selection of locations on offer is extremely limited."

    Whilst graphically the game cannot be faulted - with a wide diversity of characters, all well modelled and textured, combined with good animations - the selection of locations on offer is extremely limited. The initial league contains two locations both with no interactivity and whilst a third becomes available upon reaching the D-ranked boss, this is a simple subway location which is actually more like a square room. Moving up a league reveals more locations but these are still limited both in scope and quantity.

    The game is also relatively easy. It doesn't take too much effort to move up the leagues and even should a particular plateau be reached, it can easily be overcome by fighting lower ranked opponents and training up your stats in the intervening weeks. The biggest challenge is in obtaining the $100,000 required to fight the S-ranked boss as personal pride prevents one betting on the big odds given to opponents and thus taking a dive.

    The Con - perhaps aptly - has many pros and cons which differentiate it from the other beat-em-ups on offer. Compared to something like Tekken, the simplicity in combat is compensated by the complexity out of the ring, however it doesn't quite reach the peaks of the aforementioned title. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new challenger - an entertaining underdog that you'll root for, but which ultimately fails at the final hurdle when faced with more experienced competition.

    Graphics Sound Gameplay Depth Presentation OVERALL
    8.0 7.5 7.0 7.5 7.5 7.5


    THE VERDICT:     With many new features, The Con will provide something for those looking for a different take on the beat-em-up genre. It doesn't quite reach the heights of the heavyweights, but it does provide a challenging and entertaining diversion which can be built upon and improved in any future versions.

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