Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: The Con

Back in the days of yore (aka 1991), I remember playing Street Fighter II against some dude and totally trampling all over him in round one. Victory was very short-lived, as he turned around and smoked me for the win. I then realized he made himself look bad on purpose, just to fake me out. That concept is pretty much the heart of The Con—and is its only really interesting point.

At first, The Con resembles some weird sort of fusion of Punch-Out!! and Def Jam Vendetta. It features street fellows versed in the arts of wrestling, jeet kune do, street boxing, and tae kwon do. Instead of a traditional 3D or side-scrolling view of the fight, you see it from over the shoulder. The controls feel a bit like Tekken’s—each button is mapped to a specific limb. So far, this all sounds pretty standard.

Then there’s the gambling system, which allows you to place money on each fight. You can use the L trigger to then purposely take hits or throw weak attacks. Hence, you manipulate the fight by either making yourself look like you’re going to lose (which stacks the odds against you) and then suddenly win, or you can bet on the other guy, look like you’re about to decimate him, and then throw the fight. Meanwhile, you have to factor in your believability, which is measured by a handy meter at the top of the screen. There’s a whole “respect” system that prevents you from repeatedly throwing fights to get money (used to buy items). Also, between fights, you manage your fighters (deciding whether they rest, go to the hospital, or train to increase stats).

It sounds good so far, but that’s about the best part. Everything else is pretty mediocre. The fighting system isn’t particularly deep (throws and specials tend to win fights), and the graphics are the antithesis of PSP quality. The levels are bland, and not only do the characters look utterly forgettable, but their actual graphic quality is quite atrocious to the point of making women look like men. Factor in some lengthy load times (as in several small loads between team management and betting, and a big 30-second load between betting and actual fighting), and you end up with an interesting mechanic marred by a little thing called “the rest of the game.”

The Payoff: Interesting gambling mechanics

The Con: Everything else is pretty mediocre (especially graphics and load times)

Rating: 2.5

Pub. Sony CEA Dev. Think & Feel ESRB RP MSRP $39.99