Coded Arms hints at what shooters on the PSP can be. Well, if by "hint" I mean "gives a hard nudge to yo
Don't let anyone tell you that Coded Arms is a bad game. It is not. I think one thing about the reviews you'll find on the internet that knock the game so hard is that the were expecting some sort of pocket Killzone or Red Faction, you know, a fantastic shooter that is an all-around well-done game. This was an early PSP title and the first FPS to hit the console so I think we can cut them a little slack if it feels as new as it actually was.
The first problem is with the story. It's not repulsively bad, but it's not exactly good either. Somewhere dead in the middle. If I were to tell you even one sentence of the plot I'd basically be giving you a spoiler because that's really the entire plot. Basically, in the future, people can jack themselves into computers, Matrix-style. A lot of hackers like to go into this program called A.I.D.A., a military training simulator gone berserk. The ones who go in for this are called "Coded Ones". The weapons you use are called "Arms" which is where the latter half of the moderately creative title comes from. And once you're in A.I.D.A. you run around blasting little digital things because...well...I guess there is no real proactive reason, it's just because.
That's why the plot is basically useless. Konami never takes it and does anything with it. The setting is great, the weapons are really verey cool, but it doesn't really go anywhere. In a sense it feels like a very old game, from the days when it was a matter of "here you are, here's your goal, don't ask questions, go!" Unfortunately we now demand more of certain types of games. Shooters are among those. The set-up here though was so cool that I was really hoping eventually they would pick it up as a running series. Thankfully, at E3 2006 we were informed that we'll get to see this bad boy is getting a PS3 edition, so hopefully we'll see what they can really do with the franchise.
No, the control here is not perfect. It can't be. SONY chose not to incorporate a second analog stick onto the face of the PSP and that is something we have to accept. Gamespot's house review calls the default layout for control complete trash, which I could not disagree with more. It just means that, with turning placed on the four face buttons, you will be strafing more than pin-point aiming to line up your shots. They did the best they could with what SONY provided them and I commend them for it. It works well and after a while you forget about the control scheme and are just playing the game. If the control is what's holding anyone back from getting this game, you have my assurance that control isn't really an issue here.
The sound here is good, for what is actually present. But there isn't much. The same techno loops will be played frequently through the game but they don't really get annoying. The enemies don't have a lot going for them, but where I think the audio shines is in the weapons. Firing, reloading, switching... it all sounds crisp, metallic, and cool...the stuff that makes gun gamers giggly.
The detail on the backgrounds in this game is pretty darn good if you ask me, but unfortunately the backgrounds don't have enough going on to really show it off. Bare walls, long hallways, some boxes... whoop-dee-doo. The areas all basically look the same, and the "random generation" the game touts doesn't really generate much more than a room with a box in the west corner... versus a room with a box in the east corner... and maybe a destructible neon sign. If you see one room, you'll swear you've been in it twenty times before you've even played 2 hours of the game. It is tolerable in a handheld but had this been a console game would have infuriated everyone playing it. The game also suffers a bit from some jaggies when you go down some hallways, but it usually seems to relieve itself quick enough. And everything seems to have a sort of misty feel going on... but it's a good thing, anyway.
The game is down to a low price these days and would be good for almost any PSP owner to add to their collection. It's definitely a good way to pass time on a bus. The game feels too much like a missed opportunity, but now we can sleep easily knowing that a real attempt will be coming into the next generation of gaming. Good luck, Coded Arms