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Calling All Cars is one of the PlayStation 3's first absolutely must-have titles
By Ben Kuchera | Published: May 11, 2007 - 02:08PM CT

[image]http://media.arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.media/callingallcars.JPG[/image]I'm not in the habit of telling people to buy a $600 console for a $10 downloadable game, but I've been having the time of my life all afternoon playing Calling All Cars. The David Jaffe-designed killer app for the PlayStation Store is ridiculously simple: you have small cartoony levels where you drive cars around, picking up the bad guys before the other players do, and then dropping them off at jail. The jail has multiple entrances, and the harder each entrance is to get to, the more points it will net you. If you're feeling like a REAL show-off, you can drop the baddies off with the police helicopter. The other players can also bump you to knock the criminal out of your car or use one of three weapons to do the same. 
That's it. That game must have looked almost stupid as a design document; all the concepts have been done to death, and it reads like a throwaway minigame, not a $10 download. What separates this from everything else are the attractive graphics, personality, and perfect level and weapon design. The whole experience just oozes polish, and even though there are only four maps (I'm guessing we'll be paying for more sooner rather than later) the replay value is through the roof.
The real fun is online multiplayer, since the computer can't compete with how evil real opponents can be. You'll be bashed into, bullied, and made to scream at the screen when someone blindsides you and knocks the criminal out of your car. It'll all be worth it when you narrowly escape a missile, jump on the nitrous, and fly into the prison to make your dropoff. Online games are loud, mean affairs, and I can't get enough. There is also offline multiplayer with up to four players splitscreen, which is an option that games are starting to lack these days. Voice chat is also supported; there isn't a feature I can think of that would have made this play better online or offline that isn't supported. 
This is one of those games that makes you wonder why more games aren't good; it all looks so easy. Calling All Cars will be the title that will make your friends jealous of your PlayStation 3, and with the simple mechanics and inviting feel this is a game anyone can jump into and enjoy.
If this is a hint of the quality of the custom content we can expect from Sony's online offerings, I'm very excited about the future.