Free Running

Parkour, the art of movement, is less a sport and more a way of life. Its participants, known as Free Runners or Traceurs, view the environment and its obstacles, urban or natural, as a series of challenges to be overcome. To the Traceurs, parkour has a philosophical appeal: they feel transformed by the experience, free from the grind of city life. Since its inception in Paris during the mid-1980s, it has spread across the globe and now has an international army of exponents and enthusiasts. In Free Running, the concrete jungle becomes your urban playground as you run, vault, jump or climb over obstacles in the most fluid and flowing manner possible. Test the boundaries of human ability as you perform death-defying leaps and jaw-dropping trips across inner-city rooftops. To be crowned King of Parkour, you must master over 50 moves, tricks and stunts including ‘Kong Vaults’, ‘Pharaoh Climbs’, ‘Rail Split Vaults’ and ‘Vertical Wall Runs’ in a variety of game modes while racing against human or computer-controlled competitors.

Free Running is a funny old sport; a bit like skateboarding, but without a skateboard. The PSP is a funny old console; a bit like a PS2, but easily broken and with only one analogue stick. Put them together and you’ve got Core’s Free Running for the PSP; a bit like Tony Hawk’s, but no skateboard and one analogue stick to fling yourself around an urban landscape. Is there no room for yet another extreme sports game, or is this unique twist on the formula worth your time, money and thumb agony?

Free Running’s biggest problem, as with many PSP games, lies with that pesky single analogue stick. In a game where spot-on timing’s needed and facing a wall at even slightly the wrong angle leads to a wallrun of death, use of the D-pad seems pretty much essential. Strangely, it’s used for the camera (which you hardly ever use) and there’s no option to use analogue stick for the camera instead. While not a game-breaking flaw, it’s still massive pain in the bum and is a really odd decision This aside, controls are responsive and you’ll soon find yourself adopting all manner of mad poses as you fly through the air and hop across obstacles.

There are plenty of game modes to keep the experience alive, the most enjoyable of which is Crash Mode. In this you try to cause as much pain and suffering to a crash test dummy by throwing him off buildings and into walls, leading to much snapping and dislocation of limbs. Lovely. Other modes are of the usual target-based and time attack variety, as well as wireless multiplayer.

Free Running’s graphics are impressive for the PSP. While textures aren’t of a particularly high quality, character models move smoothly and the environment is a convincing representation of London’s rooftops. Special effects are impressive without being intrusive and the more extreme ones can be turned off, if you like your experience realistic.

On the aural side, Free Running’s bone crunching sound effects and fine tunes from the likes of Mr. Scruff and erm… no-one else I’ve heard of are more than up to the job.

There’s also tons to unlock, including clothing, free running videos, as well as more tunes and tricks. Free Running is an enjoyable ride and cheaper than the inevitable hospital bills you’d face after trying the real thing, but due to the control issues you’ll probably be better off with the PS2 version.

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