The Con (video game)

The Con
Developer(s) Think & Feel Inc.
Publisher(s) SCEA
Platform(s) PlayStation Portable
Release date(s)
  • NA October 18, 2005
  • KO January 19, 2006
  • JP February 23, 2006
  • AUS March 29, 2007
  • EU March 30, 2007
Genre(s) Fighting
Mode(s) Single-player, Two-player
Distribution UMD

The Con, released as Gamble Con Fight in Japan, and The Con: Gamble Fight in Korea, is a fighting video game that was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2005. It was developed by Think & Feel Inc. The story follows the life of a con artist who fights for money.

Gameplay

The Con is an innovative 3D fighting game based on an underworld where illegal fighting tournaments exist and high-stakes gambling takes center stage. During gameplay, players can train their fighter to fight solo or in a team of three in Story Mode where their ability to build up a team and implementing match-up strategy plays a huge role. Throughout gameplay, players can learn re-programmable fighting combinations based on five different brawling disciplines -- Boxing, Wrestling, Kick Boxing, Tae Kwon Do and Jeet Kune Do. These five brawling disciplines are always on default character, but your custom character can choose any brawling disciplines. All brawling disciplines have moves combinations that can be acted as combo, which can be updated depending of the moves you put in a combo.

Quick Play

There are three modes: arcade, time-attack and survival. In this mode, there are eleven stages. The first nine are random, and the final two are always the same: Hardcase, a supposedly disgraced man as he wears a cloth which covers his mouth and has scars on his body; and Mask, a man whose fighting style is dependent on the player; if the player is a street boxer, he is a street boxer too, etc.

Plot

A Con artist is introduced to underground fighting by Reina. He/she wins twice and then the protagonist is taught how to make money, and he/she has to do the following: Fight to win, Pull off a comeback con, start like a loser and make a comeback, and take a dive, start like a winner and then lose.

Then Reina is killed by Kuro. The protagonist then recruits two other fighters and form a team. Team (name) fight to get invited to the Big Time, where the winners of the tournament get 10 million dollars. They defeat Boneyard and his team Phantom of rank D (24-2), Smoke and his team Extreme of rank C (26-2),Shaman and his team Demoish of team B (36-2), Cinder and her team Crimson of rank A (52-6) and optionally, Cornfed and his team Triumph (57-0) (it is not required to defeat team Triumph to go to the Big Time Tournament.) But when that team jumps to rank A, Smoke, whom they fought at rank C, will want to join his/her team. If the protagonist wants him, he/she is going to have to choose which fighting style Smoke is going to fight as. Yes, Smoke masters every style in the game. But at the cost of another team member. One is going home, while Smoke joins the team. If he/she says no, he leaves immediately and there is no other offer.

Once they get to the Big Time tournament, that team fights to the finals, in the semi-finals defeating Shades and his team. But something strange happens during the finals. If the player accepted Smoke's offer, he betrayed the team to join team Mencace, alongside Cornfed and Kuro (they may have fought Cornfed at rank S already.) If he/she did not accept it, one of the team members is killed. Either way, that team is going to have to fight team Menace with two members.

But still, they defeat team Menace and bring home that prize money, and optionally the protagonist avenges Reina's death.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings65.64%[1]
Metacritic63/100[2]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Electronic Gaming Monthly4/10[3]
Eurogamer6/10[4]
Famitsu26/40[5]
Game Informer8/10[6]
Game RevolutionC[7]
GameSpot6.8/10[8]
GameSpy[9]
GameZone7.5/10[10]
IGN6.2/10[11]
Official PlayStation Magazine (US)[12]

The Con was met with mixed reception upon release, as GameRankings gave it a score of 65.64%,[1] while Metacritic gave it 63 out of 100.[2] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 26 out of 40.[5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "The Con for PSP". GameRankings. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "The Con for PSP Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  3. EGM staff (December 2005). "The Con". Electronic Gaming Monthly (198).
  4. Albiges, Luke (March 8, 2006). "The Con". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Gantayat, Anoop (March 1, 2006). "Now Playing in Japan (Page 2)". IGN. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  6. Zoss, Jeremy (November 2005). "The Con". Game Informer (151): 178. Archived from the original on August 1, 2009. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  7. Fischer, Russ (November 17, 2005). "The Con Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  8. Gerstmann, Jeff (October 24, 2005). "The Con Review". GameSpot. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  9. Orlando, Greg (October 25, 2005). "GameSpy: The Con". GameSpy. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  10. Zacarias, Eduardo (October 16, 2005). "The Con - PSP - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  11. Nix, Marc (October 25, 2005). "The Con". IGN. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  12. "The Con". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 121. November 2005.

External links