A jack of all trades is a master of none, right? Well, that is half true when it comes to GripShift for the PSP. This is truly one of those genre bending titles. GripShift fuses racing, platform jumping, puzzle solving, action, and a little bit of car customization into one tight package. In one of the few original title of 2005, there are many aspects of GripShift that are marvelous. Unfortunately, there are many mediocre and disappointing aspects that go along with it. The results are fun and frustrating at the same time.

Graphics

Overall, the graphics are adequate. There is nothing overly flashy to comment on, mainly because most of the levels are empty space with a cliché theme (jungle world anyone?). Yes, the tracks are suspended in air with many gaps to fall off of. Textures are decent and framerate never suffers from the simplistic designs. Menus are slick with a “edgy” flare that bring up memories of SSX. There are plenty of options to customize your car as well. When you finish levels you get points and those points are used to unlock things. Those things include cars, body decals, car skins, rims, and racers. You'll truly feel as if the car is your “own” because of the many options you have to customize your car.

Sound

The sound track is hit or miss. Although, admittedly, it comes down to personal preference. There are samples from musical genres like Hip Hop and Drum & Bass. One of the groups that did the songs, the appropriately named Shapeshifter, hail from New Zealand and provide the Drum & Bass for Gripshift. The Misfits of Science bring the Hip Hop to the game. When you start the game up, you'll hear one of their songs specifically made for GripShift. Without this turning into too much of a music review, the Shapeshifters fit the style of the game more and The Misfits of Science tracks only annoy rather than please.

As for the sound effects? For the most part, they are few and far between. When you fall off the race track, you'll hear a voice saying something like “OHHH NOOOO!” The cars make the standard buzzes and whirls of the engine with some boosting sounds thrown in.



Control

This is a key element to a game like that mixes many genres. GripShift is no different and it controls, alright. There is a learning curve because you'll find that you're going very slowly around corners and being extra careful because the lack of barriers. There seems to be low friction on the tracks and slipping and sliding will happen. Over time, that'll go away and you'll warm up to the controls. A big part of that comes into play with the cars of the game. Each one has a slightly different feel according to its statistics. Finding the right car for the right course will happen more than once. The selections are not delicate, its one extreme or another. You either picking speed or handling.

Button layout is straight forward with minimal button presses. Most of the time, you'll hold down X and slam down L for an E-brake turn. GripShift gives users a choice between the D-pad and the analog slider to use for steering. Oddly enough, there is a time and place to use each one of the steering methods, due to sensitivity, and you'll find yourself switching thumb positions.