Well here we go again, another year and another WW2 game on the market. There really is something utterly predictable about Call of Duty: Roads to Victory on the PSP, and I don’t just mean a truly predictable, linear level layout. This game frankly has a feeble storyline and an even worse enemy AI. No, I’m afraid its far worse than all that, the PSP was simply not designed to do First person shooters and never has this been more apparent that in Call of Duty: Roads to Victory. Unfortunately this makes the game sadly all but impossible to play, and although four reasonably varied button setups are available none of them make the game any easier to play. This is a real pity as because Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is in every other respect a decent shooter.

The thirteen missions are split into three separate campaigns revolving around you taking control of an American infantry soldier a British commando and a Canadian rifleman respectively. As would be expected from the Call of Duty series the story doesn’t really add anything to the gameplay, and the three frankly lifeless and bland characters add nothing more that an change of starting weaponry, and a slight change in texture on your NPC comrades.

Luckily there are some highlights to the game in the form of some quite impressive mounted weapons with which to mow down your enemy’s, it also contains some interesting twists in game play sadly these are few and far between. Also the PSP’s lack of the rumble feature really takes away from the visceral and violent feel of how war truly feels like (much better on the PS2). Luckily Call of Duty: Roads to Victory ups the ante somewhat with some fantastically varied and adaptive twists to the genre with the fantastic mission set in an airplane where you have the opportunity to man the various mounted weapons and shoot down anything that gets too close before you and your wingmen get shot down. Its a real shame then that the rest of the game is so predictable and linear and if you have played Call of Duty before a real sense of ’been there done that’ will sour the experience and this really isn’t helped by the fact that there is only one route through the mini-objectives which if you miss any part of you may as well restart the level rather than pick your way back through the enemy’s frankly astounding respawn rate.

The games half-hearted feel isn’t helped by the distinct lack of any of the franchises usual unlockables for gold medals which this time around take the form of pictures of period weapons, vehicle and artillery pieces with a very short and pointless description, hardly a reason to go back and attempt gold level play on every mission. There is however one disappointment that cannot be overlooked and that is the distinct lack of the previously promised online multiplayer and game sharing capabilities, this is a shocking and unforgivable cut and one that may see this game in the ’pre-owned’ section of your local game store surprisingly soon.

In many respects Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is a technically good game it’s hampered by a weak control system and lack of online features, if you haven’t had enough of WW2 first person shooters then feel free to enjoy Roads to Victory’s limited story and frankly lacking wi-fi multiplayer game as a rental but please don’t buy it.

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