Amazingly, everything that you can find in the console version can be found here. Nothing was removed due to the sake of time or limitations of the hardware. In fact, the first time I saw the game and how well the port was coming, the first question out of my mouth was, what did you have to cut? Surprisingly, the developer smirked and proceeded to tell me what they added. The PSP version turns out to use a slightly modified version of the PS2 game engine. Even the new online play mode has remained intact. On top of getting everything found in the console version, PSP owners will actually get some additional content on top of a near flawless port of a current generation game. These additions come in the form of four extra playable characters and nine side missions that recreate some classic comic book moments.

Since the PSP lacks a few extra buttons and an additional analog pad, some adaptions had to be made to the control setup. Now, the d-pad controls your map by pushing up and down while giving you health and mutant power boosts by pushing left and right. In order to switch between characters like you used to, you will need to hold down the L trigger. The L button actually turns out to be a modifier button as it will also be used in conjunction with the face buttons to move the camera around. Since Vicarious Vision knew the lack of a right analog stick would make it harder to control the camera, and knowing people might be annoyed to have to always hold down L and hit a face button to adjust, they went in and changed the camera logic in hope that there will be less of a need to manipulate the camera during the game but still leaving the option to if needed. It turns out that their changes work pretty well just like their new control setup.

As I mentioned earlier, the port was near flawless, which means there were a couple hiccups in trying to bring such a monsterous task to a portable system. The first issue is the framerate. On the console version, the game runs at 60 fps while the PSP runs at around 20 to 30 fps depending on how much is going on the screen at a given time. While 20 fps may seem harsh at first, it really isn't as bad as it sounds. Once you adjust to it, it's hardly distracting and doesn't hurt the game play one bit. What a shame that the PSP's CPU is locked at a slower speed as it surely would have helped in this area.

The second hiccup is the load times. The initial load times are pretty long just to get into the game. Not to mention you'll have to skip a bunch of logos on top of that. Load times are definitely slower than the console version and can be annoying for those who want to pick up and go. However, once you're in the game, loading between new sections isn't too bad. A bit slower than the console versions still, but not nearly as bad as what it takes to get into the game. There are a few issues with loading within the level as it seemed to sometimes have to pull in new data while you were still in the level. This would cause a sudden pause and then it would seem like the framerate is at 1 fps as it's trying to catch up with loading new data. This, thankfully, doesn't happen too often and it doesn't always seem to happen in the same spot either while I was going back between areas.

Finally the last difference is if you want to go over the game with a fine tooth comb, you'll see that some of the geometry of the models have been reduced and more noticeably several textures have been reduced in quality in order for the game to fit into RAM. Despite that, given the small screen, and that areas like ground textures usually still look good, it's hardly a distraction.

Like I said, these are minor hiccups and even though this review conentrates on pointing out the negative aspects and differences, this should be considered quite a good thing because it's just these minor things that seperate it from the console versions. It's amazing that today we can have a game on a handheld system that holds its own against its console brothers. On top of an excellent sequel, this amazing port sets a new bar level of expectations on what we can expect on a PSP game. It was already a great a great game by console standards and now it is one of the best action RPGs on a handheld system. Vicarious Visions have once again done an exceptional job in adapting a console game to a handheld system, yet for the first time ever, have made it virtually indistinguishable. So the real bottom line is, do you want to play on a bigger screen, or on the go with more characters and bonus missions?