More Doom than Spooks

Not, as you might imagine, a game about a happy seaside holiday that goes awry thanks to a haunted conch, Ghost In The Shell is a famous Japanese manga franchise which, since its launch in the mid 90s, has become a popular TV series as well as being adapted into several games.

The setting is rather predictable, featuring as it does a futuristic world full of cyber-terrorists, hackers and cybernetic entities. You assume the role of the various operatives of elite group Section 9. You can choose different characters to play, each of which have their own special skills such as agility, strength, stealth or sniping which will shape the way you overcome the challenges ahead of you.

Equally important in this respect is your rugged robot companion, the Think Tank Tachikoma, as you can issue him orders during battles to help outflank the enemy. And, as the game progresses, you can customise Tachikoma with accessories and guns, as well as changing his personality depending on the commands you give him, such as making him more aggressive with constant attack orders. Of course, you get to play with plenty of weaponry yourself too, thanks to over 40 available items ranging from hand guns and sub-machine guns to rocket launchers. Boom! Boom!

And while the main thrust of the game will be the single player mode, there will also be co-operative and competitive modes for up to four players. You can use the PSP’s wi-fi to trade Tachikoma weapons, parts and AI data with your mates too.