If there’s one genre that seems destined to never achieve the same glory on Sony’s handheld console like it has managed on the PS2 it’s the first-person shooter. Thanks to Sony’s decision to not add a second analogue nub, many FPSs have constantly failed when ported across to the PS2’s little brother, and sadly Ubisoft’s latest offering is no different.

BIA: D-Day is the latest in a line of FPSs that just doesn’t feel right when shrunk down to the PSP’s screen. There’s nothing wrong with the gameplay and we’ve no real problems with the game’s aesthetics (apart from some ghastly smearing effects). No, the biggest problem with BIA is that it has one of the most cumbersome control systems that we’ve had to use this side of Coded Arms. Look at the bottom left-hand corner of the PSP Sony. See that delightful looking analogue nub that works so well with titles like Ridge Racer and Virtua Tennis? Now look in the bottom right-hand corner… have you worked out what the problem is yet? Well have you?

Yes, it’s a tried and tested moan, and one that we hope gets fixed when the next PSP comes out (and it will) but it’s not until you play a game that’s as good as BIA that you realize just how much of an oversight the missing analogue nub actually is. Granted, a few first-person shooters have managed to work on Sony’s handheld, but they can be numbered on just a few fingers. Indeed, it can’t be any coincidence that one of the PS2’s biggest FPSs, Killzone, dispensed with the viewpoint (to great effect we might add) when it was recently converted to the sexy handheld.

Sadly, Gearbox has simply tried to cram too much into BIA and the end result is a shooter that’s simply far too fiddly to actually control to any decent degree. It’s the equivalent of someone wearing clothes a size too large – it looks perfectly passable, but there’s that nagging thought that they could have looked a little bit better. Gearbox has included two control methods, but neither is really intuitive enough to use so that it becomes second nature. So as the levels continue and the difficulty ramps up, you’ll find yourself constantly swearing at D-Day’s awkward controls. Holding down the left shoulder button to allow your soldier to strafe may have made sense initially, but it soon goes out the window when you discover that it’s impossible to turn around at the same time. Therefore the simplest of manoeuvres like strafing around a hedge to take out a pair of suppressed Germans becomes practically impossible, and while this is sorted out to a point with the advanced controls, it’s still extremely disorientating to use.

"So why are you using so much of this review to tell us about the dicked controls?" we hear you ask. Simple, they really do spoil what is easily one of the strongest games in the BIA franchise – although to be fair, D-Day isn’t a new title. It’s actually a cleverly constructed compilation of the first two games, Road To Hill 30 and Earned In Blood.

Yes it’s not a new game, but Gearbox has delivered the old content in such a way that it still manages to feel nice and fresh on its new portable home. Following the on-screen trials and tribulations of your squad of soldiers is made all the more intimate on the PSP’s movie-like screen and its hammered further home when you link yourself up with a set of headphones. You’re instantly transported to World War II, and as bullets and shells zip and explode around you, you can’t help but get drawn into the familiar, yet beautifully told story. Sadly, while the sound effects are incredibly polished, the in-game engine is less so. The biggest problem here is not the shuddery frame rate, or the fact that this is obviously a slightly cut-down version of the original PlayStation 2 engine. No, the real issue here is the horrific blur that appears whenever you pan the camera around. It’s incredibly annoying to witness and ruins what is otherwise a very atmospheric shooter.

Luckily, it’s the gameplay that has always been the cornerstone of the BIA franchise and D-Day is no different. Using your men to strategically lay down covering fire so that you can move in and dispense with the enemy is as satisfying now as it ever was, and the well-thoughtout checkpoints mean that D-Day is perfect for handheld play. Well it would be if it wasn’t for those aforementioned controls. Providing you can acclimatize yourself to a game that handles with all the finesse of a drunk tramp pushing a broken Asda trolley, you’ll be more than happy with D-Day, especially if you’re a fan of the series. Everyone else will be gnashing their teeth with frustration and once again asking themselves what the hell ever happened to that second analogue nub.

Darran Jones