50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

I couldn't help but bite my lip to keep from laughing when the backstory to Blood on the Sand, the new 50 Cent game, was explained to me...

I couldn't help but bite my lip to keep from laughing when the backstory to Blood on the Sand, the new 50 Cent game, was explained to me. It sounded so ridiculously hokey and contrived that I couldn't believe they were actually making a game out of it. But then I saw the game in action and it quickly became obvious that developers Swordfish Studios and 50 Cent may just have the last laugh.

On The Road Again

First, let me explain that hokey backstory that nearly had me laughing out loud: 50 Cent and his fellow G-Unit members are contracted to do a tour somewhere in the Middle East. They show up and do their thing, or thang as the case may be, but there's just one problem: the concert promoter can't come up with the money, or scrilla, to pay them. Of course, 50 Cent's not about to let that sit so they so they try to convince the concert promoter to pay up using the power of logic and communication -- just kidding: they threaten and harrass the jackass until he caves and offers them a jewel-encrusted skull as payment.

Now, here's where the plot thickens -- the G-Unit crew gets ambushed as they're about to leave the country with their newfound treasure and 50 Cent heads into battle to get back what's rightfully his, as well as to unravel the mystery behind the valuable skull.

Get up close and personal and you'll be rewarded with a slo-mo kill sequence. Sometimes, you just have to put the guns away and let your fists do the talking.

Get up close and personal and you'll be rewarded with a slo-mo kill sequence. Sometimes, you just have to put the guns away and let your fists do the talking.

Way of the Gun

Like I said, the narrative is not the game's strong suit. But then you start to see the game in motion and something strange happens: it all starts to make sense. That's because the developers were actively going for an over-the-top, balls-to-the-walls type of game, so it helps alleviate the feeling of "You gotta be kidding me" that kicks in when you hear the game's premise. The game is a non-stop bulletfest that sort of reminded me of Stranglehold: 50 Cent and his G-Unit cronies are constantly running from one location to another, spitting out equal amounts of bullets and trash talk.

It's a fast, frenetic looking game that plays out like a gritty action movie. Built on Unreal Engine 3 tech, the game also looks pretty impressive: the character models were sharp, the level designs showed a lot of polish and the gun-based action was buttery smooth. I also appreciated the intuitive cover system and the little touches like timed bounties that pop up from time to time -- kill X number of bad guys in X amount of time and you get a bonus -- as well as the co-op modes -- a friend can jump in and control a G-Unit member.

G-Unit may be tough but they ain't stupid: taking cover is vital to getting out of conflicts in one piece. Thankfully, the game has an intuitive cover system in place.

G-Unit may be tough but they ain't stupid: taking cover is vital to getting out of conflicts in one piece. Thankfully, the game has an intuitive cover system in place.

Hidden Tracks

And of course, it woulnd't be a 50 Cent game if there wasn't a ton of unlockable 50 Cent and G-Unit related content. The final list of content hasn't been announced but you can expect the usual such as bonus songs, videos and extra in-game taunts.

I am going to reserve final judgment until after I've gotten a chance to try the final game but I've learned my lesson: it's not smart to underestimate 50 Cent or any game that stars him, for that matter. I'll be interested to see if Blood on the Sand's over-the-top story and gameplay translates into a worthwhile gaming experience but for now, color me intrigued.

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beruuu

lemme get this straight. an idiot promoter who doesn't have money somehow has a diamond-encrusted skull. and he gives it to 50 cent. and now that the skull's been stolen, 50 puts his life on the line, and changes from a rapper to a soldier (kinda) to get it back, even though he doesn't need a dime more to live his whole life in luxury... hey, that makes perfect sense! i'm buyin this one!

cooljagboy

AHHHHHHHAHHHHH THAT STORY IS THE MOST STREACHED OUT, UNREALISTIC STORY EVER

thelegendary1

It's gonna suck. The first one sucked, and so will this one. And I usually don't say something sucks, but c'mon. The first game was an imitation of some wanna be GTA, just with 50 as the main character. It had a horrible plot, and moves that only young gangsta wanna be's think of (And I'm FROM the hood.). Now, they've got up enough cash to make another game with a horrible plot featuring 50 Cent and his lackey's. They're only doing this because they're about to drop the next G Unit album. Understand that most games based on movies don't do well. Iron Man for example. Good movie, bad game. Same thing applies for games based on entertainers. Remember Michael Jackson's Moonwalker??? Yeah, same thing. Great entertainer, but as a video game character???? Don't think so. Def Jam Vendetta and Def Jam: FFNY cut it close, but because of it's game play, and story line, it was awesome! Plenty of celebs, and a good story line to boot. It was good enough to make twice (Too bad for Icon, though.). THIS crap?! No friggin' way. 50 just needs to focus on his last album before he retires. He has enough money to waste on making a game (That's seriously looking like it's trying to be MGS4...look at the graphics!), but what's the point? Did you actually READ the storyline???? It sounds like a cheesy movie. And if it sounds like a cheesy movie, then it's gonna be a cheesy game. Worth a rental? Hell, I don't even think it'll be worth THAT much.

thelegendary1

beruuu Posted at: 05/08/08 at 1:20 AM PST lemme get this straight. an idiot promoter who doesn't have money somehow has a diamond-encrusted skull. and he gives it to 50 cent. and now that the skull's been stolen, 50 puts his life on the line, and changes from a rapper to a soldier (kinda) to get it back, even though he doesn't need a dime more to live his whole life in luxury... hey, that makes perfect sense! i'm buyin this one!
See what I mean? The plot makes entirely NO sense. The 3 Ninja's seqs make more sense than this dumb game. Waste of time.

allenstergess

I'm sorry but the people making this game should step back and seriously look at what they are making, and ask themselves is it even worth it?

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