It was only a matter of time before the media powerhouse known as 50 Cent AKA Curtis Jackson launched his second attempt at the video game world following on the top selling, but flawed, Bulletproof. In 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand, players take control of 50, as he pursues a diamond encrusted skull, which acted as payment for a show he performed in a fictional Middle Eastern country. The basic premise is that the skull goes missing and is in the wrong hands, setting 50 and his G-Unit crew off on a rampage of destruction and death in order to get it back. This is B-Grade action movie plot at best, but, it doesn’t really matter as this game is about having tons of fun while enjoying the 50 Cent endorsed elements within the title.
The gameplay follows the standard third-person shooter fare, with a pretty decent cover system to boot, which screams, Gears of War. You move from cover to cover taking out enemies with an array of pistols, machine guns, rocket launchers and shotguns to name a few. A melee attack is at your disposal as activating the melee button when close enough to an enemy activates a quick time event which unleashes some brutal takedowns involving knifes or punches. Throughout the game, you fight alongside an AI or buddy controlled partner, who would take on the role of one of G-Units members, namely Loydd Banks, Tony Yayo and DJ Whoo Kid. The AI isn’t bad and does contribute to the killing fiasco, but playing online with a friend would be sufficiently more fun. A local offline co-op mode would have been a nice touch though. So essentially it isn’t based on cooperative gameplay, but allows the possibility of incorporating it nicely, but despite borrowing plenty ideas from Gears of War, Blood in the Sand takes a different approach to the pacing and style of gameplay, it’s comprised mainly of a point system, similar to that of the Club, in which a combo meter is fueled with multiple and consecutive kills, with headshots adding some extra juice.
The cash you earn at the end of a level depend on your score. This allows the player to purchase new guns, melee attacks and taunts. More important than the payoff of the point system, is the pace of the game created by this. You move at an incredible rate and the action never seems to cease. The only slow-down and misplaced segments, lie in driving and vehicle sequences. Certain levels require the player to control a car while taking out enemy vehicles and trying to stay alive. They’re a nice touch but the physics and gameplay of the vehicles leaves a lot to be desired. Only issue is 50 Cent’s portrayal of a bullet sponge is exceptionally ridiculous, as certain parts in the game up in difficulty, yet the health regenerates at a disturbingly fast rate resulting in some of the challenge being drained.
Graphics and visuals within Blood in the Sand are surprisingly good. Lighting effects and character models look great, and the level design and detail is of a high standard. Explosions look awesome and a great representation of 50 is created, despite maybe a little over exaggeration on his biceps. [Not to scale] A great atmosphere of a war torn Middle East is created as bombs are constantly going off in the background and buildings and structures are burning and falling apart. The presentation of Blood in the Sand is simple in its design, but effective in its detail and atmosphere, and that’s what we really want out of a good action game.
Sound and audio within Blood on the Sand is an impressive as it boasts 18 unheard tracks from 50, exclusively recorded for the game. This provides a good and relative backdrop to the character and action. 50, along with the members of G-Unit, also provide voice acting, which is a good and bad thing, because the authenticity is there, but the dialogue and acting is far, far from any appraisal and Oscar nominations.
50 cent: Blood in the sand stands out, for the fact that it has been put down since its inception. People were skeptical whether ol’ Fiddy could present something worthwhile on the current gen consoles, and the fact of the matter he has. A lot of effort and involvement has gone into the game from the development team and 50 himself. Blood in the Sand isn’t meant to compete with the big name franchises in the gaming world, it’s just meant to be a fun arcade-shooter, and that is what the yhave succeeded in doing here. This game is a fun ride while it lasts and it’s not perfect by any means, but fills that gap that so many games fail to do now-a-days. 50, we salute you.
[starreviewmulti id=1 tpl=20]
