DesertEagleXIX
03-05-2009, 11:46 PM
As a thirty-something year old game critic and listener of 80’s alternative music, I’m unlikely to be the core demographic for THQ’s latest release, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. My familiarity of ‘Fiddy’ and G-Unit is shaky at best, and is limited to a brief playthrough of the abysmal 50 Cent: Bulletproof, and a few lines about ‘sipping Bacardi on your birthday’. So why am I enjoying this game so much?
The answer to that question lies entirely with developers Swordfish Studios, an English development team best known for World Championship Rugby and Brain Lara International Cricket 2005. Swordfish has clearly done their design homework- Blood on the Sand pilfers liberally from Army of Two, Gears of War, and The Club. Whereas most developers would concoct a half-baked recipe by blending underdeveloped play mechanics, 50 manages to overcome this quandary. Nearly each element of the title gels together to create a satisfying, if shallow, experience.
As the game opens, Fifty and his crew are finishing up a concert in an unnamed Middle Eastern country. Although the fans appreciated the rapper’s tales of Western consumerism and gangsta debauchery, the venue owner doesn’t have the 10 million dollar payment promised to the rapper. In lieu of the fee, the promoter gives 50 a bejeweled skull, which is immediately stolen. While the game’s narrative is surreal and paper thin, it does give 50 and company a chance to shoot, drive, cuss, and blow things up.
Continued: http://tech-gaming.com/2009/03/05/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-reviewed.aspx
The answer to that question lies entirely with developers Swordfish Studios, an English development team best known for World Championship Rugby and Brain Lara International Cricket 2005. Swordfish has clearly done their design homework- Blood on the Sand pilfers liberally from Army of Two, Gears of War, and The Club. Whereas most developers would concoct a half-baked recipe by blending underdeveloped play mechanics, 50 manages to overcome this quandary. Nearly each element of the title gels together to create a satisfying, if shallow, experience.
As the game opens, Fifty and his crew are finishing up a concert in an unnamed Middle Eastern country. Although the fans appreciated the rapper’s tales of Western consumerism and gangsta debauchery, the venue owner doesn’t have the 10 million dollar payment promised to the rapper. In lieu of the fee, the promoter gives 50 a bejeweled skull, which is immediately stolen. While the game’s narrative is surreal and paper thin, it does give 50 and company a chance to shoot, drive, cuss, and blow things up.
Continued: http://tech-gaming.com/2009/03/05/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-reviewed.aspx