Ok, this game really makes me feel like a terrible person.
A celebrity who is more than willing to be in a videogame about him just being a criminal
and killing anyone who gets in his way so he can get money is pretty messed up.
And yes, I know that he actually got shot like 9 times in real life, but why would you
choose to do something like this?
Regardless, the thing that makes me feel like a terrible person is that I actually really
enjoyed this.
It’s not a terrific game, but it’s a hell of a lot better than I expected it to be.
This is 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand for the Xbox 360.
50 Cent: Blood in the Sand starts off with 50 finishing up a rap concert, then going
backstage with a shotgun and pointing it at a dude’s face, demanding 10 million dollars.
Yep, just the image you want to give to people about yourself.
But anyway, then they’re ambushed while in a humvee, their jeweled skull gets stolen,
and everyone starts shooting.
You’re accompanied by one of the members of G-Unit as you make your way from building
to building and try to get your money back.
The story is pretty dumb, but the way the game presents dialogue also really makes you
question the developers.
You want to feel a LITTLE bit like a good guy in a videogame.
That’s not the case here.
I’ve never played a game before where I hated the protagonist as much as this, and
it’s a real person!
Now, while the story is pretty messed up, I did say that I actually liked the game,
and that’s because the shooting mechanics are excellent.
The controls are smooth, aiming is simple, and everything has a nice arcade feeling to
it.
For example, you get extra points for being out in the open to kill an enemy or taking
out a shotgun wielding enemy.
Opposing AI isn’t great, but they take cover when not shooting, and the different weapons
available to use all feel like they have their place.
Hit detection is also really good, although you don’t seem to get any bonus for headshots.
I don’t understand why this is, but it’s really not that big of a deal.
Now, the driving in Blood in the Sand is not nearly as good as the shooting.
You feel like your tires are made from melting ice.
Every small turn sends you sliding and it can get pretty hard to control, but the sections
don’t even really feel needed.
I’d much rather watch a cut-scene for these than have to play with the driving mechanics.
As you are playing with an ally most of the time, you’ll also be able to open doors
and do certain other actions with his help.
These don’t really feel necessary, but they work well enough for it to not matter.
Visually, Blood in the Sand is a very mixed bag.
Cutscenes look phenomenal, with terrific details on faces and bodies, but environments during
gameplay are very primitive looking.
Texture pop doesn’t occur that often, but when it does it can be pretty bad.
As you’d expect, music is excellent, and voice acting is also solid, for the most part.
There are occasionally some hilariously bad performances.
After Bulletproof got such terrible reviews, I really expected to hate Blood in the Sand,
but I didn’t.
While I did hate the story and tone of the game, the actual gameplay was impressive,
and the arcade style made it even better.
This could be fun to rent for a weekend.