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January 12, 2006 | 11:30 AM PST
by: Shawn Sinclaire
Grand Theft Auto 3 was arguably one of the most influential titles of this generation. Hailed for its remarkable open-ended and in-your-face style, there have been countless GTA spin offs and clones. 25 to Life is not your typical GTA clone, however. In fact, it would be pretty unfair to even make the comparison. 25 to Life has a more directed storyline, a better aiming system, an online mode, and way more bling than GTA has ever had this generation. AMN was able to score early code for the title, and now present to you our impressions from the hood, G.
Features
See the mean streets from three angles as you play the roles of the criminal, the cop, and the gang member looking for a way out
An online mode for up to 16 players and LAN connectivity for multiplayer action
Multiple online gameplay modes including police raids, robbery and turf wars
Customize your online avatar with uniforms, bandanas, and miscellaneous accessories found through story mode
Create custom tags to spray on the buildings as you wage war on the streets
An extensive soundtrack of titles from multiple rap artists including DMX, Xzibit, and 2Pac
This is My Turf, Yo
25 to Life is more than your garden variety thug simulation game. Other titles of a similar breadth tend to be more open ended and less focused on storyline. 25 to Life on the other hand focuses the player in on the story of not one, but three people from the streets. These characters are all tied together by a street gang known as the 22nd Street D-Boys, a typical street gang known for robbery, drugs, and murder.
The game opens with the tale of Freeze, a gang member with the 22nd Street D-Boys who wants out of the gang. He has a family, and he is ready to start a new life away from crime. However, before he can get out, he has to do one last job that, as you can probably guess, goes awry. This is where the guns come out and the blood starts hitting the streets as you suddenly become the enemy of both cops and gang members alike. After completing a couple of levels with Freeze, you will find yourself in the shoes of Detective Lester Williams. He’s not crooked or mean though. He is just your average-Joe cop with a heart of gold who looks to stop crime both inside and outside of his department. Eventually, you also get to play as Shawn Calderon, the leader of the 22nd Street D-Boys and wanted criminal. Each of these three characters gives you a bloody and violent perspective on the streets, and shows you who really controls them.
Playing through the first couple of levels as Freeze and Williams, we couldn’t help but feel like we were playing a ghetto version of SOCOM. The targeting and controls are similar and the overall flow of the game has a similar feel. However, there’s much less tactical maneuvering and much more bullet spraying in this case. This is partially due to the linear nature of the levels. You have somewhere you need to get, and you better blast away anybody who tries to impede you. You’ll be placed up against armed cops and gang members who will open up with semi-automatics, shotguns, pipebombs, and pretty much anything else they can attack you with. They’re fairly accurate as well and don’t mind taking hostages, so you better use the cover provided to you if you’re going to stay healthy. While the AI isn’t the most clever, the enemies did present enough of a challenge to force me to work my way through a couple of sections twice. 25 to Life’s story mode is a pretty straightforward third person shooter without a lot of bells and whistles.
The game is setup in a level based format with each level serving as a chapter of the story. Each level begins with a brief in-game cinema setting up the scene. While the CG isn’t likely to win any graphic design awards, the voice overs are actually surprisingly well done. The characters speak with street slang and sound convincing without sounding like they are trying too hard. Once that’s all said and done, it’s time to hit the streets. Each level has a primary mission objective that can be completed pretty much by running from point A to point B without dying. However, there are a couple of secondary objectives in each level such as earning so many headshots or keeping a high accuracy. Completing these objectives will earn you items to customize your avatar in the online mode.
Take it From the Hood to the Net
So far, the story mode presents itself as a solid experience, but nothing good enough to truly distinguish itself from the rest of the third person shooters out there. However, where 25 to Life has the best opportunity to shine is with its online gameplay modes. Ever play cops and robbers as a kid? Now you get the opportunity to do so online on the streets.
All of the expected game modes are present. There’s the typical death match type setup, the territories type game, and the defender scenario where the cops try to break in and take the gang members’ stash. However, what looks to be the best of the game modes is ‘Robbery,’ where gang members are forced to seek out loot and carry it to specific drop off points while the police try to stop them. The catch here is that while carrying loot, a gang member becomes slower, thus forcing his team mates to help him out. This will probably become the ‘Capture the Flag’ of 25 to Life, and everybody loves capture the flag.
The level of customization online is also pretty cool. There are hundreds of combinations of accessories and clothing for your avatars, all unlockable through the story mode. Combine that with built-in clan making functionality and you have the potential for a blooming online community with clan matches, online tournaments, and anything else gamers can dream up.
Sometimes you'll shoot at these guys, sometimes you'll play as them.
That’s How I Roll
25 to Life is officially gold and will hit shelves in a matter of days, so the version we played was mostly complete. While we’ve yet to dig all the way into the heart of the game, initial impressions are fairly decent. However, this isn’t a game for everyone. The whole game feels like it is geared to your average adrenaline pumped, rap loving teenager through its soundtrack and overall atmosphere. Through the whole game you’ll be cappin’ thugs and dodging the 5-0 while listening to tracks from notorious rap artists like 2Pac and DMX. While the gameplay itself is solid, the atmosphere will be love it or leave it for most gamers.
The online mode shows the most promise in 25 to Life and while Story Mode has a lot of depth and a decent storyline with multiple perspectives, it feels like Story Mode is only meant to unlock items for use in the online gameplay. Just about everything you do will unlock accessories to create yourself an online identity. Also, with the ability to create custom tags and clans online, there’s a lot of potential for gamers to get hooked on the online mode. Gamers should keep an eye on 25 to Life if they’re looking for a game with a lot of rap, a lot of street atmosphere, and an online mode with a fair amount of depth. As soon as the game releases, AMN will give you our final take on what 25 to Life has to offer.
Features
This is My Turf, Yo
25 to Life is more than your garden variety thug simulation game. Other titles of a similar breadth tend to be more open ended and less focused on storyline. 25 to Life on the other hand focuses the player in on the story of not one, but three people from the streets. These characters are all tied together by a street gang known as the 22nd Street D-Boys, a typical street gang known for robbery, drugs, and murder.
The game opens with the tale of Freeze, a gang member with the 22nd Street D-Boys who wants out of the gang. He has a family, and he is ready to start a new life away from crime. However, before he can get out, he has to do one last job that, as you can probably guess, goes awry. This is where the guns come out and the blood starts hitting the streets as you suddenly become the enemy of both cops and gang members alike. After completing a couple of levels with Freeze, you will find yourself in the shoes of Detective Lester Williams. He’s not crooked or mean though. He is just your average-Joe cop with a heart of gold who looks to stop crime both inside and outside of his department. Eventually, you also get to play as Shawn Calderon, the leader of the 22nd Street D-Boys and wanted criminal. Each of these three characters gives you a bloody and violent perspective on the streets, and shows you who really controls them.
Playing through the first couple of levels as Freeze and Williams, we couldn’t help but feel like we were playing a ghetto version of SOCOM. The targeting and controls are similar and the overall flow of the game has a similar feel. However, there’s much less tactical maneuvering and much more bullet spraying in this case. This is partially due to the linear nature of the levels. You have somewhere you need to get, and you better blast away anybody who tries to impede you. You’ll be placed up against armed cops and gang members who will open up with semi-automatics, shotguns, pipebombs, and pretty much anything else they can attack you with. They’re fairly accurate as well and don’t mind taking hostages, so you better use the cover provided to you if you’re going to stay healthy. While the AI isn’t the most clever, the enemies did present enough of a challenge to force me to work my way through a couple of sections twice. 25 to Life’s story mode is a pretty straightforward third person shooter without a lot of bells and whistles.
The game is setup in a level based format with each level serving as a chapter of the story. Each level begins with a brief in-game cinema setting up the scene. While the CG isn’t likely to win any graphic design awards, the voice overs are actually surprisingly well done. The characters speak with street slang and sound convincing without sounding like they are trying too hard. Once that’s all said and done, it’s time to hit the streets. Each level has a primary mission objective that can be completed pretty much by running from point A to point B without dying. However, there are a couple of secondary objectives in each level such as earning so many headshots or keeping a high accuracy. Completing these objectives will earn you items to customize your avatar in the online mode.
Take it From the Hood to the Net
So far, the story mode presents itself as a solid experience, but nothing good enough to truly distinguish itself from the rest of the third person shooters out there. However, where 25 to Life has the best opportunity to shine is with its online gameplay modes. Ever play cops and robbers as a kid? Now you get the opportunity to do so online on the streets.
All of the expected game modes are present. There’s the typical death match type setup, the territories type game, and the defender scenario where the cops try to break in and take the gang members’ stash. However, what looks to be the best of the game modes is ‘Robbery,’ where gang members are forced to seek out loot and carry it to specific drop off points while the police try to stop them. The catch here is that while carrying loot, a gang member becomes slower, thus forcing his team mates to help him out. This will probably become the ‘Capture the Flag’ of 25 to Life, and everybody loves capture the flag.
The level of customization online is also pretty cool. There are hundreds of combinations of accessories and clothing for your avatars, all unlockable through the story mode. Combine that with built-in clan making functionality and you have the potential for a blooming online community with clan matches, online tournaments, and anything else gamers can dream up.
Sometimes you'll shoot at these guys, sometimes you'll play as them.That’s How I Roll
25 to Life is officially gold and will hit shelves in a matter of days, so the version we played was mostly complete. While we’ve yet to dig all the way into the heart of the game, initial impressions are fairly decent. However, this isn’t a game for everyone. The whole game feels like it is geared to your average adrenaline pumped, rap loving teenager through its soundtrack and overall atmosphere. Through the whole game you’ll be cappin’ thugs and dodging the 5-0 while listening to tracks from notorious rap artists like 2Pac and DMX. While the gameplay itself is solid, the atmosphere will be love it or leave it for most gamers.
The online mode shows the most promise in 25 to Life and while Story Mode has a lot of depth and a decent storyline with multiple perspectives, it feels like Story Mode is only meant to unlock items for use in the online gameplay. Just about everything you do will unlock accessories to create yourself an online identity. Also, with the ability to create custom tags and clans online, there’s a lot of potential for gamers to get hooked on the online mode. Gamers should keep an eye on 25 to Life if they’re looking for a game with a lot of rap, a lot of street atmosphere, and an online mode with a fair amount of depth. As soon as the game releases, AMN will give you our final take on what 25 to Life has to offer.
November 20, 2009
