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| Players can customize both cops and robbers | Much of the gameplay takes place in Da Hood |
All in all, 25 to Life offers a well-rounded assortment of the classic gangster gaming features we’ve all grown to love thanks to titles like the Grand Theft Auto Series. And while 25 to Life might not reinvent the genre, it’s still versatile and fun enough to at least score an above average rating. After all, it could be worse: it could be Crime Life: Gang Wars.
In single player mode, gamers start out as Freeze, a local bad boy who needs to complete one more “job” before he can turn over a new leaf elsewhere with his family. As you make your way through the solo mode campaign, you’ll assume the (quite different) roles of a number of characters, some good, and some bad. The option to play as either a virtuous cop or a shady robber keeps gameplay interesting and fun, and offers a fresh twist on the otherwise redundant genre. The fact that the characters are all somehow related also helps to propel the storyline along nicely.
While the single player mode is generally fun, it isn’t this games best feature; multi player mode is definitely 25 to Life’s most entertaining aspect.
As many as sixteen players can join in a multi player campaign, and the main online mode pivots two teams of cops and thugs against each other in the traditional offensive/defensive team plays. Objectives will vary for teams during different campaigns. During a Raid campaign, for example, gangstas will have to rob a high profile store without getting caught, while the coppers try to catch them red-handed. Other times, as in the Robbery campaign, the cops will have to strategically uncover narcotics evidence from a gangsta safe house, without being noticed. Then there are, of course, the typical hack-and-slash-your-way-to-the-goal style objectives for players on both teams.
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| Good guys and bad guys go head-to-head in this first person action shooter | As assortment of weapons can and are used |
One aspect of the multi player mode that is especially well developed is its fair and even gameplay. While cops and robbers have varying and unique advantages from one another, everything works out to be pretty equivalent nonetheless. The cops, for example, have helicopters that will report the appearance of gang activity in a given location, giving the cops a useful heads up. But play as a gangsta, and neighborhood friends will let you know if 5-0 is nearby. So in essence, there is no sense of a “cheat” team whatsoever.
A gang-on-gang multi player mode is also available, where everybody gets to be a bad guy. Although the main objective is a little weak (tagging up each other’s territory), you can still do bad boy things on the side as you make your way through each other’s turf.
The online gameplay also supports a nice realistic feature, even if other aspects of gameplay are completely off kilter. You’ll earn more points the more seriously you play, meaning that the tactful cop who arrests and takes in known criminals will earn more points than the neurotic one who lays waste to every felon he sees. Points can be used to build character stats, and eventually unlock things such as personal identity and gang options.
In both the single and multi player modes of 25 to Life, the interactive environments considerably enhance gameplay, offering a bit of strategy to gamers who grow board with straightforward first person shooters. Players can shoot out lights for stealthier raids, or listen for car alarms to tell if someone else is close by. On the other hand, don’t get too close to cars that you might use to hide behind, otherwise, you’ll tip your adversary off as to your whereabouts.
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| You don’t always have to kill to get what you want | Almost everything is destructible |
With all this being said, 25 to Life isn’t exactly flawless. The title lacks the intricacy and depth of games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Also, the mechanics could stand to be better. While you’re given a wide variety of weapons to use, the aiming controls leave a lot to be desired, taking away from the versatility of your weapon selection. In addition, the character controls are pretty dry. You can run, crouch, lean, and sometimes climb walls. There is no jumping; there is no sneaking. Had there been, the game would have gotten an even higher rating. Also, you can’t turn off friendly fire, so if you’ve partnered up with a friend, you have no way of protecting yourself against his rapid line of fire.
The game’s graphics and sounds are above average, but nothing spectacular. Blowing someone’s head off, for example, looks and sounds satisfying enough, but won’t exactly have you recoiling back in your chair.
25 TO LIFE VERDICT
All in all, the game is fun, and being able to play for both teams, so to speak, has actually gained a lot of appeal now that 25 to Life has made it possible to play as either a good guy or bad guy in equally satisfying ways. It may not be an earth-shattering new release, but is still worthwhile regardless.
TOP GAME MOMENT
This game’s top moment is definitely the level that takes place at a pimp palace. Half cheesy, half spectacular in all of it’s blinged-out glory, this setting is by far the most fun out of the many different places that gameplay will be set in throughout the game.
