Thug
life isn’t easy. Being a peace officer isn’t easy, either. Gangsters are just
trying to make a living by looting, drug trafficking, and burglary. Police
officers are just trying to make a living by keeping the peace. Both go head to
head in 25 to Life, an innovative third-person multi-player game.
In multi-player mode, up to
sixteen players can select to play as gangsters or cops. The main online mode
is similar to Assault, with one team playing offense and one playing defense.
Raid features cops on offense, with the main goal being to grab a drug stash
from the gangsters’ hideout. Robbery has gangsters going to a spot on the map
and robbing a store and the cops trying to prevent them from doing so. Every
benefit on one side is mirrored on the other in a different fashion. For
example, the gangsters may have friends in the neighborhood who can alert them
of police presence, and the police have helicopters that can notify the police
of gang activity. The developers specifically focused on keeping things even,
and it looks like they did a fantastic job.
The online features go
beyond the game. As you become a better gangster or cop, you’ll be able to
customize your character by spending points on gangster duds (hoodies,
medallions, and miscellaneous bling) or police outfits (SWAT uniforms, standard
police outfits, or even undercover clothes). The better players will be
instantly recognizable online when they’re wearing the hard to get unlockables,
establishing their own identities and gangs.
It’s not just a shoot ‘em
up, either. There’s respect to be had and taken in the game, particularly
online. Cops get more points for acting like cops. Shoot a civilian and watch
your rank plummet like a LAPD officer. Arrest a perpetrator instead of killing
him and move on up the leaderboards. Arrests aren’t solely for points, as one
developer puts it, arresting a gang member is “the ultimate clown”.
Other features of the game
are also noteworthy. The interactive environment can be used for strategy, and
the better players will pick up on it quickly and use it to their advantage.
Cops may choose to shoot out streetlights when raiding a building for better
cover, but get too close to a car and the alarm will go off, an easy tip off to
the gang members that someone is there. Levels take place in the ‘hood,
shopping malls, and the ultimate pimp palace, a Scarface-like mansion. The
single player mode bounces back and forth between gangster missions and cop
missions, and a gang-on-gang mode featuring tagging enemy turf rounds out the
playable modes.
When I asked Eidos PR head
honcho Kjell Vistad which game he was most excited for, he said 25 to Life.
“It’s cops and robbers online, I mean who hasn’t played that (when you were
younger).” If the game keeps going in the direction it is, those who didn’t get
a chance as young ‘uns will certainly get a chance with 25 to Life. This is
definitely a title to keep on eye on. Look for its official release sometime
next Spring.
Thug
