Gamers go Gangsta with 25 to Life

Eidos offers up some fresh details and screenage on the cop-killing 25 to Life.

Always dreamed of leading that west coast gangster lifestyle? Perhaps not, but either way, the company behind Lara Croft is set to pop some caps with a game called 25 to Life.

Eidos claims it's the title that "the streets have been waiting for" - with players able to take on the role of the police department and the gangsters - something likely to lead to sales-boosting controversy when the game is released with an emphasis on cop-killing.

The game, which we exposed ahead of its unveiling earlier this year, offers a broadly designed sixteen player online mode, in which players must defend their turf or uphold the law, exchanging fire against opponents, while slamming them down the wires via the voice-enabled USB headset.

One of the biggest talking points about 25 to Life is the interactive environments; it's something so many games have on their list of features these days, but 25 to Life performs well, with the interaction having an effect on gameplay. Get too close to parked cars, for example, and you'll trigger the alarm, giving away your position.

The single player experience is set in the heart of several big cities, with a progressive story unfolding on both the cop side - as players infiltrate the inner sanctum of the drug lord's mansion - and gangster side, as you bust out of jail and fight your way up the ranks.

Taking a leaf from Gran Theft Auto's celebrated book, the game also allows you to fully customise your character, with the ability to control his style and how he looks, while the suite of weapons allows for lethal and non-lethal ways to take down the enemy.

And vitally, 25 to Life also offers a hip-hop soundtrack featuring the likes of Tupac and DMX. Whether or not the game comes with a reminder that rappers aren't actually gangsters remains to be seen, but it's hitting the ghetto early next year.

Adam Doree
Director, Kikizo.com