Surprisingly good
Okay folks, before we get started I ask that you disregard everything you know about the previous 50 Cent game, 50 Cent: Bulletproof. Blood on the Sand is not a bad game. It’s no Call of Duty, but it warrants itself enough to be a surprisingly good third-person shooter.
There’s no doubt from the title that you will be playing as the tough ‘bulletproof’ rapper 50 Cent once again. 50’s adventures takes him to the , in an unnamed country ruled by, get this, gangsters. The Middle Eastern type anyway.
After doing a concert there, 50 and the G-Unit expect their pay of 10 million but get something else instead. Because the 10 million got conveniently stolen, they get paid with a priceless skull covered with diamonds. Then that gets stolen, and 50 delivers the magical first in-game line “Bitch took my skull!”
Now you must get it back. That’s the story, but with some plot twists and betrayals in between. The real emphasis is in the gameplay, which truly is the best part of the game. You travel between missions with an A.I. member of the G-Unit that you select (out of 3) at the beginning of the game.
As far as your partner’s A.I. , is standard. Most of the time I barley notice him in a firefight yet still helps me take down some baddies here and there. Enemy A.I. is stupid. They run at you blindly and stand in the middle of your view waiting to be shot up. It doesn’t improve between the 3 difficulties, just the amount of damage they do to you.
During the game, scenarios pop up at the left of the screen with a time limit. These usually range from kill 4x grenadiers or defeat this helicopter in 90 seconds. When completing these you get more points added to your final score.
When it comes to tougher fights, there are helicopters. And when there are helicopters, there are rpgs. Not only that, pistols, shotguns, smgs, assault rifles, grenade launchers, and sniper rifles.
The weapons are quite varied, at least 2 of each type. Yet there doesn’t seem to be enough of them as you should unlock them all by the time you are finished playing the first time around.
You can find some pay-phones around levels to call a gun dealer to buy your weapons. There are also taunts and counter-kills you can buy. Each taunt pack gets dirtier as each counter-kill gets more gruesome.
Counter-kills are melee moves that 50 can use any time on enemies. With a few rightly timed presses on the controller you can beat the hell out of a poor insurgent.
The more kills you rack up the more your “Gangsta fire” meter fills. This can be used to slow down time and eliminate multiple enemies.
Regarding cover, you don’t use it much. Most of the time you can be sniped in the head or killed even faster when taking cover because your body parts still stick out.
There are 3 ‘boss fights’ with helicopters, 2 jeep driving sequences and one when you take control as a helicopter gunner.
And bam, the game is over. It takes about 5 hours to complete the game which is a real disappointment, as it is a good game. It should take you about 2 ½ playthroughs to unlock everything you can get in the payphone. By that time, most of the achievements (or trophies) are completed.
There is a co-op mode so you can join a friend or stranger’s game anytime as one of the G-Unit. It works well, but there should be more opportunities for co-op partners to do.
The Good:
> It’s never been so much fun to kill
> Looks good
> Has tracks made by 50 in a handy music player accessed in-game
The Bad:
> Campaign is way too short
> Hard mode is really hard
The Ugly:
> Nothing to go for after you run through it a few times
