25 to Life – PC – Review

In 25 to Life you get a taste of an intriguing story line from
three different perspectives. A criminal, a cop, and a gang member who just
wants to get the hell out from under a life of crime. You can play from a first-
or third-person perspective depending on your preference, and both play equally
well. The game is littered with profanity and violence, but what would you
expect from a gang type of game? This game is solely directed towards a mature
audience and that is the only gamers I can honestly recommend this to. The game
is very graphic with blood enabled, but that’s what makes this game even more
realistic. There are some great cutscenes when your character dies played in
slow motion that end up with your man laying in a pool of blood spilling over
the concrete. Graphic yes, something you would find in any R rated gang movie?
Most definitely. Some may say it might be pushing the envelope a bit, but it
really did enhance the game.

Visually the game looked pretty darn good. I would not say that
it was all that and a bag of chips or anything, but it’s the little things that
immerse you into the game. There are plenty of noticeable items in all of the
maps that are subtle, but enough to add a realism to the environment. I liked
that bullet holes actually stayed in walls that you shot and that you could
shoot glass, bottles, vases, etc. Blood splattered stains never hurt after you
blow a guy’s head off with a sawed-off shot gun either. Audibly the game is
fantastic. The sound effects are top notch and the voice-overs are amazing too.
Like most games repeated dialogue can get a bit old, but in this title it was
tolerable. The high marks go to an awesome soundtrack. If you like Rap or Hip
Hop you will be delighted to know that the music in the game is from some actual
musical artists like Public Enemy, 2Pac, Xzibit, Tech N9ne, and DMX. There are
roughly two dozen songs that can be heard any time you are near a boom box and
you can change the song track as well. I rarely customize characters for online
play but with the countless choices after you unlock items for completing
special objectives in your missions turned out to be a blast. Couple that with
some great tunes playing while you create your "gangster" and it puts you in the
mood to decide what kind of tattoo to choose and where to put it.

There are plenty of weapons that you can acquire after blowing
away anyone trying to stop you. Machine guns, pistols, sniper rifles, tear gas,
Molotov Cocktails, etc. to give you an idea if what you can wield. You can even
grab a hostage and use them as human shield. There are main and secondary
objectives to complete and you get bonuses for completing them. The bonus is
unlocking different customizations for your character. The environments hold
pretty true to the storyline and are nicely done. You will find yourself in
shady parts of town, Mexico, escaping from a prison, and a mansion to name a
few.

Multiplayer Online and LAN is supported, but at the time of
review I was only able to play for a short time. There are still reported issues
according to some forums I found and hopefully a patch will be available soon.
You can either play as a criminal or as a cop, and there are four types of
games. There are many different options to choose from if you are hosting a game
so you can pretty much customize just about everything. You can even join clans
right on the Web site rather than finding a bunch of guys online and piecing one
together like you have to do with most other titles. My online experience was
short, but fun and I cannot wait until the bugs are worked out.

I have to say I was surprised how much I enjoyed this game.
Normally, violent criminal games that play a lot of rap music are not something
I would select. I’m usually one of the good guys and/or fighting on the US side
of a military FPS, or the like. I also have to confess that I am not a huge fan
of rap or hip-hop, but the music truly enhanced the game and game play. All
these elements combined added to a realistic gaming experience. I requested this
title to review as a change of pace and I am happy that I did.

Review Scoring Details for 25 to Life

Gameplay: 8.5
This is easy to get started and the game played pretty much trouble free. I
liked that there were many destructible objects that you could shoot just for
grins plus I liked the auto save feature. The game’s storyline was intriguing
and the cutscenes were done well.

Graphics: 8.0
Visually the game looked great. Special attention to blood was definitely
made if you so choose to enable it. It is definitely violent and is what you
would expect from this type of game.

Sound: 8.5
Though the sound effects and voice-overs were decent, I have to note that
the soundtrack is fantastic. If you don’t really care for Rap or Hip Hop you
have to appreciate that the music is composed from real artists and not
something just made for the game. The music compliments the game 110%.

Difficulty: Easy
The game is easy to play but you can toggle the difficulty settings to play
as hard as you like. There is a multiplayer option that will challenge even the
best of players.

Concept: 8.0
Though we have seen a few titles that carry criminal-type attributes, you
have to appreciate a title that has a good story line to go with all the
fighting.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Still some bugs need to be worked out at time of review but hopefully there
will be a patch soon. There are several games to choose from and if you want you
can even join clans if you like. I liked that you could customize the characters
with loads of gang paraphernalia including spray painting your "tag".

Overall: 8.0
I liked the game and would recommend it for a Mature gamer who likes this
type FPS. I am a bit disappointed at time of review it was difficult to play
Multiplayer with some online issues. Fortunately I was able to play a bit to get
a feel for the review. Now let’s get that patch released!