One of the most problematic elements in this already blood-stained contest is that players are required to shoot enemies in the head as a mission objective-a task made more disturbing by the fact that some enemies’ noggins can withstand several shots before finally exploding.
With more than 50 weapons at characters’ disposal, point-and-shoot is the name of the game. Chapter Two advances the story from Lester Williams’ point of view, while the third segment finds Shaun Calderon assuming a Godfather-like mantle as he ruthlessly hijacks the operation of a Mexican drug lord. The first and fourth chapters focus on Freeze’s attempt to blast his way out of the city, which results in the bloody deaths of hundreds of police officers and gang members. Two police officers, straight-laced Lester Williams and the corrupt Maria Mendoza, are bent on “arresting” Freeze’s progress as well.įour chapters (each with three levels) put players in the shoes of Freeze, Williams and Calderon as they pursue their agendas. Thus, Calderon has no intention of letting Freeze and his family slip quietly out of town. But escaping from (what appears to be) New York requires Freeze to sever ties with gang leader Shaun Calderon, whose telling motto is “M.O.B.” (Money Over B–ches). Andre “Freeze” Francis wants to get out of the ‘hood for the sake of his girlfriend and their son-the game’s only positive message. Predictably, 25 to Life rehashes a clichéd story line that assaults players with a barrage of profanity and bloodshed. The latest video game about survival in the ‘hood, 25 to Life, has been one of the most popular rentals in America since its mid-January release-despite the fact that secular video game reviewers have panned it. Invariably, these inner-city fables delve into the dreams that drive drug dealers whose lives are indeed “brutish.” For reasons that often remain unclear, we’re supposed to identify with the plight of these outlaws-never mind that most of us have never dealt kilos of coke or capped rivals in the skull with a Gat.īut if the numbers are anything to go by, this thug-life narrative has captivated the imagination of a broad audience. “The life of man,” wrote English philosopher Thomas Hobbes in 1651, “ solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” Oddly enough, that Renaissance-era quote from The Leviathan is a perfect picture of how Hollywood, hip-hop and (more recently) video games have romanticized drug-dealing, gun-toting urban warriors.