50 Cent: Bulletproof is an action third person shooter video game developed by Genuine Games and published by Vivendi Universal Games for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, which released on November 17, 2005. The game was reworked into a PlayStation Portable version titled 50 Cent: Bulletproof G Unit Edition, with a top-down perspective, which released in 2006. A sequel, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, was released in 2009.

The story revolves around the titular 50 Cent, a rapper searching for vengeance against the hitmen who attempted to murder him. The game features members of the G-Unit rap crew as a gang. Dr. Dre plays an arms dealer, Eminem plays a corrupt police officer, and DJ Whoo Kid plays himself as a person selling "bootlegged" music (of the G-Unit camp) out of his trunk. A soundtrack album, titled Bulletproof, was released by DJ Red Heat's Shadyville Entertainment. It won "Best Original Song" in the 2005 Spike TV Video Game Awards.

Gameplay

50 Cent: Bulletproof gameplay is linear and focused on third person shooting, with use of a cover system, while promoting a run and gun play style, all taking place in an open world with individually designed levels or arenas.

The player can run, jump, use movable objects as cover and loot defeated enemies.

Development

The game was created by British developer Genuine Games. Early in development it was conceived as an open-world game in the style of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but strict deadlines meant it was scaled back to a more-linear experience.

G Unit Edition

On August 29, 2006, Vivendi Universal Games released a G Unit Edition for the PlayStation Portable. While the story and cutscenes are the same as the console counterpart, the game eschews the third-person perspective game-play for a top-down, isometric viewpoint. Also added is multiplayer game-play through ad hoc wireless connectivity.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released in November 2005 and features 13 new songs from 50 Cent. Consumers who pre-ordered the album were also given a previously unreleased DVD of 50 Cent's 2003 European tour called "No Fear, No Mercy".

Track listing

All tracks produced by Sha Money XL, except "Pimpin, Part 2" produced by J.Bonkaz

Reception

50 Cent: Bulletproof received generally below average reviews due to poor gameplay mechanics but was praised for its solid storyline and music. It received 1 out of 5 and a Golden Mullet from X-Play. In spite of this, it received a positive rating of 8/10 from Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine.

The PlayStation Portable G Unit Edition received mixed reviews from critics. GameSpots Alex Navarro did, however, say that it was a better game than the PS2 or Xbox versions. with the distributor proving unsuccessful in its attempts to appeal the decision. In January 2006, the Australian Classification Board approved of a censored version which removed its arcade mode, downplayed its level of gore and declared itself to be over automatically if any innocent people are killed during the game; this version was rated MA15+.

Sales

50 Cent: Bulletproof sold 1,123,000 units, according to NPD Group (it is unclear whether this figure includes the PSP's "G-Unit Edition" release). By July 2006, the PlayStation 2 version had sold 600,000 units and earned $27 million in the United States. Next Generation ranked it as the 98th-highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. Overall sales of Bulletproof reached 850,000 units in the United States by July 2006. Its PlayStation 2 version received a "Gold" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 200,000 units in the United Kingdom.

References

  • (PSP)