50 Cent: Bulletproof

Take on the role of 50 Cent as he gets caught in a web of corruption, double-crosses and shady deals that lead him on a bloody path through New York's drug underworld. Working with the unlikeliest of allies, the streets heat up as 50 takes on the most dangerous crime families in the city, uncovering an international conspiracy with devastating implications.

Released: 17 November 2005
Platforms: PlayStation 2 PlayStation Portable Xbox Xbox 360
Genres: Shooter Third-person shooter
Developers: Genuine Games
Publishers: —
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action
Country: United States
Age ratings: ESRB M
Composers: Sha Money XL

About

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 was 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 was released in 2006. A sequel, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, was released in 2009.

The story revolves around the titular 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, along with Dr. Dre playing an arms dealer, Eminem playing a corrupt police officer, and DJ Whoo Kid playing 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.

›Story

You are the rapper 50 Cent in the streets of New York. You receive a urgent page for one of your old cell mates K-Dog, which leads you into a ambush where 50 Cent gets shot nine times and is left to die. After 50 survives you are back out in the streets sneaking for revenge. 50 gets caught up in a underground world working along side with G-Unit soldiers Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, and Tony Yayo.

You go through the game dealing with shady deals and people while taking on the most dangerous crime organization in all of New York City. 50 puts in work to uncover the truth behind the international conspiracy that is being fueled by the streets.

Keywords

murder
gangs
crime
over the shoulder
black protagonist
hip-hop
one-man army
licensed game
celebrity tie-in
voice acting
protagonist's name in the title
corrupt government

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

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. The game offers a wide variety of weapons to choose from which can be purchased using in-game currency. The player can carry multiple weapons at the same time and freely swap between them while in combat. The player is often accompanied by AI companions during missions, who assist the player by engaging enemies and repeating helpful game hints. These characters are invincible and can effectively clear areas unassisted.

Story

50 Cent receives a distress call from his former juvie cellmate and friend K-Dog (Dwayne Adway), and assembles his crew – Lloyd Banks, Young Buck and Tony Yayo – to help him. The crew goes to K-Dog's location in Queens and shoot their way through an armored tactical squad, but 50 Cent narrowly fails to rescue K-Dog and is shot nine times.

50's crew brings him to the apartment of Doc Friday, a former licensed doctor until he started writing prescriptions for himself, to recover for a few weeks. 50 Cent then goes to Detective Aaron McVicar (Eminem), a corrupt cop, to buy information about K-Dog's whereabouts. Though reluctant, McVicar agrees for a favor. He tells 50 that K-Dog was taken in by the FBI, and is being questioned at a safehouse in Scarsdale, New York.

Development

The game was created by Woodland Hills, California-based 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.

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.

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. GameSpot's Alex Navarro did, however, say that it was a better game than the PS2 or Xbox versions.