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25 TO LIFE (PS2)
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Publisher: Eidos Interactive.
Developer: Avalanche Software. Released: June 2007 (Europe). Genre: Third-person shoot 'em up. Other versions: XBOX; PC. Posted 10th April 2014. By Shane Battams © 2014 |
To be fair on 25 to Life (and trust me, it needs all the defending I can muster), it was a doomed from the start. Released on European shores more than 12 months after that of the US, it ended up launching at the tail-end of the PS2’s shelf life, and lacking the multiplayer component which drew most of its interest back in the States. 25 to Life’s profoundly generic gameplay combined with a host of mechanical flaws, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of players. One which lasted about three hours...
When a thug called Freeze wants out of his gang, leader Shaun Calderon forces him to do one last job in exchange for his freedom. But it’s all a set-up courtesy of Shaun, and the game then splinters into three perspectives. Freeze, naturally, wants payback on Shaun, but you also take the role of Calderon himself as he is on the run in Mexico, and Detective Lester Williams, who is trying to arrest the criminals running rampant. ‘All over the place’ would be an understatement, as the story inherently lacks focus. The game ends in a poor attempt at a moral message, which is rather muted by the sheer amount of police you’ll end up killing along the way.
When a thug called Freeze wants out of his gang, leader Shaun Calderon forces him to do one last job in exchange for his freedom. But it’s all a set-up courtesy of Shaun, and the game then splinters into three perspectives. Freeze, naturally, wants payback on Shaun, but you also take the role of Calderon himself as he is on the run in Mexico, and Detective Lester Williams, who is trying to arrest the criminals running rampant. ‘All over the place’ would be an understatement, as the story inherently lacks focus. The game ends in a poor attempt at a moral message, which is rather muted by the sheer amount of police you’ll end up killing along the way.
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As soon as you load up 25 to Life’s campaign, it is apparent that it is flawed in a myriad of ways. Perhaps most damning is its sluggish controls. Aiming just doesn’t feel right, making shooting more of a pain than it should be, and while taking cover isn’t too broken, leaning out of it is. Your character merely peeks out; enough to get shot at, but far from enough to gain any aiming advantage. And sometimes, control inputs either take time to respond or fail to respond at all, leaving a lot to be desired before you even sink into the game’s mechanics. Enemy A.I. isn’t too bright, as they fluctuate wildly between smartness and idiocy, such as shooting straight through human shields and standing out in the open. It never equates to a satisfying experience.
If you’ve played the likes of Max Payne or Total Overdose before, then 25 to Life is instantly familiar – to a fault. It almost adds nothing to those games, bar sluggish controls, and missions become a drag quickly. It becomes routine: kill, restock, reload, repeat. There is little in the way of variety, as this tiresome combo becomes the meat of the game, without anything like dramatic set pieces to keep it fresh. It doesn’t help that weapons feel underpowered, due to poor sound effects. The supposedly unique element comes from playing as three different characters. But the only difference is that playing as one of two crooks allows you to take human shields while playing as the cop lets you arrest other baddies along the way. Functionality-wise, they’re identical essentially, and all suffer from sluggish control.
25 to Life does feature four difficulties, but none of them are too tough, bar moments where the inconsistent A.I. factors in. Ranging from Easy to OMFG, you’ll be done with the game’s story within three hours no matter what. Yep, the 12 missions can be brushed through in an afternoon, and replaying the game really isn’t worthwhile. Small side missions aren’t exciting either. Unfortunately for EU gamers, a decent SOCOM-style multiplayer mode was cut out. One of the more redeeming features has unceremoniously been ripped out, and as a result, there’s very little reason to spend any time with this one.
If you’ve played the likes of Max Payne or Total Overdose before, then 25 to Life is instantly familiar – to a fault. It almost adds nothing to those games, bar sluggish controls, and missions become a drag quickly. It becomes routine: kill, restock, reload, repeat. There is little in the way of variety, as this tiresome combo becomes the meat of the game, without anything like dramatic set pieces to keep it fresh. It doesn’t help that weapons feel underpowered, due to poor sound effects. The supposedly unique element comes from playing as three different characters. But the only difference is that playing as one of two crooks allows you to take human shields while playing as the cop lets you arrest other baddies along the way. Functionality-wise, they’re identical essentially, and all suffer from sluggish control.
25 to Life does feature four difficulties, but none of them are too tough, bar moments where the inconsistent A.I. factors in. Ranging from Easy to OMFG, you’ll be done with the game’s story within three hours no matter what. Yep, the 12 missions can be brushed through in an afternoon, and replaying the game really isn’t worthwhile. Small side missions aren’t exciting either. Unfortunately for EU gamers, a decent SOCOM-style multiplayer mode was cut out. One of the more redeeming features has unceremoniously been ripped out, and as a result, there’s very little reason to spend any time with this one.
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25 to Life is hardly an attractive package either. You know a game looks dull when a Casino level looks blander than a military complex. Characters animate so stiffly that they barely react to taking ten SMG bullets. Repetitive, though by no means lacking detail, enemy models dull the action even more. And to top it all off, the frame rate is pretty rough, sometimes even freezing completely at certain points. The audio does benefit from a fairly good soundtrack, featuring artists such as DMX, Public Enemy and Xzibit. They are played during certain missions, and usually they fit pretty well, though beatboxes allow you to change songs mid-mission. Outside of that, guns lack any power, and merely average voice acting combines with a hokey script.
Even if you factor in the budget price, 25 to Life is a rough shooter. It borders on non-functional more often than not, with spotty controls, freezing and an awful cover mechanic making shooting more frustrating than it should be, though by no means hugely challenging. The generic, bland shooting doesn’t redeem these flaws, and with only three hours of campaign and the removal of multiplayer for European territories, it feels distinctly cheap, in both its gameplay and its length. When there are many better alternatives out there, whether it’s the gritty gunplay of Max Payne or the ridiculous action of Total Overdose, there’s very little reason to delve into this cheap shooter.
Even if you factor in the budget price, 25 to Life is a rough shooter. It borders on non-functional more often than not, with spotty controls, freezing and an awful cover mechanic making shooting more frustrating than it should be, though by no means hugely challenging. The generic, bland shooting doesn’t redeem these flaws, and with only three hours of campaign and the removal of multiplayer for European territories, it feels distinctly cheap, in both its gameplay and its length. When there are many better alternatives out there, whether it’s the gritty gunplay of Max Payne or the ridiculous action of Total Overdose, there’s very little reason to delve into this cheap shooter.
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VERDICT
Visual: 3/10
Audio: 4/10 Gameplay: 3/10 Longevity: 1/10 OVERALL: 3/10 |
PIXEL SECONDS: 25 TO LIFE (PS2)
25 to Life isn’t a complete disaster, but it does leave you with the sense of a game that was several years late to the party. A Max Payne-mimicking third-person shooter, it riffs on the aforementioned noir classic’s story with a split-narrative following the fallout of a drugs bust gone wrong. Protagonist Freeze, like Payne, has the dual problem of fleeing police attentions whilst mowing down a host of goons in search of loved ones. Sadly, this is where the parallels end. A ludicrously hammy narrative somehow manages to cast every demographic, in every role represented, in a remarkably unflattering light. It plays okay, with a basic but functional cover peeking mechanism, solid movement and aiming controls and a fair array of weaponry. Locations vary from bars to casinos, prisons and penthouses, though the game looks dated. At its strongest, 25 to Life offers some moderately diverting shooting that flows nicely enough, whilst the extreme brevity of the experience is tempered a little by additional objectives that allow for the unlocking of customisable clothing. The A.I. is entirely characteristic of dodgy shooters from the early 2000s however, as foes have the unerring ability to shoot you the very second you break cover, and run in daft, zigzag patterns. A rap-heavy licensed soundtrack offers a couple of highlights for fans, though much like the gameplay itself, there’s little variety in tone or tempo. Not as bad as Dead to Rights II, but not a patch on Max Payne. [4] – Tom Clare © 2020
25 to Life isn’t a complete disaster, but it does leave you with the sense of a game that was several years late to the party. A Max Payne-mimicking third-person shooter, it riffs on the aforementioned noir classic’s story with a split-narrative following the fallout of a drugs bust gone wrong. Protagonist Freeze, like Payne, has the dual problem of fleeing police attentions whilst mowing down a host of goons in search of loved ones. Sadly, this is where the parallels end. A ludicrously hammy narrative somehow manages to cast every demographic, in every role represented, in a remarkably unflattering light. It plays okay, with a basic but functional cover peeking mechanism, solid movement and aiming controls and a fair array of weaponry. Locations vary from bars to casinos, prisons and penthouses, though the game looks dated. At its strongest, 25 to Life offers some moderately diverting shooting that flows nicely enough, whilst the extreme brevity of the experience is tempered a little by additional objectives that allow for the unlocking of customisable clothing. The A.I. is entirely characteristic of dodgy shooters from the early 2000s however, as foes have the unerring ability to shoot you the very second you break cover, and run in daft, zigzag patterns. A rap-heavy licensed soundtrack offers a couple of highlights for fans, though much like the gameplay itself, there’s little variety in tone or tempo. Not as bad as Dead to Rights II, but not a patch on Max Payne. [4] – Tom Clare © 2020