As my challenge consists of trying every possible game in the back catalogue of Xbox 360 games I have available, I decided to get the number-y games out of the way first.
Therefore, my inaugural Achievemental experience saw me try out THQ's 50 Cent: Blood In The Sand
First off, this is a game I've been turning my nose up at for a long time, without ever really giving it a chance. I've never really been a massive 50 Cent fan. Some of my friends still refer to the act of deification as "going for a fiddy" because of the look of constipated concentration on his face in photographs. I was never going to buy this for £40.
In fairness, the overall premise of the game is ludicrous: 50 does a show; 50 gets paid with an ancient jewel encrusted skull; the skull gets stolen by some generic terrorists; 50 tools up with 1 of his 3 G-Unit pals to kill lots of baddies and get his shiny skull back. The plot is so basic that the introductory cut scenes probably take the same length of time to set the scene as it took you to read the above description. On top of this, I'm not really sure why he's on stage with live grenades on his person at the start of the game either. For a man who's been shot at so many times, he's taking a bit more of a risk than necessary.
The gameplay itself is simple... but actually pretty satisfying. The closest thing I can think to compare it to would be "Kane and Lynch" by Eidos. It's basic third person shooting, using one of 4 weapon slots, with a simple collectible pick up structure and a kill multiplier system reminiscent of SEGA's "The Club".
Where the game succeeds over "Kane and Lynch" is in its simplicity. The completely implausible plot makes this game better because it doesn't set you up to disappoint. When you hear how stupid the story arc is, it can only really get better from there. "Kane and Lynch" on the other hand, has a great storyline which is dragged down by poor gameplay. With 50 Cent Blood on the Sand, you just get to shoot baddies, blow things up and move on to a cut scene where the ridiculous plot gets even more ridiculous. It's simple, basic, only-very-slightly-more-involved-than-arcade gameplay. What's more, it's got 2 player co-op so you can blast through it with your pal. It's less than £10 preowned and well worth a punt if you want some nonsensical fun with a sweary hip hop soundtrack.
I managed to unlock 8 achievements to a total value of 90G, which isn't bad for less than an hours work. I would deffo pick this game up for a co-op run through. If you try not to be too sceptical, you might have some fun with this one too.
I'd give this one 6/10, because of the potential to have a laugh with the co-op at the expense of a man who's been shot 9 times.
I'd give this one 6/10, because of the potential to have a laugh with the co-op at the expense of a man who's been shot 9 times.
