This game is awesome despite all the bad reviews it got.
So here I am after all of my College exams on my way to EB Games to pick up a copy of 25 to Life. Before I even tried the game I had my own expectations in mind however the fact that the game's graphics are not the state of the art didn't bother me. After creating my account I obviously went online to try the sucker out. I have to be honest with you guys that at first glance the game didn't impress me at all. The connection issues, cheaters playing online and the whole apperance of the game even though set in great environments and the whole urban theme attached to it, wasn't much impressive. At first I really have thought that I wasted my money on the game as the whole game and online aspect of it (which I was looking forward to the most as I barely play single-player anymore) basically sucked.
But let me tell you something. It wasn't untill I sat down with the game for good few hours, when I realized that this game is practically amazing. Despite it's flaws it became one of my favorite games right off the bat. While the graphics look quite dated the looks of characters, level design and character customization are well done. The game is really fun to play(remember I am referring to the online aspect of the game). It's fast paced unlike Socom(though I am not saying it is a bad game or anything), with great shooting mechanism which might not be as realistic but makes the game fun as hell. The whole urban-gangster feel to the game is really appealing and I bet alot of people will find it same way.
When talking about online few things have to be mentioned. First is that the online features are extremely well done. Other than the ocassional lag, disconnecting issues and cheaters, 25 to Life's online includes clans, friends lists, stats both for individual players and clans alike and many other little things such as being able to send match invites. Everything works great and it is easy to quickly to log on to the game and start playing with your friends or clan members as you can always see where they are. After fixing few of the issues I mentioned above, the game's online mode will be pretty much flawless.
Another great thing about the game is the sound. Not only the guns sound great but the music in the game honestly rocks. The game features lots of great artists such as 2pac, Xhibit, Shane, Tech N9ne and DMX. I didn't really find a track I didn't like and I have only seen that in few games such as GTA:SA and NFS:U but 25 to Life's soundtrack is even better. It's not only the fact that the music is off the hook but it also creates a great type of atmosphere while playing the game. It sets a theme in the game which just feels right and at the same time pumps you up.
I have to say that this game honestly became one of my favorites and if you overlook at some of the flaws that the game has I guarantee you will find a fun and solid gameplay underneath while playing online. If you are not an online player then buying this game for the single-player it's a big waste of money and you are better off buying Black. I heard Eidos is working out the bugs and will release the patch sometime hopefully by the end of March and if they do fix those issues the game has alot of potential to be in the top online games. My last advice is that you shouldn't base an opinion about this game until you have tried it. I would recommend to exclude any of the media reviews as they are really biased and most of them try to compare this game to game such Socom while missing the integrated fun factor that the game has to offer.