50:Cent BotS oozes charisma and bravado and players will have a great time taking the fight to the streets.
Subtract two points for a terrible storyline. The storyline for this game is absurd, predictable and over the top (in a bad way). Basically 50cent (how do I abbreviate that? Someone please help) and his G-Unit crew just got done performing somewhere in the Middle East, and the venue owner can't pay 50 and crew. So after some rough talk and smack down laying by "fitty," the owner gives him a diamond-encrusted skull for compensation. Seconds later your posse is ambushed as a group of generic Middle Eastern thugs steal the skull. Thus begins 50's quest for vengeance. On a side note, how did 50 end up in the Middle East?
Subtract another point for horrific voice acting. Between the generic sounding baddies, and the terrible voice acting of 50 and fellow G-Unit members, the only reason to even keep the volume on is for the soundtrack. Which leads me to…
Add 1 point for an amazing soundtrack. 50 and the entire crew provide a bevy of greatest hits, which can be crafted into a playlist of your liking for your playthrough.
Subtract .5 of a point for a HUD that is muddier than 10-page essay covered in baby vomit. You know your HUD is a mess when the player CAN'T FIND THEIR OWN HEALTHBAR! In an era of gaming were minimal HUD is preferred; there is no excuse for such a poor display.
Subtract 1.5 points for fm quality sound. Guns that sound like a cross between fireworks and laser beams combined with explosions that sound like they are occurring in a tin can make the sound in this game less than desirable. Any action game should have a spectacular boom, and this game lacks that boom.
Add .5 for sub par graphics. 50 and his G-Unit crew look amazing, but dull, listless backgrounds, strikingly similar looking baddies, and cut scenes that you can only see with brightness at its max keep this game from reaching its full potential.
Add 1 point for game mechanics. 50 Cent: BotS plays into the over-the-top storyline by giving you over-the-top action, with firefights around every corner and some great ways to maim, murder, or blow up your foes. The use of a Gears of War-esque cover system is a nice touch, as is "Gangsta Time," the bling-ed up version of bullet time. Throw in some gritty and violent contextual close combat sequences, and you've got a recipe for great action, although it does have a tendency to grow stale from time to time.
50 Cent: Blood in the Sand is not the next great shooter, yet it is nowhere near the worst. This game oozes charisma and bravado and players will have a great time taking the fight to the streets.