50 Cent Bulletproof could have been one of the most innovative and exciting urban action video games of all time. It’s clear that a lot of time and effort went into the creative edge of the video game. Sadly though, the game falls short when it comes to the actual game play.

The premise of 50 Cent Bulletproof is rather simple. You star in the game as 50 Cent. Along with fellow G-Unit members Lloyd Banks, Young Buck and Tony Yayo you run the streets basically. From the very first mission it’s clear that the game doesn’t measure up. When the game begins you as 50 Cent are in a warehouse. You and the G-Unit are being ambushed. You have to shoot the enemies while Lloyd Banks picks the lock to exit the area. First off, the targeting is very frustrating. Second of all, with the G-Unit members frantically running around sometimes it’s hard to tell who is a good guy and who is an enemy. Another strange thing, if you shoot any of the G-Unit members they do not die or get injured.

There are a lot of neat things about the game. You can choose your difficulty level when you begin game play. You can also access a media center where you can view 50 Cent videos and listen to 50 Cent music. As you advance in game play more multimedia is unlocked. This is a really great feature and brings a real unique flavor to the game. The game includes 4 CD’s worth of new music and remixes from 50 Cent and over a dozen video games. In addition to the voice work lent by 50 Cent and the G-Unit, Eminem, Dr. Dre and DJ Whoo Kid can also be heard in the game.

One thing about the game that makes it a bit boring is you can’t drive in the game. According to the booklet that came with the game, “Since no one drives in New York and cabbies stay outta this hood, 50 gets around using the subways.” This was the deal sealer for me that made me know I wouldn’t be playing the game very long. It would have been so cool to drive around New York as 50 Cent and listen to his music. The fact that driving is not an option in the game makes this gamer think they were just rushing to get this game out because every 50 Cent/G-Unit fan knows they are about the flashy cars.

50 Cent Bulletproof was created by Vivendi Universal. I previously reviewed their 2005 releases Cold Winter and Red Ninja. They need to hire some better game developers. The games they create have good premises but the actual game play can be so frustrating that game players get frustrated.

The bottom line is that 50 Cent Bulletproof was a really idea that just doesn’t work because of the overall poor game play controls. The character is clunky, the shooting is not very good, and the game map seems small. The game was a really good idea, but it doesn’t work. Perhaps if Rockstar Games or Activision completed the actual game design the finished product would have turned out better.

Related Links
www.50cent.com
www.50centbulletproof.com