Kotaku: 50 Cent

Sierra Gamer's Day: Ghostbusters to 50 Cent

Brian Crecente — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:00:00 MDT

Man, lots of embargoes have been lifting lately. The latest? Early this morning Sierra lifted the embargo on their Gamers Day, held earlier this month in San Francisco. Our Flynn De Marco attended, churning out impressions of eight upcoming Sierra games, including Ghostbusters and 50 Cent's latest title.

The Bourne Conspiracy Impressions
Ghostbusters Impressions
Sierra Online's XBLA Offerings
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon: Spyro Grows Up,
World in Conflict 360/PS3 Impressions
Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant Impressions
Prototype Impressions
50 Cent II Impressions

50 Cent Wasn't a "Crazy Video-Game Head"

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:00:00 MDT

Since 50 Cent has lent his name and likeness to video games, you'd think he was a gamer. Not so! Says the rapper:

I wasn't a crazy video-game head. But my son is crazy about them, so he sits and plays them all day. I'll play with him ... he beats me at those games. He likes to bring me around so he can beat me.

50 Cent: Not a crazy video-game head, his son's gaming bitch.
How 50 Cent Learned [MTV] [Pic]

50 Cent Sequel's Story Is AMAZING

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:20:00 MDT

We've got a little more info on today's darling of the internets, the unexpected sequel to 50 Cent's first game outing, Bulletproof. This time relating to the game's story. A story of blood, sand, promises, treachery, revenge and...a crystal skull. Which we're guessing somebody was paid to write. I...you...look, just read this, will you?

...what's inspired the title is, 50 and G-Unit are putting on a sold-out performance somewhere in a fictional Middle Eastern setting. This is where the 'blood on the sand' comes in. They put on the performance; the people are pleased, but the concert promoter stiffs them and doesn't give 50 and G-Unit their payment.

So, of course, 50 isn't going to leave until he gets paid, so he hassles the concert promoter, [saying] if he doesn't come up with the money now, there will be consequences. And instead, the promoter offers him a very valuable gift - something that's valuable to this particular country - a diamond encrusted skull.

So 50 gets the skull, and as he's about to leave this war-torn country, when they're ambushed and the skull is taken. They escape the ambush, but they're without the skull. So 50's motivated to get what belongs to him. So basically, throughout the game, he's trying to track these people down and find out who they are and why he was ambushed.

What...what? What? Why is he being entrusted with national treasures? Why can't he just buy another skull? So many questions...so many, many questions....
50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Interview [IGN]

50 Cent Sequel To Feature Bloody Sand

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:40:10 MDT

Yep, Fifty and the G Unit are back. The follow up to 50 Cent: Bulletproof, the educational shoot 'em up in which the rapper took on a criminal organization out to get him, is known as 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. According to the MTV reveal on the Vivendi-published, Swordfish Studios-developed title, the details of whom 50 and his G's will be shooting at are still super secret. We know 50's going somewhere sandy, bringing AI and player controlled buddies with him and that Formula 50 Vitamin Water and bottles of bub will most likely be consumed.

MTV has eight exclusive screens of Mr. Cent's sandy adventure, currently planned for the Fall, which actually look quite nice. There's no shortage of details on the game, said to be a "Three Kings' meets 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'" crime story, which you'll find linked below.

50 Cent Video Game Exclusive: 'Blood On The Sand' Details, First Images Revealed [MTV]

Yes, There Is Going To Be A 50 Cent II

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:20:01 MDT

It was simply inevitable. With Vivendi shipping well over a million copies of 50 Cent: Bulletproof to over a million suckers with crap taste in shooters, a sequel was expected. According to a cover snap of the latest issue of EGM, 50 Cent II, as we're calling it now, is reality. It's getting the "first look" preview treatment in next month's mag, something for which we're sure the boys at EGM were gentlemanly enough to feign interest in for a well-deserved exclusive.

Yeah, sure, I like "In Da Club" and "Hate It or Love It" too, but just because the dude has some finger snapping jams doesn't mean we need another game with his visage slapped on it, do we? Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a wall, Vivendi Games!

EGM SOCOM Cover! [The Real SOCOM]

High Score: The Best of Kotaku

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 13:00:22 MDT

As we enter the summer gaming doldrums, let us not forget that the new DS Lite will let us play better outside, where all the social, tanned people are. If you still insist on staying indoors on this lovely day, at least get caught up with what was goin' on at Kotaku last week.

Take Two, publisher of Rockstar Games Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, received it's ruling from the Federal Trade Commission over the infamous "Hot Coffee" hidden sexual content incident. What was the punishment? Nothing really. Just a warning from the government. Still, Take Two did incur almost $25 million in losses in conjunction with the product's recall.

Footage of the Tomb Raider remake for PSP snuck out this week, much to the ire of publisher Eidos. First, the original Google Video was pulled, then all YouTube videos. It's looking good, but this was surely not how the Eidos marketing department wanted to reveal the game.

In other handheld news, every Nintendo fan's ultimate fantasy has been realized. Legend of Zelda alum Tingle is getting his own RPG, Freshly-Picked Tingle's Pink-Coloured Rupee Land! Surely, the title will be Americanized for its Western release, but we still expect the same effeminate mannerisms and copious prancing about for which Tingle is famous.

Sure, it's fun (and easy) to hate on 50 Cent's video game, Bulletproof. So fun, in fact, that the lead designer of the game let slip his distaste for working on such titles. Hey, I don't like showing up for my weekday job either, but these $200 jeans aren't gonna buy themselves.

What's the benefit to owning a PlayStation 3 on day one? Bragging rights, of course. Also, you may be the owner of a fully backward compatable PS2 playing device, sans software emulation, as the PS2 chipset may be included in earlier versions of the next-gen console. Suspect? Maybe, but who can guess what Sony will do these days?

Do you, or someone you know, have a World of Warcraft addiction? Now, there's help. Amsterdam-based Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants are set to open a detox center for console and PC gaming "addicts". Doesn't anyone just do heroin anymore?

Finally, it seemed that last week was full of DIY content. From the Xman portable to this homemade DDR pad to the Freetar beta release to this mutant Lego-Xbox-SNES monstrosity, it seems that gamers are more content than ever to make their own fun.

Confessions of a 50 Cent Game Developer

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 15:22:37 MDT

Think being a game designer is all pink children and Christmas? Think again. High Voltage Software's lead designer David A. Rodriguez squashes the dream for millions of stary-eyed wanna-be's by telling it how it is. In a column over at PopCultureShock (via GameSetWatch), Rodriguez tells all:

I'm not an artist... Someone comes to my company with a contract. They give us money to make something. I make it. They take it and sell it. I don't work in art. I work...in customer service. And fortunately or unfortunately, the customer is always right. That means that no matter how bad I think an idea is. That means no matter how unreasonable the request or how STUPID the last thing they said was, in the end they write the check, so they get to decide. I can voice my opinion. I can tell them what I think because that's what they are paying me for, but ultimately, if they decide that something must be in the game...then you can bet your sweet ass it's gonna be in the game.

Kudos to Rodriguez for being honest and not self-delusional. Reminds me of something Pop painter Andy Warhol said, "Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art." Rodriguez is currently slaving away on the new 50 Cent PSP game, which I'm sure had no connection with his article whatsoever. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [PopCultureShock]

KotakuStalku: 50 Cent Hits the Show

Brian Crecente — Wed, 17 May 2006 07:00:03 MDT

50 Cent hit up E3 with not a single G-Unit in sight, but he did bring his own booth babes. It looks like he's wearing one of those swag medallions from last year's show.

50 Cent Pimps Bulletproof to Kids

Brian Crecente — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 10:00:43 MST

50 Cent really is an idiot. In a recent interview with Reuters the rapper turned actor turned, apparently, video game activist said that parents should buy his mature-rated video game for their kid because buried beneath the over the top violence and drugs is a way for him to make more money. That's not he real excuse, but it makes about as much sense as it.

So Bulletproof is apparently meant for kids, I guess that explains the infant-sized faux bulletproof vest the press kit came with.

50 Cent Claims Bulletproof Suitable for Kids [Gamasutra]

50 Cent Beats Ass

lsmith — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 10:40:17 MDT

50 Cent: Bulletproof had a new batch of screens released and along with them came some more details about the game's arcade mode. The game will record how many kills you get and what kind of kills they are, like Counter-Kills, Body Shields, Mobile Cover, and then reward you accordingly. I'm not really hip to the lingo, just yet, but give me some time and I'll be down. Style points for killing? This game is already going to be rated 'M,' it's just a matter of time till people start petitioning its release.

The rest of the new media is after the jump.

New Images: Feast Your Eyes on 50 Cent Game's Arcade Mode [Mercury News]

50 Cent, Fils-Aime Voicing For Zelda Game

Brian Crecente — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 09:30:12 MDT

First comes word of Richard Simmons voicing the ambiguously gay Mr . Tingle in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, now the Internet Movie Database is listing 50 Cent taking on the voice work for Epona and Reginald Fils-Aime doing the voice of someone called The Man. No wonder the game has been delayed.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess [IMDb, thanks GameBrink forums for this running joke.]