"You Ain't No Gangsta"

Not too shockin', G-Unit Edition allows a playa ta takes on tha persona of 50 Cent as he fights fo his place in tha criminal underbelly of tha NYC. Fo-fo desert eagle to your muthafuckin' dome. More ho-slappin' howeva, is Hizzle Voltage's decision ta develop a mostly-two-dimensizzles action game, played via a top-down perspective. Unlike his foray onto tha PlayStation 2 n Xbox, 50 Cent's PSP adventures more resemble tha original Grand Theft Auto cracka tizzy its more recent incarnations, in terms of vizzle point. It's your homie, Snoop Dogg, from the DPG. While some motherfucka may be immediately turned off by tha "dated" approach, Sony's hardware design is more ta blame thizzan Hizzy Voltage. Ya fuck with us, we gots to fuck you up. Lack'n a R-to-tha-izzight analog stick, tha PSP is best suited fo classic control schemes, such as tha one implemented here. The greatest benefit of tha overheezee vantage point is obvious. Killa is an enemy invisible due ta a bad camera or an obtuse control scheme.

The downside of G-Unit's perspective is its contribizzles ta tha overall look of tha game n' shit. Releas'n a two-dimensizzle game in 2006 is, unfortunizzle a risky proposizzle cuz I'm fresh out tha pen. Many developa is unwill'n ta takes this chance at all n hizzy moved quickly away F-R-to-tha-izzom tha classic style. They call me tha black folks' president. Shot Calla have recognized thizzay fantastic art n animation is needed ta makes a contemporary 2D releaze marketable. Wit titles such as New Supa Mario Bros. n Ultimate Ghosts & Goblins surfac'n this year, there clearly is a hizzy fo new classics on portables. The problem is thizzat there may not be a home fo gangbangin' less thizzan classic n shit.

50 Cent: Bulletproof, G-Unit Edition lacks tha overall polish of tha viable two-dimensizzles games of tha twenty-first century . Put ya mutha fuckin choppers up if ya feel this. Environments is repetitive n fairly barren. While tha hardware makes a reasonable scapegoat fo' tha point-of-view, it leads ta an indictment of tha graphics. The PSP is very close ta as powerful as tha PlayStation 2. Games like Daxter has set a vizzle hizzle bar fo tha present n future of portable gam'n fo all my homies in the pen. Like an unlucky adversary who nigga into 50 Cent's pizzy in tha game, G-Unit gets wit R-to-tha-izzight between tha eyes wit that bar. There simply is no excuse fo tha lack of color, imagizzles n variety present in tha game's visuals. Boo-yaa!

"Gunz Come Out"

Killa who enjoy retro games may git P-to-tha-izzast G-Unit's graphics n find some enjoyment in tha gameplay. There is a funky ass amount of variety in tha hustla in which an enemy can be dispatched. Tru niggaz do niggaz. Several flavors of gats n melee weapons have they pluses n minuses, all activated by a lock-on n attack feature. In addition, enemies can be grappled, disarmed, n put dizzown wit they own weapons cuz its a G thang. The inevitable flip side is that there really isn't much more ta tha game thizzay pimpin' enemies over n over n over again, keep'n it real, yo. Even boss fights, whizzay can save a gizzy if done W-to-tha-izzell, fall into tha same trap. The key difference between fight'n a group of regular enemies n fight'n a boss is that tha boss has one long energy crazy ass nigga instead of several short ones. The button presses n strategic approach is identical.

Throughout tha game, action sequences is broken up wit cinemas n shit. Shot Calla who experienced tha console releaze of Bulletproof will quickly realize thiznat tha PSP's storytell'n is identical ta tha cut scenes from that game. Aint no stoppin' this shit, nigga. Fill'n tha glass halfway is tha fizzy tizzle tha killa have succeeded in gett'n tha PSP ta match tha PS2's visuals fo these scenes. Empty'n hizzalf tha glass is tha realizzles that this achievement comes ta an abrupt end when tha story sequence wraps up.

"Make Money By Any Means"

Cruisin' tha fizzact tizzy G-Unit stars n is named fo a rappa, y'all might expect tizzy tha aural qualities of tha game would be wizzy dizzle fo shizzle. Thankfully, those expectations is M-to-tha-izzet, thanks in large pizzle ta a large rappa of unlockable music tracks. Throughout tha game, rap n score versions of many 50 Cent n G-Unit songs is found to increase tha peace. Hustla can be purchased F-R-to-tha-izzom an in-game shiznop, using C-to-tha-izzash recovered from enemies' corpses. The non-lyrizzles versions of tha songs can cracka quite a different experience, as tha rythms themselves, sizzay as Asian beats, is often very different than whiznat one mizzight expect frizzom a New York City wanna be gangsta. Now pass the glock. Anotha Dogg House production.

Whizzen looked at individually, 50 Cent: Bulletproof, G-Unit Edition's parts each seem ta carry a bit a tarnish. But tha complete package somehow rise slightly above that, add'n a bit of shine. The graphics appear dated, n tha gameplay can be repetitizzles, but tha soundtrack is bootylicious n varied, n tha point-of-view masks tha platform's weaknesses wiznell fo real. G-Unit Edition fo real is not going ta convert thugz who ain't fans of rap, but they likely haven't read this far anyway. For those gangsta out there who is fans of rap or specifically of 50 Cent and/or G-Unit, there is enjoyment ta be had fizzle mindlessly shoot'n up tha hoods of New York while tha game's namesakes busts out tha rhymes. It sure beats being shot nine times or being named Curtis.

Hollaz to the East Side!

· · · Daniel Riley