25 to Life First Look

Kevin Gill drops some knowledge on 25 to Life.

There's no question that online competitive play is hot in the console world right now, and Eidos is planning to jump into this market in a big way early next year with a hard-edged new online shooter called 25 to Life. The easiest way to describe the game is to call it "SOCOM in the streets." That would be selling 25 to Life short, however, since Eidos is going to great lengths to give the game a distinctive urban identity, imbuing it with elements of gritty street culture that will figure into both the gameplay mechanics and the style of the game.

To be fair, if you've played SOCOM or its sequel, you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect from 25 to Life. Up to 16 players split between two teams will battle it out online in a wide assortment of gritty urban environments (the team is targeting between 12 and 18 maps in multiplayer). A number of game modes will be on offer, ranging from standard deathmatch to a variant of CTF called "capture the stash." Though the details are sparse at the moment, Eidos is promising that it will expand on the game modes found in other team games by capitalizing on 25 to Life's urban theme. The game will also offer a separate single-player campaign spread across a linear progression of maps, and here you'll be able to begin unlocking some of the game's extensive character customization options.

In fact, customizing your online persona will be a major component of the game. On the thugs' side, you'll gain access to new clothing, bling, and tattoos that you can apply to your characters to create a unique look for multiplayer. Progressing through the single-player game will open up new stuff that you can use in the multiplayer mode, and Eidos is looking at licensing popular hip-hop fashion labels to give the game that extra bit of authenticity. Of course, the police will be a little more limited in the ways they can change their appearance, but you'll get upgraded uniforms as your rank increases, and you'll be able to tweak some attributes like facial hair.

Your choice of which side to play on in 25 to Life's multiplayer won't just be a style thing--there are substantial gameplay differences between the gangstas and the fuzz, too. The criminals naturally aren't bound by any weapons restrictions, so they'll be able to use banned high-powered weapons like the AK-47. The expense of using these powerful weapons is that, as untrained shooters, the thugs won't necessarily be as accurate as the cops. If you're playing the ol' five-oh, you'll be bound by weapons laws, so you might be restricted to just a handgun and a regulation shotgun (for instance). But since the cops have actual training with their weapons, you'll have greater accuracy, not to mention access to fun toys like a flashlight and laser sight that will help you get a leg up on the bad guys. The cops will also have the option to take down suspects without killing them by using tasers and handcuffs, if they choose.

We got to take a look at the demo map that Eidos will show off at E3 this week, and the game is looking pretty fresh so far. We noted a lot of detail in the darkened city street and the house we could enter in this level, and scared non-player characters running around helped add to the realism. The game's environments will feature a lot of cues that will help give away your enemies' positions, such as motion-detecting lights, car alarms, and even barking dogs. Ambient noises like loud music, on the other hand, will help cover up the sound of approaching foes. The good guys and the bad guys have distinctively different animations, from the way they move around to the way they hold and fire their guns, so you can often tell what team a nearby figure is on even if they're obscured by darkness. From what we saw in the demo level, it looks like the game will feature some lively environments that will provide a solid backdrop for the hectic action.

As focused on the urban lifestyle as 25 to Life is, it wouldn't have much street cred without a bumpin' soundtrack featuring the big names in hip-hop. Fortunately, Eidos is well aware of this, so that's exactly what the game will have. Considering the game is a full year away from release, it would be a little premature to give you a full rundown of all the artists appearing on the game's track list, but we can say that Tupac and DMX have already been confirmed. Eidos says that 25 to Life's music will span hip-hop history, from old classics to the biggest new songs in rap.

Based on our advance look at 25 to Life, we'd say the game will give the online action category a pretty big shot in the arm come early 2005. The game will be released simultaneously on the Xbox and PS2 and will have similar features on both Xbox Live and using the PS2's network adapter. Specific details are still being ironed out, but there will be ample support for clans with features like group-oriented hangout lobbies and in-game graffiti tags included. 25 to Life will be playable on the E3 show floor this week, so we'll bring you more on the game soon. For now, check out a new developer interview and some cinematic clips on the game's media page.