Software:25 to Life

From HandWiki
Short description: 2006 video game
For other uses, see Software:25 to Life (disambiguation).

25 to Life
North American PlayStation 2 box art
Developer(s)Avalanche Software
Ritual Entertainment
Publisher(s)Eidos Interactive
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, Xbox, Windows
Release
  • NA: January 18, 2006[1]
  • EU: June 1, 2007 (PS2)
  • AU: June 7, 2007 (PS2)
Genre(s)Third-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

25 to Life is a third-person shooter video game developed by Avalanche Software and Ritual Entertainment and published by Eidos Interactive for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox and released in 2006.

Set in a modern environment, the game allows the player to play as both a cop and a gangster, at different times, in a "cops and robbers" style game. The game can be played online with up to 16 players using the network adaptor for the PS2 and through Xbox Live for Microsoft Xbox, and there is online play for the Windows version as well. While Xbox Live for the original Xbox was shut down in 2010, 25 to Life is now playable online using replacement online servers for the original Xbox called Insignia. [2][3] On purchasing the Windows version, customers would also obtain a free "Street Warriors" playing card, which included a featured character from the game itself.

Plot

The game is about a man named Freeze, his friend Shaun Calderon, and police officer Lester Williams in the fictional city of Las Ruinas. Freeze commits crimes with Shaun to get money, which he spends for his family, while Williams is trying to stop the organized crime and across the city.

One night upon returning home, his wife confronts him about these actions. Saying they are a bad influence to their son Darnell, she wants him to stop. After an argument, he agrees. The next day, he tells Shaun he wants out of the game. Shaun levels a gun on Freeze, informing him that he must do one last job, a narcotics trade.

At the deal, Freeze finds the Colombian drug dealers dead and corrupt police officer Maria Mendoza waiting for him. Freeze flees with the police in pursuit and loses them, but loses his money in the process. It is then revealed that Mendoza has been working with Shaun.

The 2nd Street D-Boys realize Freeze wants out of the gang and he has to avoid both his former gang and the police. Shaun also kidnaps Freeze's wife and son for ransom for the money lost in the botched deal. To pay this ransom, he robs a bank. After a gun fight against police, he reaches his getaway car, only to be arrested by Maria.

Meanwhile, Mendoza informs Williams of Shaun. They look for Shaun in his house, but get caught in a gun fight. Williams finds evidence and goes to a club to find Shaun, chasing him to the subway. The chase ends with Williams arresting Shaun, but Mendoza kills him and tells Shaun to leave for Mexico.

Shaun goes to Tijuana and fights his way to a local club called "The Curtains Club". He robs a casino, fights security, and goes to a wealthy man named Saragosa in his penthouse, whom he kills.

Freeze breaks out of jail and gets new clothes at the mall while being chased by the police. He kills Mendoza in the mall and hunts down Shaun, now a wealthy drug kingpin. After engaging Shaun in a shootout with Freeze winning, he kills Shaun by stepping on his neck until he suffocates. Now reunited with his son, though his wife is still missing, the final scene shows Freeze telling Darnell, "From now on, it's just you and me against the world. Now let's do this", as a large number of police officers arrive, with Freeze picking up a gun and pointing it at the police.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PCPS2Xbox
1Up.comN/AD−[4]D−[4]
Edge2/10[5]2/10[5]2/10[5]
Game InformerN/A5.75/10[6]5.75/10[6]
GameSpot5.6/10[7]5.7/10[8]5.7/10[8]
GameSpyN/AStarHalf star[9]StarHalf star[9]
GameZone8/10[10]N/AN/A
IGN3.3/10[11]3/10[12]3.1/10[13]
OPM (US)N/AStar[14]N/A
OXM (US)N/AN/A2/10[15]
PC Gamer (US)30%[16]N/AN/A
Detroit Free PressN/AStar[17]N/A
USA TodayStarStarStarStar[18]StarStarStarStar[18]StarStarStarStar[18]
Aggregate score
Metacritic39/100[19]39/100[20]41/100[21]

25 to Life received "unfavorable" reviews on all platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[19][21][20]

Hyper's Maurice Branscombe commented that the game's soundtrack was okay only "if you like rap." However, he criticised the game as "absolutely unadulterated bullshit."[22]

USA Today gave the game a score of four stars out of ten and stated that its only strong quality "is a decent multiplayer mode. Most of the action is team-based, allowing you to choose between police or thugs. Players can choose to rob a location and return the stash to their home turf, raid a criminal hangout, or engage in an all-out deathmatch. Freeze's goal at the start of this story was to get out of the "game." Five minutes slogging through this shooter will have players wanting the same."[18]

The A.V. Club gave it a D+ and called it "a half-baked copy of someone's urban nightmare."[23]

Detroit Free Press gave the PS2 version one star out of four and stated that it "lacks everything that would make it new, innovative or just plain fun. The graphics are really muddy and sub-par. The controls seem to be a bit confusing."[17]

References

  1. ↑ "25 to Life to be paroled in January" (in en-US). November 17, 2005. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/25-to-life-to-be-paroled-in-january/1100-6137140/. 
  2. ↑ "Insignia - 25 to Life" (in en). https://insignia.live/games/45530018. 
  3. ↑ Xbox, Pure (2022-12-21). "Xbox Live 1.0 Replacement Adds More Supported Titles, 40 Games Now Playable" (in en-GB). https://www.purexbox.com/news/2022/12/xbox-live-1-0-replacement-adds-more-supported-titles-40-games-now-playable. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pfister, Andrew (January 18, 2006). "25 to Life (PS2, Xbox)". http://www.1up.com/reviews/25-to-life_4. Retrieved September 2, 2015. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Edge staff (March 2006). "25 to Life". Edge (160): 89. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Helgeson, Matt (March 2006). "25 to Life (PS2, Xbox)". Game Informer (155): 100. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/8A0EC024-B706-473C-9385-1321564F30BF.htm. Retrieved September 2, 2015. 
  7. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff (January 19, 2006). "25 to Life Review (PC)". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/25-to-life-review/1900-6142710/. Retrieved September 2, 2015. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Gerstmann, Jeff (January 19, 2006). "25 to Life Review (PS2, Xbox)". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/25-to-life-review/1900-6142699/. Retrieved September 2, 2015. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Vasconcellos, Eduardo (February 14, 2006). "GameSpy: 25 to Life (PS2, Xbox)". http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/25-to-life/688639p1.html. Retrieved September 2, 2015. 
  10. ↑ Giacobbi, Kevin "BIFF" (February 12, 2006). "25 to Life - PC - Review". Archived from the original on December 29, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081229195155/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r24037.htm. Retrieved September 2, 2015. 
  11. ↑ Onyett, Charles (January 17, 2006). "25 to Life (PC)". Archived from the original on January 10, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070110051346/http://pc.ign.com/articles/681/681676p1.html. Retrieved September 2, 2015. 
  12. ↑ Onyett, Charles (January 17, 2006). "25 to Life (PS2)". Archived from the original on December 31, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20061231111423/http://ps2.ign.com/articles/681/681668p1.html. Retrieved September 2, 2015. 
  13. ↑ Onyett, Charles (January 17, 2006). "25 to Life (Xbox)". http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/01/18/25-to-life. Retrieved September 2, 2015. 
  14. ↑ "25 to Life". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 82. April 2006. 
  15. ↑ McCaffrey, Ryan (March 2006). "25 to Life". Official Xbox Magazine (55): 82. https://archive.org/details/OXM_2006_03-web/page/n27/mode/2up/. 
  16. ↑ "25 to Life". PC Gamer: 51. April 2006. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Rucker, Rashaun (February 19, 2006). "'25 to Life' (PS2)". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on September 5, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060905220946/http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20060219%2FENT06%2F602190324%2F1044. Retrieved September 2, 2015. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Molina, Brett (February 6, 2006). "'25 to Life' isn't punishment enough for awful shooter". USA Today. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2006-02-06-25tolife_x.htm. Retrieved September 2, 2015. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "25 to Life for PC Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/25-to-life/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved September 1, 2015. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "25 to Life for PlayStation 2 Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/25-to-life/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. Retrieved September 1, 2015. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "25 to Life for Xbox Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/25-to-life/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox. Retrieved September 1, 2015. 
  22. ↑ Branscombe, Maurice (September 2007). "25 to Life". Hyper (Next Media) (167): 66. ISSN 1320-7458. 
  23. ↑ Dahlen, Chris (February 15, 2006). "25 To Life". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 17, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060217062317/http://www.avclub.com/content/node/45471. Retrieved September 2, 2015. 

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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