Software:50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

From HandWiki
Short description: 2009 video game
"Blood on the Sand" redirects here. For the 2016 song by Thrice, see To Be Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere. For other uses of the phrase, see Blood in the sand.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
European cover art
Developer(s)Swordfish Studios
Publisher(s)THQ
Director(s)Julian Widdows
Designer(s)Tim Austin
Gavin Cooper
Ed Kay
Artist(s)Fergus Duggan
Mark O'Kane
Andrew Taylor
Writer(s)Kamran Pasha
Composer(s)Swizz Beatz
EngineUnreal Engine 3
Platform(s)PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release
  • EU: February 20, 2009[1]
  • NA: February 24, 2009
Genre(s)Third-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand is a third-person shooter video game developed by Swordfish Studios and published by THQ for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It serves as the sequel to 50 Cent: Bulletproof, and was released in February 2009. The game centers around a fictional 50 Cent and G-Unit concert, set in an unspecified location in the Middle East. After the group's payment, a diamond-encrusted skull, is stolen, they must fight to retrieve it from the thieves.

Blood on the Sand came out of a Covert-One cancelled project at Swordfish Studios, which was tweaked to be less serious. In 2008, Vivendi Games, the initial publisher, merged with Activision. That resulted in the company dropping support for the title, with an uncertain future regarding its release. As the game neared completion, Swordfish Studios leadership finalized a deal to transition themselves into Codemasters Birmingham under Codemasters.[2] Shortly after, THQ took over the publishing rights for the game.

The game was positively received upon release, with praise directed at 50 Cent's involvement. Despite being noted as an improvement over Bulletproof, it was a commercial failure.

Plot

The game is set in an urban warzone in an unnamed Middle Eastern country, where 50 Cent and G-Unit have been hired to perform a concert. After the concert, the promoter, Anwar, is unable to pay them the $10 million in cash he promised but relents after being threatened. However, instead of the cash they were promised, he gives them a diamond-and-pearl encrusted human skull as collateral. This is stolen by a paramilitary group led by the terrorist Said Kamal and his right hand woman Leila. 50 Cent (with the help of a selected G-Unit partner) decides to get it back at any cost, and soon they find out that there is a much bigger enemy than Kamal.

Gameplay

Blood on the Sand includes on-foot combat, as well as vehicle missions such as a driver-and-turret-gunner Humvee H2 road chase and a helicopter-borne minigun shootout. There are also boss battles against helicopters.

The game has a feature called the "Shop" (activated in the game by placing a call on payphones hidden on each level), where the characters can use cash to buy new weapons, upgrade their old weapons, and learn hand-to-hand combat moves called "Counter-Kills". Cash can be used to unlock Taunts (each rated by "Profanity", "Braggin'" and "Triple X" levels), which increase the points earned from kills.

Weapons are graded from 1 to 10 by capacity, damage rating, and accuracy, and also list possible weapon enhancements. Players can use a mode called "Gangsta Fire" (50 Cent's variation on the slo-mo "bullet-time" concept used in Max Payne) to take on multiple opponents at once.

Each level has target enemies (five per level; each is just a high-value target, not a "Level Boss"), crates of gold bars (which are broken open to earn money), as well as collectibles like posters (5 per level). Kills grant points, which help the player to earn bronze, silver, and gold G-Unit Badges; these unlock better weapons, counter-kills, and taunts in the "Shop".

It also features more music tracks than the first game (40+ tracks in all); 50 Cent made 18 exclusive tracks just for the game. Swizz Beatz, Lab Ox and The Individuals made the original score for the game. There are also unlockable songs and videos.

Development

Around 2007, Swordfish Studios was looking to publish a video game based on novel series Covert-One, to coincide with a TV show's release. However, the series got cancelled, and so was the game at the same time. They also considered making it into a Tom Clancy game, but it was scrapped as they didn't own the rights to Clancy's name. After that, Vivendi Games offered the studio to develop a sequel based on 50 Cent: Bulletproof. While certain parts of the Covert-One project got repurposed during its development (like cover system), Blood on the Sand was being made with a lighter tone in mind. The animations were done from scratch to have a more "rap" feeling to it. 50 Cent and G-Unit occasionally visited the developers to offer some feedback. Every few months, Vivendi would show them a presentation of the game, named as "big release" builds. One of the late additions were the helicopters, due to 50 Cent's son asking for them during the build's playthrough.[3][4]

The game was officially announced by Vivendi Games subsidiary Sierra Entertainment on March 27, 2008, with no release window announced. Vivendi Games Mobile announced a mobile game based on the title as well, under the same name.[5]

Development of the game went into limbo when Vivendi Games' merger with Activision to form Activision Blizzard was finalized. On July 28, 2008, Activision Blizzard announced that only five Sierra titles would be published through Activision, and 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand was not one of them. Eventually, THQ announced they had purchased the publishing rights to the game from Activision on October 13, 2008.[6][7]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic71/100 (X360)[8]
72/100 (PS3)[9]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1Up.comC[10]
CVG7/10 (X360)[11]
Edge7/10[12]
Eurogamer7/10[13]
Game Informer8/10[14]
GamePro3.5/5[15]
GameSpot7/10[16]
GameTrailers7/10[17]
GameZone6.5/10[18]
IGN7.1/10[19]
7.6/10 (UK)[20]
7.5/10 (Australia)[21]
OXM (US)6.5/10 (X360)[22]
Play70% (PS3)[23]
X-Play4/5 (X360)[24]
The A.V. ClubC[25]
Maxim4/5[26]
USA Today3.5/5[27]

Unlike Bulletproof, which received generally mixed reviews, Blood on the Sand was better received by video game critics, scoring a 7 out of 10 on GameSpot and a 4/5 on X-Play.[24] Jeff Gerstmann of Giant Bomb said the story was "mostly nonsense, with a lot of half-assed dialogue that's usually delivered by people who sound like they have a plane to catch".[28] IGN praised the solid gunplay and strong co-op though they noted that the repetitive nature of the gameplay meant that it did not have great lasting appeal.[29] Chris Watters of GameSpot said "it works surprisingly well. This isn't the best action game you'll play this year, but that doesn't mean you won't have a damn fun time playing it."[30] Garnett Lee of 1Up.com gave the game a C, and agreed with Watter's assessment, saying "Blood in the Sand takes its missteps in stride. The game doesn't takes itself too seriously and if you try to, it completely unravels."[10]

In Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe, Brooker gave the game a negative review, quoting the game and saying "'Where'd she go? That bitch who took my skull?', that's the entire storyline", and later stated that "there are plenty of atrocious cutscenes detailing a story that's impossible to care about, during which 50 Cent scowls a lot and generally behaves like a prick."[31]

Sales

The game was a commercial failure.[32][33] As of April 2009, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand sold an estimated 56,000 units in the United States, not enough to make another installment for the series.[34] The game was not released in Germany, likely due to fears that it would be indexed by the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons.

References

  1. ↑ "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand dated for Europe". http://www.dpadmagazine.com/2009/01/07/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-dated-in-europe. 
  2. ↑ Smith, Ed (June 2017). "The Making of... 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand". EDGE Magazine June 2017 (issue #306, pg.76) (UK: Future Press). https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zskknIfIO7Cx_VMITTPU1BE3tBRxoJ0k/. 
  3. ↑ Smith, Ed (April 27, 2017). "The Making Of...". Edge. https://www.pressreader.com/australia/edge/20170427/282295320094748. Retrieved November 25, 2019. 
  4. ↑ "'50 Cent: Blood on the Sand' was originally planned as a 'Tom Clancy' game". September 10, 2021. https://www.nme.com/news/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-was-originally-planned-as-a-tom-clancy-game-3042889. 
  5. ↑ "Sierra | 50 Cent Game Sequel Ready to Set it Off this Coming Fall". Sierra Entertainment. http://www.sierra.com/en/home/news/product_news/032708_-_50_cent_2.html. Retrieved July 31, 2022. 
  6. ↑ "THQ picks up 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand". Eurogamer.net. October 13, 2008. https://www.eurogamer.net/thq-picks-up-50-cent-blood-on-the-sand. 
  7. ↑ Jenner, Laura (November 7, 2008). "Ghostbusters trapped by Atari". http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghostbusters-trapped-by-atari/1100-6200732/. 
  8. ↑ "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Critic Reviews for Xbox 360". https://www.metacritic.com/game/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360. 
  9. ↑ "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Critic Reviews for PlayStation 3". https://www.metacritic.com/game/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lee, Garnett (February 26, 2009). "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Review". http://www.1up.com/reviews/50-cent-blood-sand-review. 
  11. ↑ Jackson, Mike (February 19, 2009). "Review: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand". Computer and Video Games. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/208652/reviews/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-review/. Retrieved June 9, 2013. 
  12. ↑ "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand". Edge. April 2009. 
  13. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (February 20, 2009). "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Review". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-review. 
  14. ↑ Helgeson, Matt (March 2009). "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand". Game Informer. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/FBB0938E-C41F-4085-91EC-3CCFB6B0A0CA.htm. Retrieved June 9, 2013. 
  15. ↑ Herring, Will (February 23, 2009). "Review : 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand (360)". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/208957/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-360/. Retrieved June 9, 2013. 
  16. ↑ Watters, Chris (February 24, 2009). "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-review/1900-6205206/. 
  17. ↑ "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Review". GameTrailers. March 4, 2009. http://www.gametrailers.com/reviews/f7emrr/50-cent--blood-on-the-sand-review. 
  18. ↑ Grabowski, Dakota (March 8, 2009). "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand – 360 – Review". http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/2009/03/08/50_cent_blood_on_the_sand_360_review. 
  19. ↑ Goldstein, Hilary (February 24, 2009). "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Review". http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/02/24/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-review. 
  20. ↑ Robinson, Martin (February 20, 2009). "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand UK Review". http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/02/20/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-uk-review. 
  21. ↑ Shea, Cam (February 22, 2009). "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand AU Review". http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/02/22/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-au-review. 
  22. ↑ Reyes, Francesca (February 25, 2009). "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand review". Official Xbox Magazine. http://www.oxmonline.com/article/reviews/xbox-360/a-f/50-cent-blood-sand. Retrieved June 9, 2013. 
  23. ↑ Hopkins, Tom (March 9, 2009). "Review: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand". Play. http://www.play-mag.co.uk/ps3/games/50_cent_bots/50_cent_bots.html. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Heppe, Abbie (February 25, 2009). "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Review for Xbox 360". X-Play. http://www.g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/50950/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand/review/. 
  25. ↑ Fischer, Russ (March 9, 2009). "50 Cent: Blood On The Sand". The A.V. Club. http://www.avclub.com/article/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-24782. 
  26. ↑ Manolatos, Gerasimos (2009). "'50 Cent: Blood on the Sand' Review". Maxim. http://www.maxim.com/gaming/50-cent-blood-the-sand-review. 
  27. ↑ Saltzman, Marc (March 6, 2009). "That's a rap: '50 Cent' game sequel hits high note". USA Today. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/marcsaltzman/2009-03-05-50-cent_N.htm. 
  28. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff (February 24, 2009). "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Review". Giant Bomb. http://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-review/1900-115/. 
  29. ↑ "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand UK Review – IGN". February 20, 2009. http://uk.ign.com/articles/2009/02/20/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-uk-review. 
  30. ↑ "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-review/1900-6205206/. 
  31. ↑ pistol71 (May 13, 2017), Charlie Brookers GamesWipe (Comedic History of Computer Games) (Complete), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0RhXyznq7Q, retrieved July 16, 2019 
  32. ↑ Burford, Doc (March 5, 2019). "On 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, The Surprisingly Excellent Third-Person Shooter That History Forgot". https://www.usgamer.net/articles/on-50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-the-surprisingly-excellent-third-person-shooter-that-history-forgot. 
  33. ↑ Good, Owen (April 29, 2017). "Building a video game for 50 Cent sounds like a soul-crushing experience". https://www.polygon.com/2017/4/29/15487172/50-cent-blood-on-the-sand-review-sucks-helicopters. 
  34. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (May 8, 2009). "50 Cent's New Game Selling 1/12th Of His First One". https://kotaku.com/50-cents-new-game-selling-1-12th-of-his-first-one-5245761. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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