Software:Crime Life: Gang Wars

Crime Life: Gang Wars
European PlayStation 2 box art
Developer(s)	Hothouse Creations
Publisher(s)	Konami
Designer(s)	James Butler
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2 Xbox
Release	PlayStation 2 EU: September 1, 2005 Xbox EU: November 11, 2005 NA: November 22, 2005 Windows EU: November 18, 2005 NA: December 1, 2005
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Crime Life: Gang Wars is an action video game developed by Hothouse Creations and published by Konami. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. There are various methods of earning money, ranging from mugging to burglary. The soundtrack of the game is mostly provided by UK Hip Hop artists and features one exclusive song by the hip-hop group D12, who also contributed their likenesses and voices for some of the game's key characters.

The game has been cited for combining free-roam elements similar to Grand Theft Auto, and beat 'em ups similar to Final Fight.

During the press release, the developers stated that the game's main objective is for the player to "protect his people from exploitation and abuse and defend his crew from violence and treachery that permeates the society he lives in."

Plot

The game takes place in the fictional Grand Central City, which is in turmoil due to rampant gang wars. The protagonist, Tre, becomes a rookie member of the Outlawz, who was once the most powerful gang in the city but now are threatened by a rival gang known as the Headhunterz. Tre's mission is to restore the Outlawz to their former glory. The gang clashes with the police, as well as two more rival gangs, the KYC and the Pogue Mahones.

Upon discovering that the Outlawz' leader, Big Dog, plans to abandon them to join the Headhunterz, Tre attacks and kills him to take his place as the head of the gang. The story ends with Tre killing each Headhunter, including their leader. The gang also executes the police chief. The game ends on an ambiguous cliffhanger; during Tre's last fight with Justiss, he is shot multiple times at close range. After fatally shooting Justiss, Tre collapses and seemingly dies. But when the police arrive, only Justiss'corpse remain. Tre's body is gone and the police list 2 suspects still at large, strongly indicating that he possibly survived..

Gameplay

A fight encounter taking place in the game.

The game is a fictionalized simulation of gang wars, with the gameplay focused on street fights involving multiple gang members at once. The player has several weapons they can use, including baseball bats, lead pipes, hammers, and guns. The game includes over 25 story-mode missions, as well as some free-play missions.

A free roam gameplay style is also available, similar to the style seen in the popular game Grand Theft Auto. The free roam areas are relatively small but can prove useful when trying to locate your fellow gang members. The game's music is all hip-hop, reflecting the urban and hip-hop atmosphere of the game.

Reception

Reception
Review scores Publication Score PC PS2 Xbox EGM N/A N/A 2/10 GamePro N/A N/A GameSpot 2.1/10 N/A 2.1/10 GameSpy N/A GameZone N/A N/A 3.5/10 IGN N/A N/A 3.9/10 OPM (UK) N/A 4/10 N/A OXM (US) N/A N/A 1.5/10 PC Gamer (UK) 40% N/A N/A X-Play N/A N/A Aggregate score Metacritic 30/100 35/100 30/100

Crime Life: Gang Wars received "unfavorable" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. IGN gave the Xbox version in a negative review, stating that "In addition to weak gameplay, the visuals are reminiscent of the first wave of Xbox games when the system was released, and the sound effects aren't much better," though IGN praised the soundtrack.