A theme that has been popping up lately on the game scene are the "gangsta"-style violent games. The trend started with a game that wasn't actually that bad to begin with, Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. But lately, the genre has been derailed with the likes of crappy games such as Konami's abysmally weak Crime Life: Gang Wars and 50 Cent's take on the gaming world, Bulletproof. Well, despite the lack of quality, the sales of Fitty's game has moved into the one million mark (I can hear Buffa groaning to himself now), so something tells me the trend won't stop. Oh, well...can we at least see something with substance and not just bling?

Probably not, at least not for the time being. The latest knock against the genre comes in the form of the deflated 25 To Life, a game that's already been met with a good deal of controversy over its themes (cops hate it with a passion and have threatened to pick up every copy they can- hey, go right ahead), but just doesn't seem worth the effort to even rent. In the game, you take control of one of three different characters, each with their own line of destiny to meet. You can take control of a punk named Freeze who's trying to get out of the gangster game with his family, but has one last job to pull off that results in chaos; you can take over the life of a cop who suddenly finds his cohorts dirtier than a pair of underwear after a car accident; or you can take on a Mexican gangster rising to power. No matter which way you go, though, there's speed bumps. LOTS of speed bumps.

Number one, the story for each of these characters tries to be involving, but just can't come together. Too many chaotic events come into play where gunplay is simply the answer. I understand this is an action game, but come on, logic has to enter the fray somewhere. T.J. Hooker never flipped out and killed his partner, did he? Furtnermore, you never come to care for any of these characters or their causes, and this is something that would've made the game click better...especially in the case of the cop trying to fight for what's right.

Number two, the story mode is very short, lasting only a number of stages for each character. You'll probably be done with all three in a matter of a few hours, and then what's left to go back to? Well, to the game's credit, there is mulitplayer online through Xbox Live that supports up to sixteen players, and a number of different scenarios available, such as gang vs. gang battle or gang vs. cops. But this means trying to find people who have a similar interest in the game, and reason number three works heavily against that.

Number three, despite the violence theme and the ability to make heads explode in red fleshiness, the game just isn't that much fun to play. It puts itself into a third-person perspective ala Max Payne, forcing you to position yourself away from the gunfire while still aiming for the enemies. The problem is, it's not nearly as stylish as either of the Payne games, and runs itself into the ground. Not even the wide assortment of weaponry or attempts to perk up the action with even MORE enemies wakes up this blah play method.

Number four, the game's design is completely uninspired and, in some areas, unfinished. 25 To Life actually never rises to the next-gen occasion and looks like something resembling a highly polished PSX game. Furthermore, the frame rate drops constantly, and there are graphical bugs that come into play, like when a body slumps down miraculously beyond a wall. Unless it was a really weak wall, there's no reason for that. Levels try to add diversity but just end up looking like the same bloody backgrounds. Animation's okay, but, really, if you're buying a game like this just for animation, you have too much money on your hands.

Number five, the sound is pretty much terrible. Eidos did try to vindicate the street life for this game by pumping through a good soundtrack, featuring the likes of Public Enemy and other rappers and bands, but it's drowned out by below-average sound effects and the kind of voicework that sounds completely uninspired. Effort once again takes a raincheck.

25 To Life is clearly guilty of not offering anything new to the gaming world, merely selling out to make a quick buck. Its presentation is terrible, its gameplay meaningless, and its characters more hollow than an Easter bunny. I sentence thee to the clearance aisle! Hopefully, this trend will take the down-low path and make way for something along the lines of San Andreas. You know, something fun to play...and with a point, no less.