Fans of rapper 50 Cent are getting a sweet one-two punch this holiday season, what with his upcoming film Get Rich or Die Trying as well as his videogame, 50 Cent: Bulletproof. Published by Vivendi Universal and developed by Genuine Games, it's a third person brawler/blast fest not too far removed from the Grand Theft Auto style, yet it features a presentation that's unmatched by its competition, an eclectic mix of style that'll no doubt propel this title to the very top of the must buy holiday games, providing the actual game doesn't suck, which it most certainly could.

It doesn't seem likely though and for excellent reason. Terry Winter, the Executive Producer (and Emmy award winner) of the Sopranos has written the game's story, and there's plenty of stars in the game. 50 Cent plays himself obviously, but Eminem plays a crooked cop named Detective McVicar, Dr Dre plays war veteran Grizz (he also teaches you special moves), and members of the G-Unit (Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo) also make appearances. Then there's the music, and trust me when I say that the cup hath runneth over. Not only has 50 recorded about 10-13 original tracks specifically for the game, but there's music from other artists as well. All told, there are more than 100 different songs, a ridiculous number that's quite hard to believe but it's true.

The story is just as dark as some of 50 Cent's music. While in NYC a mysterious figure shoots him nine times and leaves him for dead. After the recovery period is over he hits the streets and find out who targeted him. Along with his G-Unit soldiers (who will fight alongside you but cannot die), you'll meet all sorts of bizarre people, acquire new moves, and get into lots and lots of firefights, all the while slowly inching closer to unraveling the mystery behind the botched assassination attempt.

The core gameplay is similar to other urban-themed titles, so expect to be knee deep in the dead. Bulletproof does much more than simply glorify violence. Rather, it places it onto a platinum dish and serves it steaming hot. This isn't Rockstar's attempt to show us what gang violence is like. This is 50's interpretation of how it really is, though there's obviously some excessive stuff that's been tossed in for videogames sake. Spraying people with bullets from the muzzles of semi automatic and automatic weapons is all well and good, but you can also grab hostages, beat up people and interrogate them, line up head shots and watch as the camera transitions to a behind the bullet perspective and travels all the way to its target, and brutalize opponents with about 30 counter kill maneuvers, Dead to Rights-inspired disarms that let you perform all sorts of devastating kills. Conversely, you can also find things in the game's myriad of environments to take cover behind such as cars and dumpsters. You have lots of power, yet you're still going to need to get 50's back. The AI is aggressive as all hell and will stop at nothing to kill him, so it's best to fight with caution.

It's difficult to know exactly how well this game is going to sell, especially since it's going to hit store shelves the same day as the Xbox 360, November 22. But I have a feeling that it's not going to get swept away in the launch festivities. 50 Cent is so insanely popular that people will flock to this title and the movie will only feed their curiosity about the game. But regardless of the hype, I'm actually looking forward to playing Bulletproof because it looks cool. I'll be busy playing all those next generation games, but I just may sneak this Xbox title into the mix. Look for the GameDaily review in the very near future.