When Snoop Dogg introduced us to his upcoming game Fear & Respect at Spike TV's Videogame Awards, he was doing a lot more than just selling his new product. On stage in front of the entire country, he became the poster boy for media convergence, or rather, a dramatic sign of the times, where a rabid consumer base is clamoring for games that have less to do with slaying dragons and rescuing princesses and instead deal with playing as characters struggling with real life issues. Thus, we have seen an incredible rise in urban-themed videogames as well as unrelated titles that glorify violence.

Misguided journalists will hand most of the credit to Rockstar for its GTA franchise, but titles such as Streets of Rage, Final Fight, and Urban Champion were tearing up arcades and homes long before Carl Johnson rode his bike through Los Santos. Instead, the answer to why we're seeing more urban-themed titles is simply because times have changed and the casual players are clamoring for them. Therefore, I present to you 2005's Urban Game Lineup, which includes the games that you'll see from now until the end of the year.

Before I begin, it is important that I define what I mean by the word, gangsta, so without further ado, here is what the word means to me. I happen to be a white male living in Rahway, NJ (a city lovingly referred to as Rough-way).

Gangsta (also pronounced gangster): As a noun, it is used to describe those involved in organized crime, semi organized crime, and/or vigilante activities. 2005 pop culture suggests that it has a very heavy hip hop influence, but gangsters can be from any culture. Not defined by the color of their skin, they're merely bad dudes who've taken the law into their own hands and refuse to listen to the police or the government, electing to dish out their own brand of justice.

As an adjective, gangsta represents a way of life. It's directly linked to what's "cool" as defined by various cultures. Baggy clothes, expensive suits, drive-bys, earning respect through force. These may define someone as being, "gangsta". However, there are many interpretations.

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