50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

A near-perfect popcorn game. Its gunplay is solid and backed up by a plethora of neat ideas, its co-op is strong and there's an undercurrent of savvy humour that helps to negate the heavy posturing and more dubious elements of the paper thin plot.

This is great mindless fun, with a huge head-nodding Fiddy soundtrack, highly competent visuals and a high score aesthetic that clicks enough to keep you playing.

There's no denying it: Blood on the Sand is completely senseless, wholly obnoxious, incredibly thoughtless, and insanely fun. Hampered by a sore lack of multiplayer, Fiddy's second console excursion still remains an entertaining, if completely mindless experience.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand proves that with effort and good material a more than acceptable videogame can be created. Obviously this is not a game that will set standards, on the contrary, but it is nevertheless an entertaining and easy consuming game that will appeal to all Curtis Jackson's fans.

50 Cent’s first foray into video games (50 Cent: Bulletproof) was a hot mess of action clichés and poor control, so kudos to new developer Swordfish Studios for delivering a vastly improved sequel. It’s a thuggish, high production value exercise in excess – not unlike the music of the man that inspired it.

Blood on the Sand isn't broken, but it is at times unimaginative. If Gears of War 2's mantra was "Bigger, badder, more bad ass," then BOTS's should have been "Fiddy, Fiddier, more fiddier." Instead it's just one five-hour "Fiddy."

Parts of this 50 Cent adventure are downright enjoyable, but I think the most enjoyment I got out of Blood on the Sand came ironically. The action is pretty generic, but it's functional enough to keep you moving from one bout of unintentional comedy to the next.

Blood on the Sand is better enjoyed with a friend, and the well-implemented drop-in/drop-out Cooperative mode is a solid addition. It's easy to let people join your game, and just as easy to keep them out or boot them should they become a nuisance.

For 50 Cent fans Blood on the Sand is a must-buy, but devotees of the genre will also be pleasantly surprised at its impressive features and rampant gameplay.

If you are a fan of mindless, old-school action games you really owe it to yourself to give Blood on the Sand a try. I promise you will be thoroughly entertained. The minute things start to feel repetitive, the game throws in a random driving level or a ludicrous cutscene that you only wish could be rewound and watched again.

50 Cent fans are going to love every minute, and non-fans are likely to have a pretty good time too. Just don't expect a deep gameplay experience.

All in all, you can't deny that Blood on the Sand is a fun game with a great soundtrack.

Is it derivative? Yes. Is that a bad thing? No. Have I spent the last week of my life beating this game 6 times over and STILL going back for more? Um, what I do in my spare time is between my consoles and me.

At the end of the day, if you can look past the utterly stupid story and just enjoy the game for what it is, a fast paced, high scoring, arcade shooter, you'll probably find yourself having a lot of fun.

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. Similarly, go in looking for old school street cred and you'll come up empty.

A huge improvement over the below-average Bulletproof.

Surprisingly fun. It's easy to pick up and play and checks all the boxes for an action shooter. It's not very original, but it's miles better than the last game to bear the hip-hop star's name. You'll get several hours of enjoyment out of it, and it's great rental fodder for those who have long since laid the locust to rest.

The biggest chunk of praise needs to go to Swordfish, though, who have managed to take what – on paper, at least – is an awful idea and turn it into a decent shooter, even in a very crowded market.

No bad-art masterpiece, Blood only rates as an eyebrow-raising timewaster.

Fans of 50 Cent, rest assured. 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand is way better then 50’s first game. Sometimes it is even a lot of fun to play. The combination of 50 Cent’s music and shooting around gun blazing creates a perfect setting for fans to enjoy.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand is a fairly typical third-person shooter at its core.

While 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand is an adequate shooter, it can get fairly repetitious quickly.

Good looks and a combination of basic challenges and unlockables add to a colourful arcade experience. Longevity may be an issue, but Blood On The Sand is a hip-hop hoot while it lasts.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand doesn't take itself too seriously and never tries to be anything more than easy entertainment. If you look at the game in this perspective, then you'll have no problem in liking the game. Especially when you're playing it with a friend. But there are a few things missing, like a splitscreen and an online mode. Or a high difficulty setting. Making the game far from perfect for the experienced gamer.

50 Cent: Blood on the sand exceeds every early expectation; it's good action, with a good cover system and a funny arcade shooting experience. Replayability is allowed through lots of unlockables and weapons to buy, and of course the funny ccoperative mode. Not only for 50 Cent and G Unit fans, but every action lover will have fun with this Swordfish Studios' joint.

If you and a friend have an afternoon to kill, you could definitely do worse than stomping sandcastles with Fiddy. [Apr 2009, p.84]

Developer Swordfish Studios have delivered a game as blunt, as fun, and in your face as… well, as a sold-out 50 Cent concert.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand is a curious mix of two different genres. It shakes the furious shooting frenzy of Gears of War and the scoring system of the arcade shooter The Club. The result is a strange, but funny hybrid of the two games that could appeal a vast audience of players, fans or not of Fiddy, but especially the ones who like a casual, straightforward and arcade shooter.

Fiddy proves his gaming career is more than wanksta dreaming with Blood on the Sand. You would almost have to be lifeless not to enjoy a few minutes of 50 this action packed shooter.

This is simply a blast to play, and there's a lot of replay value. The only problem is that the campaign is short, maybe five to seven hours.

It's a somewhat short game but there's a great amount of replay value and it is one hell of a ride a from start to finish.

An enjoyable but derivative shooter with lots of Fiddy. [Apr 2009, p.68]

His previous foray into videogames left the self professed P.I.M.P. more than a little L.I.M.P. But Swordfish Studios have pumped the lead back into 50 Cent’s pencil with the very respectable Blood on the Sand.

Genuinely hard not to enjoy. [Apr 2009, p.100]

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand does a good job of alleviating the mistakes of its predecessor thanks to the better controls, great graphics and a foray into co-op.