Article 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand – Straight Talk

bookert · 01-27-2009, 08:45 PM

January 26, 2009 - When Activision announced in July that it planned to drop some still-in-development titles from the Vivendi portfolio, we held our collective breath. Please don't let it be 50, we whispered. For the love of God, no.

But Activision did jettison Swordfish Studios' 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, a move that dismayed 50 Cent fans but delighted rival publisher THQ, which quickly picked the title up and added it to its 2009 lineup. Now, with the game's release just a month away, we've begun pestering Swordfish in earnest about what to expect from the shooter. Will gamers who didn't love 50's first game, Bulletproof, find a different experience with Blood on the Sand? How involved was the rap superstar with the creative process? And where exactly is the game set, anyway (hint: it's not the Middle East).

We asked all of this and more of the title's director, Julian Widdows. Read on for use of the word "whilst."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IGN: Though you didn't develop the first 50 Cent game, many casual gamers don't differentiate between the makers of games and pay more attention to the franchise itself. What are you doing to ensure that Blood on the Sand stands out from the last 50 Cent game that may have left a bad taste in many player's mouths?

Julian Widdows: You know it's been on of our minds throughout development – the fact that there exists this qualitative 'hangover' from the original Bulletproof. Although the first game was well received by 50 Cent's fans we know it didn't necessarily give gamers everything they were looking for, and we've felt a weight of responsibility to deliver something that we can be really proud of and that gamers are going to love when they get their hands on it. Our job was to deliver the media experience of the original whilst offering fresh, accessible and compelling gunplay; great visuals and effects; and an accessible core-game experience with enough depth to keep even the hardcore gamer interested through the length of the campaign.

The team and myself have always put the moment-to-moment experience at the forefront of each of our games, be it an RTS like Hostile Waters, an FPS such as Cold Winter, or indeed Blood on the Sand. We've stayed true to our belief that the gamer's experience should be the guiding light in all our decision making, and that more than anything else, delivering fun to the player is our responsibility, whilst developing this game. Every decision we've made has been about delivering players the best experience possible – this will make the game stand out from the original Bulletproof.

IGN: What's being done to make people feel like they're playing a 50 Cent game and not just an action-game starring 50 Cent?

Widdows: From day one we've been working hard to make this feel like a 50 Cent game rather than just another action game. You can see this throughout the whole package: from the menu art, which is inspired by hip-hop motifs and takes cues from the G-Unit clothing line iconography; to the HUD, featuring scroll work and chunky, distressed fonts; to the gameplay itself, which is larger than life, bold, in your face, full of attitude. The way 50 Cent and G-Unit talk to each other both during scripted events and when the player uses the taunt feature really sells the idea that this is a 50 Cent game with the G-Unit crew along for the ride.

Check out the latest 50 Cent BOTS vids in HD.
IGN: How was the decision made to place 50 Cent in the Middle East for this action game?

Widdows: It's not the Middle-East, as it happens. The setting is a pastiche of different war torn environments – different theatres of conflict, some of which have Eastern influences, sure, but there are also visual cues that are more at home in the Baltic states than the Middle-East. You won't see any Arabic script in our game, for example, nor do the bad-guys speak Arabic. Our Art Director and his team worked hard to make the setting original and inspiring and yet, at the same time, implacable. This was important to sell the high-concept – if we'd set the game in a real place then I don't think the cues 50 Cent wanted in there, as well as the larger than life, tongue in cheek gameplay, would have worked.

IGN: Is there any worry that the foreign setting won't resonate with the urban audience that has embraced 50 Cent?

Widdows: We sometimes talk about the setting as a hood-beyond-the-hood. The locations are definitely places the urban audience will identify with, albeit in a somewhat sunnier, dustier climate: the run down side-streets; the tower blocks; the mall, the flyover; the theatre. Despite the sense of exotic, the locations in this country also feel very familiar.

IGN: How involved has 50 Cent been in the production of this game?

Widdows: 50 Cent was a big influence on the game's direction. He met with the production team in the States on a number of occasions to give feedback, direction, including his desire to have a diamond-encrusted skull as the MacGuffin. If you've been watching the interviews with him he normally mentions this and here's the thing, it is a true story. He also did a stunning job in the studio, working hard with our Audio Director to give us exactly what we needed to bring his game persona to life.

IGN: Blood on the Sand offers online co-op play. Will that co-op mode be available offline in split-screen? Will the game adapt to a second human player by upping the difficulty?

Widdows: There's no split-screen co-op. Frankly, we just wouldn't have had time to implement and test this feature properly and so it went straight on the 'next time' pile. For this game we've focused all our energy on the online experience. In order to keep the game experience as legible as possible for all gamers, the player is free to change the difficulty level at any time during gameplay, but we don't try and dynamically balance this in any way – the game's likely to appeal to a broad spectrum of players and we wanted to ensure that everyone finds it as accessible as possible.

The way we look at it is this, Easy is for people who are fresh to gaming or who want to unlock the hidden content as quickly as possible; Medium is for your experienced players, gamers who are looking for a reasonable challenge; Hard is a challenge best shared online. If a gamer starts playing single player on Medium, and then a friend joins and they find it too easy in co-op, it's the work of moments to change the difficulty level to make the game more challenging.

IGN: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand features 18 previously unreleased tracks. Are there plans for an official soundtrack to make the tunes available outside of the game?

Widdows: The 18 never-before-heard tracks are exclusive to the game and available nowhere else.

IGN: Those at IGN who have played Blood on the Sand have called it a "guilty pleasure" game. Did you set out to create a flashy, over-the-top style of game from the beginning?

Widdows: Guilty pleasure you say. Ha. I like that. Yes, absolutely, I mean this was definitely the original vision for the game and I'm really pleased the whole team got behind the idea and delivered something so compelling. We wanted the whole experience to be in-your-face, flashy, bold and exciting from the get-go, and by the sounds of your comment it looks like we've achieved this!

Source: IGN

Tha Unit On Top · 01-27-2009, 08:54 PM

I hope those 18 never before heard tracks are indeed new tracks and not some old mixtape shit with new beats.

iNfAMOUS G-CORP. · 01-27-2009, 09:01 PM

Day 1 purchase for me. It looks really good.

BossWittaAttitude · 01-27-2009, 09:21 PM

lol at the words 50 cent and straight in the same sentance,

26shotz · 01-27-2009, 09:22 PM

Game looks fun as hell

MrCatchaTemper · 01-27-2009, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by †R.I.P†

lol at the words 50 cent and straight in the same sentance,

LOL @ a neg rep to bookert and a hater comment like this....shows how frustrated you are.

BossWittaAttitude · 01-27-2009, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpiderLoc.T.O.

LOL @ a neg rep to bookert and a hater comment like this....shows how frustrated you are.

it also shows how gay you are

MrCatchaTemper · 01-27-2009, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by †R.I.P†

it also shows how gay you are

Gay? lol you have the Back street boys in your sig, minus nas.

Drink · 01-27-2009, 11:33 PM

These 18 unreleased songs are probably mixtape songs over new beats. You seein them in the singles section like Hands on the Steel which is Rider 4 Real. There was another one too I don't remember but I think that's all it is.

philzbilz · 01-28-2009, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpiderLoc.T.O.

Gay? lol you have the Back street boys in your sig, minus nas.

LMAO.. good one

The Real K.I.N.G. · 01-28-2009, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 18 Karat

These 18 unreleased songs are probably mixtape songs over new beats. You seein them in the singles section like Hands on the Steel which is Rider 4 Real. There was another one too I don't remember but I think that's all it is.

Yeah he did the same thing last time with mixtape songs from 2004-05 and put them over Sha Money beats

Hakaroodi · 01-28-2009, 03:10 AM

yeah it looks sick - kinda like Strangehold (which was dope as fuck!!!)

Majcip · 01-28-2009, 11:44 AM

propz I´m little mad cuz it ain´t on the PC. :D

Deuce Six · 01-28-2009, 05:45 PM

Looks like a fun game, and like everybody else, I hope these are actually new tracks not just "revisioned" ones.

FoShizzlE · 01-28-2009, 07:52 PM

cant wait for this game

LangJayKevin · 01-28-2009, 08:57 PM

sounds good ill get this and street fighter 4 for my ps3 when it does come out :)

01-27-2009, 08:45 PM	#1
bookert Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 334 Repped: 34 Repped 343 Times in 65 Posts Neg Reps: 11 Neg Repped at 21 Times in 11 Posts	50 Cent: Blood on the Sand – Straight Talk 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand – Straight Talk January 26, 2009 - When Activision announced in July that it planned to drop some still-in-development titles from the Vivendi portfolio, we held our collective breath. Please don't let it be 50, we whispered. For the love of God, no. But Activision did jettison Swordfish Studios' 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, a move that dismayed 50 Cent fans but delighted rival publisher THQ, which quickly picked the title up and added it to its 2009 lineup. Now, with the game's release just a month away, we've begun pestering Swordfish in earnest about what to expect from the shooter. Will gamers who didn't love 50's first game, Bulletproof, find a different experience with Blood on the Sand? How involved was the rap superstar with the creative process? And where exactly is the game set, anyway (hint: it's not the Middle East). We asked all of this and more of the title's director, Julian Widdows. Read on for use of the word "whilst." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IGN: Though you didn't develop the first 50 Cent game, many casual gamers don't differentiate between the makers of games and pay more attention to the franchise itself. What are you doing to ensure that Blood on the Sand stands out from the last 50 Cent game that may have left a bad taste in many player's mouths? Julian Widdows: You know it's been on of our minds throughout development – the fact that there exists this qualitative 'hangover' from the original Bulletproof. Although the first game was well received by 50 Cent's fans we know it didn't necessarily give gamers everything they were looking for, and we've felt a weight of responsibility to deliver something that we can be really proud of and that gamers are going to love when they get their hands on it. Our job was to deliver the media experience of the original whilst offering fresh, accessible and compelling gunplay; great visuals and effects; and an accessible core-game experience with enough depth to keep even the hardcore gamer interested through the length of the campaign. The team and myself have always put the moment-to-moment experience at the forefront of each of our games, be it an RTS like Hostile Waters, an FPS such as Cold Winter, or indeed Blood on the Sand. We've stayed true to our belief that the gamer's experience should be the guiding light in all our decision making, and that more than anything else, delivering fun to the player is our responsibility, whilst developing this game. Every decision we've made has been about delivering players the best experience possible – this will make the game stand out from the original Bulletproof. IGN: What's being done to make people feel like they're playing a 50 Cent game and not just an action-game starring 50 Cent? Widdows: From day one we've been working hard to make this feel like a 50 Cent game rather than just another action game. You can see this throughout the whole package: from the menu art, which is inspired by hip-hop motifs and takes cues from the G-Unit clothing line iconography; to the HUD, featuring scroll work and chunky, distressed fonts; to the gameplay itself, which is larger than life, bold, in your face, full of attitude. The way 50 Cent and G-Unit talk to each other both during scripted events and when the player uses the taunt feature really sells the idea that this is a 50 Cent game with the G-Unit crew along for the ride. Check out the latest 50 Cent BOTS vids in HD. IGN: How was the decision made to place 50 Cent in the Middle East for this action game? Widdows: It's not the Middle-East, as it happens. The setting is a pastiche of different war torn environments – different theatres of conflict, some of which have Eastern influences, sure, but there are also visual cues that are more at home in the Baltic states than the Middle-East. You won't see any Arabic script in our game, for example, nor do the bad-guys speak Arabic. Our Art Director and his team worked hard to make the setting original and inspiring and yet, at the same time, implacable. This was important to sell the high-concept – if we'd set the game in a real place then I don't think the cues 50 Cent wanted in there, as well as the larger than life, tongue in cheek gameplay, would have worked. IGN: Is there any worry that the foreign setting won't resonate with the urban audience that has embraced 50 Cent? Widdows: We sometimes talk about the setting as a hood-beyond-the-hood. The locations are definitely places the urban audience will identify with, albeit in a somewhat sunnier, dustier climate: the run down side-streets; the tower blocks; the mall, the flyover; the theatre. Despite the sense of exotic, the locations in this country also feel very familiar. IGN: How involved has 50 Cent been in the production of this game? Widdows: 50 Cent was a big influence on the game's direction. He met with the production team in the States on a number of occasions to give feedback, direction, including his desire to have a diamond-encrusted skull as the MacGuffin. If you've been watching the interviews with him he normally mentions this and here's the thing, it is a true story. He also did a stunning job in the studio, working hard with our Audio Director to give us exactly what we needed to bring his game persona to life. IGN: Blood on the Sand offers online co-op play. Will that co-op mode be available offline in split-screen? Will the game adapt to a second human player by upping the difficulty? Widdows: There's no split-screen co-op. Frankly, we just wouldn't have had time to implement and test this feature properly and so it went straight on the 'next time' pile. For this game we've focused all our energy on the online experience. In order to keep the game experience as legible as possible for all gamers, the player is free to change the difficulty level at any time during gameplay, but we don't try and dynamically balance this in any way – the game's likely to appeal to a broad spectrum of players and we wanted to ensure that everyone finds it as accessible as possible. The way we look at it is this, Easy is for people who are fresh to gaming or who want to unlock the hidden content as quickly as possible; Medium is for your experienced players, gamers who are looking for a reasonable challenge; Hard is a challenge best shared online. If a gamer starts playing single player on Medium, and then a friend joins and they find it too easy in co-op, it's the work of moments to change the difficulty level to make the game more challenging. IGN: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand features 18 previously unreleased tracks. Are there plans for an official soundtrack to make the tunes available outside of the game? Widdows: The 18 never-before-heard tracks are exclusive to the game and available nowhere else. IGN: Those at IGN who have played Blood on the Sand have called it a "guilty pleasure" game. Did you set out to create a flashy, over-the-top style of game from the beginning? Widdows: Guilty pleasure you say. Ha. I like that. Yes, absolutely, I mean this was definitely the original vision for the game and I'm really pleased the whole team got behind the idea and delivered something so compelling. We wanted the whole experience to be in-your-face, flashy, bold and exciting from the get-go, and by the sounds of your comment it looks like we've achieved this! Source: IGN Last edited by J-Banks; 01-27-2009 at 09:39 PM. Reason: added source

01-27-2009, 09:01 PM	#3
iNfAMOUS G-CORP. iRun****HereUjustPostHere Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: WEST - LONDON, UK Posts: 2,630,716 Posts: 7,136 Repped: 2,826 Repped 3,601 Times in 938 Posts Neg Reps: 56 Neg Repped at 94 Times in 78 Posts	Day 1 purchase for me. It looks really good. __________________ The consequences mean nothin', those semi auto's is bustin' Crack sellin', predicate felon...spit big words but I can't spell 'em.. Put a shot to your melon - that'll keep your punk ass from tellin'...

01-28-2009, 03:10 AM	#12
Hakaroodi G-UNIT SOLDIER Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 30,524 Repped: 14,432 Repped 952 Times in 224 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 49 Times in 45 Posts	yeah it looks sick - kinda like Strangehold (which was dope as fuck!!!) __________________

01-28-2009, 11:44 AM	#13
Majcip Veteran Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: SK Posts: 3,131 Repped: 1,368 Repped 749 Times in 338 Posts Neg Reps: 33 Neg Repped at 50 Times in 41 Posts	propz I´m little mad cuz it ain´t on the PC. :D __________________ Rest in peace to Michael Jackson aka Forever King of POP

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

01-27-2009, 08:54 PM	#2
Tha Unit On Top BISD November 23rd Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 5,196 Repped: 640 Repped 2,457 Times in 353 Posts Neg Reps: 78 Neg Repped at 123 Times in 85 Posts	I hope those 18 never before heard tracks are indeed new tracks and not some old mixtape shit with new beats.

01-27-2009, 09:21 PM	#4
BossWittaAttitude Banned Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: OC Posts: 1,175 Repped: 220 Repped 317 Times in 87 Posts Neg Reps: 290 Neg Repped at 329 Times in 187 Posts	lol at the words 50 cent and straight in the same sentance,

01-27-2009, 09:22 PM	#5
26shotz Banned Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Providence Posts: 3,548 Repped: 883 Repped 565 Times in 173 Posts Neg Reps: 37 Neg Repped at 69 Times in 46 Posts	Game looks fun as hell

01-27-2009, 11:33 PM	#9
Drink Warrior Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 991 Repped: 615 Repped 82 Times in 33 Posts Neg Reps: 1 Neg Repped at 2 Times in 2 Posts	These 18 unreleased songs are probably mixtape songs over new beats. You seein them in the singles section like Hands on the Steel which is Rider 4 Real. There was another one too I don't remember but I think that's all it is.

01-28-2009, 05:45 PM	#14
Deuce Six Veteran Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: T Dot Posts: 1,489 Repped: 715 Repped 205 Times in 115 Posts Neg Reps: 84 Neg Repped at 33 Times in 28 Posts	Looks like a fun game, and like everybody else, I hope these are actually new tracks not just "revisioned" ones.

01-28-2009, 07:52 PM	#15
FoShizzlE FaShizzy Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Born In Lisbon Livin In London Posts: 3,073 Repped: 995 Repped 261 Times in 60 Posts Neg Reps: 6 Neg Repped at 6 Times in 6 Posts	cant wait for this game

01-28-2009, 08:57 PM	#16
LangJayKevin Veteran Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Temple City Posts: 1,280 Repped: 533 Repped 66 Times in 43 Posts Neg Reps: 12 Neg Repped at 9 Times in 9 Posts	sounds good ill get this and street fighter 4 for my ps3 when it does come out :)