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50 Cent: Bulletproof

(2006, Video Games - Third-person shooter, Rated M, Play it on: PlayStation 2, Xbox)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 18; suggested age 17.
  • Is it any good?

    2.0
  • Common Sense says

    Rap star out-gangstas GTA. Adults only.

Why We Rated This not for kids

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Not an issue.
 

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Revenge is the end -- violence is the means.
  • Violence:

    Have you ever seen a man stabbed in the head … in slow motion? That's just one particularly brutal example of the game's extensive, creative, and unrelenting violence.
  • Sex:

    Prostitutes shake their goods on the street and offer to do "anything" for 50 Cent. Two of them end up sharing his bed.
  • Language:

    50 Cent grammar rules: Sentences must contain a subject, a verb, and an obscenity. You name it, they say it.
  • Consumerism:

    Aside from promoting 50 Cent and G-Unit products, the game goes out of its way to feature a 50 Cent beverage, now available in stores.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Marijuana litters 50's apartment, and harder drugs factor into the plot.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of 50 Cent: Bulletproof was written by Aaron Lazenby

Parents need to know that this game is riddled with questionable and offensive material. Superstar rapper 50 Cent lords over his 'hood with supposed strength and integrity. But really he's a murderous, pot-smoking thug blindly pursuing revenge after surviving an execution-style shooting (as did the real-life 50). Along the way, guns are purchased in an alleyway, heads explode, corpses are looted, cops are bribed, and the body count grows from sickening to ridiculous.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about how the game is used to deepen the 50 Cent mythology. In real life, the man survived a brutal gun attack and went on to parlay his experience into a successful career in a musical genre that places a premium on toughness. Does this game reinforce the 50 Cent legend and elevate him to the status of superhuman gangsta? At what point is the reality of his experience subsumed by fantasy ghetto of the game?
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More on 50 Cent: Bulletproof

What’s the Story?

50 Cent's prodigious marketing machine never fails to point out that before he became super-famous he was shot nine times -- and survived to become one of the world's most successful hip-hop artists. 50 CENT: BULLETPROOF turns this event into the catalyst for a story based mostly on finding 50's assailant and bringing him to (street) justice. Players move 50 Cent through New York neighborhoods tracking down clues and squeezing information out of opponents in a quest to uncover the identity of his attacker. Loaded down with shotguns, Uzis, pistols, machine guns, grenade launchers, and more, 50 blasts through his opponents, looting their inert bodies for wallets and credit cards to help him purchase helpful items that support his pursuit. Close

Is It Any Good?

50 Cent: Bulletproof glorifies the worst images the gangsta world has to offer in order to elevate its protagonist from human celebrity to superhuman legend. The intensity of the violence is worth noting: Blood sprays, bullets hit flesh, and dead bodies flop realistically against the scenery. Players can grab enemies and pistol whip them for information, use them as human shields, or simply execute them with a close-range gunshot.

 

Developers clearly spent a lot of time on impressive, cinematic cut scenes that frame the story and add to 50's legend. If they had spent similar effort on quality AI, a serviceable targeting system, more lively and interactive environments, and puzzles or problems that require more than button-mashing gunplay, players might have been able to forget the questionable source material and get lost in the fun of the game. In the end, the game is both offensive and boring.

 

Close

Publisher’s Details

Released on 3/28/2006, price $49.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: M (for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs )

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Our Members Say

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  •  I think this game is

    for ages

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See all 21 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title off for age 9 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate language

    • My highlights are:
    • Educational

    teen rated

    i think it's cool for tenn's

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Kansas
    I rate this title on for age 14 and give it 1.0

    stupid

    this game was the worst game and just one word for it F**k it

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 1.0

    pete rock

    can i play your game damn

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 0.0

    To heck with this game.

    If your looking for a good game go buy Kingdom Hearts if your 5-11 Go buy Devil May Cry if your 12-any age. just dont buy this game you'll regret wasting your money.

  5. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in North Carolina
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 4.0

    i laughted

    i think we shood make it 13+

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