The man occasionally known as Curtis Jackson talked to MTV News’ Shaheem Reid about a possible sequel to the recent THQ release.

In addition to revealing that he’s played online with fans, Fifty mentioned that he’d like to take part in designing a game that he wouldn’t star in. Even if the Queens-born MC’s new game doesn’t feature his likeness, it’s a safe bet that plenty of the G-Unit guru’s music will be part of the mix. One of the questions facing any possible future Fiddy games would be who’d actually make and distribute it. “Blood on the Sand” fell into THQ’s lap after Activision merged with Vivendi Universal and cut the game loose. An all-new title would require a new developer and maybe a new publisher. Depending on how successful Blood on the Sand winds up being, the wait for more 50-fueled gameplay may be a long one. See the full MTV News video interview with 50 Cent here.

The awesomeness of being 50, in a February game I only recently finished.

Can a game hook you with just its characters and plot?

"50 Cent: Blood on the Sand" sold me in 60 seconds in, before I had controlled a minute of it.

There is a rapper on a stage in front of thousands. He is finishing his late night concert. He goes backstage and, angry that he hasn't been paid, pulls a gun on his manager. His manager thinks fast and produces a jeweled skull for payment. The manager sets up a convoy to escort the rapper out of town the next day. The sun rises. Then, the viewer of these scenes realizes, this is all happening in what appears to be Iraq. A sunny drive out of town in Humvees is interrupted by insurgents, who look like they've been on CNN. They attack the convoy. A beautiful woman steals the skull. Our rapper is out of his car, He's in a gun battle.

Then the game begins.

This game[is] a must play for anyone making games.

That's the intro of "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand," one of the more arresting and distinct game openings I've seen in a while. In the press coverage leading to the game's release -- including the coverage on this site -- writers noted the similarities 50 Cent's game was going to have to other video games: its "Gears of War" third-person cover-based combat, its "The Club"-style constantly scored shooting, its "Gears" or "Halo"-inspired obligatory vehicle levels.

But what makes this game a must play for anyone making games -- and a recommended suggestion for anyone who plays them -- is what makes the game unique: its quickly-established mood and story: a bellicose rapper in Iraq shooting would-be terrorists.

Look at all the games that are nothing different from games you've heard of already. There's a new game with an angry man wielding a sword. There's a new adventure of a space marine. There's a new role-playing game with a whiny teenager and a demure hot girl who can do healing magic. There's a game with an elf boy who needs to find his sword.

We've been there and played that.

We hadn't been an armed rapper in Iraq.

This is a game with little friction, just the easy experience and consumption of excess.

The game plays fine, exactly as you'd expect any hybrid of the games named above to play. Its biggest design flaws are its quadruple use of a helicopter boss battle, its dull final mission and -- bearing in mind that many games fail at this last one -- its failure to justify the number of firefights it presents in terms of narrative or evolution of gameplay.

At its default difficulty it is an easy game, a violent gun smash through the terrorists (who, yes, aren't terrorists but guys working for the skull-stealing villains, though that's not what it feels like, so…). The game is easy, and it's a crowd-pleaser. Even stepping into a checkpoint earns the player points, as does every kill, with score multipliers applied if the kill is committed creatively. Enemies and crates are smashed to reveal piles of bling, which enables easy purchases of better weapons and better ways for 50 to insult his enemies. This is a game with little friction, just the easy experience and consumption of excess.

That degree of easiness makes the game a pleasure to pick up. It also could make it simple to dismiss. Why not do something better with your time than play a game you can't lose? Because, as I wrote above, it's so novel in character and situation.

Think what you will of 50 Cent as a man, but as a character he is fascinating. His persona is that he is great at being great, which sounds vague but isn't. "50 Cent Blood on the Sand" is built around that character. This is his world: his partner characters, one of three members of the G-Unit who run by his side constantly tell 50 how amazing he is; the items he can collect in his pseudo-Iraq include glowing vanity portraits of himself and other characters in the game; his adventure is set to a soundtrack of him rapping about how awesome he is with guns and girls and life in general.

If this is what it's like to be 50 Cent in real life, it must be intoxicating.

Other games claim to make you the most important person in the world. They do this by establishing a plot that involves you having to save the world or even the universe. But no game swells the ego like "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand." If this is what it's like to be 50 Cent in real life, it must be intoxicating. The only game that comes close to reinforcing as frequently the amazing-ness of the player-character is "Fable II," which allows a gamer to pay a man to call him great things and follow him, while men and woman all around woo him.

But "Fable II" doesn't star a rapper who happens to be the world's most excellent commando. This game is an ego trip. If only I ever felt this awesome when I was playing a James Bond game, which, you would think, given the character he is, I should. If only supporting characters in "Halo 2" didn't just say some of the time that they were impressed to be near Master Chief. If only they said that all of the time.

The way this game triumphs is in the uniqueness of its character and the ability to surround that character with the gameplay, the soundtrack, the collectibles and all the other things that support what this character is (which, I'll remind you, like a good virtual member of the G-Unit is: the most amazing guy on the battlefield and on the mic). In that regard, there's one other game it merits comparison to: "Metal Gear Solid 4." That game's hero was anything but awesome. He was old and fading, but as with "Blood on the Sand," the gameplay around him supported and reinforced who he was. Movement was slow, stamina a limitation. As capable as he was, everything felt like it was done with a back ache.

In "Blood on the Sand," it's fun being 50. It's like nothing else. Let's get more games with characters like nobody else. More of that -- if not necessarily more of 50 in Iraq -- please.

Related Posts
‘Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars’ Scoreless Review - From A World Without A PS2
‘Resident Evil 5′ Scoreless Review - A Time To Panic
‘Watchmen: The End is Nigh’ Scoreless Review: Three Hours Of Bone-Breaking

(Images in this post are from the official website for "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand," which is available for Xbox 360 and PS3.)

Wrapping up my coverage of my 50 Cent interview from earlier this week, I had to share this one "Rock Band" story he told me at the G-Unit offices regarding the first time he played MTV's game. It's a little short on details, but use your imagination...

***

From my 50 Cent interview earlier this week, at the moment when I asked him if he'd played any music-based games:

50 Cent: I saw ["Rock Band"] for the first time at MTV when we were waiting to go on the finale of TRL. They had it set up in the actual dressing room. You should have seen it. it was the most funniest thing ever.

MTV Multiplayer: What were you playing?

50 Cent: [Fellow G-Unit member] Tony [Yayo] was singing. I was trying to play the drums. And Whoo Kid had the guitar.

MTV Multiplayer: Do you remember what songs you were playing?

50 Cent: It was rock joints. A few rock songs where we knew a little bit. So it was funny watching us try and sing it.

***

Note from Stephen: I checked in with folks here at MTV and, unfortunately, the G-Unit's "Rock Band" performance was not captured for posterity -- for better or worse.

Related Posts:
Even 50 Cent Has ‘Wii Play’ And ‘Wii Fit’ [video]
50 Cent Tired Of Eminem Cheating At ‘Pac-Man’ [video]

Rapper 50 Cent keeps a Wii in his G-Unit offices, where he and I talked yesterday, the day of the release of "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand." Check the clip above to find out just which game compelled 50 to get a Wii. And look below to see a photo I snapped of 50's Wii - note the presence of "Wii Play," the essential component of any Wii set-up.

(Videos not viewable by users logging in from Canada or the U.K.)

I interviewed 50 Cent at the G-Unit offices in Manhattan today to discuss his new game, "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand." I wrote about plenty of 50 Cent's gaming thoughts on MTVNews.com, where 50 talks about the game, what's being played on his tour bus and how he wants to make a "Saint's Row" movie. This clip here is 50 answering my question about what kind of game he'd like to make next. He wants to do a "Tetris"-style game. And then he gets to talking about that no-good "Pac-Man" cheater he sometimes raps with.

(Videos not viewable by users logging in from Canada or the U.K.)

This week's new releases brings us a host of sequels and franchise additions. Here we judge the box covers for the return of "Killzone," "Star Ocean," "Dead Rising," and 50 Cent. See which franchises kept their box art in check.

***

"Killzone 2" (PS3)
What the Box Tells Us: A dude in a mask has menacing, glowing red eyes. A tiny smokestack billows in the background.
Cons: It's another game with a guy in mask on the cover (see "Fallout 3," "Haze").
Pros: This dude is in the zone. But the killzone? Yeah, he looks like he'd want to kill me. Isn't that all that matters?
Love It or Leave It: Love it.

"Star Ocean: The Last Hope" (Xbox 360)
What the Box Tells Us: God has boyish (or girlish? I can't see) good looks, just stands around the universe and holds a sword, which he may or may not use to hit planets like baseballs.
Cons: It is a God game? That person is huge. Maybe it's like Voltron.
Pros: But it's much better and more interesting than the previous "Star Ocean" titles released on the PSP. Also, it's a unique take on scale, that's for sure.
Love It or Leave It: Love it.

"50 Cent: Blood on the Sand" (Xbox 360, PS3)
What the Box Tells Us: A man we know as 50 Cent stands in front of an orange background, which seems to suggest it's a sandy area (hence the title) with explosions.
Pros: It's an idealized version of the rapper, replete with sour face, arms crossed and a bulletproof vest loaded with grenades. And in case you're not sure who he is, check the belt buckle.
Cons: But the real 50 Cent has bodyguards, women and Vitamin Water endorsements, as well as fancy cars and mansions. I can't reconcile the two 50 Cents here in my feeble mind. Sorry.
Love It or Leave It: Leave it.

"Dead Rising: Chop Til You Drop" (Wii)
What the Box Tells Us: A man covered in blood stands rather calmly inside a store. Despite all the dead, crazy-looking people trying to get in.
Cons: But the door's locked, even though the sign facing the zombies probably says it's open. False advertising! (No wonder they're mad.) And to ram the point home, the oddly-placed sticker on the door says "This door must be kept closed." OK, we get it, Capcom.
Pros: The cover is highly detailed, from the random blood splatter on the zombies to the hair on Frank's manly chest. The graphics for this game must be awesome.
Love It or Leave It: Love it.

50 Cent's next video game is just a couple of weeks away from release and, thanks to  the game's publisher THQ, we've got some exclusive new "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand" screenshots. Click the image above to see five new shots of the M-rated shooter. And remember, in our hands-on impressions of this game from last spring, we were plesantly surprised by how fun and arcade-y the game is.  The game's out on Feb 24 on the XBox 360 and PS3.

Over at MTVNews.com, I filed a story with quotes from 50 Cent talking about his new video game "Blood on the Sand," due in January from THQ.

In an interview with MTV UK earlier this week, the rapper said he's played the game and he's pleased with how it turned out. In fact, he's so enthused at how well it plays that he'll challenge any gamer -- right now.

"I actually had the opportunity to play it, and I'm pretty good at it," he said. "If anybody out there wants to create a challenge or wants to bet some money online, we could play the game right now."

He also revealed that 19 exclusive tracks will be included in the game.

Read the full article for more on his unlikely influences and how he combined his ideas with that of developer Swordfish Studios.

Related Posts:
50 Cent's Backstabbing Video Game Love Interest, Other 'Blood On The Sand' Details Revealed
Why Activision Let Go Of 'Ghostbusters' And '50 Cent' Games
We're Not Kidding: New 50 Cent Game Doesn't Stink, Looks Promising
Soulja Boy Challenges Me To An Xbox Duel — How Should I Crush Him?

The analyst didn't name any games, but technically, he had to be referring to the likes of "Ghostbusters," "50 Cent: Blood On The Sand" and the new "Riddick," which all appear to have found new publishing homes.

So, Mr. Kotick, why not keep hold of these games which were deep into development and anticipated by gamers?

Kotick responded not by addressing any of the games by name, but by talking about Activision's publishing philosophy. The games Activision Blizzard didn't pick up, he said, "don't have the potential to be exploited every year on every platform with clear sequel potential and have the potential to become $100 million dollar franchises. ... I think, generally, our strategy has been to focus... on the products that have those attributes and characteristics, the products that we know [that] if we release them today, we'll be working on them 10 years from now."

Those of you out there who love new, original games and therefore may bristle at that Kotick quote should be mindful of the businessman's follow-up: "You still need to have production of new original property but you have to do it very selectively… the focus at retail and for the consumer is to continue to be o the big narrow and deep high profile release strategy... We've had enough experience that I think the strategy we employ is the most successful." He noted that the number of successful original games released in the last several years can be measured as a mere single-digit percentage of all games brought to market.

According to Kotick, Activision Blizzard plans to release "15 properties" next year across "more than 70 SKUs [versions]." That release slate will include "three, maybe four, exciting new intellectual properties."

"50 Cent: Blood On The Sand" will be published by THQ in January. Variety reports that Atari will publish "Ghostbusters" and "Riddick."

Related Posts:
Ghostbusters Game Built To Offer Scares Or Laughs Every 15 Feet
We’re Not Kidding: New 50 Cent Game Doesn’t Stink, Looks Promising
50 Cent Video Game Exclusive: 'Blood On The Sand' Details, First Images Revealed