25 to Life blinged out, goes gold

In Eidos' upcoming third-person shooter, 25 to Life, gamers will be able to play both sides of the law. Whether they choose to be cops in blue or street thugs decked out in red, the game is one color today: gold. Eidos today announced that development on the game is complete, and the master copy is off for duplication. The game will be available to the public January 18 on the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and PC.

25 to Life's journey to stores has been anything but a smooth ride. The third-person shooter was originally supposed to be released in early 2005 but experienced several delays, the most recent being the result of new management postponing the game in order to put it under "business review."

The game also became the main target of some playa-hating from politicians for its glorification of violence. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) said the game makes popular antigame target Grand Theft Auto "look like Romper Room" because gamers slip into the colored bandanas of gang members and engage in gunfights with police.

Soon after, CNN news analyst Nancy Grace joined the debate and invited Miami lawyer and bane of gamers Jack Thompson on her eponymous show to talk about the game's content. Despite insistence by Thompson, who publicly assured anyone who would listen that the game would never see the light of day, efforts to cancel the game failed.

25 to Life is rated M for Mature and will retail for $39.99 on consoles and $29.99 on the PC. For the 411 on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.