Midway instilling Fear and Respect

The movie and game industries became further intertwined today when Midway announced that it is enlisting director John Singleton to develop "an innovative action adventure video game based in the intense, urban environment of South Central Los Angeles." South Central is familiar territory for Singleton, since it was the setting of his breakthrough film Boyz N the Hood, which led to a career that included the more action-oriented 2 Fast 2 Furious and the remake of Shaft.

Though titled Fear & Respect, the Singleton-Midway game's setup sounds an awful lot like that of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Players will assume the role of "a 'retired' OG" (which is "street" for "original gangster") who is sucked back into a life of crime. According to Midway, players will "shoot and brawl [their] way through multiple levels of gameplay, in an attempt to help [their] crew against the backdrop of a sweltering South Central summer."

As the title Fear & Respect would lead you to believe, the reputation of a player's character will be of paramount importance. Midway's release implies that players will be able to choose between good and evil paths in the game, KOTOR-style, with the outcome causing their "enemies to look at [them] with fear--or with respect," according to Midway.

Midway has slotted Fear & Respect for a holiday 2005 release for the Xbox and PlayStation 2. The publisher has announced that it will reveal more details about the game early next year, and GameSpot will be sure to bring them to you.