Eidos sentencing console gamers to 25 to Life

As evidenced in GameSpot's exclusive preview, Eidos has announced 25 to Life, a new third-person shooter for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. While the game features online team-based combat reminiscent of SOCOM, its spirit is much closer to Grand Theft Auto, as it lets players battle for control of city streets instead of remote battlefields.

Developed by Avalanche Software, 25 to Life will allow up to 16 players to choose between two groups--highly trained police or heavily armed thugs. The two sides will square off on more than a dozen maps based on inner-city settings and will indulge in a series of match types, including a capture-the-flag variant called "capture the stash." Both the Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions of the game will support the USB headset.

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25 to Life will also have a single-player campaign, which will let players unlock items for the multiplayer matchups. Players will gain experience in both modes, which will give them access to customization features, including tattoos and real-world urban fashions for thugs and a more varied arsenal for police.

Eidos promises that the game's environments will be "highly interactive" and will come complete with urban ambience such as car alarms, barking dogs, and hostile pedestrians. Adding to the street ambiance will be a hardcore hip-hop soundtrack including tracks by DMX and Tupac.

GameSpot will have more details on this game as they become available.