187 Ride or Die is a video game for the PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 and Xbox

Xbox

The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...

, developed and published by Ubisoft

Ubisoft

Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....

. In order to become "top dog" of the game the player must race and defeat opponents through a variety of different stages all set in Los Angeles's infamous South Central

South Los Angeles

South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...

 region.

The game's title comes from two phrases common in the subculture. 187

187 (murder)

187 is a slang term for the crime of murder; it refers to Section 187 of the California Penal Code, which defines the crime of murder. The number is commonly pronounced by reading the digits separately as "one-eight-seven", or "one-eighty-seven", rather than "one hundred eighty-seven".The number...

 is the California Penal Code

California Penal Code

The Penal Code of California forms the basis for the application of criminal law in the American state of California. It was originally enacted in 1872 as one of the original four California Codes, and has been substantially amended and revised since then....

 section that defines murder

Murder

Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...

. It has come into general use among gang

Gang

A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...

s in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 as a synonym for murder, and this usage has passed into popular culture via gangsta rap

Gangsta rap

Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...

. "Ride or die" is a combination of the phrases "ride it out" and "die trying", meaning one is willing to do anything even if it involves personal risk.

If playing with another player, one can be the driver and the other can be the shooter. This can be done in the story and online mode. There are a variety of modes available to the player.

Reviews

187 Ride or Die received mediocre reviews upon release. The game which features artist Guerrilla Black and model Thekla Roth

Thekla Roth

Thekla Roth is a British model, TV Personality and actress born in Lancaster, England. Her early work was predominantly modelling; this included magazines such as FHM, Maxim, Ice, People and more recent work includes TV and film such as Brit Hits - Celebrity Stars at Work, Clubbing to Death,...

, has the main complaint of many review gaming sites, gaming magazines, and gamers alike is that the game uses many different forms of slang from the hip-hop and rap culture stereotypically and incorrectly and too often in many of the game's situations, usually when such occasions don't arise. X-Play

X-Play

X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...

's Adam Sessler

Adam Sessler

Adam Donovan Sessler is co-host of X-Play on G4 with Morgan Webb and, as of December 17, 2008, editor-in-chief of G4's game content for the network. He is the only remaining television personality from the G4's origin network ZDTV.-Background:Sessler was born in Berkeley, California...

 said "Here's a hint: if you're gonna make a game all crunked out with OGs and gangstas, don't let Pierre make it."

External links

• Official site
• 187 Ride or Die at GameSpot
  GameSpot
  GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...