Though it’s morphed more into this over the past year or two, one of the biggest jobs for a game’s web site is to help stir up more interest in the game. Whereas in years past, it was really just a dumping ground for a couple blocks of text and perhaps a few screenshots here and there, increasingly it’s becoming a marketing tool as important as an ad running in a magazine or on a web site.

Eidos may not know this any better than the rest of the publishers in the industry, but they sure as hell know how to make sure everyone knows they have promo web sites up. They’ll kick up first-run trailers, throw up exclusive screen shots and generally just give the public a chance to take a peek at what their games have to offer a day or two before the press gets hold of it.

Take, for instance, the slowly growing site for 25 To Life, which just recently got a handful of updates. The game has been pushed back far longer than the marketing timeline probably forecasted, leaving Eidos’ spin department at a loss for content ramping up to the game’s release, and yet we’re still getting new character profiles, new screens, new art, a new trailer, some AIM buddy icons, and eight tracks added to the in-site music player. Not too shabby, eh?

Specifics? Sure, fine, yeah, here:

:Character Profiles:
2 New Criminals and 1 New Police Officer
3 New Locations
3 New Weapons for each side of the Law

:Gallery:
8 fresh screenshots
1 new concept artwork

:Downloads:
New Blazing Trailer
4 Aim Icons

:Music Player:
“Code Of The Streets” - GangStarr
“To The Finish” - JackPot
“My Wife, My B*tch, My Girl” - TechN9ne
“Circa De Mi Neighborhood” - Tego Calderon
“Bad Company” - Grafh
“You Got Life” - Shade Seist and N.U.N.E.
“Prisonero” - Locura Terminal
“Black Cop” – KRSOne

See? Updates! Zounds!