User Review : Godfather II

Welcome to the family!

Time was that my local shop was the best shop in the world, namely for its Final Fight and Mortal Kombat cabinets at the back of the dim lit shop, that I could sneak in to play, but more so because it seemingly had everything under one roof, comics, magazines, matchbox cars, heck even cans of special brew and cigs in singles were reserved for the local delinquents. You name it they had it, everything to all men a shining example of a quality shop.

Then one dark day Capitalism moved next door, namely in the shape of Tesco and it wasn’t long before the local shop, the best shop in the word, was boarded up and turned into a set of houses.

The problem was blasted comparisons, had they not seen the wonders of two billion shopping aisles under one roof then they would have been more than content with the little convenience store. Bloody comparisons eh?

Its fair to say comparisons are drawn everywhere, especially within games and especially within sand box games. The disk is hardly in the drive before its likened to Niko’s exploits in Liberty City, and then to be further tarred and feathered as ‘just another GTA clone’. It’s a great shame as often the tweaks that games like saints row, mafia, and wheelman introduced are so frequently brushed aside.

It is with this knowledge that the gamer has, that EA’s Godfather 2 now finds itself in, however to overlook such a title, would be denying yourself of a great game that is a great deal of fun to play through.

Based loosely on the second film, but mercifully having the common sense to use artistic license, the godfather 2 sees the gamer take on the role of Dominic. Initially a hired hand, until the untimely assassination of his boss Aldo Trapani within see Michael Corleoni knocking offering you the chance to run the New York family. It’s an offer the gamer can’t refuse.

Dominic is tasked with taking down the rival families, and their organisations with the ultimate aim to become the most powerful Don.

The key to success, acquiring rival families businesses and the key to that is intimidation. Each shop vendor has a weakness whether it be smashing up their stock, beating them up, or indeed shooting their customers. Inventiveness is the key and it adds an element of humour, as you frantically think of how to get maximum intimidation.

And fear not joining you on your crimewave is fellow hoodlums that you recruit to your family. Each member has a particular skill to benefit your team, ranging from demolition to safe crackers. These have multiple roles within your game, initially accompanying the gamer on missions. Here they can be used to carry out specific tasks such as blowing sealed doors, or reviving your downed team mates. It is not until you takeover your rivals business that your team mates come into their own! Once a takeover is complete the gamer can allocate these characters to ‘oversee’ the business, essentially making them into hero characters similar to an RPG. Links with the RPG genre don’t stop there either with the gamer able to allocate skill points to their team mates, ensuring an effective crew.

Godfather’s hard work in adding these identifiable and distinguishing differences in the gameplay, is ultimately undone by the overall simplicity of the game. The main drawback of the godfather is that it is far too easy. This results in the different tasks being completed so quickly by the gamer that there difference is negligible. Having a harder level of difficulty would have helped The Godfather 2, making the gamers advances through the ranks of the crime world feel like a rewarding achievement.

Godfather with regards to its visual look has all the trapping of an EA franchise , slick menu screens, and stylish menus litter the game, and it at least makes the game feel ‘cared for’. In game also has several nice touches, which elevate it above the likes of Mercenaries and Saints Row graphically. This is done, not through the open world visuals, but more how it had developed aspects such as the HUD and Map; staple fodder of all sandbox games.

Godfather 2 in game map is extremely good, instead of flat 2d maps when the gamer enters a building , they instead become full 3d replicas in map form, allowing the gamer to see easily and quickly where the intended targets or hits are. It’s a little tweak on the existing concept, but it works effectively and shows at least it isn’t a by the numbers sandbox title.

In addition to this the game adds a ‘Don’s View’ map which allows the gamer to see an overall map of the Game world; highlighting which businesses are currently owned by your family, and which of your rival businesses are open to attack. This becomes a vital piece of your Mafioso campaign as you constantly refer back to your businesses, allocating guards, setting targets to bomb. The feature works well and is a nice touch, which freshens up the Godfather 2.

In game action is solid, but the sparkle and polish of the features mentioned isn’t spread to the same degree with the in game models and textures. They are functional and in parts good, with car models feeling solid, brutally denting on impact. Character models though are pretty generic and inside the buildings, most notably the Corleoni mansion is bland and uninspiring. This doesn’t ruin the experience but certainly reduces the awe and spectacle you would expect, being the Don of a Mafia family.

So does The Godfather 2 do enough to stand in its own right against the likes of GTA? Well no, not if you examine the individual parts: graphics, gameplay, and even storyline is better on Rockstar’s king, But does that mean you wont enjoy it? Not at all. The Godfather 2 is a fun title, bringing a solid Mafia game to next gen consoles. The game though is its own worst enemy, the relative ease of the game, and so visuals undermine much of EA’s Redwood Shore Studio’s hard work. The gamer will no doubt enjoy this title, and but for a few niggling flaws the Godfather 2 could have been great.

- Chris ‘Guesty81’