Godfather II

It’s a well established fact that I’m about as violent as a toy gun and a bit of a weakling when it comes to blood and guts. So it may come as a surprise to learn that this sensitive writer was eager to review a game packed with copious amounts of both, along with money laundering, thieving and some blackmailing added for good measure.

The Godfather II is a third person strategy and shooter continuing from the first Godfather game released by EA in 2006. If you’re new to the bloody aggression of the franchise then fear not – you need not be a die-hard fan in order to appreciate a bit of illegitimate action.

The story’s protagonist Dominic finds himself promoted to Don of New York after a brief stint escaping political unrest in Cuba. Without going into heavy detail, the aim of the game is to rival ownership of businesses owned by the Rosato family while working with carefully selected allies that you can employ, promote and organise to monitor your shady network of deals and ensure that your enemies are put firmly in their place. By intimidating business contacts, finding their weak spot and exploiting vulnerabilities you can build an empire.

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To reflect my nature I felt that Dominic should posses some attractive physical traits to help tide him on his journey. Character customisation can be tailored, ranging from intimidating shaved heads and throbbing muscles to balding white-haired men with sticky out ears and a protruding beer belly. My personal preference settled on luscious red hair and blue eyes and looked more like a DKNY advert than the boss of a brutal crime ring, but you know what they say about judging books. To be perfectly frank I have the hots for him, even if he does own more guns than I do shoes.

The tutorial introduces weaponry, techniques and tips as the plot progresses. The content is understandably mature with a fair bit of swearing, needless bloodshed and, most importantly, a stripper club containing a good number of scantily clad women – hallelujah – topless and on show. Unfortunately the graphics are hardly desirable, comparable more to the PlayStation 2 or Xbox than a current gen console.

A myriad of illicit activity may sound like a recipe for high-octane drama and scarlet bloodbaths, but in reality it doesn’t quite live up to its promise. The computer A.I is certainly the worst offender; it’s sometimes a wonder that opponents haven’t been accidentally set to suicide-mode. A few punches and a bit of a shake is often enough to bring them round to your way of thinking and most of the time they’ll stand like a dummy with their hands surrendering anyway. Discovering the weak spot of a shop merchant or restaurant owner is nothing more than trying different techniques and maybe smashing up some stock.

Driving to destinations is as disappointing as the vehicles you hijack, often given up by their petrified owners without a second thought and chugging along as if they were nothing more than Flintstones cars. Any hopes of fast-paced getaways are thwarted with one tap of the not-so-accelerator. All in all it is reminiscent of a stripped-down Grand Theft Auto.

Outwith the single player function there is the option for online multiplayer supporting up to 16 players and six maps. There are a couple of incentives that carry over to the single player such as any money you’ve earned/stolen, but nothing that’ll force your jaw to drop in anticipation. That’s the problem with Godfather II – the ideas are there, but it all feels rather undercooked and leaves you a bit unsatisfied.


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2 responses to “Godfather II”

  1. Chummp Change avatar
    Chummp Change

    Was considering getting this game, but based on your review i think i’ll give it a miss until it finds it’s way into the bargain bin.

    Thanks for the review.

  2. DunK avatar
    DunK

    Nice review Stace. 🙂

    I would have slated this game so much more!

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