By Jason Nimer
"I love 'The Money Pit.'" When Family Guy took aim at The Godfather, Peter
Griffin admitted he hated the film (it insists upon itself) and was berated by
the rest of the family for it. His "Money Pit" comment was what topped off the
heated exchange. I can't say one way or the other whether I agree with Peter's
assessment; I've never seen a Godfather film and I can't remember whether I saw
The Money Pit or not, but I do clearly recall renting the VHS tape from the
library. So why would someone who knows nearly nothing about the Godfather agree
to review the second game in EA's series? I see my inexperience as a bit of an
advantage for those on the fence over whether or not to give this game a shot.
Other reviews might discuss the source material and what is right/wrong with the
game's story, but by reading this review, you guarantee yourself an opinion and
score that are unbiased looks solely at the game itself. Unfortunately,
Godfather II feels like a rushed and incomplete game, with oh so much positive
potential deep-sixed by ridiculous voice acting, a bland crime story, horrendous
graphics and a few other design decisions that I'm sure sounded awesome on
paper, but didn't really gel in game form. And while the game gets off to a good
start, it quickly becomes tedious and, well, boring. Playing this game is an
offer you CAN refuse, and probably should. Mmm... references.
Let's get the easy stuff out of the way first: Everything you read, see or
hear about this game (and seemingly all other games like it) will, at some
point, mention the Grand Theft Auto series of games. To say that Godfather II
and the GTA games are similar feels like a cop-out. Yeah, they both involve
somewhat entertaining stories about crime, organized and not so organized, they
both plop the player in an open-world city setting and both encourage bad
behavior. That is where it begins and ends, really. Godfather II really feels
like it strives to be something more than a "go here, kill this guy, return"
type game, with mixed results. An extra layer of strategy was thrown into the
mix with the Don Mode, but we'll get there in a second.
Before you get to the overall war, you'll probably want to acclimate yourself
to the here and now of the game. You'll spend most of the time in the shoes of
Dominic, a member of the Corleone family… I think. Remember, I've never seen the
films, and after just the first few minutes, I realized that this game was
clearly not intended for people like me. Godfather II jumps directly into the
story with almost no concessions made for those unfamiliar with the films. Not
that it truly matters, as we've pretty much seen all this stuff before - gangs,
New York, Miami, mobsters, Cubans, guns, cars, betrayal… hey, maybe the
Godfather gave rise to all these plot points, but so many years (and games)
later, it all feels very, VERY tired.
And speaking of tired, with two exceptions, this game feels about as
been-there, done-that as its plotline. You'll hit all the crime game high
points, larceny, assault, theft, racketeering, murder, intimidation… all
familiar and all pretty much the same as all the other games in the genre. And
as jaded as that sounds, there is a reason these types of adventures
consistently outsell, well, just about everything - they can be a lot of fun.
Godfather II is no exception. Some of the "missions" can really suck the player
in and the rewards are impressive (and violent) enough to keep a good number of
gamers coming back for more. A few of the oft-repeated goals aren't even fun the
first time, but there is enough variety to excuse some of the more mind numbing
of tasks.
Reading back over this, I realize that this could easily be a review for the
latest GTA title, so lets get to the exceptions that set it apart. Godfather II
features a team system that often works very well, but can also leave you
enraged depending on the situation. Even though the GTA games allowed you to
work with others in completing missions, the series still had a very "lone wolf"
feel to it - one man against the world. You won't find that here. You'll have a
crew of as many as three goons at your side through most of the game. They can
be useful and often ups the feeling of being part of an organization, rather
than just a lone psycho.
Even better, you and your crew have various skills that can be upgraded,
which gives a slight RPG feel to the proceedings. This shoehorns the partners in
even further; do you like firearms? Upgrade the skill that makes you more
accurate. Enjoy merciless hand-to-hand combat? Up your characters' power. While
the system doesn't allow for any especially deep customization, it does make the
game easier to play and allows you to utilize a number of strategies; depending
on what direction you want to take things.
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