The Godfather II
(Xbox 360, PS3; $59.99; Rated M for Blood/Drug References/Nudity/Intense Violence/Sexual Themes/Language; www.godfather2.ea.com)
I was surprised, as many were, when EA announced that it was releasing a sequel to its game based on Francis Ford Coppolla’s film of Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather.” The source material for “The Godfather: The Game” was an interesting hook to try to draw fans of the open-world crime genre game from “Grand Theft Auto,” but the game itself was only moderately successful. I expected (hoped?) that the franchise ideas of “The Godfather” as a video game would sleep with the fishes.
So when “The Godfather II” was released, I wasn’t expecting much- however, I was pleasantly surprised and thankful to be wrong.
Paralleling the events seen on the big-screen, the game version of “The Godfather II” doesn’t involve players as directly in the film narrative as the first “Godfather” did. Instead, the world of “The Godfather” is represented, familiar characters are part of the game experience, and the player’s protagonist, Dominic, is part of the Corleone family. However this is where the connection to the film ends. The game version of “Godfather II” is primarily a stand-alone experience and bears no real connection to the first “Godfather” game, or even its source materials.
This is a good thing because “The Godfather II” is ultimately a very good open-world crime game with strategic and squad elements which make for a unique experience and unlike anything seen in the “Grand Theft Auto” series. Ironically, with only a loose connection to the source material, “The Godfather II” most benefits from being… well… not very “Godfather-y.”
The advertising slogan for this game is “Act like a Mobster, think like a Don.” which is probably the most succinct description of playstyle that I’ve heard since “Eat pellets, avoid Ghosts.” The game runs on two levels: At the Mobster level, the game behaves very similar to its predecessor and any other game in the genre. Players will go from mission to mission in order take down enemy families, shake down businesses to get them to pay you protection money, and control business that will add to your funds and army. On the streets, you’ll use all methods of nastiness to get your point across- from baseball bats to the head, to firebombing businesses, to even more ungentlemanly acts. Basically, I wouldn’t want to be a pedestrian standing next to any high buildings in this game.
Along the way, players will recruit new specialists into your family such as arsonists and medics, who’s specialties will come in handy as players start moving higher up the family food chains. This is where the squad and strategy aspects of the Don level of gameplay emerge. Deciding which business to take over add to your family’s overall strength, but once players control a monopoly in any specific industry- such as gambling, drugs, prostitution, etc.- bonus items are awarded that affect all of the members in your family and can add to your effectiveness.
Rival families are vying for their territory as well, so bonuses are lost once that monopoly is broken up. Family warfare makes for carefully planned strategy of how to best accomplish destroying rival gangs in order to take away their bonuses while keeping your own.
The look of “Godfather II” isn’t nearly as moody or somber as its predecessor which is a welcome change. The cities where players build their empires- New York, Miami, and Havana all are distinct and stylized. The tutorials that run throughout the first part of the game, introducing players to the nuances and mechanics of “Godfather II” all pop and feel completely out of place for a game with the “Godfather” moniker on it, it’s actually more befitting of “Ocean’s 11.”
Though the game is set in the late-50s and early-60s, the hairstyles and clothing options are not consistent with the time period. Everyone in the game is wearing open-shirts with butterfly collars and even bell-bottoms can be found. Now I’ve watched enough “Mad Men” to know that wasn’t what people were wearing during the time when the game is set.
Which only reinforces the though that this game doesn’t need the “Godfather” license associated with it. If anything the branding only holds it back. EA should save the money it’s paying for the “Godfather” license, rebrand this as “Mobster” and continue to iterate on the gameplay and look, unencumbered.