Can a somewhat interesting idea make up for repetitive gameplay? No!
Story:
You play as a mobster named Joey Verola, and you are trying to get 'made'. The game is told as a flashback (Though some events are told in present-time), as Verola recounts the events he went through to his nephew. Though you really won't know what's going on with the story since it's so bad and disjointed. One minute you're trying to smuggle cigarettes out of North Carolina, and the next, you're fighting in the Vietnam War. This makes no sense, and you really wonder what the hell is going on 95% of the time. You go through many different eras, including the 60s, 70s, 80s, and present-time, 1989, but still, WTF is going on?
Gameplay:
Hmm, you shoot guys. And you shoot more guys, and more, and more, and so on, so forth. It's really repetitive, and that is the only thing you do in the entire game. You can take cover to reduce damage, but the system is broken, as well. The gameplay rips off Max Payne, another negative, and Max Payne is a great game. The shooting occasionaly gets frustrating, but seriously, THIS IS ALL YOU DO IN THE ENTIRE GAME.
Graphics:
Terrible, I've seen better-looking PS2 games that came out years before this one. Hell, I've seen better looking PS1 games. The characters mouths don't move unless you're playing the PC version, and also, another strange graphic, is that in the PC version, and on the back of the box and in the manual, it shows blood on the floor and wall when you kill a guy, but that's nowhere to be found in this version. There are destructible enviroments, but that's all the game has for it. The graphics overall, is that the game looks bland, animations look unrealistic, and much more bad graphics!
Sound:
The music is good. The voice acting is terrible. Verola sounds pretty good, but every other sound effect and voice in the game is pathetic. The sound is filled with excessive foul language, with the F-word being used at every other word. Not that there's anything wrong with cursing, but why does every other word have to be the F-word? I can't say enough…
Fun Factor:
Somewhat at first, but wears off almost immediatley.
Replay Value:
Why would you?
Final Comments:
Terrible game, don't play, stay far away, avoid it like the plague.
PROS: Good music, Verola's actor sounds good, destructible enviroments.
CONS: Bad and disjointed story, bland graphics, including some effects are only in the PC version, horrible voice acting, repetitive gameplay, broken cover system, almost everything.
FINAL SCORE:
2.5/10 (AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE)