It may not be great, but it hasnt been bettered
The graphics are simple & dated, but they have a certain charm that makes it enjoyable to view. The varying map levels (a system not unlike used in Republic or one) makes controling your men & empire simple enough. Not that they couldnt be prettier, but they serve the job well.
The gameplay in Gangsters2 is again a simple point & click affair. Hiring muscle is again just a case of clicking the appropriate tab & hiring them. Everything is simply a case of pointing & clicking, selecting the right numbers & so on. Simplicity is one of the things that make this game run effectively.
Thats not so say its easy. Although most of the missions can be done relatively easily, some are quite challenging. One mission involves you having to kill someone &/or bribe the local army sargent. The only problem is there are armored army vehicles patrolling the roads. Not easy.
The game starts with you being at the bottom of the barall, wanting to start a criminal empire as a way to avenge the death of your father. As you progress, you get acess to new weapons, gangsters (who have different skills to offer like bomber or bribery), vehicles & businesses.
However, Gangsters2 suffers one major flaw. Its simplicity & general linearness means that while the game is fun. its shallow. Replayability is lacking, & once youve completed it itl be a loooong tim before you try again (its been about 2years at least for me, just started again).
The multiplayer looks quite fun, & were i able to play it im sure id give it a glowing report. However, not only did it not work (admittedly I hadnt tried with the patches) on LAN, but I fear that the global gangsters playing community is lacking. In the same way as with Gangland, few ppl seem to be online & playing, which is a shame. Perhaps thats because a game of this nature doesnt usually have a large, permanently online community as Civ4 or AOEIII goes. If it is ill have to search out this vanguard of remaining players, & then report on it.
Gangsters2 shows its age now, but its still a classic. Games like The Godfather & Mafia are superior games of the mobster genre, with deeper gameplay, better graphics to say the least. However, in the RTS areana, other then Gangland there is little Gangsters2 has to compete with. This is a shame, but it is why Gangsters2 is still the best of its type. Gangland tried to bring it into the modern age, but other then give it 3D graphics it failed to improve upon its predecessor. That is why Gangsters2 is still the best mafiaRTS you can find, if you can find it.