If you are thinking of buying this game !! READ THIS REVIEW !!!
I really enjoyed Godfather 1 (the game) becuase of the extortion system and strategy elements. Thats why i purchased this game.
At first you have to get used to the slower/sluggish response of the controls (different to the first game) but once you do you start to find your feet. At first I wasnt convinced about this game, there are things about the original that feel superior, the combat, the extortion system. This is certainly a smaller, or shall we say more 'focused' game than the original. However when you open up the game a bit more, and start to realise the plethora of options available to your overall strategy, the game starts to win points for itself.
Once a city is taken over, say for New York, then, when you travel to Florida, your enemies there will sometimes send men to attack your businesses in NY. Perhaps as a clever distraction? Who knows? But, it does mean a flight back to the big apple to handle it yourself, or you can just send one of your crew to take care of the defence.. Either way i was surprised that the city is still available to travel back to, and it still '' in play '' as far as the game and your enemies are concerned.
Your crew is done well, most of the time they're responsive and will handle themselves, and do what you tell them. It feels like your crew, as you've hand picked them from the many available goons littered around the city, and upgraded them yourself (they are totally customisable - clothing, weapons etc). I must admit that i executed a couple of my crew to make way for someone with more personality and better expertise. But nonetheless its a good mechanic that lends itself well to you actually having some sort of emotional attatchment to these 'chosen men', as they were not chosen for you by the game via some stage in the plot.
Your guys have a variety of different skills, that will give you strategical options. Want to to a Bank Job? Why not have your engineer cut the power to the building? With no power to the alarm system, you can roll in and rob the place, without fear of any cops showing up !! You will need a safecracker aswell though!!! OR, wait until night and get a demolishions expert to blow a hole in the wall straight into the vault for easy pickings! Any witnesses? Tell your bruiser to go 'persuade' them to keep their mouth shut! Etc etc..... The choice is yours.
As i mentioned before the variety of options available to you for strategy in this game are impressive. Want to create a diversion? Set fire to or bomb or even send a couple of your crew to attack a business, then you go in with the rest of your crew to take over the business across the street. Your enemies resources will be spread thin, and can only send so many reinforcements..
The don view is your plan for stratgey, and its intriguing seeing actions performed here, take on there realtime consequence in the game.. Say you send some guys in to attempt a take over, you can then drive to the place to see your guys outside attacking it. Its quite satisfying.
The enemy AI is fine, they fall back, they take cover. Infact a couple of times it did impress; when i sent my guys in to attack two goons killing one, the other seeing he was outgunned, retreated into a guard house to defend it from my crew. He put up quite a fight, whilst i sat back an watched.
The combat could be better, and was better in the first game. But its not bad.
You can still knee cap a guy with your shotgun and run up to him and do a grizzly excution move!! What fun!
The graphics are acceptable, but nothing you would want to show off your 360 or PS3 with. Theres nothing particularly wrong, there is some pop up, and some other glitches, but altogather the graphics fine but not great.
Story? Well, i dont particularly play games for the story, i prefer to read a book or watch a movie. A good story is a bonus sure, but you wont really find one here.....
- Conclusion -
On the whole I found the game immensly enjoyable.
So, heres the rub.
The game is too easy..... Thats it. Pure and simple, everything else i can forgive. With the amount of options you have for strategy, the game never really forces you to use many of them, when most players with any skill will be able to quickly overwhlem the rival families. Most of time you can just go in guns blazing and usually win!!!
If the game had been more diffilcult, or had a option of an 'HARD' mode, I would have given it a much higher score. If the game were difficult enough to really force you to use all that strategy on offer, then it would be well on its way to being 'GREAT' instead of 'GOOD'....
I sincerely hope that DLC or a patch can be made available to remedy this. Maybe a downloadable 'Hard mode' ?
Because what this game does have sets it apart from other games in the genre, and offers a unique blend of RTS and GTA style action.
DO NOT BUY THIS GAME IF YOU JUST WANT YOUR GTA FIX... You will be disappointed. This game is recommended to people who like a little strategy with their action. To play the game like a straight action game would be to miss the point and to have a rather dull experience.
Godfather 2 is the sum of all its parts, but its the games strategy elements that really stand out and lend extra satisfaction to the action.
VERDICT: 7.5 ' its GOOD '
VERDICT (if it was harder, or they bring out a 'hard mode setting' via DLC) then definately 8.5 - 9