The Godfather II
Preview
Get to care about the illicit side of life
by Howie Howard
previewed on PC
Movie and game
When The Godfather first appeared on the silver screen in 1972, it was an enormous and instant hit. The movie and its sequel were a violent and gritty affair that starred Al Pacino and Robert De Niro as Mafia bad boys Michael and Vito Corleone. In the movie we saw how the Mafia went about its business of robbery, murder and intimidation during the 1950s in places like New York City, Miami and Havana, Cuba. The Mafia’s MO during this time was to kill and rob its way to fabulous wealth and power and to thumb its nose at authority and the ‘civil’ way of life.
The first Godfather game (aptly titled The Godfather: The Game) appeared in 2006 and seemed to parallel exactly what happened in the movies three decades earlier. This initial Godfather game had oodles of violence and first person action. The new Godfather game, once again simply called The Godfather II, promises to offer more of the same.
Blood and gore
Be warned that this is an adult game that is rated M for a reason. The Godfather II is reminiscent of the action shooter Grand Theft Auto and will not disappoint those who like to shoot and kill things in a gaming environment. This sequel mirrors the action in the second Godfather film and ties into events that took place in the first game. Old friend Aldo is back for another try at being a successful ‘don’. Unfortunately he isn’t around long and his departure as top man opens the door for one of his lieutenants to assume the leadership role. As his second in command it is your mission to bring a floundering criminal operation back to prosperity. Through savvy business decisions and the skillful use of firearms, explosives and the tried and true baseball bat, this new don will attempt to vault his crime family into the number one position.
The Godfather II has a new graphics set and everything looks fabulous. The 1950s are brought out in all of their pastel-colored realistic looking glory. Game mechanics remain basically the same as the first game and require a mind for planning and strategy along with a trigger finger ready for Grand Theft Auto-style street-level action. If the situation calls for the bashing of someone’s brains with the previously mentioned baseball bat, then you as don have the choice of assigning the task to one of your made-men or doing it yourself. Expect graphic violence laced with plenty of blood and gore.
Don’s view
A brand new feature called the don’s view has been added. This view is actually a screen that contains a movable 3D style map of the city on which all details of the rackets, businesses, people of interest, and rival organizations’ holdings can be seen. It can show you where your associates and made-men are located and what activities they are engaged in. On this screen you can accept missions as well. Without the don’s view you would have quite a difficult time managing your organized crime family.
