Cheap Video Games

Decent Improvements Over Godfather > Overall B-
I'm a fan of sandbox/free roaming games and enjoy the choices that come behind these types of games. When the original The Godfather the Game came out I picked up a copy, since it was an easy transition from games like GTA. However, I would consider this series a sandbox-lite game. You have the basic elements of free roaming, but the options you typically expect from such a game are noticeably missing.

The game places you as a made man under the Corleone family. After an "unfortunate event" in Cuba you are made the Don of New York, which eventually expands as you also roam around Florida and back to Cuba.

Here are the things I like about the game:

+ GRAPHICS: Solid graphics, which are very fluid.
+ CAST: The dialogue for the game is very good and copies from elements in the Godfather movie series. EA did a good job capturing the mafioso life through the cast selected for each of the characters.
+ ADDED FEATURES: I like the ability to attack rackets in ways other than just attempting a take over. You can bomb a racket, which can help to weaken another rival family. You can set fire to various items in the game, which helps create diversions. Finally, there is the ability to add a made man to your family, which is a medic. This adds a nice touch to heal in battles.
+ KILL STYLES: I like the added ability to execute enemies in a variety of ways from a neck snap to kicking your opponent down and shooting them point blank range with a shotgun.

Here's what I think was lacking from the game, which lead me to categorize it as sandbox-lite.

- VEHICLES: Just as in the first game there is a lack of vehicles. Basically you can drive a handful of different car styles in the game. No motorcycles. No planes. No helicopters. No boats. It seems a bit limited to have a game of this magnitude with such limited abilities for a vehicle. There is also very little use of vehicles within missions other than driving to the mission.
- MISSIONS: Missions are repetitive. You could argue that each racket has a different layout and attackers in different places, but it's basically the same premise. You go in, kill off all the guards and intimidate the owner until he gives you the racket.
- UPGRADES/OPTIONS: The game offers very little in the way of upgrades to both you character and those in your family. Once you complete a few favors, crack a few safes and take over a few rackets you'll have your character and all your made men upgraded. This is disappointing, since it would be nice to see the characters evolve with the game. The options for upgrades to items like weapons are also very limited. There's maybe 4-5 different types of guns.
- DIFFICULTY: What I meant to say was the lack of difficulty. This is a game where you can basically run around and not worry about getting shot. Add a medic or two to your crew and you have no repercussion for not trying to cover during gun fire.

Overall, this is a good rental for anyone who enjoyed the original game in the series. The upgrades make this installment much more enjoyable and the good aspects of the game make it a worthwhile play for hardcore fans of the sandbox/free-roaming genre.

IN MY HOME! In my living room! Where my children play with their toys...while I beat people down and extort them...
Not an easy task to make a video game out of such an acclaimed film, one of the few (if not only) sequels considered superior to the original. The first Godfather game was a lot of fun, taking parts of GTA, parts of the EA James Bond engine, and adding some new elements as you worked your way up in the family by extorting, killing, and uh, getting respect.

The new game improves on that engine, features essentially the same aim (build an empire, extort and kill), and adds a few new touches. For one, there's more strategy involved as you manage your empire via the 'Don's View', which is a Start menu letting you review family trees, rackets, favors, and other fun stuff. You can also build your own family, including your own crew of underboss, capos, and soldiers, by recruiting new made guys who have different specialties. Up to three crew members will follow you around at any given time, and they'll gladly assist in the drive-by shootings, maimings, and beat downs that are a requirement to building up your street cred. Depending on the mission, you can swap out crew members to make sure you have the right specialists.

Once again, the action is woven into the storyline of Part 2, though this time it's a lot looser than the original game. Michael, Tom Hagen, Fredo, Pentangeli, Hyman Roth, and Senator Geary are all present, as are the rival Rosato Brothers. There's a few 'made-up' families who take you to war, too. And there's the Havana angle, as you team up with the CIA in an attempt to whack Castro post-revolution(!) There are rackets to control, which provide you with upgrades (bulletproof vests that go over your outfits and never come off once achieved), extra ammo, incendiary ammo, etc. Once again, you must intimidate some honest (and dishonest) folks by beating and choking them, and destroying their businesses. Naturally, there's some talk of honor and respect family and loyalty along the way.

And since you control a new character (the loyal soldier of the first game's character, who gets killed early in this game), there's none of the intrigue and ambiguity of Part II's storyline of Michael traveling around trying to figure out who knows what, who betrayed who, and who tried to have who killed and why and when and who ordered the hits and who did put that bullet in Mo Greene's eye?

There's some unintentionally funny stuff, too. Your character, who's supposed to be a tough Italian street hood, sounds very white bread, making the cut scenes humorous. If you do a favor for someone and they ask you to beat/kill/rob/smash, there's a quick and jerky cut to you going "Yes!" and then you accept the mission. Or to hear the character's corny voice say something like, "Do you want to join the life? This Thing of Ours?" Perhaps even real mob guys would get a kick out of it.

I do agree with criticisms that the game is a bit unfinished and could have used additional tweaking. Given the standards set by a GTA IV (and even of the original Godfather game), they could have done a bit more with this formula. Granted, the sound and graphics are better, but there's no mind-blowing improvement here. And of course, the non-adjustable difficulty level makes this rather easy to complete, and once your done, the replay value is questionable (all you can really do is just run around and cause havoc, which has a better vehicle in GTA IV). The action can get repetitive, as you go into a cycle of meet contact / accept contract, and storm a rival family's business or compound and cause havoc.

However, the havoc is quite good, and it's upgraded from the first outing---this is an extremely violent and bloody game. With the addition of a crew, you can have long, drawn out battles with the cops (and the Cuban military in Havana) and it really starts to emulate GTA with exploding cars, machine guns, and general insanity. And there are plenty of side machines for more dirty work, though these two follow a typical pattern. Random people on the street need 'favors' (someone needs to 'disappear' or 'be taught a lesson'), and for successful completion of these missions you get tips on where to whack made guys, or you get straight up cash. Speaking of cash, eventually, you become flush with the green and may well max out your expenses, which generally consist of upgrading yourself and your crew with skills, and hiring more goons to protect your rackets. You can also have fun by using 'Mobface' to change your character's look at any given time, making the cut scenes that much more amusing.

There's a weird angle on the setting, too. This is supposed to be 1958-59, yes? Yet the details do not match...it sometimes seems to be a hybrid of late-50s and then late 60s detail with the cars, music, clothes, etc. There's a classic 60s-era Mustang, for instance, and some massive Cadillacs from the 60s...it's nitpicking, but why play with the timeline when they were faithful with the original (for the most part)?

Overall, would definitely recommend the game to fans of the original outing, and actually to all Godfather fans. Despite its shortcomings, it's still a lot of fun, plenty of shooter action and madness, and hey, it's a game based on The Godfather Part II (taking many liberties, of course). They've digitized Hyman Roth, and whoever does the voice does an amazing job. Note that there's nothing here that deals with the other half of the film, the flashbacks to young Don Corleone's life (with DeNiro). That would have been fun, to take on Don Fannuci in early 20th Century New York. But alas, the brutality, the beatings, the goon squad (you can even change your crew's outfits from suits to bad Hawaiian shirts), the cars, the civilian casualties...all of it will get the job done.

Awesome
Now, I really had high expectations for this game at the start because I was so addicted to the first one. This game is just as good if not better than the first one. The added ability to send your family members to carry out tasks for you makes the game just that much easier and not as repetitive. There's a good targeting system and weapon selection is a sinch. I highly recommend this game if you're a grand theft auto type gamer. There's a very interesting story line, and cool cities representing new york (small), florida, and cuba. I know if you liked the first Godfather game then you will absolutely love this one. I cannot stop playing it.

It's Got The Potential But...
Though I love me some 3rd-person shooter action, the original Godfather game bored me to tears. I just couldn't get into it! I know I know, some of you out there really enjoyed this game quite a bit--and I respect that--but it never struck a chord with me despite my several attempts at playing it.

I'm happy to say that The Godfather II is a little bit of a different story...for the most part. To be frank, it's not much to look at, but I found the overall game engaging enough that I was compelled to play it all the way through to the end in roughly 10 hours.

Initially the experience didn't feel much different from the first as the game (slowly!) introduced all the gameplay mechanics, but in about an hour or so the game began to hit its stride and everything sank in. It turned out this game was deeper--gameplay-wise--than some most other open world games and I found that refreshing as it was unexpected.

The Don View (initiated by hitting the Start button) essentially pulls the game out to a 3D map of the mob world you're trying to take over. Here you will be able to control your game in much greater detail. You'll find yourself inviting people into your family for their beneficial abilities (like lock picking or demolitions), promoting them up the chain (which in-turn grants them additional skills), upgrading their abilities (there are roughly 15 abilities per character ranging from increased health to better aiming), purchase them new weapons and more.

The Don View also offers the ability to delegate tasks for your family by send some of your men to assist in defending a business of yours that's under attack, or bomb an enemies business to cripple a crime ring, or even to attempt to take over another business making it your own. It's a cool system that wasn't as buggy as I was expecting it to be.

In one instance I was attacking a much needed trucking depot to complete a crime ring that would have added bullet proof vests to my crew. While I was waging war the game notified me that one of my other businesses--a bar--was under attack (the notification helpfully offers to take you to the action via the Don View at a press of a button). No problem--I simply instructed 4 of my thugs to help fortify the defenses at the bar. Once I was done taking over the trucking depo I quickly drove over to the bar to assist and as I arrived I could see my guys laying waste to the other family as they finished up the last few guys. It's a rewarding system that works really well and is easily one of the highlights of the game.

Initially I was worried that I was going to spend more time in the Don View than actually playing the game because I was under the impression that this game might have been part 3rd-person shooter and part RTS--but that was not the case at all. Though you do spend a decent amount of time in the Don View, you really spend the majority of your time running around and attacking other families. Also, it's worth mentioning that the Don View might offer enough options to make some peoples head spin at first as it has a plethora of options. I do feel like it could have been organized a little better or at least consolidated in some ways to make it a little more approachable.

There are three cities throughout the game: New York, Cuba and Florida. You can (and will) visit back and forth by visiting the airport in each city. It sounds like a pain, but the maps are small enough that I found it painless.

Without a doubt the most fun I had with the game was when I was attacking other families businesses cannibalizing them into my own crime rings. These rackets--which normally consist of several businesses--have additional benefits that are exclusive to that string of businesses. For instance one racket will grant you larger ammo clips for your crew. One of the bigger ones spans several cities and offers incendiary bullets doubling the damage of your bullets. It's a nice carrot-on-a-stick until the end of the game.

There are some annoyances in the game worth mentioning (some minor but I'll let you be the judge). You will use the thumbsticks to navigate the world, but as soon as you enter any menu system--including the Don View--you must switch over to the D-pad--its inconsistence is an annoyance, and what's further frustrating is that it doesn't even offer the option to do so. Also, the game expects you to interact with the world by talking with people on the streets who need favors (and boy there are a lot of them), but there isn't enough variation on the NPCs, their voices and the environment to keep in very interesting. The graphics never go beyond mediocre and are never impressive.

But I think the biggest gripe I have with the game is the severe lack of side missions or alternate activities to participate in. The whole idea of an open world game is to offer the player choice. In Saint's Row 2 or GTAIV you have so many different activities or side missions at your disposal one could get lost for hours! You can (and in some cases are encouraged) to stray from the main story and get completely lost. That's the joy of an open world game--you make it your own! Yes I understand that there is a specific story to tell here with The Godfather 2, but the other games I mentioned do as well. I just feel like there was a huge opportunity here to move this game into a more interesting experience than it is and in the end we get a game whose world is nothing more than an empty shell. Perhaps EA is hoping people will get lost in the multiplayer experience? Personally I have no interest in that portion of the game.

For more info visit my blog: http://eat-games.blogspot.com

Godfather: Mob Wars redux
Combine Risk and GTA IV set in the world of Godfather II and you pretty much have the premise of this game. This approach was already covered by the "turn-based, territory control strategy game" from 2006's Godfather: Mob Wars for the PSP. The similarities leave the game seeming some uninspired.

Another persistant annoyance is the lackluster voice acting and the inabilty of the game's developers to secure the likenesses of key characters/actors from the Godfather franchise. The biggest offender is Michael Corleone who looks and sounds nothing like Al Pacino.

Definitely worth renting for the weekend from your favorite video store, but when it comes to purchasing the game, I say skip it.

careful.......
Careful...read fine print.. He is selling this game and you cant use it as the code is missing from the box. I am trying to return it.

Dont waste your money
I purchased this game from a local computer store. I installed the game and entered the key. After going through all kinds of patches it comes back and tells me that may account is banned because I used a keygen.

I proptly took the game back and got a second game. Again I got the same message. Well the game is going back and I will never purchase another Relic or THQ game again.

Didn't find much extra content
I was surprised that there wasn't much in the way of extra content when I loaded the software. Always fun, but it was a bit of a let down.

Nice game, prefer OF or CoH
The new game mods are fun for a while, i prefer classic matches, they are so much fun.

But the game has a lot to promise, we just need more people playing the new mods.

Company of Heroes Tales of Valor
Tales of Valor was a long awaited expansion of the Company of Heroes line of games. I love the concept and the execution of the first two games in this series. Unfortunately, I feel cheated with this entry, since I feel like many others who love this game that it was only half the content a real expansion should have. The new content was fun but doesnt seem to be popular at all with other online players such as myself.

I had an expectation of a full game like Men at War. It's my expection for the next expansion :The Eastern Front, The Pacific Theatre, Italians, and Afrika Corps. Nothing less will do.

careful.......
Careful...read fine print.. He is selling this game and you cant use it as the code is missing from the box. I am trying to return it.

Dont waste your money
I purchased this game from a local computer store. I installed the game and entered the key. After going through all kinds of patches it comes back and tells me that may account is banned because I used a keygen.

I proptly took the game back and got a second game. Again I got the same message. Well the game is going back and I will never purchase another Relic or THQ game again.

Didn't find much extra content
I was surprised that there wasn't much in the way of extra content when I loaded the software. Always fun, but it was a bit of a let down.

Nice game, prefer OF or CoH
The new game mods are fun for a while, i prefer classic matches, they are so much fun.

But the game has a lot to promise, we just need more people playing the new mods.

Company of Heroes Tales of Valor
Tales of Valor was a long awaited expansion of the Company of Heroes line of games. I love the concept and the execution of the first two games in this series. Unfortunately, I feel cheated with this entry, since I feel like many others who love this game that it was only half the content a real expansion should have. The new content was fun but doesnt seem to be popular at all with other online players such as myself.

I had an expectation of a full game like Men at War. It's my expection for the next expansion :The Eastern Front, The Pacific Theatre, Italians, and Afrika Corps. Nothing less will do.