First Look: The Godfather 2

by Emily Balistrieri on August 16, 2008 at 11:42 am

While the original The Godfather game was more of a typical thug action game, with extortion and racketeering seen as addicting side tasks, The Godfather 2 really ramps up the strategy element. The tagline of the day was, “Act like a mobster, think like a Don,” and if you are adept at both, this sequel looks like it will deliver even more “family fun” than the original.

Being a Don means you’re the head of the family, so naturally you’re the one who decides who’s in, who’s out (and we mean OUT out–if your family is overflowing and you want to hire someone new, you simply mark the old dog for death and that’s the end of that), plus what sort of skill sets you value.

You can hire demolition men, bruisers, engineers, medics, arsonists, and then order them to do your bidding; either as part of your immediate entourage, or on a friendly errand of their own. Of course, rival families will have their own circle of made men with whom you’ll have to contend to take over their rackets.

That’s the other part of being a Don, and it plays into the biggest new addition to the game: Don view. Pinpointing the locations of your rivals’ rackets, what sort of racket they’re running, and how many goons they have standing guard, is accomplished by simply pulling up a 3-D overhead survey. There are a lot more perks to taking over now too, since nabbing all the gun running rackets, for instance, nets you an ammo belt, which not only makes a handsome accessory, but appropriately extends your ammo limit.

OH LOOK, NIPPLES–just in case you forgot it wasn’t a kid’s game. We’re at the porn joint, Luscious Entertainment, collecting a favor from a corrupt DA. If we do the works on Elite Diner, he’ll allow us to call in a sting on a rival family. The demonstrator makes a point of also extorting the Diner owner for extra cash, as long as we’re there. Business owners will still have their specific weaknesses, like being thrown around, but it’s always up to you whether you sneak in “quiet-like” with your dukes up, or mow the place down.

With the newly emphasized strategic elements, The Godfather 2 may end up overcomplicating things for people who just want to fight and experience the narrative (which takes place in Florida, New York, and Cuba), but it could also draw in a new audience of mobster boss wannabes. I’m sure we’ll find out more before the February launch window.

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