About gaming

So J3nn bought me Godfather II for my birthday. Godfather I was on of my top 5 Xbox 360 games.

 

In Godfather, you started off as a foot soldier for the Corleone Family as they fight to take control of New York. It was a third person sandbox game in the same vein as Saints Row or Grand Theft Auto, which is easily my favorite genre of games, so it was set up to succeed. I was never a huge Godfather fan, but I do like the 1930’s mafia setting, so that also helped. Gameplay wise, there was a lot of fun stuff to do. There were assassination side missions, in which you would be given targets, with specific kill conditions which would grant you bonuses. There were 100 different business throughout the city that you could find, eliminate the guards, and extort to gain control and protection money. You could rob banks, hijack trucks, and take over illegal shipping hubs.

 

Chock full of 1930’s mobster goodness.

 

Godfather II fast forwards 40 some years to the 70’s, and sets you up in New York, Miami and a third location I don’t know about. They cut some of the charm of the game,  but for the most part, all of the mafia goodness is still there. You can still rob banks, you can pick up contract hits, and of course, extort local businesses.

 

The biggest change they made was to start you off as a newly appointed don, charged with building a family and taking over new York. You are no longer entirely beholden to the Corleone family, though you still do take your marching orders from them. Initially you are charged with recruiting a few soldiers, who you can keep close to you as part of your “crew”. These men have specialties such as demolition, arson, safecracking, medic etc. They also have their own personality and quirks, as well as strengths and weaknesses. This was something that was missing in the original Godfather, and an excellent addition to the game. In any of the later era mob movies, (Goodfella’s, Casino, Donnie Brasco) the “made men” often run in packs, so it’s nice to be able to experience that. Also, it’s nice to have friends with you  that will not only not judge you for beating a hooker to death, but actually jump in and help.

 

 

Good times.