There is little doubt that Francis Ford Coppola’s epic saga of the Corleone crime syndicate captured the hearts of movie-goers. Three epic films detailed the ups and downs, and the evolution of the Mafia family as America evolved.

When Electronic Arts released the first Godfather game, the story clung to the original movie’s themes, and while giving gamers a unique character to play within the confines of the story, it was a decent excursion into the oft-menacing world.

The Godfather II is a bit of a different take on the era and while it technically takes place during the rise to power of Michael Corleone, it departs from the films in a substantial way.

As for the story set-up …

On the eve of New Year’s 1959, revolutionaries succeeded in overthrowing the Cuban government and taking control of the country. This comes just as the families have moved into the country with the idea of establishing their empires there thanks to the friendly government. As the game begins, Hyman Roth has declared the revolutionaries not much of a threat and that the families will get very rich by working with the government. Your boss (you can create a character named Dominic with a bit of customization possible) is part of the celebration, as are Michael and Fredo Corleone. But in the middle of the countdown to the new year, the government announces that the revolutionaries have won. This, of course, begins wide-spread panic as people decide they must flee the country. Your first job within this tutorial setting is to get the Corleones to the airport. When almost to the plane, a sniper kills your boss, Aldo. On the plane ride back to the states, Michael explains that there are few he can trust, but Dominic falls into that category. In fact, Dominic is the one Michael has chosen to take control of New York. With the disaster in Cuba, a lot of families will be vying for a piece of the Big Apple.

It is a large task, but the game helps you get organized. The initial quests are directed but soon players will find themselves in a sandbox setting. You can take over whatever businesses you wish, but you have to hire the right people to protect your interests. What you take will anger the ones you take it from and they will not sit idly back and allow you to run roughshod over their territory. Taking over a business that is a front for a family is not overly complex. You approach the person in charge, find their weak spot (through threats or physical violence), apply just enough pressure to get them to crumble and then take over. That means more income and more income means you can hire more soldiers, promote some to lieutenants and upgrade skills.

The Don’s View is the hub that makes all this work well. Using the Don’s View, accessed through the start button, will allow you to zoom around the city, see where mission locations might be and even set waypoints to the areas. Of course, being an up-and-coming ‘don,’ with a small-but-growing army, you can either handle matters personally, or send in your soldiers to deal with unrest. Be careful, though, being on the scene may mean you have to make a quick get-away when the police show up. You really don’t want to have your lieutenants gunned down in a frantic get-away scene, nor do you want to get arrested. While not the end of the world, it can still be costly.

There are three territories that you will run through, but this is where the game begins to show its weaknesses. First of all, you will end up doing the same things, just in different settings. The AI does try to randomize the events but generally speaking, it starts to feel like a bit of a rut. You are building a crime syndicate and that seems to mean repetition. The game does throw a few other things at you, like driving, but this comes across more as a ponderous exercise than the smoothness associated with other car-oriented EA titles.

There are general overall story-arc quests you can undertake, and several side-quests that will pop into your lap if you go looking. However, if one keeps in mind that you are a Don, the question obviously comes to mind – why are you approaching people on the street to ask if they need help with anything?

Graphically, The Godfather II is serviceable. There are characters that are instantly recognized from the movies and others that are not. That holds true for the voice action. Some of the movie actors have lent their voices to this game and others have not. The musical score is very rich and includes composer Nino Rota’s classic theme. The score varies, depending on the action – and there is a lot of action in this game – and keeps the pacing feeling right.

The Godfather II is a bit of a hit and miss, at times. There is a certain feel to the game that is initially immersive, but as you progress, it feels less so. The game bogs down a bit and starts to lose some of its excitement as you succumb to the same game mechanics. It’s not so much that the game lures you into the rut, but you may find yourself there simply because you are not certain where else to go and the familiar lures you in.

This is a solid game, but not quite the hard-edge gangster title that is out there. Certainly the game has a lot of violence for the sake of violence, initiated by the player, but at times it feels like you are spinning wheels instead of actively pursuing the goals outlined early in the game by Michael Corleone.

Gameplay: 7.0
You will find there is a lot of repetition in the game. The controls are set up well and the game is generally easy to navigate through. The Don’s View is a nice heads-up display.

Graphics: 7.0
Some of the characterizations are nailed down, but some of the movement is not as fluid as it could be on the PS3 system.

Sound: 7.5
The voice acting, at times, sounds a bit forced, but is generally solid. The musical score is very nicely done.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 7.3
The game has a nice sandbox feel and plays an alternative route from the movies, and that is handled fairly well.

Multiplayer: 6.5
This is a deathmatch type of setting that is not exactly innovative.

Overall: 7.1
This is a game that does not have the depth of other gangster-themed titles, but still manages to present the world of the movies in a solid way. Fans of the film may enjoy this ride while those looking for something a bit more substantial may find this game not as deep as they would like.