You broke my heart...
The first Godfather game for last gen consoles definitely had enough unique mechanics to seperate it from the long list of GTA clones that plagued the PS2 and Xbox. It certainly didn't hurt to have the license to one of the greatest movie franchises, but EA managed to make a game good enough to stand on its own merits. With the Godfather 2, the differentiation was to be even greater and, on paper, it should have far surpassed its predecessor. However, unpolished gameplay, graphics, and story mark this would-be made man for death.
The story in The Godfather 2 runs concurrently with the plot of the film. Starting in Cuba, the Corleone don for New York, Aldo (the player character in the first game) is killed during the ensuing revolution. You are immediately assigned to take his place and defend the family from those who would encroach upon it. There's some weak revenge story-arc and personal journey going on with the main character Dominic, but it's so understated that it hardly exists. Throw in the fact that the game doesn't really use the plot of the movie to great effect, and the story soon falls flat.
The truly promising aspect of GF2 was its new "Don's View" playstyle. Not only would you be running around the streets doing jobs for the Corleones, but as a don, you'd be able to RUN the various rackets from on high. Playing into this are perks gained from various brackets owned, personal teammates that you can upgrade to run with you through missions, and assigning various tasks to take down your competitors. It all gets deceptively deep, but the game is so easy to just do everything yourself, it hardly makes these elements something that makes the game worthwhile.
Another aspect that is MADDENING is the fact that the game looks and plays unpolished. The AI is wonky, sometimes prompts won't promp, there's something going on with the way vehicles handle, the list goes on and on. But perhaps the greatest offense is the fact the game looks so bad. I wracked my brain trying to come up with reasons the characters would animate and look so poorly, why the cities look like they're made of matte-painted boxes, and cars look ridiculously generic. The sound... fairs far worse.
Godfather I was a fun little game that made you feel like part of the film. With the detachment from story in this one, and the lack of connectivity between the game's various systems, not to mention horrendous presentation, The Godfather II just isn't making the cut. Here's hoping Mafia II can bring some honor back to the mobster, cause the Godfather II deserves to sleep with the fishes. (see what ah did there?)
