Godfather II: GTA without the fun

The Godfather II from Electronic Arts. Picture / supplied

I've been trying to work out why

The Godfather II

(EA, R18: PC, PS3, 360) - a video game based on a successful movie sequel - misses its target.

The movie's characters and storyline are closely represented in the game which itself follows EA's reasonably entertaining original

Godfather

gaming title three years ago. Surprisingly, despite the advances in graphics in three years, the sequel doesn't reflect the advances.

Unlike the emotional roller coaster of the crime syndicate in the movie, Godfather II feels pedestrian, a bystander missing the excitement of the movie and as a game not pushing things much further than its original.

I suggest the problem is that the developers have once again failed to notice why a blood-splattered crime title like the

Grand Theft Auto

series is successful beyond its mere shock value. It's got wit and deceptively clever subtleties.

This is well illustrated in the Godfather's dialogue which is predictably crude but crude without the charm you get in GTA. Much of the time, you're doing the GTA thing of choosing missions and driving around with guns blazing but it doesn't seem as much fun.

Gameplay is a mite repetitive, has a few great moments where your squad assist you in missions and the police crash your party. However the camera is cumbersome and not helped by the odd technical glitches.

What's disappointing is that despite the problems, this game has potential and should be a great game. It has a mix of action and real-time strategy and, let's face it, it's based on such a great movie. Instead it fails to meet expectations.

You control mob underboss Dominic (not from the movie) who takes over from the original mob leader killed in the first game. You escape Cuba with Michael Corleone to take over the New York operations - hitting on syndicates, recruiting mobsters, controlling the various rackets - as well as roaming about Florida and Cuba.

Using "Don's Map," an interactive city map as a management sim, you can dispatch your men on missions and easily get a snapshot of your various enterprises and recruit guards for protection. This is where the game should shine but the feature feels under-developed although useful. The long learning curve will no doubt give gamers a decent playing time, but only the mobster at heart will love this game.

You can get a feel for this in the trailer below.

Let's hope Godfather III gets it back on track.

MadGamer rating: 6.5 / 10