.gif)
The Godfather II (video game)
Encyclopedia
The Godfather II is a 2009
video game based on The Godfather Part II
, a 1974
crime drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola
and co-written by Coppola and Mario Puzo
. The game is published by Electronic Arts
and was released on the PlayStation 3
, Xbox 360
and Microsoft Windows
. This is also a sequel to The Godfather: The Game
, which was also developed and published by EA in 2006. The game was released on April 7, 2009 in North America, April 9 in Europe and April 5 in Australia. The Godfather II is played from a third person perspective
. It also contains some strategy
elements, as the player's character battles rival families
and take over businesses to ultimately become a "don
" ruling over many cities.
Robert Duvall
reprises his role as consigliere
Tom Hagen
in both voice and likeness as he did in the first game. However, Al Pacino
, who played Don Michael Corleone
in the film did not provide his likeness or voice and the character of Michael was changed significantly in the game itself. The movie's plot is not entirely adapted as the lengthy flashback sequences, involving a young Vito
in 1920's New York, are not adapted for the game.
and early 1960s
over three cities: Havana, Cuba, New York City
, and Miami, Florida
. Michael Corleone
orders the player character
, Dominic
, to take charge of the family after the death of his boss and New York Don Aldo Trapani
, the protagonist and player character of The Godfather: The Game. Now as Dominic, the player leads the family to defeat rival international families and take control of various businesses and crime rings, in order to become the most powerful Don
in America and Cuba.
The game begins on December 31, 1958 in Havana, Cuba
, 3 years after Aldo Trapani assisted in the assassinations of the Dons of the Stracci, Cuneo, Tattaglia and Barzini families (In the first game) and also when Aldo was promoted to Don of NYC. Hyman Roth
has arranged for a meeting in which various Mafia
Families discuss plans to divide territory in Cuba amongst themselves. Among those families are the Manganos, the Granados, and the Corleones, including the Almeidas, who sent their soldier, Alejandro Almeida, down to the meeting. Aldo Trapani, Fredo Corleone, and Dominic, the new protagonist, are present at the meeting as well.
When their meeting is interrupted by the Cuban Revolution
, Dominic and Aldo escort Don Michael Corleone and Fredo to safety, but Aldo is killed by a sniper upon reaching the airport. Michael Corleone
appoints Dominic as the new Don of New York to keep the city under the Corleone Family's control.
Six weeks after the riot in Cuba, two of the Corleone's caporegime
s, Carmine and Tony Rosato, better known as the Rosato Brothers, renege on their former side to begin building their own organized crime families. Dominic is then tasked with recruiting underling soldiers and re-acquiring Carmine's newly-owned profit rackets
in New York. After Dominic has managed to reclaim a number of Carmine's rackets, Carmine offers to hold a truce meeting with Dominic and Corleone caporegime Frank Pentangeli to negotiate for peace. The meeting, however, turns out to be a setup. Dominic manages to escape thanks to a police officer entering the building, but Frank is apparently killed. After taking over the rest of Carmine's rackets and eliminating all of Carmine's made men, Dominic eliminates Carmine and his remaining men at his compound and then orders one of his men to bomb the building's gas main effectively destroying the compound and the remains of the Carmine Rosato family.
After Carmine's death, Hyman Roth contacts Dominic and asks him to come to Miami, Florida
, so he can rescue his associate, Steven Ciccoricco, who was kidnapped by the Granados Family. Following the rescue, Dominic allies himself with Roth and is aided by Fredo (who was sent by Michael Corleone to help at the hotels). Dominic establishes himself in Miami and gradually takes over businesses from the Granados Family and Tony Rosato, eventually eliminating them at their compounds later on. When Don Samuele Mangano moves his organization to Miami, Dominic wisely chooses to offer an alliance with them, which Samuele accepts. A few hours later, Fredo calls Dominic and wants to have a drink at Dominic's Florida Safehouse, Dominic and Fredo are suddenly ambushed there, but both survive the attack, thanks to Dominic's quick actions. Fredo, suspecting the Mangano Family to be guilty, breaks the alliance, also believing that Mangano's smuggling men and guns into Florida to start a war. After killing Hector Santos as a favor for Charlie Green to gain access to the island that Mangano's Warehouse is on, Dominic's family raids and takes over the Warehouse. Mangano calls Dominic shortly after and says that he was not behind the hit and says that they need to have a sitdown at an old warehouse on Dodge Island. However, instead of Mangano being there, his consigliere, Paulo Riccitello, is there instead. Paulo tells Dominic that the Mangano's were not behind the hit attempt and that if they had wanted Dominic killed he'd already be dead. During the meeting, Giorgio Strozzi, a Mangano Underboss, leads an assault to take over six of Dominic's rackets. Later, Fredo tells Dominic to go to Hyman Roth who knows not only how to reason with the Manganos, but also how to fix the problem. But he can't help Dominic unless he's willing to help him. Roth reintroduces Dominic to CIA Agent Henry Mitchell (Who tasked Dominic to assassinate Alejandro Almeida to stop an Airport Strike earlier), who is plotting to assassinate Fidel Castro
. This situation pays homage to rumors that the CIA hired Mafia
members to try and assassinate Castro. Dominic is sent to Havana and tries to kill Castro with a sniper rifle
, but fails, as one of Castro's high ranking officials, Don Esteban Almeida had prior knowledge of the assassination attempt and alerted the authorities. It is also suggested in various scenes that Roth was working with the Almeida Family to set Dominic up. Which explains why Mitchell and Roth wanted Dominic to assassinate the dissident leaders, removing all of Batista's
supporters would keep Castro as the president.
When Dominic returns to account his failures to Michael, they learn that Frank Pentangeli is alive, ready to testify against the Corleones at a Senate Investigation
into organized crime. Dominic rescues Frank's brother, Vincenzo, from Hyman Roth's kidnappers, and Vincenzo convinces Frank to recant his testimony. But the family has other problems. Henry Mitchell has gone rogue, and Fredo has unwittingly betrayed Michael, due to Roth's manipulation. With the Senate Hearing out of the way, Michael decides that his enemies need to be eliminated. After killing Mitchell and destroying the rest of the rival families in all three cities, Dominic and his men carry out their last mission: Assassinating Hyman Roth. After a tense shootout in the Miami International Airport
with Roth's men, airport security and the police, Dominic assassinates Roth and successfully escapes to the previously taken over Mangano Compound. When Dominic corners an unarmed and cowering Roth, the player has the opportunity to engage in dialogue - Dominic demands to know why Roth betrayed him and tried to have him killed, to which Hyman responds in a melancholy tone the famous quote "This is the life we chose". (In the original movie, Michael's soldier Rocco Lampone is sent, goes in disguised as a reporter to kill Roth, and is soon shot. Dominic instead shoots his way through the police, corners Roth as he is just getting off of his plane, and escapes alive). Michael congratulates Dominic on a job well done, and tells him his future in the family is secure. The family welcomes him in, calling him Godfather. The game ends with a reenactment of Fredo's murder from the original film, with Dominic's voice heard saying "Fredo, I'm Sorry".
Many gameplay elements from the original game returns in the sequel, some expanded and improved. Like the first game, The Godfather II is a third-person shooter
taking place in an open world
, and both story-based and side missions involve gunplay, hand-to-hand fighting, and driving. However, the sequel features "Black Hand 2.0" control scheme where the player can grab, knee, kick, and head-butt enemies. In a gun fight, the player can use target-lock or freely aim at specific parts of an enemy, and a disarmed or injured enemy can be approached and executed with a unique killing blow that depends on the weapon and the enemy's condition. Each of the weapons in the game, including handgun
s, shotgun
s, and sub-machine guns, have its own level and statistics, and the player is able to purchase licenses to use higher level weapons with more skill.
Much emphasis was placed on the squad mechanic, where the player can directly command a group of soldiers to strategically coordinate the attack. In addition, each soldier is able to use a special skill such as hand-to-hand combat or demolition expertise. By using these skills, multiple approaches will be possible when assaulting a business location or a rival family's compound.
In addition to the third-person action gameplay, the game features a strategy aspect that manages the Corleone criminal empire. In the "Don's View," a strategic overview of the game world, the player can order members of the family to expand or protect his territory. Taking over businesses
is the main source of cash and reputation, in addition to the perks from controlling the specific type of business. The player's soldiers can be either ordered to take over the target or directly led by the player himself. This strategic gameplay is said to take up about 20% of the whole game.
Players can also, if they wish rob banks, with the help of a safecracker and will usually earn around $10,000.
Rival families will actively attack and sabotage the player's establishments in order to dominate the three cities. To weaken the rival family, businesses under the control of enemies can be attacked and taken over. Also, enemy mafiosos can be shot down during gun battles, but key members will only be critically wounded and return after a period of recovery. In order to remove them for good, the player must gather information and assassinate the target in a particular context relating to the plot of the game.
The Godfather II features a third-person shooter multiplayer mode that supports up to 16 players online. There are currently 6 maps and 4 gameplay modes announced. Multiplayer matches can be also yield in-game cash and weapon licenses that can be carried over to the single player mode.
launched new Downloadable Content
for The Godfather II over Xbox Live
and on the PlayStation Network. Two new multiplayer maps were made available for download. Also, a new available crew member, called Jimmy Lira, will also be promoted in the Jack of All Trades pack. Like its predecessor, The Godfather II also introduced Level 4 Weapons for the game, which included the modern Dillinger
and other weapons that are the most powerful in a game.
After the first game
was released on both "current gen
" video game console
s and "next gen
" consoles over 2006 and 2007, its engine
was further developed by EA for use in "next gen" EA titles, such as The Godfather II and Dead Space
.
In accordance with the game, a spin-off
based on The Godfather II was created as a Facebook
application
, entitled The Godfather II Crime Rings. Based on the crime rings system from the upcoming video game, the application allows participants to create a mobster (similar to the MobFace feature from the video game) and takeover rackets to build crime rings, making money, and becoming a Don. The Five Families featured in the game are the same as those in The Godfather II, and the application provided the first look at the families, revealing their names and locations. Players are randomly placed into these families upon joining the application. A player starts off as a soldier
, makes their way up to capo
, followed by underboss
, and lastly, Don
.
EA announced on March 9 that the game has gone gold
for the April 7th release in North America.
In April 2009, EA had sent out brass knuckles
, which are illegal weapon to possess in several states, to games writers to promote the game. Realizing the issue, EA contacted all the people they shipped out to on April 10, requesting that they return the items so they can be properly disposed of.
. This space offers the users five poker tables for "No Limit Texas Hold'em" and the users can check out promotional video and concept art. This space was released on April 9, 2009 in the North American version of PlayStation Home. As an opening day event for the space, the Home Managers had a "Celebrity Poker Night" where the users dressed their avatars in costumes and gathered in the space to play poker.
.
IGN, awarding the game a 7.7, praised the gameplay that balances strategy and action, and was accepting of the game's interpretation of the story. However, the review criticized the game as too easy, mainly because of the passive enemy AI in the strategy portion and overpowered friendly soldiers. Visuals and dialogues were commended for the stylish recreation of the settings and characters, but many technical issues with the graphics were noted. GameSpot was much more critical of the game, giving out 4.5 and calling the game "uninspired, repetitive, and unfinished." Both the friendly and enemy AI have been harshly criticized for difficulty in pathfinding, refusing to follow orders, and being too easy to defeat in combat. The open-world design was called to be "inconsistent," limiting the freedom of the player seemingly at random. The "dated" visuals and various glitches were also criticized. The multiplayer was described as "functional rather than fun."
The Godfather II has been banned in the United Arab Emirates
due to some nudity in-game.
2009 in video gaming
The year 2009 saw the release of many video games, including several sequels.-Events:-Scheduled releases:List of games scheduled for release in 2009 in North America....
video game based on The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
, a 1974
1974 in film
The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...
crime drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
and co-written by Coppola and Mario Puzo
Mario Puzo
Mario Gianluigi Puzo was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather , which he later co-adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola...
. The game is published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
and was released on the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. This is also a sequel to The Godfather: The Game
The Godfather: The Game
The Godfather: The Game is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Electronic Arts. It is the second video game in the Godfather series and based upon the 1972 film of the same name. Originally released in March 2006 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows, The Godfather...
, which was also developed and published by EA in 2006. The game was released on April 7, 2009 in North America, April 9 in Europe and April 5 in Australia. The Godfather II is played from a third person perspective
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
. It also contains some strategy
Strategy video game
Strategy video games is a video game genre that emphasizes skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. They emphasize strategic, tactical, and sometimes logistical challenges. Many games also offer economic challenges and exploration...
elements, as the player's character battles rival families
Crime family
A crime family is a term used to describe a unit of an organized crime syndicate, often operating within a specific geographic territory. The term is used almost exclusively to refer to units of the Mafia, both in Sicily and in the United States, although it is occasionally used to refer to other...
and take over businesses to ultimately become a "don
Crime boss
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
" ruling over many cities.
Robert Duvall
Robert Duvall
Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
reprises his role as consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
Tom Hagen
Tom Hagen
Thomas "Tom" Feargal Hagen is a fictional character in the Godfather books and films. He was portrayed by Robert Duvall in the films. He is the informally adopted son of Don Vito Corleone and serves as the family lawyer and consigliere . Mild-mannered and soft-spoken, he often serves as a voice of...
in both voice and likeness as he did in the first game. However, Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
, who played Don Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novels, The Godfather and The Sicilian. He is also the main character of the Godfather film trilogy that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, in which he was portrayed by Al Pacino, who was twice nominated for an Academy Award for his...
in the film did not provide his likeness or voice and the character of Michael was changed significantly in the game itself. The movie's plot is not entirely adapted as the lengthy flashback sequences, involving a young Vito
Vito Corleone
Vito Andolini Corleone is a fictional character and the main character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, as well as Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather trilogy, where he was portrayed by Marlon Brando in The Godfather and by Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II. Premiere Magazine listed Vito...
in 1920's New York, are not adapted for the game.
Setting
The Godfather II takes place in the late 1950s1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
and early 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
over three cities: Havana, Cuba, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novels, The Godfather and The Sicilian. He is also the main character of the Godfather film trilogy that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, in which he was portrayed by Al Pacino, who was twice nominated for an Academy Award for his...
orders the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
, Dominic
Dominic
Dominic is a male name. Translated from Latin it means "Of Our Lord" or "Belonging to God". Variations include: Dominik, Dominick, Domenic, Domenico, Domanic, Domonic, Domingos and the unisex but usually feminine Dominique Dominic is a male name. Translated from Latin it means "Of Our Lord" or...
, to take charge of the family after the death of his boss and New York Don Aldo Trapani
Aldo Trapani
Aldo Trapani is the protagonist and player character of the video game The Godfather: The Game, based on the film The Godfather. He also briefly appears in the sequel, The Godfather II, which is based on The Godfather Part II....
, the protagonist and player character of The Godfather: The Game. Now as Dominic, the player leads the family to defeat rival international families and take control of various businesses and crime rings, in order to become the most powerful Don
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
in America and Cuba.
Story
The plot of the game borrows heavily from the movie, but also differs in many aspects. Some major events are out of order (for example, the invasion in Cuba is placed before the attempt on Frank Pentangeli's life), and others are rewritten (such as Hyman Roth's death).The game begins on December 31, 1958 in Havana, Cuba
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, 3 years after Aldo Trapani assisted in the assassinations of the Dons of the Stracci, Cuneo, Tattaglia and Barzini families (In the first game) and also when Aldo was promoted to Don of NYC. Hyman Roth
Hyman Roth
Hyman Roth is a fictional character, and the primary antagonist in The Godfather Part II, played by the actor and acting teacher Lee Strasberg, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role...
has arranged for a meeting in which various Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
Families discuss plans to divide territory in Cuba amongst themselves. Among those families are the Manganos, the Granados, and the Corleones, including the Almeidas, who sent their soldier, Alejandro Almeida, down to the meeting. Aldo Trapani, Fredo Corleone, and Dominic, the new protagonist, are present at the meeting as well.
When their meeting is interrupted by the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
, Dominic and Aldo escort Don Michael Corleone and Fredo to safety, but Aldo is killed by a sniper upon reaching the airport. Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novels, The Godfather and The Sicilian. He is also the main character of the Godfather film trilogy that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, in which he was portrayed by Al Pacino, who was twice nominated for an Academy Award for his...
appoints Dominic as the new Don of New York to keep the city under the Corleone Family's control.
Six weeks after the riot in Cuba, two of the Corleone's caporegime
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
s, Carmine and Tony Rosato, better known as the Rosato Brothers, renege on their former side to begin building their own organized crime families. Dominic is then tasked with recruiting underling soldiers and re-acquiring Carmine's newly-owned profit rackets
Protection racket
A protection racket is an extortion scheme whereby a criminal group or individual coerces a victim to pay money, supposedly for protection services against violence or property damage. Racketeers coerce reticent potential victims into buying "protection" by demonstrating what will happen if they...
in New York. After Dominic has managed to reclaim a number of Carmine's rackets, Carmine offers to hold a truce meeting with Dominic and Corleone caporegime Frank Pentangeli to negotiate for peace. The meeting, however, turns out to be a setup. Dominic manages to escape thanks to a police officer entering the building, but Frank is apparently killed. After taking over the rest of Carmine's rackets and eliminating all of Carmine's made men, Dominic eliminates Carmine and his remaining men at his compound and then orders one of his men to bomb the building's gas main effectively destroying the compound and the remains of the Carmine Rosato family.
After Carmine's death, Hyman Roth contacts Dominic and asks him to come to Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, so he can rescue his associate, Steven Ciccoricco, who was kidnapped by the Granados Family. Following the rescue, Dominic allies himself with Roth and is aided by Fredo (who was sent by Michael Corleone to help at the hotels). Dominic establishes himself in Miami and gradually takes over businesses from the Granados Family and Tony Rosato, eventually eliminating them at their compounds later on. When Don Samuele Mangano moves his organization to Miami, Dominic wisely chooses to offer an alliance with them, which Samuele accepts. A few hours later, Fredo calls Dominic and wants to have a drink at Dominic's Florida Safehouse, Dominic and Fredo are suddenly ambushed there, but both survive the attack, thanks to Dominic's quick actions. Fredo, suspecting the Mangano Family to be guilty, breaks the alliance, also believing that Mangano's smuggling men and guns into Florida to start a war. After killing Hector Santos as a favor for Charlie Green to gain access to the island that Mangano's Warehouse is on, Dominic's family raids and takes over the Warehouse. Mangano calls Dominic shortly after and says that he was not behind the hit and says that they need to have a sitdown at an old warehouse on Dodge Island. However, instead of Mangano being there, his consigliere, Paulo Riccitello, is there instead. Paulo tells Dominic that the Mangano's were not behind the hit attempt and that if they had wanted Dominic killed he'd already be dead. During the meeting, Giorgio Strozzi, a Mangano Underboss, leads an assault to take over six of Dominic's rackets. Later, Fredo tells Dominic to go to Hyman Roth who knows not only how to reason with the Manganos, but also how to fix the problem. But he can't help Dominic unless he's willing to help him. Roth reintroduces Dominic to CIA Agent Henry Mitchell (Who tasked Dominic to assassinate Alejandro Almeida to stop an Airport Strike earlier), who is plotting to assassinate Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
. This situation pays homage to rumors that the CIA hired Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
members to try and assassinate Castro. Dominic is sent to Havana and tries to kill Castro with a sniper rifle
Sniper rifle
In military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a precision-rifle used to ensure more accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than other small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military...
, but fails, as one of Castro's high ranking officials, Don Esteban Almeida had prior knowledge of the assassination attempt and alerted the authorities. It is also suggested in various scenes that Roth was working with the Almeida Family to set Dominic up. Which explains why Mitchell and Roth wanted Dominic to assassinate the dissident leaders, removing all of Batista's
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
supporters would keep Castro as the president.
When Dominic returns to account his failures to Michael, they learn that Frank Pentangeli is alive, ready to testify against the Corleones at a Senate Investigation
United States Congressional committee
A congressional committee is a legislative sub-organization in the United States Congress that handles a specific duty . Committee membership enables members to develop specialized knowledge of the matters under their jurisdiction...
into organized crime. Dominic rescues Frank's brother, Vincenzo, from Hyman Roth's kidnappers, and Vincenzo convinces Frank to recant his testimony. But the family has other problems. Henry Mitchell has gone rogue, and Fredo has unwittingly betrayed Michael, due to Roth's manipulation. With the Senate Hearing out of the way, Michael decides that his enemies need to be eliminated. After killing Mitchell and destroying the rest of the rival families in all three cities, Dominic and his men carry out their last mission: Assassinating Hyman Roth. After a tense shootout in the Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
with Roth's men, airport security and the police, Dominic assassinates Roth and successfully escapes to the previously taken over Mangano Compound. When Dominic corners an unarmed and cowering Roth, the player has the opportunity to engage in dialogue - Dominic demands to know why Roth betrayed him and tried to have him killed, to which Hyman responds in a melancholy tone the famous quote "This is the life we chose". (In the original movie, Michael's soldier Rocco Lampone is sent, goes in disguised as a reporter to kill Roth, and is soon shot. Dominic instead shoots his way through the police, corners Roth as he is just getting off of his plane, and escapes alive). Michael congratulates Dominic on a job well done, and tells him his future in the family is secure. The family welcomes him in, calling him Godfather. The game ends with a reenactment of Fredo's murder from the original film, with Dominic's voice heard saying "Fredo, I'm Sorry".
Gameplay
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
taking place in an open world
Open world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
, and both story-based and side missions involve gunplay, hand-to-hand fighting, and driving. However, the sequel features "Black Hand 2.0" control scheme where the player can grab, knee, kick, and head-butt enemies. In a gun fight, the player can use target-lock or freely aim at specific parts of an enemy, and a disarmed or injured enemy can be approached and executed with a unique killing blow that depends on the weapon and the enemy's condition. Each of the weapons in the game, including handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
s, shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
s, and sub-machine guns, have its own level and statistics, and the player is able to purchase licenses to use higher level weapons with more skill.
Much emphasis was placed on the squad mechanic, where the player can directly command a group of soldiers to strategically coordinate the attack. In addition, each soldier is able to use a special skill such as hand-to-hand combat or demolition expertise. By using these skills, multiple approaches will be possible when assaulting a business location or a rival family's compound.
In addition to the third-person action gameplay, the game features a strategy aspect that manages the Corleone criminal empire. In the "Don's View," a strategic overview of the game world, the player can order members of the family to expand or protect his territory. Taking over businesses
Protection racket
A protection racket is an extortion scheme whereby a criminal group or individual coerces a victim to pay money, supposedly for protection services against violence or property damage. Racketeers coerce reticent potential victims into buying "protection" by demonstrating what will happen if they...
is the main source of cash and reputation, in addition to the perks from controlling the specific type of business. The player's soldiers can be either ordered to take over the target or directly led by the player himself. This strategic gameplay is said to take up about 20% of the whole game.
Players can also, if they wish rob banks, with the help of a safecracker and will usually earn around $10,000.
Rival families will actively attack and sabotage the player's establishments in order to dominate the three cities. To weaken the rival family, businesses under the control of enemies can be attacked and taken over. Also, enemy mafiosos can be shot down during gun battles, but key members will only be critically wounded and return after a period of recovery. In order to remove them for good, the player must gather information and assassinate the target in a particular context relating to the plot of the game.
The Godfather II features a third-person shooter multiplayer mode that supports up to 16 players online. There are currently 6 maps and 4 gameplay modes announced. Multiplayer matches can be also yield in-game cash and weapon licenses that can be carried over to the single player mode.
Downloadable Content
On April 23, 2009, Electronic ArtsElectronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
launched new Downloadable Content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
for The Godfather II over Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
and on the PlayStation Network. Two new multiplayer maps were made available for download. Also, a new available crew member, called Jimmy Lira, will also be promoted in the Jack of All Trades pack. Like its predecessor, The Godfather II also introduced Level 4 Weapons for the game, which included the modern Dillinger
Dillinger
-Films:*Dillinger , a film made about the life of the gangster John Dillinger*Dillinger , a film made about the life of the gangster John Dillinger*Dillinger , a film made about the life of the gangster John Dillinger...
and other weapons that are the most powerful in a game.
Development
The development of the sequel was hinted at from as early as 2007, and EA officially revealed the game in August 2008.After the first game
The Godfather: The Game
The Godfather: The Game is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Electronic Arts. It is the second video game in the Godfather series and based upon the 1972 film of the same name. Originally released in March 2006 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows, The Godfather...
was released on both "current gen
History of video game consoles (sixth generation)
The sixth-generation era refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at the turn of the 21st century. Platforms of the sixth generation include the Sega Dreamcast, Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Microsoft Xbox...
" video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
s and "next gen
History of video game consoles (seventh generation)
In the history of video games, the seventh generation of consoles is the current generation , and includes consoles released since late by Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony...
" consoles over 2006 and 2007, its engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
was further developed by EA for use in "next gen" EA titles, such as The Godfather II and Dead Space
Dead Space (video game)
Dead Space is a survival horror third-person shooter video game, developed by EA Redwood Shores for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was made available on Steam on October 20, 2008...
.
In accordance with the game, a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
based on The Godfather II was created as a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
application
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
, entitled The Godfather II Crime Rings. Based on the crime rings system from the upcoming video game, the application allows participants to create a mobster (similar to the MobFace feature from the video game) and takeover rackets to build crime rings, making money, and becoming a Don. The Five Families featured in the game are the same as those in The Godfather II, and the application provided the first look at the families, revealing their names and locations. Players are randomly placed into these families upon joining the application. A player starts off as a soldier
Soldato
A Soldato is the lowest level of the formal Mafia hierarchy, both in America and in Sicily. However, a soldier is much greater in rank and prestige than any ordinary associate of the crime family. In order to become a soldier, the primary requisite for an associate is to become a made man...
, makes their way up to capo
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
, followed by underboss
Underboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
, and lastly, Don
Crime boss
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
.
EA announced on March 9 that the game has gone gold
Golden master
In hardware and software development, a golden master is the reference model from which copies are mass-produced. An analogy is made to the production of certain types of physical media...
for the April 7th release in North America.
In April 2009, EA had sent out brass knuckles
Brass knuckles
Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, or knuckledusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal, usually steel despite their name, shaped to fit around the knuckles...
, which are illegal weapon to possess in several states, to games writers to promote the game. Realizing the issue, EA contacted all the people they shipped out to on April 10, requesting that they return the items so they can be properly disposed of.
PlayStation Home
EA has released a space for The Godfather II on the PlayStation 3's online community-based service PlayStation HomePlayStation Home
PlayStation Home is a virtual 3D social gaming network developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio for the PlayStation 3 on the PlayStation Network . It is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar under PlayStation Network. Membership is free, and only requires a PSN...
. This space offers the users five poker tables for "No Limit Texas Hold'em" and the users can check out promotional video and concept art. This space was released on April 9, 2009 in the North American version of PlayStation Home. As an opening day event for the space, the Home Managers had a "Celebrity Poker Night" where the users dressed their avatars in costumes and gathered in the space to play poker.
Reception
The game has had mixed, but overall fair reviews. The issues the majority of reviewers mentioned were the easy difficulty, numerous bugs and glitches and the poor AIAi
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
.
IGN, awarding the game a 7.7, praised the gameplay that balances strategy and action, and was accepting of the game's interpretation of the story. However, the review criticized the game as too easy, mainly because of the passive enemy AI in the strategy portion and overpowered friendly soldiers. Visuals and dialogues were commended for the stylish recreation of the settings and characters, but many technical issues with the graphics were noted. GameSpot was much more critical of the game, giving out 4.5 and calling the game "uninspired, repetitive, and unfinished." Both the friendly and enemy AI have been harshly criticized for difficulty in pathfinding, refusing to follow orders, and being too easy to defeat in combat. The open-world design was called to be "inconsistent," limiting the freedom of the player seemingly at random. The "dated" visuals and various glitches were also criticized. The multiplayer was described as "functional rather than fun."
The Godfather II has been banned in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
due to some nudity in-game.