Mob sequel misfire

by ERIK LEIJON

Mafia lore typically consists of a bunch of disingenuous nonsense about respect and tradition, so one can appreciate how the Godfather II video game adaptation (X360, PS3, PC/EA, EA Redwood Shores) is really just an epic bloodbath without the preachy stuff. Unfortunately, it's quite obvious the developer had no intention of playing the iconoclast to the crime family myth; Godfather II is just so structurally deficient, there's no way any potential narrative can progress at a natural pace. Essentially, Godfather II is to gaming what Godfather III was to filmmaking.

The first hour or so demonstrated potential, as the fictional Correlone boss Dominic returned to New York from revolutionary Cuba, desperate to keep the various mobster families from sparring and to increase his own notoriety. Like a period piece version of Grand Theft Auto, Dominic drives across the city, extending his reach by taking over businesses, putting the hit on rivals and bribing crooked cops.

The graphics are tasteful if not slightly boring, and other than scrolling through your gun repertoire, the control scheme is simple. Why is the game more Fredo than Michael then? Perhaps mob bosses do have boring jobs in real life, but every mission in Godfather II plays out like a bad b-movie: drive to location, confront terrible AI enemy while your equally bad team AI gets gunned down, watch as you somehow succeed without utilizing a coherent strategy. Oh, sometimes there will be some slight deviationas you'll be required to assassinate enemy Capos using specific methodsbut there's nothing to Godfather II beyond brainless gunfights with well tailored foes.

There are side missions, usually pertaining to intimidating business owners or shaking down locals. These are even easier, as all that will be required is a quick grab by the scruff and a gold-toothed Italian sneer. It's obvious the developers already had the meat of the game completed before the releases of Grand Theft Auto 4 and even Saints Row 2, because side quests occur in the stilted method of talking to random strangers.

Apparently the mafia is feeling the recession too, as some middle-aged woman will ask you to kill her annoying neighbour and youll gladly accept for the extra cash. There are a lot of these useless missions, and occasionally there will be a dozen AI non-player characters huddled on one street corner, walking into each other and waiting for someone to accept their ridiculously mundane favours.

Play Godfather I if you haven't yet, but Godfather II is the black sheep of this gaming family.

Gratis gaming

We are currently in the midst of a very ugly economic downturn, perhaps youve noticed? This may not be of use if your Internet provider is one missed payment away from tearing the cable from your wall, but Scarygirl (scarygirl.com) and Hunted Forever (kongregate.com/games/Pixelante/hunted-forever) are a couple of free flash games capable of distracting you from your painful hunger pangs or the frigid night winds blowing through your unfurnished apartment.

The first is a platform puzzler with colourful visuals and retro games hidden within, the second is like a post-modern Sonic the Hedgehog starring a speedy silhouette.

Thinking After Dark: Welcome to the World of Horror Video Games is a conference on survival horror gamessuch as Resident Evil and Silent Hill from April 2325 at Maison Ludger-Duvernay (82 Sherbrooke W.). The conference will look at the narrative structure of these massively popular and spooky games. Thinking After Dark was conceived by Ludiciné, an interactive media research team at Université de Montréal. For more info, check out conference2009.ludicine.ca