You can take on jobs from the citizenry and corrupt officials in exchange for perks and favors. Help a jealous lover turn her triangle into a line, and she’ll help you locate a rival made man so you take him out once and for all. Perks and favors are the proverbial aces up the sleeve that can turn the tides of war, but as another old saying goes, the best defense is a good offence, so you should consider investing some of your wealth into Dominic’s well-being as soon as possible. New gun licenses for heavier weaponry, increased health, and even cheaper bail-costs for those unfortunate arrests are a few of the upgrades available.

Hiring some soldiers to cover your back isn’t a bad idea either. Each one has a specific specialty – Arsonist, Demolitions, Bruiser, Medic, Engineer, or Safecracker – that furthers Godfather II’s strategic endeavors. A Medic will keep you alive when reinforcements arrive, but having the Engineer cut the phone lines ensures that your enemies won’t get the call in the first place. They have access to the same upgrades as Dominic, with an added incentive to keep them around. When you promote a soldier, he gets an additional specialty. You can even play dress-up with them, turning your ragtag posse into united front of golf clubs and argyle sweaters, if that’s your thing.

Commanding your troops couldn’t be easier. When you see a fence that can be cut open, simply point at it and an icon for the Engineer pops up. You also have the option of sending your men out to (hopefully) take over a business without you. The developers should consider a method for checking up on the A.I. though. I sent two of my men ahead to start in on a business. I drove up fifteen minutes later to find them running laps around the building. Apparently, they needed a demolitions-specialist to get inside. That would have been good to know.

The A.I. is surprisingly capable in battle, and the combat is pretty solid, although a few kinks could use a little tuning. The tommy gun, a necessity for any respectable gangster, has the stopping-power of an Airsoft gun, and I rarely used the cover mechanic for fear that I wouldn’t escape its grasp. Barring those two issues, combat in Godfather II seems right on par with the competition, and might even edge it out with the executions. Every weapon has an execution available for the final blow, and saying “Joe Pesci with a pen,” should neatly summarize the morbid brutality.

In a nice twist, the 16-person multiplayer battles are tuned to take advantage of your single-player efforts. Instead of a cast of Dominics running around, each player chooses someone from the in-game crew, complete with upgrades, gun licenses, and specialties. Besides the typical, team-based deathmatches, there are three objective-based modes, including Firestarter, Safecracker, and Demolition Assault. Obviously, you’ll want to take someone with the Arsonist specialty for Firestarter, but there’s an advantage to diversity since Demolitions-experts and Engineers will be able to use their skills to open up shortcuts in the levels.

Six maps will be available at launch, with more confirmed for download. I was able to battle on a claustrophobic maze of rooftops, the grounds of a luxurious mansion, a seaside warehouse, and they all seem balanced with plenty of options for snipers and run-n-gunners alike. Multiplayer is basic, and certainly won’t replace Call of Duty anytime soon, but it’s unique in that the single to multiplayer transfer works in reverse as well. All the money you make online by performing well feeds directly back into your offline game.

Some of you have probably been shrugging at all of this talk about strategy and character-building, chalking it up to the hype-machine. You think you’re going to own the joint with your crazy GTA skills. Just wait until your first raid on a family compound, because even our fine host at EA had to play that one on God-mode. Whether you’ve seen the movie or not, The Godfather II is shaping up to be one slick-haired enterprise. Now, if only the vehicles didn’t drive like rusted Hot Wheels cars. Last second cheap shot, I know, but since when do gangsters play fair?

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