by BrianC - April 9, 2004

Five brothers Romano, Angelo, Sonny, Chico and Mario. As kids they were inseparable as they grew up on Sicily with their grandparents. As they grew older three of the brothers became more and more unsatisfied with the quiet life in the Mediterranean and one day they killed their own brother Chico in a fight where after they fled to the land of opportunity (America) where they began each their own criminal career. Mad with rage, their Grandpa sends the fourth grandchild, Mario, to America where he must track down and kill his malicious brothers.

Gameplay

Some of the major differences between this game and other 'Mafia' or other games with organized crime elements is that you are able to hire mercenaries, take over shops that will give you a regular influx of supplies, and use stealth to sneak around enemy NPCs.

Though, to stealthily sneak around enemies is nearly impossible as around every bend and on every street, especially in enemy territory, it seems as though people that don't like you very much really DO like to try and put bullets in you. In Gangland it is very tough to move about freely without having at least one person shoot at you.

The worst part about being shot at from every direction all day long is the fact that it seems to take a century to actually hit someone. After playing this game I doubt the NPC's or for that matter, your main character and henchmen, couldn't hit the side of a barn with a pistol let alone a bat with spikes through it.

Holy cow, did you see that?

...yea, neither did I. Not much to say about the graphics of Gangland. They aren't as bad as say some of the PSOne games that I still pull out of the closet and pop in for some FFVII fun or anything but they definitely don't match up anywhere close to those of let's say Champions of Norrath.

Hey what's that noise?

Sound in Gangland is very very...very basic. Did I mention it was simple or basic? When nothing is going on in the game other than you walking around and nothing happening the music is not that bad. I figure after about 20 min. of that music you don't even realize it's there. The sounds that start to vibrate your nice little ear drums when the bullets start to whiz by your head is some type of alternative-heavy metal-number that just takes every Mobster element left in the game away. The last time I checked gangsters listen to nice Italian sonnets or an opera in a little Italian cafe. Dialogue consists mostly of short, repetitive loops, most of them uttered by henchmen every time you click on a destination.

Fun...ness

Once you set aside the bad music, not groundbreaking graphics, and the inability of anyone in the game to hit anything with any weapon, this game is fun to play. Whether you like to tackle missions or just get dual Tommy Guns and blast the hel...heck out of the bad guys and cops.

The PlasmaFactor! (cue the dramatic theme music...)

The game is based on the point and click type. In over 26 missions, there are multiple ways to complete each one, so getting the result you want shouldn't be a problem here. To make the game more exciting, the game is non-linear, so doing things at your own pace is acceptable. There is support online for up to 8 players to see who can reach crime boss status first. One of the funnier aspects of the game is the life-like city....with no moving cars other than the ones you drive or the enemy is in.

Closing Remarks

Overall, Gangland is just another game on the shelf that people keep wishing would still be in the development stages instead of sitting there collecting dust. After the releases of Mafia and Hitman 2, it seems as though Gangland has nothing left to give gamers other than one more game to add to their library. For the duration of my time with Gangland, all the game did for me was make me thirst for the blood and mayhem that I once sought in GTA Vice City. In fact after playing this I dusted that game off and gave it a spin. This Family may just be the death of you...sorry Whiptail. This under developed game may just be the death of you.