FEATURE
Better than a Horse's Head in your Bed
In honor of The Sopranos' final return, we call out some favorite mob games.
The most revered TV series for mobster fans has returned this week for its final season. But don't despair that it's coming to a close -- your craving for psychopathic, yet emotionally complex characters could be perpetually satiated with many of the cool mob-related video games on offer. Check out some of our quick picks:
Scarface: The World Is Yours (Vivendi Games
What if Tony Montana survived the iconic shootout in his mansion at the end of Scarface, and set out to rebuild his cocaine empire? Play Scarface and find out. Al Pacino doesn't lend his distinctive vocal chords to the game, but it does feature an impressive cast, including James Woods, Vida Guerra, Ice-T, Cheech and Chong, and Ricky Gervais. Given the notoriety of the movie, it's no surprise that Scarface out-swears, out-shoots and out-snorts its competition on this list. Scarface is available on PC, PS2, and Xbox, with a Wii version expected later this year -- just avoid the stinker PSP game.
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Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (Rockstar Games)
All the Grand Theft Auto games have more mobster links than a Chicago Italian restaurant, but Vice City Stories is the most recent in the series. It sees the series revisiting the suspiciously Miami-like setting of PS2 release GTA: Vice City, on the entirely more compact PSP platform. (Confusingly, Stories turned up on the PS2 as well earlier this year.) The game has a cameo appearance from 80s icon Phil Collins, together with the usual licensed soundtrack and top voice cast.
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Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven (2K Games)
Not the most imaginative of titles, perhaps, but 2002 release Mafia turned out to be one of the most creative mobster games around. Its plot, which would have done any high-budget mob movie proud, earned it special praise, and its graphics were notable in their time, although they're not so impressive these days. Originally a PC release, it sold well enough to give rise to PS2 and Xbox conversions.
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The Godfather (Electronic Arts)
The Godfather video game doesn't dominate the console mobster games world in quite the same way as the movie overshadows any other cinematic Mafiosi production, but it's still well worth a play. Plus, it's available on the widest selection of platforms of all our picks, including the PS2, Xbox, all three next-gen consoles and the PC, making it, wait for it, an offer you can't refuse.
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The Sopranos: Road to Respect (THQ)
Sopranos' very own godfather David Chase came up with the idea behind this video game spin-off, although he was reportedly keen to make sure the game's story didn't encroach onto the TV show's plotline. It stars Joey LaRocca, an illegitimate son of the ill-fated Big Pussy, who joins the Soprano family after his father's untimely demise. Unlike the spectacular TV series, The Sopranos: Road to Respect did not go down well with critics; still, if you find yourself suffering from Sopranos withdrawal over the long, empty years to come, you'll find it in your local game store on PlayStation 2.
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Max Payne 2 (2K Games)
Max Payne takes the opposite view to the other games in this list - you're a lone renegade cop on a mission to wipe out the New York mafia. Superb, faux-film-noir writing (example: "The sun went down with practiced bravado") pairs with graceful gunplay, and although it debuted on the PC it's also available on the PS2 and Xbox. It's a real classic.
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Posted: 11 Apr 2007