Quite possibly
one of the most complex and entertaining shows on cable television, The Sopranos
is about a flawed family man who not only has to deal with his wife and kids but
his other “family” as well. It’s the portrait of a man named Tony Soprano who
tries to be a good father to his two kids but also a good capo for his New
Jersey mafia crime family. He’s a man who would just as easily and lovingly
drive his daughter to various prospective colleges and then just as easily
strangle a man who ratted out friends of his so many years ago. It’s a good show
so how can it not make for a good game? Well, unfortunately, The Sopranos: Road
to Respect just isn’t able to capture the drama of the show or be a fun gangster
game.
The game does,
however, offer a somewhat interesting story. You assume the role of Joey LaRocca,
the illegitimate son of that no-good rat Big Pussy, who one day steals a purse
right outside the familiar Satrialle’s butcher shop. Tony Soprano is there to
witness your shameless crime and he grabs you and yanks you into the butcher
shop to tell you what a disgrace you are to the neighborhood and to your father.
He then offers you a chance to work for the family and sensing the opportunity
of a lifetime you accept. Soon you’re working under Paulie, who has you running
errands at the Bada Bing strip club hoping for your chance to become a big shot.
Of course, the
road to respect isn’t an easy one to walk and soon you find yourself running
errands for everyone including Silvio as well as Christopher … who makes it no
secret that he doesn’t like you and often reminds you of your father’s
demise thanks to the fact that he ratted on Tony to the Feds in season two of
the show. The only way you can prove yourself to Tony and the others is to carry
out orders while paying your tribute (e.g. slipping Paulie money you earn in the
game). It’s all about building respect and not getting killed.
Sadly, the
game’s missions aren’t very interesting at all and are a bit on the short side
as well. You’ll be “escorting” drunken frat boys out of Bada Bing for Silvio or
helping Christopher collect money at the local gym. At one point you’ll even
work security for a rave Tony’s son, A.J., threw without the knowledge of his
father. Just about the only interesting aspect of the missions is how you handle
the situation. During conversations you have the option to pick from Smooth
(sometimes it’s best to avoid violent confrontations) or Rough (when people just
don’t want to listen to reason). Then again, most situations just end up violent
anyway so these options aren’t really necessary.
Combat is
another weak point in the game mostly because of a number of gameplay glitches.
For the most part of the game you’ll be using your fists and thankfully you do
have a variety of moves at your disposal. The problem is that even if you manage
to unlock every specialty move and grapple move, the awkward controls will make
it hard for you to target your next opponent. Worst yet, there are glitches that get
in the way of the action and will occasionally even get you killed. For instance,
when pulling off a grappling move you’ll sometimes grab nothing but air and thus
leading the enemy to grab you first. The specialty moves are supposed to be cool
but they come off as hard to pull off. You’ll even have trouble aiming your gun
– although using it lowers your Respect level.
Visually, Road
to Respect isn’t even a good-looking game. The character models really don’t
look realistic, especially when it comes to limbs. As far as the main characters
are concerned, Paulie and Christopher look exactly like Tony Sirico and Michael
Imperioli while the others only slightly resemble the actors that portray them
on the show. The locals look straight out of the show and that’s a good thing
despite the fact that the game doesn’t allow room to explore. You can’t even see
the inside the butcher shop Tony Soprano and his crew likes to hand out.
At least the
game’s score is true to the show and the key cast members from the show actually
do voice their characters so expect Tony Soprano to be voiced James Gandolfini.
In fact, even the characters created specifically for the game have decent
dialogue. There’s licensed music in the game from artists like Slipknot and Iggy
Pop that you’ll hear the DJ playing while you’re at Bada Bing.
Sadly enough,
The Sopranos: Road to Respect does a great job of putting gamers into HBO’s
coolest show but drops the ball in making this a game that doesn’t frustrate in
every level. With weak controls that do get in the way of the action and story
missions that lack the show’s drama, there is very little here to keep gamers
and fans of the show interested in seeing this game to the very end. Sorry, THQ,
but fans are better off spending their money on the DVD box sets instead.
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Gameplay: 3.0
When you spend
more time grabbing at air than a goon you know the game is in trouble. When your
opponent smashes an invisible bottle over your head or spends an entire ammo
clip at an enemy that doesn’t die you just want to stop playing this game and go
back to playing The Godfather.
Graphics: 5.5
For the most
part, many of the key cast members look like the real thing despite the fact
that sometimes Tony doesn’t often look like James Gandolfini in some cutscenes.
The locales look amazing in this game and easily recognizable but when it comes
to the enemies you’ll find yourself going up against a number of clones.
Sound: 8.0
Quite possibly
the best part about the game is that the main characters are voiced by the
actual actors that portray them on the show. The voice acting is top notch and
true to the show and that goes for the various supporting characters as well. A
collection of tunes and a decent score make up for the so-so sound effects.
Difficulty:
Medium
When things
get a little hairy in the game, all you have to do is grab a crowbar or whiskey
bottle that always seems to be lying around the various locations and you’ll
find yourself winning every fight. Unfortunately, thanks to the poor controls,
you’ll also often get a beating if you decide to use your grapple moves. Also,
good luck aiming a gun.
Concept: 4.5
The story
isn’t bad at all and being able to interact with favorite characters in familiar
places like the Bada Bing strip club is a big plus. Unfortunately, aside from
the poker mini-game, there is very little to come back to once you’re finished
with this game. Still, the art gallery and movies (including a funny and sad
bloopers reel) are a nice touch.
Overall: 4.0
While the
setting and characters are all present, Road to Respect does not do justice to
The Sopranos show nor the mafia gaming genre. Thanks to its broken controls,
awkward combat mechanics and uninspiring mission objectives, it’s hard to
recommend this game to dedicated fans of the show.
