Last week, I gave you all a quick behind-the-scenes look at "Made Man: Confessions of the Family Blood," thanks to the short chat I had with game writer David Fisher. To conclude this trip into the underbelly of the mob family, I feel it is only appropriate to write a review. Now, hours of gameplay and countless kills later, the verdict is in, and it's not pleasant.
In "Made Man," players assume the role of Joey Verola to shoot their way through three decades of organized crime. When Joey saves a mobster's nephew in Vietnam, he gains a connection to the family and a new line of work. Working his way up the ranks from transporting cigarettes to aiding in taking out the don, Verola must navigate a world where bullets do the talking.
The plotline and storytelling elements of "Made Man" are perhaps the game's strongest point. The game's format, which flashes back and forth between the present day and the past, provides both exposition and action. Each new scenario seems unique with alternate weapons and terrain to utilize.
One important storytelling mechanism is the use of voiceovers to give insight into Joey's mind right in the middle of gameplay. This is great because there is no need to go to a cutscene, which would require unnecessary load times while taking away from playtime.
Unfortunately, the voiceovers can feature less-than-desirable acting and even prove to be a horrific distraction in some cases. For instance, at times Joey will just start speaking in the middle of a firefight for no apparent reason. Listening to what he has to say and simultaneously trying to slaughter 20 goons is a challenge, the result of which is often fatal. It was often the case that the voiceover would drown out the sound of gunfire, making it difficult to tell if there was anyone left to mow down. And if you miss even one guy, you are dead.
Graphically, "Made Man" suffers a bit. Even though it is a PlayStation 2 title, I would still expect cleaner textures in the levels and cutscenes, not to mention high-resolution character models.
A big disappointment was awaiting the cutscenes only to find that the characters' mouths do not move when they speak. At first, I just thought they were having internal monologues, but I soon found this was not the case. Unless mobsters can communicate via telepathy, this is a problem. Not to mention, I wish the acting were more convincing.
Levels at times have an unfinished, unpolished feel to them. There were instances when I would see half of a character hanging through a wall. Also, the levels are rather linear in layout. From start to finish, it is never too difficult to tell where to go. Yes, there are some side areas that contain a better gun, but they don't really add to the challenge. Stepping up the graphics and level design would have added a great deal to the tone that the story provides and would have made the entire project feel more complete.
I will give credit where credit is deserved: The particle effects of boxes as they were riddled with bullets and broken apart were impressive. It made me think fast about where I would have to run and hide next.
The game's controls were also a bit off for me. While it is easy to perform the simple tasks involved in running around the levels, it was extremely frustrating to aim properly. No matter where I seemed to aim the weapon, it felt as though my aim was significantly off. Unless the little cronies are supposed to have Kevlar skulls, something just wasn't programmed right. At times, I would empty an entire clip and still find the enemy coming at me, guns blazing.
One saving grace of the control scheme was the ability to use cover very effectively. With a simple touch of a button, Joey can dive into the nearest available cover. This is very useful when there are tons of baddies to dispose of, not to mention when you are trying to save health. This element of gameplay added significantly more dimensions to what is essentially a simple shooter.
The view of Joey's cover, however, proved to be deceiving in some cases: When I see Joey's entire body behind a structure, I expect not to be shot in the head. Perhaps the third-person view is just a little tricky.
Another great gameplay feature is "Kill Rush," which slows down time as Joey attacks. When players off enough enemies, they fill up a meter that enables them to activate this feature. "Kill Rush" brought me back to the days of "Max Payne" or "Enter the Matrix," when bullet-time physics were a big deal and major selling point. Of course, including them in this game is nothing new but still a nice touch. It did make it easier to get through areas populated by huge numbers of enemies.
As for our enemy friends, they seem to only be on the extreme ends of the intelligence spectrum. On one hand, we have ruthless killers who have impeccable aim and can seemingly sense you coming. Then there are others whom you can walk up to, do the hokey pokey, turn yourself around and still bust a cap in their skulls without detection.
Don't get me wrong; I love the idiotic ones, since it entertains me to push the limits of what I can get away with when it comes to toying with the game's artificial intelligence. But balance is the key, and it is rather lacking here.
In the end, I have mixed feelings about "Made Man." While it is a functional game with a ton of strong points, its faults outweigh them. Value priced at about $20, it is cheap enough to give it a try if you want to see if it suits your gaming palate.
I wonder if gamers can expect a sequel. First and foremost, I would like to see what improvements developers could come up with to strengthen the title.
Until that time, "Made Man" deserves to sleep with the fishes.
Justin Voss is a sophomore majoring in Japanese. Does "Made Man" truly deserve to be sentenced to the bargain bin? Tell Tanuki Voss what you think at [email protected].
