Review: Made Man for PS2
First announced in May 2004, Made Man has taken a little longer in the making than expected, due to the shutdown of Acclaim Studios, its original developer. But no matter - its action spans three decades, and gangsters will never go out of fashion. In this case the gangsters are mafiosi - when you are "made" you are accepted into their world.
Made Man was developed in conjunction with a couple of real-life wise-guys, one who was a high-ranking made man himself and the other a writer who just knows a lot about them. But whether this gives an authenticity to the game - as claimed by the PR machine - is a bit doubtful. You never actually fear for your life as your fingers and thumbs go to work. After all - it's a computer game!
Basically all you have to do is kill everyone you meet - except friends or innocent bystanders of course - before they kill you. Perhaps there is more to the plot further on, but hey, I'm only on the second level. I see many late nights ahead. And if former Mafia boss Bill Bonnano says, "Made Man is about as close to really being in the mob as a game can be. You turn your back on the wrong person, that's it, game over," am I really going to argue with him?
But what of the game's features? "Jump to cover" enables you to hide quickly behind the nearest crate or wall and fire from comparative safety. Always handy. As you progress through the game you pick up a variety of weapons. There are times when you need a sawn-off shotgun and others where a sniper's rifle is the weapon of choice. Naturally. The gameplay is intuitive and there is enough non-linearity in the storyline to make it worth returning to scenarios to try shooting from different positions to improve your game.
Visually it's great, but the key to the atmosphere is the music - which is right on the button. A little Motown from the jukebox puts you right in that 1960s truck stop. The Doors-like lead guitar under the Vietnam sequences is straight out of Apocalypse Now.
I am having a great time with it. Full of violence, gore and swearing, so not for kids, but for responsible, well-balanced adults it's a hoot. And yes, it has been well worth the wait.
Made Man was developed by Silverback Studios and published by Mastertronic. Bytes Online score: 8/10
Made Man was developed in conjunction with a couple of real-life wise-guys, one who was a high-ranking made man himself and the other a writer who just knows a lot about them. But whether this gives an authenticity to the game - as claimed by the PR machine - is a bit doubtful. You never actually fear for your life as your fingers and thumbs go to work. After all - it's a computer game!
Basically all you have to do is kill everyone you meet - except friends or innocent bystanders of course - before they kill you. Perhaps there is more to the plot further on, but hey, I'm only on the second level. I see many late nights ahead. And if former Mafia boss Bill Bonnano says, "Made Man is about as close to really being in the mob as a game can be. You turn your back on the wrong person, that's it, game over," am I really going to argue with him?
But what of the game's features? "Jump to cover" enables you to hide quickly behind the nearest crate or wall and fire from comparative safety. Always handy. As you progress through the game you pick up a variety of weapons. There are times when you need a sawn-off shotgun and others where a sniper's rifle is the weapon of choice. Naturally. The gameplay is intuitive and there is enough non-linearity in the storyline to make it worth returning to scenarios to try shooting from different positions to improve your game.
Visually it's great, but the key to the atmosphere is the music - which is right on the button. A little Motown from the jukebox puts you right in that 1960s truck stop. The Doors-like lead guitar under the Vietnam sequences is straight out of Apocalypse Now.
I am having a great time with it. Full of violence, gore and swearing, so not for kids, but for responsible, well-balanced adults it's a hoot. And yes, it has been well worth the wait.
Made Man was developed by Silverback Studios and published by Mastertronic. Bytes Online score: 8/10
posted by Graham at 2:05 pm
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