Mob Wars shots erupt

Megapublisher EA has unleashed new images that reveal what its gangster game, The Godfather, will look like when it arrives on PSP later this year. Titled The Godfather: Mob Wars, it's a mix of card-based, territory map-fiddling tactics and third-person action that seems well suited to Sony's gleaming handheld.

Take a look at these shots by hitting the Images tab above, and you'll see two types of gameplay. All of the traveling, carjacking and street-pounding has been sliced away; instead, you'll be line up your grunts on the territorial map, shuffling cash and triggering missions - including bank heists, intimidations and brawls - by selecting a single territory and leaping straight into the action.

The card-based gameplay comes into play on the map screen. Each of the 250 cards gives a different bonus, so a "bribe" card sees the police ignoring your misbehavior, while a "favor" card can give you an advantage during battles. Success in each mission earns you new cards and extra money, which you can use to buy weapons and all those other trinkets that gangsters blow their cash on.

While it might sound like the bastard son of Metal Gear Acid and Liberty City Stories, at least it's not another tired, half-hearted PS2 port. If the tactical challenge is strong enough and the action short, snappy and satisfying, Mob Wars could earn a place in anyone's family of games.

July 28, 2006