To replicate those water-cooler moments of the show, most stages end in gruesome scenes you won't soon forget. THQ showed us Joey introducing a guy's forehead to a powered-on table saw. It's reminiscent of the torture in another THQ title, The Punisher - except you're not doing it to interrogate the victim. You just want him dead.
When you're not rearranging faces, you're talking smack. The conversation system resembles role-playing games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Pick from vague threats or accurate depictions of what you'll do to a person who doesn't abide by your requests. These little chats will actually impact the game's flow, but don't expect compliments and niceties. Joey isn't the most levelheaded guy in the world.
David Chase and HBO just didn't toss the game a recommendation for head writer; they stressed an accurate portrayal of everything Sopranos. When you walk around Bada-Bing - which serves as your hub - you can take solace in the fact that the game's artists painstakingly modeled it after the strip club from the show.
This attention to detail of course includes the likenesses and voices from the stars of the series. Adding to the big-budget feel is a soundtrack that's full of everything from Iggy Pop and Motley Crue to Andrea Bocelli. THQ tells us the majority of the differences between the PS2 and Xbox 360 versions are purely visual, so take your pick.
A Sopranos game is something fans have been clamoring over for quite some time. Everyone involved with this project is dedicated to making it more than a simple licensed game. It will be an uphill battle - especially as this studio did the mediocre Fantastic Four and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow games - but simply interacting with Tony Soprano and the gang should be enough to make some gamers feel like made men.
