Format: PS2
Maker: THQ
Review: Jason Round

R-E-S-P-E-C-T – That’s what The Sopranos is all about, and thanks to David Chase and the HBO hit, now you can indulge in some of the latter yourself on the PS2.

You play Joey LaRocca, son of Big Pussy (we kid you not…) and although that means you must have a big head, it’s trying to keep that head pulled in that will ultimately see you progress in the game.

You see, there is plenty of the arse-kickin’ and intimidation you’d expect from a title like this, but doing the wrong thing at the wrong time can also lead to a drop in your ‘respect’ meter, and ‘badda bing, badda boom’, before you know it you’re taking a ‘dirt nap’.
That said, there’s a lot of whackin’ to be done on your part as you head off from the Bada Bing! to move up rank within the Sopranos crew.

Paulie, Silvio and Tony among others make welcomed cameos, though it seemed the rest of the cast may have been a little light on the ground. Nonetheless, there’s still mucho fun to be had in muscling your way around town and laying into people with not only your fists, but also a variety of pick-up items.

Drawing a large parallel with the Punisher title for PS2, you can pick up anything from baseball bats to barbells, or for that ‘personal touch’ you can drag non-talkers to pre-determined hot spots to meet a particularly nasty demise…

There are also firearms, though we found that most enemies could be dispelled easily within 10–20sec without the need to go turning them to Swiss cheese.

What was a little harder, though, are the verbal choices, whereby you are given a choice of three answers to a question. Pick the wrong response, and it means all kind of trouble, as does losing in Texas Hold ’Em a little later in the game.

It’s all great fun, especially if you’re a fan of the show, who will no doubt notice the surroundings, great voice-overs and liberal use of the ‘F’ word throughout. The graphics aren’t too shabby for a PS2 either, especially the semi-clad strippers, and load times are refreshingly good.

The soundtrack is probably a little repetitive, and a bit out of place at times, but once you’ve heard Girls, Girls, Girls 100 times at the Bada Bing, you’re sure to to just ‘fuhgeddaboutit’.
Fun for the whole ‘family’.