Tactics Fit for a Don

Published April 14, 2009

Running a family in The Godfather® II from EA is a ruthless business, fraught with backstabbing, violence, and threats from every angle. Finding the right blend of subtlety and brawn, quick strikes and patience is a difficult task.

Made Men are crack shots.

Take these tactics to heart to help you build your own criminal empire.

Fists First
You'd be surprised how often you can stroll into a business and take it over without having drawn a weapon. If you want to avoid bloodshed, and you know, getting killed, try instigating a fight with your fists first. If the enemy guards stick to melee attacks, you should have an easier time taking over. If they don't, you can always resort to gunfire yourself.

Guards Aplenty
Always err on the side of caution when assigning guards to a newly acquired business. I suggest hiring roughly two-thirds of the maximum allowed number of guards for every business. For example, if you can assign up to fifteen guards for a location, hire at least ten. Yes, this will cut into your profits, but other than upgrading your Made Men, the money is there largely to help you defend your businesses.

Backdoor
Almost every business you attack has a back entrance. Use it. This will catch the guards by surprise, and usually provides a swifter route to the business's owner, allowing you take over the operation more quickly. These alternate entrances will often take you past safes you can crack and power supplies you can cut off, ensuring the guards can't call for backup.

Just another night's work in the naked city.

One at a Time
Once you start dealing with multiple enemy families, it's worth your while to focus your attacks on one at a time. If you go after more than one family, you run the risk of having to defend your territory on multiple fronts. If you wage just one war at a time, you shouldn't catch too much grief from the other families.

Stumble and Execute
If you're having trouble executing enemies, remember they need to be temporarily stunned in order for the Execute prompt to materialize. If you want to execute them standing, pump a couple bullets into their chest. If you want to trigger a kneeling execution, tag them a couple of times in the knee.

If you're focused on unlocking the Executions in Style achievement, head to the Don's View, cycle over to The Books menu, and select Execution Styles to track your progress.

No one crosses me!

Rob and Call
There are few criminal acts that can stir local police into a bloodthirsty frenzy like a good old-fashioned bank heist. Fix this little problem by keeping a "Call off Police" favor in your back pocket every time you rob a bank. Call in the favor after you've robbed the joint, and you should have plenty of time to enjoy a nice leisurely ride back to your safe house to secure your score.

Trust Your Men
Don't think you have to rush to the aid of every business that comes under attack. Provided you've assigned a healthy number of guards to defend the location, you can almost always get away with assigning one of your Made Men to successfully defend a business.

Try routinely sending your recruits to take over enemy businesses on their own. At worst, they'll be wounded and you'll have to wait a few minutes to add them back to your crew. At best, you'll take over entire enterprises without ever having to lift a finger. You're a Don after all; let your Made Men do some of the dirty work.

Compound Escape
Whenever your storm a family's compound and are set to trigger the bomb, take a moment find the quickest route back outside the building. Once the bomb is set, you'll only have a few seconds to flee, and if you're caught inside, you must repeat the mission all over again. Only start the timer when you're confident you know how to scurry to safety outside.

Not real subtle, but effective.

Buying Favors
Once you successfully complete a favor for a corrupt official, you no longer have to complete the side quest to earn more favors. Instead, buy them wholesale by driving back to the official and ponying up the required price. You can buy several at a time, so stock up whenever possible.

Bomb and Go
Anytime you're getting ready to attack an enemy business, take a moment to see which Crime Rings they currently control. If any are combat related (such as bulletproof vests), take the time to send an extra Made Man to bomb a business tied to that Crime Ring. This will deprive them of that Crime Ring bonus for one full day.

I'm Driving Here!
Traffic in Godfather II can sometimes be a bear, particularly if you're engaged in a high speed police chase. Don't forget to sound the horn (click down on the Left Thumbstick). This will send nearby cars scurrying for the sidewalks, opening much-needed lanes for your drive through.

Death Becomes Him
Fear not if you find a recruit you'd prefer to have in your family, but there's not any room for them. You can always mark one of your own Made Men for death, which enables friendly fire to kill them permanently. How they die is up to you, but when they do, you'll have an open spot for a new recruit.

Mark your Made Men for death by heading to Don's View, select your Family Tree, highlight the unfortunate Made Man, and select Upgrade. From the Upgrade menu, choose Mark for Death.

It's a dirty business, cultivating the seeds of a vast criminal empire, but with these tactics and a shrewd eye for ruthless decision making, you should be well on your way to dominating The Godfather II.

Article by Ryan Treit