Gangsters 2

Short description: 2001 video game

Gangsters 2: Vendetta

Developer(s)| Hothouse Creations
Publisher(s)| Eidos Interactive
Trymedia Systems Inc.
Platform(s)| Microsoft Windows
Release|

* EU: June 1, 2001
* NA: June 5, 2001

Genre(s)| Strategy
Mode(s)| Single-player, multiplayer

Gangsters 2: Vendetta is a real-time strategy video game, developed by Hothouse Creations, published by Eidos Interactive, and released for Microsoft Windows in June 2001. The sequel to Software:Gangsters: Organized Crime, and set during the final years of Prohibition, the game focuses on a story of the son of a local mob boss, who goes on a vendetta against the men who ordered their assassination, effectively becoming their own mob boss in the process. The game received mixed reviews on release.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 2 Plot
* 2.1 Setting
* 2.2 Story
* 3 Reception
* 4 References
* 5 External links
* 6 Features
* 7 History
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 External links

## Gameplay

The game operates in real-time, compared to its predecessor, with the interface operating in three different modes: isometric, allowing the player to watch their current location and view events on the street; and two top down modes, one allowing players to see where every gangster, law enforcement official, businesses and rackets are, as well as the territory each gang controls, while the other gives a larger scale view of the map. The game focuses on players using gangsters to perform various tasks, such as attacking rival gangs, bombing businesses, and securing territory, while contending with attacks on their own territory and businesses, while avoiding or countering interference from the police and the FBI, who can disrupt their operations.

In Gangsters 2, each member of the player's gang can have up to four hoods to assist them, improving their firepower and providing a shield from attacks, and have access to a specialised skill  - bombing, kidnapping, assassination, charmer, bank robbery and getaway driver  - which can be used to help in a variety of ways: a charmer can use his influence to reduce the threat of police officers, while a bomber can use explosives either on cars to kill rival gangster or to bomb rival businesses. Gangsters can be equipped with a variety of weapons, including revolvers, shotguns, dual pistols, submachine guns, and rifles, and use a selection of vehicles to travel around a map more quickly and perform drive-by shootings, and can rest in secured businesses to recover any health lost. Attacking rival gang members as well as law enforcement increases a gang member's notoriety; too much, and they face being arrested or killed by the police and FBI.

To maintain an income to pay for gangsters, hoods and guards, players can acquire businesses on the map, either buying them legally, or be seizing them from rivals by attacking them, which also gives them control of the territory it maintains. Some businesses, when owned, can house an illegal racket (such as gambling dens, and brothels), which increases the income the site produces. However, rackets require a business specialist to run them; in addition, most rackets also require the player to supply alcohol from illegal breweries and stills for them to function. Players must be careful when setting up a racket, as they can be raided by the FBI if they are tipped off to them, as well as become prime targets for rival gangs.

In the single-player mode, the player assumes the role of a gangster, and must complete objectives in each mission of the game's campaign within a set time limit, ranging from securing assets to eliminating rivals. Missions are failed if the player runs out of time, or if their main gangster is killed, imprisoned, or goes bankrupt; some missions are also failed if certain conditions are not met. Between missions, the player can recruit new gangsters and business specialists to their gang, fire those they do not need, and improve their skills with skill points earned from a mission; for each mission, the player must decide which gangsters and specialists to bring, based on the briefing given at the start.

## Plot

### Setting

The game's is set during the late 1920s, towards the final years of Prohibition, within the fictional US state of Temperance. The state lies on the northern mid-west region of the country, split into several counties, with its state capital being New Temperance City (the same fictional setting as Gangsters). The game's main campaign sees players assume the role of Joey Bane, a small-time mobster, who travels across the state to form his own empire.

### Story

In 1928, Italian-American mobster Joey Bane swears vengenance on mob boss Cain 'Stoneface' Langham, after he orders the assassination of Joey's father for disrupting his plans to expand his bootlegging operation in the small town of Buffalo Falls. Aided by his uncle, who was nearly killed in the assassination and offers to be his nephew's advisor, Joey creates his own gang, killing Langsten's muscle in the town. He eventually expands out of Buffalo Falls to weaken his target's racket operations, until he finally corners and kill Langsten, taking full control of his territory in the county.

Following Langsten's death, Joey is contacted by Frankie "Hammer" Constantine, the state's most powerful mob boss, who he realizes ordered his father's death when he opposed Constantine's bootlegging operations. To get close to him, Joey works for him, dealing with mobsters who refuse to serve for Constantine, securing their territory for his own empire. Eventually, with enough resources, he moves into Constantine's territory, angering the mob boss. This prompts Joey to build his empire carefully as he moves towards New Temperance, Constantine's stronghold, combatting threats from hitmen, corrupt police chiefs and church priests, and even trouble from demobbed army soldiers.

Eventually, Joey weakens Constantine's power base, reducing his cash flow, and kidnapping his book keeper who is handed over to the FBI. With his position threatened, Constantine attempts to secure help from mob bosses outside the state, in exchange for territory. Joey prevents this, hits Constantine, and finally kills him. With his vendetta completed, he begins his new life as the state's most powerful crime lord, though his uncle hints at the possibility of someone likely challenging his position someday in the future.

## Reception

Reception

| Aggregate score

Aggregator| Score
Metacritic| 61/100[1]
Review scores
Publication| Score
CGW| [2]
Edge| 7/10[3]
Game Informer| 4/10[5]
GameRevolution| D+[6]
GameSpot| 5.4/10[7]
GameSpy| 53%[8]
GameZone| 6/10[9]
IGN| 5.7/10[10]
Next Generation| [11]
PC Gamer (US)| 69%[12]

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[1] Daniel Erickson of NextGen called it "Another bad stab at a goodfella's idea."[11]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Gangsters 2: Vendetta". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/gangsters-2-vendetta/.
2. ↑ Chick, Tom (September 2001). "This Is Not Your Godfather's Gangsters (Gangsters 2: Vendetta Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (206): 89. https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_206.pdf. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
3. ↑ Edge staff (August 2001). "Gangsters 2". Edge (Future Publishing) (100): 98. https://retrocdn.net/images/4/43/Edge_UK_100.pdf. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
4. ↑ Miller, Sean (February 20, 2002). "Gangsters 2: Vendetta". Greedy Productions Ltd.. http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=8371&full=1.
5. ↑ Brogger, Kristian (August 2001). "Gangsters 2: Vendetta". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (100). http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200108/R03.0811.1101.58590.htm. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
6. ↑ Joe (August 2001). "Gangsters 2 Review". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33226-gangsters-2-review.
7. ↑ Dulin, Ron (June 8, 2001). "Gangsters 2: Vendetta Review". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/gangsters-2-vendetta-review/1900-2771711/.
8. ↑ Hansen, Philip (July 22, 2001). "Gangsters 2: The Mobster Sim [sic"]. IGN Entertainment. http://www.gamespy.com/reviews/july01/gangsters2/.
9. ↑ Parrotta, Dylan (July 17, 2001). "Gangsters 2 - PC - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/gangsters_2_pc_review/.
10. ↑ Shif, Gil Alexander (June 13, 2001). "Gangsters 2". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/06/13/gangsters-2-2.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Erickson, Daniel (September 2001). "Gangsters 2". NextGen (Imagine Media) (81): 88. https://archive.org/details/NextGen81Sep2001/page/n89/mode/2up. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
12. ↑ "Gangsters 2: Vendetta". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 8 (9). September 2001.

## External links

* Gangsters 2 at Trygames (archived)
* MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

## Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

## History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

## See also

* IGDB - game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/.
2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/.
3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1.
4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521.
8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media.
9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned.
10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner.
11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames.
12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games.
13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/.
14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/.
15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/.
16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/.
17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames.
18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628.

| Wikidata has the property:

* NO LABEL (P1933) (see uses)

|

## External links

* No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

* v
* t
* e

Atari

Corporations|

| Primary|

* Atari, Inc. (1972–1992)
* Atari Corporation (1984–1996)
* Atari SA, Atari, Inc. (2003–present)

|

Subsidiaries and
spin-offs|

* Atari Games
* Atari Interactive
* AtariAge
* Chuck E. Cheese (1977–1978)
* Cyan Engineering
* Digital Eclipse
* Kee Games
* MobyGames
* Nightdive Studios
* Tengen

Arcades games
and amusements|

* Anti-Aircraft
* Asteroids
* Asteroids Deluxe
* Atari Basketball
* Atari Football
* Avalanche
* Battlezone
* Black Widow
* Breakout
* Canyon Bomber
* Centipede
* Cloak & Dagger
* Crash 'N Score
* Crystal Castles
* Destroyer
* Dominos
* Fire Truck
* Firefox
* Food Fight
* Gotcha
* Gran Trak 10
* Gran Trak 20
* Gravitar
* Hi-way
* I, Robot
* Indy 4
* Indy 800
* Jet Fighter
* LeMans
* Liberator
* Lunar Lander
* Major Havoc
* Millipede
* Missile Command
* Night Driver
* Outlaw
* Pin-Pong
* Pong
* Pong Doubles
* Pursuit
* Quadrapong
* Quantum
* Quiz Show
* Qwak!
* Rebound
* Red Baron
* Return of the Jedi
* Shark Jaws
* Sky Diver
* Space Duel
* Space Race
* Sprint 1
* Sprint 2
* Sprint 4
* Sprint 8
* Star Wars
* Starship 1
* Steeplechase
* Stunt Cycle
* Super Breakout
* Super Bug
* Super Pong
* Tank
* Tank 8
* Tempest
* Tournament Table
* Triple Hunt
* Ultra Tank
* Video Pinball
* Warlords

| Prototypes|

* Tank II

|

Software and utilities|

* Atari BASIC
* Atari Calculator
* Atari DOS

Video game
consoles|

* Home Pong
* Stunt Cycle
* Atari Video Music
* Video Pinball
* 2600
* 2800
* 5200
* 7800
* XEGS
* Lynx
* Jaguar
* CD
* VCS (2021)
* 2600+

| Prototypes|

* Game Brain
* Cosmos
* 2700
* Atari Mindlink
* Panther
* Sierra

|

Personal
computers|

* Atari 8-bit computers
* Atari ST
* MEGA STE
* TT030
* Transputer Workstation
* Falcon

| Portables|

* STacy
* ST Book
* Portfolio

|

Prototypes|

* Sierra

Peripherals|

| Printers|

* 825 80-Column Printer
* 1020 Color Printer

|

Gaming devices|

* CX40 joystick
* Atari joystick port
* XG-1 light gun

Other|

* Atari Democrat
* Atari Flashback
* Intellivision
* Sears

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MobyGames. Read more

|

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangsters 2. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Gangsters_2&oldid=3953290"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template