Omerta: City of Gangsters Review
Omerta – City of Gangsters is a simulation game with tactical turn based combat thrown in the mix and was created by the simulation legends, Kalypso Media.
You’re an immigrant that has just arrived in Atlantic City, it’s the 1920’s and there is money to be made. Your main focus is to work your way up the criminal hierarchy in hope that one day you will become “The Boss”. The thing is, this doesn’t come easily and most definitely comes at a cost. You will have to kill, steal and charm your way to gain the respect and fear you will need in order to have the locals and other mobs where you need them.
If you’re familiar with the brilliant “Tropico” series you will know roughly what’s going on here. There are many different maps set in 1920’s Atlantic City with certain tasks to complete. Once they are done you move onto the next map start again etc.
The game obviously starts off pretty simple in order to help you get used to the controls and way life in Atlantic City and gradually gets harder and deeper.
Luckily and thankfully, the controls are a breeze and brilliantly suited to the Xbox controller.
You pretty much start off alone, but throughout your travels meet people that you can hire to become a part of your mob gang. You and your allies can be levelled up after certain missions and in exchange get perks such as more health, better critical hit chance, more movement points during tactical combat and more muscle, just to name a few. If you decide that you have a member that isn’t worth the wage, fire him/her and hire someone else…. Simple, you’re the boss!
I loved that I could take control of my whole gang and make sure everything was running as it should.
So you’re in a town and your main mission is to build a casino but this doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything else to do. You can go out on jobs and meetings yourself but then your gang would be worthless…. If there is an informant that needs speaking to, send a gang member, need someone to run some guns and booze across town? Send a gang member. This is how that game is meant to be played and how it plays best. It’s pretty cool running a crew like clock work to ensure you’re making maximum money and respect so do it properly and you will be rewarded.
Anyway, you will see markers on the map each representing different jobs/side missions. Go to these markers or send a member to by booze, sell booze, or rent a property and turn it into a joint like a speak easy club, a fighting arena or maybe you need a working factory like a brewery or a pizzeria. Again, it’s your choice.
You will sometimes be tasked with actually getting your hands dirty and this is where some brain power is needed. You will need to decide on a crew to take into the fight and then control them during battle. If you’ve played Xcom Enemy Unknown you will know exactly how this combat works.
The combat is a turn based, top down shoot out whereby you and your gang will need to collect an item, rescue a person or just rid an area of another gang. You have a certain amount of movement points and a certain amount of action points, so make sure you move to cover and shoot, punch or snipe your way to victory.
These shoot outs and rescue missions are generally in warehouses but I did come across a club, church and general road and walkway.
These missions work well but to be honest I often prefer to auto fight and if I lose, reload my last save and try again because I prefer to make my empire than fire guns and punch people.
Obviously your shenanigans will attract police presence but should this happen you can grass up someone else and divert the attention, destroy the evidence or bribe your way to peace. This is a little too easy to sort out but it works and it works quickly allowing you to get on with the important stuff.
A brilliant addition to Omerta that wasn’t available in “Tropico” is online multiplayer. You can now team up with a mate for some co-op action or if you’re feeling brave you can take them on in some pvp. The multiplayer is great and is a nice change of pace from the single player.
Overall, the game looks great, feels great and has everything you need to start your own criminal organisation. If you’re a fan of “Tropico” or simulation in general you should definitely pick this up.
9/10
Review By Wicket2961
