If you enjoyed the console version and have 20 extra bucks, this is great for trips; and lasts just long enough for one.

User Rating: 7.2 | The Godfather: Mob Wars PSP
The godfather mob wars on the PSP is essentially the same game you played on consoles last year, but this version has been stripped of all the driving elements. This may seem harsh at first, but you'll find it's very easy to get used to. If you enjoyed the shooting, intimidation, and fighting elements of the console version, this is a fairly easy purchase, or at least merits a rent. In place of driving, the game has two modes: Story mode, and Mob Wars mode. Story mode contains all of the missions from the previous version, with all things intact except the driving and character custumization, so it doesn't take very long to beat. But even though you can't customize your character, his outfit will change multiple times as you progress through the game and work your way up through the ranks of the Corleone family. One of the downsides to the game is that you can't go back and play missions once you've beaten it.

The Mob Wars mode in all respects, even though it waters down what was once a sandbox game, is just a front for getting around the city. With simple user-friendly cards you can play, your turn always ends with you doing a shooting or extortion mission straight out of the console version of the game. So while the game may seem all about gaining turf, and playing cards, if's really about the missions you do at the end of each turn. The whole mob wars mode is pretty easy to swallow and only takes a minute or two to play through each turn in order to get to the good stuff. Once you complete a mission, the turf it took place in is yours, but if you fail a mission, the soldier you used for it will be demoted in stength and defense, making it easier for other families to attack you. Each of the two games will only take you around 5 hours to totally complete, and when you beat one it will lock up and won't let you play anymore. So in every sense, once you've beaten both modes and become Don of New York, there's literally nothing left to do unless start a new game, which you probably won't want to do because the game doesn't have very much replay value.

The Gamespot review complains about bad camera and controls, but I experienced none of the aforementioned problems and found it pretty easy to maneuver levels. Once or twice the camera will get in your way, but even when it happens it's hard to notice, because you're too busy playing what's still a decent game. Besides that, every game has flaws, and after playing this one, it seems like the Gamespot reviewer went out of his way to blow this game's problems out of proportion, possibly because the fact that it's been watered down didn't sit right with him. Regardless, this is still a decent game, and it's the perfect length to keep you busy on a week long vacation. So, if you're willing to pay 20 bucks to play it on the go, and you want a change of pace for your PSP, this is a decent port, and a solid game.