Sopranos Fans: Rent it once Everyone Else: Avoid!!!
How wrong I was, and how right the (bad) reviews were!! Really, only fans of the show should play the game, and these people should only play it once, if at all! My suggestion would be to rent this overnight, or however long it will take you to put 10hours (or less) of playing time into it. Everyone else should avoid this game like the plague!
This game reminds me of the 'game' based on the TV show, "VIP", only there *is* a storyline in this game. The use of the original cast for voice acting is the only thing that holds this game together. There is little other substance to the game. I was bored by the time I started the third mission. The only thing that kept me going was a (pathological) desire to see the story out. Thank goodness I finished the game in 4-6 hours!
In summary:
* Game is too short (although in the context of less than ordinary gameplay, you'd have to say mercifully short!!)
* Very linear gameplay
* bad collision detection
* fights are annoying (especially if cornered by three opponents) and one dimensional
One thing that the GameSpot official review omitted was that there is a point to the money. One can "Pay Tribute" at the end of missions to (a) refill respect, or (b) purchase artwork which can be seen in the extras on the main menu. Usually (a) is not necessary.
I, for one, will be returning this game tomorrow.