Mastertronic makes a release date with Made Man @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on June 22, 2006

News: Acclaim's final project to finally see the light of day.

Oh Acclaim, you might just live on in our hearts a little longer.

First, XS Games picked up The Red Star for a North American release. Today, Mastertronic has announced that Interview With a Made Man will be making UK gamers an offer they can't refuse this September.

Developed by Silverback Studios (an offshot of the original Acclaim team), the game has been rechristened Made Man and will see a release on the PS2 and PC. An Xbox version was originally planned when the game was still at Acclaim, but it has long since been dropped. Sadly, a US release has not been announced.

Made Man attempts to bring the epic feel of the Mafia of The Godfather to a video game and it does that with the help of Mafia historian David Fisher and former Mafioso Bill Bonnano.

"Made Man indoctrinates you into the family of the modern Mafia and lets you live the power, corruption and violence during the '60s, '70s and '80s," commented Andy Payne, Managing Director of Mastertronic. "Working closely with David Fisher and Bill Bonnano has resulted in a Pulp noire-style plot for the game rivalled only by Oscar-winning big screen epics. With Made Man, we're doing to the Mafia videogames genre what The Godfather did to Mafia movies."

"This is about as close to really being in the mob as a game can be. You turn your back on the wrong person, that's it, game over," continued Bill Bonnano, real life Made Man and former member of the Bonnano crime family. "I have worked with author David Fisher to make sure every level, every scene, every detail, actually represents the inner workings of organised crime. No question about it this is as real as it gets."

Finally, Mastertronic passed along a feature list that details some of the gameplay mechanics:

Jump to cover Ц Avoid a hail of bullets by using the jump to cover technique, which launches Joey in the direction of the nearest safe spot. From there, Joey can sidle along and around the cover spot as well as fire over or around it before ducking back into safety. Joey can also create his own cover spots by strategically blasting away at the game's destructible scenery.

Picture-in-picture (PIP) Ц Remotely view the action at key locations away from Joey's immediate environment by taking advantage of the picture-in-picture views. PIP allows players to memorise the locations of sentries and important items, as well as heightening Made Man's movie-like dramatic style.

Dual weapons and melee combat Ц Joey can wield two firing weapons simultaneously for double the carnage! Melee weapons are also available for brutal bar room-style brawling and hand-to-hand combat using anything from chair legs, crowbars and knives to inflict the most damage.

Missile combat Ц Joey can throw all manner of explosive missiles including grenades, Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs for maximum firepower. Missiles may also be used in stealthier stand-offs, in the form of empty drinks cans and rocks that can be used to distract and stun the enemy.

Proprietary physics system Ц Silverback's proprietary physics and 'rag doll' system is designed from the ground up to feature rich and dynamic environments that allow the player to destroy surroundings and enemies with realistic and spectacular results.

If Made Man ever makes it to American shores, we'll be sure to squeal.