While there are a few aspects to both the sound and the graphics are great, overall, The Godfather II was rather disappointing.

The music in the game, while not being at the same level as Grand Theft Auto, is reasonably done; you do have some radio station choices. The fighting sequences sound pretty good; the gunfire sounds like gunfire, explosions explode and people in pain scream. While the fighting sounds are done well, they are nothing spectacular either.

The only good voice acting that you will hear in the game takes place in the official storyline missions. The dialogue there is well written and the voice acting delivers exactly what is needed. On the other hand, the side missions all sound about the same. You walk up to somebody and you deliver one of no more then three lines while the person you talk to responds in no more then ten different ways. For more info on side missions check out the 'Gameplay and Controls' section of the review.

The game's graphics are also hit and miss, mostly on the missing side. The fire effects are done really well. I look forward to blowing up a rival family headquarters just to see the pretty flames. Getting into gunfights is another pretty thing to look at. I love the effects of the guns, especially the Tommy Gun; and you can always throw a Molotov and cause some more pretty fire to look at. When it comes to the people models (including the player model), the game is both a hit and a miss. The people renderings look really good. Even the character creation is decently complex. However, it is also very limited. While you have several faces to chose from at character creation, what you will soon realize is that all the people in the cities that you visit are also some forms of the same faces and clothing options. At first the game looks complex, but after a couple hours of game play, every person in the game looks like someone else's twin. As for the map and the towns themselves, they are rendered using yesterday's technology. GTA IV really set the standards for the 'open-town shooters' and The Godfather II is nowhere close to having the same quality graphics. Maybe Wheelman looks better; that's next on my review list.