Strategies of a Don
One of the things I like about the Godfather II is its replayability. Your goal in the game is to take over all rackets, businesses, and Crime Rings and eliminate all rival families. But the rival families share the same goal as you, and will try to take your business and eliminate you. This means that the game will play out differently every time, with different families taking different strategies. After playing the game a couple of times (which I hope you do!), you can start to see and develop some of your own strategies for being a successful Don. Here are some of mine.
Prepare for the Inevitable
As any fan of the Godfather II film knows, Carmine Rosato is a rat who tries to set up Michael Corleone through a meeting and a "truce" with Frank Pentangeli. The meeting takes place at Richie's Tavern in New York. In the game, as in the film, this meeting will explode into violence. To get an edge on Carmine and the cops who report to the scene, take over Richie's tavern as soon as you can when you get to New York. Then, hire at least 4-5 associates to guard to the business. By the time you meet with Carmine, you'll have your own group of henchmen already there to back you up.
Hire Only the Best
After eliminating Carmine Rosato's family, you'll get the chance to head down to Florida and work with the biggest syndicate boss of them all, Hyman Roth. But before heading south, take a good look at your family. Do they all have Advanced Weapon Licenses? Made Men with Advanced Licenses can carry level 2 weapons, and you'll should find at least one of those weapons in New York. Head over to Le Maison Rouge and scope out the recruits. If they have the skills you need and have Weapon Licenses that are better than the Made Men already in your family, hire them. Need to make room in your family first? Well, you know what you need to do.
Stock up on Cash
When you arrive in Florida, you'll notice that there are two SaniCo Drug Smuggling rackets. Adding those to the two SaniCo rackets in New York will complete a Crime Ring. The Drug Smuggling Crime Ring is lucrative, as it doubles the income from those rackets. More money means more guards and more upgrades for your Made Men, so take over the SaniCo rackets as soon as you arrive. But keep them guarded! Rival bosses Tony Rosato and Rico Granados know the value of that Crime Ring, and will do anything to take it.
Cripple Your Opponent
Before pressing forward to take all rackets and business in Florida, head back to New York. Don't worry, you can always keeps tabs on every city just by looking at the Don's View. Back in New York, show everyone what a... considerate... Don you are by doing Favors for people you meet on the streets as well as for Corrupt Officials. New York is a great place for doing Favors. The city is so dense that people asking for Favors, as well as their "targets", are not too far from each other. This is a great way to stockpile more cash, but also a great way to learn Kill Conditions for Tony Rosato's Made Men. Most of his men hang out in New York, so once you learn the Kill Conditions, you can hunt them down right away. Whacking Tony's Made Men in New York will cripple his ability to attack you in Florida, allowing you to concentrate on another rival, Rico Granados.
